SPECIAL NOTE: The news staff (me) are (is) still recovering from its week away on family business and unfortunately, as often happens with those kinds of things, the list of news stories that were gathered all week long for roundup here did not make the transition. We will return to our regularly scheduled programming, in full, next week.
AMAZON vs HACHETTE BOOK GROUP Link Roundup
The last time Amazon flexed its muscles and demonstrated a firm grasp of its business model (world domination), the unwashed public (you and me) seemed largely in favor of Amazon’s actions. How dare those book companies and other near-monopolies try to have their way with ebook pricing!
This time – not so much. Authors and their fans are enraged because Amazon’s actions this time are direct and immediate: people can’t buy or order their books through Amazon.
Amazing Stories’ position at the time of the first fooforaw (read, the publisher’s position and not necessarily that of our fine contributors) was and is that monopolies (regardless of whether they meet the legal and technical definitions) are a BAD thing. The benefits of scale are far-outweighed by the concentration of too much power and influence in one place. It has always been our (my) view that Amazon is in the business of controlling the entire market and that this will lead to suppliers (currently publishers and indies, soon to be authors across the board) being squeezed. The inevitable result (if nothing changes) will be content going for flat-fee pennies, fiction sold like yard goods. Companies with shareholders do not like variable costs associated with their supply. They don’t like cost associated with their supply and they WILL do everything within their power to continually reduce those costs.
The only thing that can stop such actions is a refusal of the community to engage with the “market” that Amazon offers, and that is unlikely to happen because – monopoly in everything but legal name.
Here are some articles that will help explain and illuminate the current situation:
Forbes
Wall Street Journal
New York Times More More
BusinessWeek
Guardian
Mashable
Huffington Post
The Verge
The Publishing Perspective
Authors – Brian McClellan John Scalzi Charlie Stross Michael J Sullivan
PRESS RELEASES & NEWSLETTERS
CONVENTION ODYSSEY CROWD FUNDING PROJECT
NIGHT SHADE BOOKS NEW RELEASES
GLORIOUS PLAGUE FROM PERMUTED BOOKS
KGB READING
HELP ID PEOPLE IN THE STOKER AWARDS/WHC FLICKR SET
CLARION WEST WRITE-A-THON
DUOTROPE MARKET NEWS
SUVUDU LIVE Q&A WITH GEORGE RR MARTIN
DOUGLAS SMITH NEWSLETTER
RADIO ARCHIVES NEWSLETTER
KEVIN J. ANDERSON NEWSLETTER
CONVENTION ODYSSEY
Petrea Mitchell, fan since the age of five and regular weekly blogger for Amazing Stories wants to video blog a convention a week for a year! Help fund her slightly insane project over at Indiegogo
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Taral Wayne Publishsed the latest Broken Toys
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Ed Meskys Published and mailed the latest in The View From Entropy Hall
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Beverly Bambury, Publicist, is sending out review copies of Karen Hueler’s Glorious Plague from Permuted Press
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FANTASTIC FICTION at KGB reading series, hosts
Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel
present:
Paul Witcover, whose fiction has been a finalist for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Shirley Jackson Award, and short-listed for the James Tiptree award. His most recent novel is The Emperor of All Things. Forthcoming is its sequel, Eternity in Love. He lives in Brooklyn.
and
Eileen Gunn is a short-story writer and editor. Questionable Practices, her most recent collection, was published in March. Her fiction has received the Nebula Award in the US and the Sense of Gender Award in Japan, and has been nominated for the Hugo, Philip K. Dick, and World Fantasy awards and short-listed for the James Tiptree, Jr. award.
June 18th, 2014
Subscribe to our mailing list:
https://groups.yahoo.com/group/kgbfantasticfiction/
Readings are free
Forward to friends at your own discretion.
Books will be for sale
Sponsored in part by Cemetery Dance Publications
NOTE: Ellen is looking for folks to help her ID some of the people in the last photo set from the Stoker Award/WHC event
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We’re going bigger and better than ever this year, and we need your help.
We’re looking for 360 intrepid writers to help us make this the best Write-a-thon ever. We need you. Signups open on May 20. We’ll support you with customized Write-a-thon web pages, your own custom PayPal donation button, and with ideas, tips, and tricks to help you set and achieve your writing goals. Sign up and spread the word!
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Sunday is your day, fellow geeks!
I wanted to share some great content we have generated for Geek Pride Day, which includes: a blog post highlighting some truly geeky moments and photos from staff and revered science fiction authors.
Be sure to check out the Open Road Geek-O-Meter, which is attached and below.
Thank you in advance for any mention or social media shares.
Best,
Stacy
Marketing Associate
Open Road Integrated Media
345 Hudson St. Suite 6C
New York, NY 10014
212-691-0900, ext 140
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News from DuotropeWhere’s the full edition? This newsletter is only a glimpse of what Duotrope has to offer. The full, info-packed newsletter, as well as all the other awesome features of our website, are available to paid subscribers. Subscribe today for full access! | |
New ListingsIn the past 30 days, we have added 112 new market listings. Of those, 19 pay professional rates, 16 pay semi-pro rates, and 15 pay token rates.
Top fiction listings added recently (by number of submissions reported): Top poetry listings added recently: Top non-fiction listings added recently: For the complete list of new market listings, subscribe now! |
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Market News In the past 30 days, 157 markets have re-opened to submissions and 255 have temporarily closed. Don’t miss out! Stay abreast of market openings and closings. Subscribe today! |
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Upcoming Themed Deadlines 116 markets have themed deadlines scheduled to close in the next 45 days. For the full list, subscribe now! |
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Recent Acceptances In the past 30 days, we have received 16,545 reports of market responses from our community. We congratulate those who received the 1,021 acceptances reported! We’ve helped thousands of writers get published. Want to count yourself among them? Subscribe today! |
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I hope you’re having a good day. I’m writing to let you know about a live Q&A with George R.R. Martin’s book editor on Suvudu Universe on May 29th, in case you can help spread the word. Below are more details. Thanks for your consideration!
Suvudu Universe is hosting its first live Q&A with George R.R. Martin Editor, Anne Lesley Groell on May 29th from 3pm to 4pm EST.https://universe.suvudu.com/q-and-a/anne-groell#.U34IVNJdV8H
Fans can submit questions and also vote for questions they would like answered. Anne will answer questions with the highest votes during the live event.
Anne Lesley Groell has been working in science fiction and fantasy publishing for close to twenty-two years. She is currently an Executive Editor for Penguin Random House, and a member of Team Del Rey, where she works with such authors as George R.R. Martin, Terry Brooks, and Robin Hobb.
Join the Suvudu Universe community by registering here (https://universe.suvudu.com/contribute/user/signup). The top three highest-voted questions submitted by registered users will be sent a prize pack of Anne’s books. Suvudu Universe is a Penguin Random House community for bloggers, writers and fans of all things sci-fi, fantasy, comics, gaming, and more.
Best,
Milena
Milena Schmidt
Digital Communications Manager
Penguin Random House
212-782-8829 | mschmidt@randomhouse.com
Time: May 22, 2014 at 12:08 pm
IP Address: 170.171.1.5
Contact Form URL: https://amazingstories.com/press-release-contact/
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Hi ,
Sometimes one universe just isn’t big enough. I’ve always considered the Saga of Seven Suns to be my masterpiece, the biggest story I’ve ever told, my love letter to science fiction—with alien races, exotic planets, space battles, terrible monsters, killer robots, political intrigues, clashing empires … you know, all the good stuff. Saga of Shadows in the Seven Suns Universe The last of the original Seven Suns series was published in 2008, and after spending more than five years in other universes, I couldn’t resist going back to the Spiral Arm. My new trilogy The Saga of Shadows launches on June 3 with The Dark Between the Stars, a next-generation epic that picks up 20 years after The Ashes of Worlds. Tor Books (US) and Simon & Schuster (UK) will release the book in hardcover, which is available for preorder now. Freebie from Tor If you want a taste of the new trilogy, I wrote a standalone novella, “Island in a Sea of Stars,” part of the opening sequence in The Dark Between the Stars. Tor.com just released the novella, which you can read for free on their website by clicking the story title here: Island in a Sea of Stars. I really think it’s spectacular stuff (but I’m biased). Rush-Inspired Books from ECW This month ECW Press is also releasing two of my books in trade paperback: Clockwork Angels (with Neil Peart, and based on the Rush album of the same name), and the 25th Anniversary Edition of my first novel Resurrection, Inc. (based unofficially on the Rush album Grace Under Pressure). Both have covers by the great album artist Hugh Syme. The KJA Running Man Tour (sponsored by Tor) In the past month I’ve met a lot of you at large comic and pop-culture shows, including FanX in Salt Lake City, Starfest in Denver, and Dallas Comic Con (our biggest show ever). Right now I’m at ComicPalooza in Houston. Next week I’ll be a guest instructor at the Crested Butte Writers Conference, then I’ll head back to the conventions, where I hope I have a chance to see you and sign your books. The KJA Running Man Tour (featuring the Dune series, the Hellhole series and the Saga of Shadows series from Tor) continues:
Meanwhile, despite a few erratic late-season snowstorms, it’s getting close to hiking season in the high country. I can’t wait to hit the trail soon, because I’m in the middle of writing Blood of the Cosmos, the second volume in the Saga of Shadows trilogy. Until next time, keep reading! KJA P.S. Rebecca’s spinal laminectomy and fusion (L4–L5) went well. She is walking better and standing straighter than I’ve seen in years! We hope she’ll even be strong enough in a few weeks to attend Denver Comic Con for a day. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. |
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