Love is in the air!

Everywhere you look around! Big news in romance publishing, and really all genre publishing. Sales are up up up!

A brief cameo by me towards the end of the article. Come one, come all. Pick up a book!

What a difference a year makes!

This is what I wrote in my June monthly report last year:

Disturbing discovery

The Romance Writers of America hands out the RITA awards every year at their convention. This is the “official” award of the romance industry, although there are several others given by different groups. While I was searching Horizon to see if we had all the nominees, I found that there were a few categories we had few, sometimes none, of the books that were nominated. The titles were from 2007, and they were all “category” romances. Category romances are defined as the ones that come out monthly in a category (like Harlequin Blaze for instance). I didn’t start buying those until mid year 2007 because it had always been that we didn’t buy those. Now that I think about it, I find it kind of appalling that we would single out a category of book we didn’t buy just because we didn’t think it had any merit. We’re a library for crying out loud. I think we’re the absolute last people who should be judging what books have merit and which do not. I understand that we can’t, and don’t, buy everything but we really shouldn’t be making the decision on what to buy based on something as general as “it’s a category romance.” And I really hope that we don’t ever go back to that way of thinking. It is embarrassing, as an institution, to be so closed minded about a collection that aims to serve the WHOLE city, not just the ones with high literary taste.

So, today the RITA nominations were announced and I can report SIGNIFICANT improvement in what is in our collection. I wish I could say that it was 100% but, I can't. Sadly. BUT, there were only 3 categories where we didn't have them all: Best First Book, Contemporary Series Romance and Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure. Out of all the books nominated, there were six we didn't have. I'm encouraged by that, although I'm also curious as to WHY we didn't have those six. How did I miss them? Why didn't I pick them? Was it bad reviews or what? I'll have to check into that.

In the meantime, here is the list

Royalties for Public Lending

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (or IFLA) has a very interesting and informative stance on the idea of Public Lending Rights that are all the rage in more and more countries. While I love authors (and make no mistake, I do love authors) I'm skeptical about the idea of authors being paid EVERY TIME a book is lent from the library. There has to be some kind of co-existence between the rights of the user who has bought the book: the library, and the author. Libraries have taken five steps forward in terms of serving the public through lending items that OF COURSE authors (and other creative artists) would rather individuals bought instead of borrowed. But there has to be balance.

IFLA says it much better than I ever could here.

One more site for college profs to check!

There is an interesting discussion going on over at the Smart Bitches blog about plagiarism. So, when I flipped to GalleyCat and saw this my first thought was: college students. They get a bad rap, generally, for the whole plagiarism thing. But, you just KNOW some idiot is going to be trying to write their paper the hour before class and being too liberal with the copy and paste.

My second thought was: how the hell do I know the person who wrote the book has even read it? Now, I suppose there will be enough people monitoring the thing to call bullshit when someone says King Lear was a black king with a white wife who killed herself with an asp. BUT, there could be other, more subtle, things that are inaccurate.

I don't know. But, it's kinda fun. And reading the summary of The Outsiders made me wanna see the movie again.

Great (?) News

There is always a little bit of apprehension when I hear that a book I love is going to be "adapted" for the big or small screen. But, I'm more hopeful than not about this project. HBO usually does good things, Martin says the script is on point, and they're looking at a "season" = 1 book. So, not too much would be cut out. I'm not even worried so much about the casting, as long as they can act. Cross your fingers, people.

Not a surprise

Galleycat has an interesting blurb about a team of econ profs who analyzed the effect of the "bestseller". That term aside, they mention anecdotally that The Kite Runner "has arguably done more to educate Western readers about the realities of daily life in Afghanistan under the Taliban and thereafter than any government media campaign, advocacy organization report, or social science research."

This is something that people who have been paying attention to books and/or movies, music, tv, media have known for years.

The Sound of a Giant falling

Tony Hillerman died over the weekend. I'm sure there will be a multitude of obits over the next few days, weeks.....months. I never got around to reading one of his books, and thankfully I still have the chance. But, you can't really be a fan of literature, fiction, or popular culture, without knowing what a large figure he was. I know he'll be greatly missed.

Very astute observation

I haven't read Kathy Reichs' books. Things in books always seem a bit more real than on TV, and I'm not sure I would like to read about the grisly details of forensic science. It's already bad enough that I can't eat and watch CSI at the same time.

That said, Reichs, herself, sounds like an interesting person. Here is an article about her from Scotland's Daily Record.

This, for me, was the money quote:

"Not everybody is suited to dealing with maggots or decomposing bodies."

Damn skippy!

News you won't use

Why is it that Starbucks isn't happy just selling coffee? I mean, seriously, that seems like a pretty good business to me! Just the fact that there is such a thing as a "Starbucks Entertainment Division" is crackhead crazy.


Book Reviews? Do you really care what someone, who you don't even know, says about a book? I've always been curious about that. I love reading book reviews, but it doesn't impact whether or not I'll read the book for myself. I take that back.....I may decide to read a book based on a book review because, after reading the review, the subject matter sounds interesting. But, I've never decided NOT to read a book based on a review.

Thank God!

All of humanity is saved! A publisher for The Jewel of Medina has been found and life can go on!

If this hasn't been a complete waste of time, I don't know WHAT has. Can we just give the damnable thing out already, and move on to book that might actually be good? Give it the Pulitzer and the Nobel. The Edgar, the Anthony. The Hugo, the Nebula. The Oscar, the Emmy. The Grammy.


Thanks. Appreciate it.

As much as I hate this from Dennis Lehane:

He knows what he won't do: write another whodunit about the two private eyes, Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro, in his first five novels, which include Gone Baby Gone. "They were written from a young man's perspective. I left Patrick when I was 33 and he was 33. I've tried, but his voice won't come."

I completely understand and admire it. Too many authors keep writing the series long after the "voice" has left them. If they ain't talkin' to you, quit tryin' to make them talk to us.

Read the rest of Lehane's article here. I was on the fence about his latest book, but I think he pushed me over to the "read it" side.

Don't act up.

So, there is a big time publishing house that is putting "behavior" clauses into the contracts of their authors of juvenile books. If you behave in a certain way, blah blah blah. Actually, here is the actual text, picked up from another book blog:

"If you act or behave in a way which damages your reputation as a person suitable to work with or be associated with children, and consequently the market for or value of the work is seriously diminished, and we may (at our option) take any of the following actions: Delay publication / Renegotiate advance / Terminate the agreement."

Come on, now. I would ask: what will they think of next, but I'm afraid to know.


In other Brit book news, there was this story about Random House changing "twat" to "twit" in a children's book.

Funky Cold Medina

There is a big controversy, or conTROversy if you're British, going on about the book The Jewel of Medina.

What? You've never heard of it? Well, that is because it was supposed to have been released yesterday and it wasn't. Why? Well, that is the question. Random House pulled the book from its release schedule and it isn't clear if it was because the book wasn't so hot, or because the book is going to make Muslim extremists fly into a rage and civilization, as we know it, will be destroyed. One of those scenarios seems more likely than the other, but I'll let you make up your own mind.

Anyway, as you might have guessed, right wing reactionaries are ALL IN AN UPROAR about the "American way of life" being subjugated by "liberal media" (yak) and bowing down to Islam. Really? Is that what happened?

I find it humorous, if not a little ridiculous, that everyone is jumping to the defense of a book they've never heard of, let alone read. Andrew Klavan stated, in some editorial, that "but I know for a fact that the history of literature and thought will be poorer for its absence." Really? You know that for a fact, never having read the book? Wow. That's pretty good.

If you're interested, here are some links to the controversy. I highly recommend the Smart Bitches discussion, because there are a few Muslim women who give real insight into lots of things dealt with in the book. Also, there is also a link to the prologue so you can be more informed than Mr. Klavan, at least.

From GalleyCat

From Smart Bitches, Trashy Books (thread with prologue)

The original SBTB thread.

I have a soft spot for Mickey Haller

I would say that I'm kind of hit or miss with Michael Connelly. What I've read, I've really liked. But, I haven't been compelled to read each and every book. The Poet was one of my favorites until I came across The Lincoln Lawyer. That was the first book I listened to on audio from beginning to end. I'm not sure if it was the story, or the narrator, but I hadn't been able to get through a book on cd before LL.

Connelly's upcoming book brings together his "series" character, Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller, from Lincoln Lawyer. The two also happen to be half brothers, so that should be interesting. I think this is the first time I've actually anticipated a Connelly book.

Milking the Cash Cow. Again.

I think I call bullshit on this story. What better way to get press for your "probably going to be a literary darling that sits on the shelves" book than to SAY you're cancelling it "for safety reasons" and then let the world work itself into a First Amendment uproar. Then, when you DO finally release it, the world can applaud your obvious bravery and swoon at your courage for standing up for "American ideals."

When really, all you did was write a book that no one would have wanted to read without your manufactured hysteria.

Nice.

Not quite Moses, but.....

I'm voting for the one that comes out in tights!

And the winner is.....

Congrats, Warden! J.R. Ward, and the Cop, won best paranormal romance at this year's Rita Awards.

If you're a romance/urban fantasy fan and you haven't read this series, you're missing out. Although, I have to say, I think the Ward backlash is starting. I heard someone say, the other day, that people in the romance book world "treat her like a God."

I haven't seen that to be the case, but what do I know, right? I have met Ward, and she is probably one of the nicest "Gods" I've met. But, honestly, I haven't had the misfortune of meeting any really horrible authors. All of them have been exceptionally nice, and humbled by the interest in their work. Isn't that nice?

The rest of the RITA winners can be found here. I'm interested in reading Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.

More Pelecanos

If you're like me, and you can't read enough about George Pelecanos, you are in luck. He's getting some serious ink these days..

Washington Post did a long interview with him a few weeks back.

Philly City Paper also has a FANTASTIC interview too.

When writers sue

Today's installement features Salman Rushdie.

Milking the Cash Cow

J.K. Rowling is issuing The Tales of Beedle the Bard to the general public. That high pitched sound you hear? That is millions of tiny voices shrieking in sheer delight.