On-line drinking
Finlandia wouldn't let me on its web site today, claiming I wasn't old enough.
Obviously they go by mental age.
IPad means IVideo
There's been a lot of talk that the iPad is going to mean big things for publishers of newspapers and magazines - and oh yeah, books.
But the real impact will be in personal video. Streaming to a personal screen is going to be as much of a killer ap for the slate as music was for the original iPod.
Not convinced? Try watching a movie on your laptop in bed tonight. Tell me it wouldn't be a lot easier if you were holding a tablet computer instead.
And yes, tablets have been around for a while, and there are a lot of good ones already available. But Apple just made it sexy.
There's been a lot of talk that the iPad is going to mean big things for publishers of newspapers and magazines - and oh yeah, books.
But the real impact will be in personal video. Streaming to a personal screen is going to be as much of a killer ap for the slate as music was for the original iPod.
Not convinced? Try watching a movie on your laptop in bed tonight. Tell me it wouldn't be a lot easier if you were holding a tablet computer instead.
And yes, tablets have been around for a while, and there are a lot of good ones already available. But Apple just made it sexy.
Whiplash
I was talking about Dreamland: Whiplash, the new series I'm doing with Dale Brown, and some people were wondering - why Whiplash, why not more 'straight' Dreamland?
Long story short - we were looking to refresh the series without totally walking away from it. Whiplash still stars many of the same characters, but now it's fifteen years later.
The first book came out in November and the reception has, thankfully, been pretty good. But inevitably we hear the question: Will you do more 'straight' Dreamlands?
I guess the answer is, it depends. We certainly have more plots. Whether we have time is another question.
One thing that the new series allowed us to do is move the time period where the story takes place up to the present/near future. That was always a problem with Dreamland, at least after the success of the first few books. Not realizing how successful it would become, we set it into a very small timeline - and most critically, in the past. The fact that it was taking place in the 1990s confused a lot of people.
Actually, most people just ignored it. Which is what you should do when authors make bad decisions . . .
I was talking about Dreamland: Whiplash, the new series I'm doing with Dale Brown, and some people were wondering - why Whiplash, why not more 'straight' Dreamland?
Long story short - we were looking to refresh the series without totally walking away from it. Whiplash still stars many of the same characters, but now it's fifteen years later.
The first book came out in November and the reception has, thankfully, been pretty good. But inevitably we hear the question: Will you do more 'straight' Dreamlands?
I guess the answer is, it depends. We certainly have more plots. Whether we have time is another question.
One thing that the new series allowed us to do is move the time period where the story takes place up to the present/near future. That was always a problem with Dreamland, at least after the success of the first few books. Not realizing how successful it would become, we set it into a very small timeline - and most critically, in the past. The fact that it was taking place in the 1990s confused a lot of people.
Actually, most people just ignored it. Which is what you should do when authors make bad decisions . . .
Old New Jersey* . . .
BB-16, in full war paint. . .
*What, I gotta have a reason for posting a picture of a battleship?
Well actually I do have a reason . . . in a way . . .
Ages ago - last week?? - in one of the Dreamland books, I erroneously referred to the Pennsylvania when I meant the New Jersey. Or was it the other way around. Anyway, this isn't either ship.
Sometimes, it's better not to know the thought process.
(And for information on how the image was manipulated, go here.)
BB-16, in full war paint. . .
*What, I gotta have a reason for posting a picture of a battleship?
Well actually I do have a reason . . . in a way . . .
Ages ago - last week?? - in one of the Dreamland books, I erroneously referred to the Pennsylvania when I meant the New Jersey. Or was it the other way around. Anyway, this isn't either ship.
Sometimes, it's better not to know the thought process.
(And for information on how the image was manipulated, go here.)
Bank heists: the next wave
From the AP:
At some point, the world is going to have to get very serious about electronic security. And that's going to have to include going after the perpetrators of thefts like these in a very aggressive way.
From the AP:
Officials from the Duanesburg Central School District in Schenectady County on Jan. 5 announced computer hackers had drained about $3 million from a district bank account over several days in December.There are literally thousands and thousands of vulnerable accounts.According to the district's Web site, bank officials contacted the district Dec. 22 to question a request for an electronic transfer of $759,000 to multiple overseas accounts. The bank canceled the pending transaction, but officials dug deeper and discovered an additional $3 million in unauthorized transfers were executed before Dec. 22.
The FBI and state police were called in, and district officials said they were able to recover $2.5 million of the stolen funds with the help of several overseas financial institutions. To prevent further problems, district officials closed all the school system's bank accounts and established new ones with restricted online access.
At some point, the world is going to have to get very serious about electronic security. And that's going to have to include going after the perpetrators of thefts like these in a very aggressive way.
Speaking of Chisinau, and Whiplash . . .
Chisinau was the site of a massacre during World War II, one of many, unfortunately. That bit of history wasn't relevant to the new Whiplash story, so it's not in the book. Even an oblique link was lost when I cut some of the irrelevant parts of a scene down.
That happens a lot: Bits and pieces that mean a lot to the writer in the early stages or even pre-stages of a book get totally lost in the process. They may not make it onto the writer's screen, let alone the reader's.
But they do add something - or at least I think they do - to the texture of the book. They haunt it like ghosts in the walls, things you can sense but can't quite touch.
Chisinau was the site of a massacre during World War II, one of many, unfortunately. That bit of history wasn't relevant to the new Whiplash story, so it's not in the book. Even an oblique link was lost when I cut some of the irrelevant parts of a scene down.
That happens a lot: Bits and pieces that mean a lot to the writer in the early stages or even pre-stages of a book get totally lost in the process. They may not make it onto the writer's screen, let alone the reader's.
But they do add something - or at least I think they do - to the texture of the book. They haunt it like ghosts in the walls, things you can sense but can't quite touch.
Espionage more than censorship
The news stories about Chinese hacking into Google and other American companies are mostly missing the point. While email accounts are being broken into - and have been for quite a while - the real goal is industrial espionage and theft of technology.
I realize a full list of the companies that have been attacked is hard to find, but even a simple search will show it includes Dow Chemical and Adobe. Those companies have little to do with dissent in China.
The media loves to write stories about hackers who break into computer systems for giggles or spread viruses as malicious pranks, they're the tip of the iceberg. There are any number of espionage programs underway on the internet every day. Some are being conducted by "private" criminal groups; a lot of others are government run or sponsored. Some are targeted; a lot are just generic let's see what we come up with probes. More than likely your computer - or rather its internet "address" - has been probed at least once in the past month.
And the probers weren't asking for sex.
The news stories about Chinese hacking into Google and other American companies are mostly missing the point. While email accounts are being broken into - and have been for quite a while - the real goal is industrial espionage and theft of technology.
I realize a full list of the companies that have been attacked is hard to find, but even a simple search will show it includes Dow Chemical and Adobe. Those companies have little to do with dissent in China.
The media loves to write stories about hackers who break into computer systems for giggles or spread viruses as malicious pranks, they're the tip of the iceberg. There are any number of espionage programs underway on the internet every day. Some are being conducted by "private" criminal groups; a lot of others are government run or sponsored. Some are targeted; a lot are just generic let's see what we come up with probes. More than likely your computer - or rather its internet "address" - has been probed at least once in the past month.
And the probers weren't asking for sex.
Just numbers
JP Morgan 2009 bonuses = $26.9 billion
Subprime chargeoffs at the bank (in other words, foreclosed mortgages - i.e., people kicked out of their homes) = $568 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Put another way, paying ten percent less bonuses could have stopped all sub-prime foreclosures in 2009. Without doing the math, it's easy to guess that shaving another, oh, five percent off the bonuses would have stopped ALL foreclosures.*
Wealth transfer, indeed.
* Even if you're still employed and paying off your mortgage, the rash of foreclosures affect all homeowners, further depressing housing prices. I suppose if you don't own a house but want one, that is a good thing - assuming, of course, that you can convince a bank to lend you money.
And no, I don't suggest that JPMorgan just give those houses away, nor do I think it's a good idea to buy something you can't afford. But if you think the banks are doing any of us a favor, you're nuts.
JP Morgan 2009 bonuses = $26.9 billion
Subprime chargeoffs at the bank (in other words, foreclosed mortgages - i.e., people kicked out of their homes) = $568 million in the fourth quarter of 2009.
Put another way, paying ten percent less bonuses could have stopped all sub-prime foreclosures in 2009. Without doing the math, it's easy to guess that shaving another, oh, five percent off the bonuses would have stopped ALL foreclosures.*
Wealth transfer, indeed.
* Even if you're still employed and paying off your mortgage, the rash of foreclosures affect all homeowners, further depressing housing prices. I suppose if you don't own a house but want one, that is a good thing - assuming, of course, that you can convince a bank to lend you money.
And no, I don't suggest that JPMorgan just give those houses away, nor do I think it's a good idea to buy something you can't afford. But if you think the banks are doing any of us a favor, you're nuts.
You knew this, right?
Wondering why foreclosures are increasing when there's supposedly a government program to stop them?
Click here for one reason. (The short answer: contrary to popular belief, in some circumstances banks can make more money on the foreclosure than they can reworking the lone. It has to do with government guarantees and reimbursements.)
The link:
http://iamfacingforeclosure.com/blog/2009/12/01/anatomy-of-a-government-abetteded-fraud-why-indymaconewest-always-forecloses/
Wondering why foreclosures are increasing when there's supposedly a government program to stop them?
Click here for one reason. (The short answer: contrary to popular belief, in some circumstances banks can make more money on the foreclosure than they can reworking the lone. It has to do with government guarantees and reimbursements.)
The link:
http://iamfacingforeclosure.com/blog/2009/12/01/anatomy-of-a-government-abetteded-fraud-why-indymaconewest-always-forecloses/
China? Really?
Shocking . . . not.
Full storty and links here.
VeriSign's iDefense security lab has published a report with technical details about the recent cyberattack that hit Google and over 30 other companies. The iDefense researchers traced the attack back to its origin and also identified the command-and-control servers that were used to manage the malware.
. . .
Citing sources in the defense contracting and intelligence consulting community, the iDefense report unambiguously declares that the Chinese government was, in fact, behind the effort. The report also says that the malicious code was deployed in PDF files that were crafted to exploit a vulnerability in Adobe's software.
. . .
If the report's findings are correct, it suggest that the government of China has been engaged for months in a massive campaign of industrial espionage against US companies.
Shocking . . . not.
Full storty and links here.
The perils of grenades
All I seem to be doing these days is talking about grenades and explosions.
Today (well, almost - time blurs together when you're blowing things up) I had a long seminar with Larry about the fine points of shaped charges and large metal objects. Which ultimately led us to a change in a scene at the end of our next book.
Only when I was rewriting it did I realize that the changes meant we'd lose the thing I most enjoyed about that little bit - blowing up a hundred-year-old smokestack* that has haunted me since I was a kid.
Unfortunately, there's no way to do that now. It has more to do with the story than the shaped charge, but at this point I'd have to bend reality to get it in. And we can't quite get a way with it there.
Ah, well. Maybe next time.
*If you ever use the 59th St. Bridge in NYC, you've seen it. Yes, part of the next Red Dragon Rising will take place in NYC.
All I seem to be doing these days is talking about grenades and explosions.
Today (well, almost - time blurs together when you're blowing things up) I had a long seminar with Larry about the fine points of shaped charges and large metal objects. Which ultimately led us to a change in a scene at the end of our next book.
Only when I was rewriting it did I realize that the changes meant we'd lose the thing I most enjoyed about that little bit - blowing up a hundred-year-old smokestack* that has haunted me since I was a kid.
Unfortunately, there's no way to do that now. It has more to do with the story than the shaped charge, but at this point I'd have to bend reality to get it in. And we can't quite get a way with it there.
Ah, well. Maybe next time.
*If you ever use the 59th St. Bridge in NYC, you've seen it. Yes, part of the next Red Dragon Rising will take place in NYC.
The banks
There's this:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01082010/transcript3.html
and this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2241251/?from=rss
They still don't get it.
But we have. In the usual place.
There's this:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/01082010/transcript3.html
and this:
http://www.slate.com/id/2241251/?from=rss
They still don't get it.
But we have. In the usual place.
Truth as strange as fiction
Literally ripped from the headlines:
Literally ripped from the headlines:
Allegations fly over Iranian scientist's assassinationEven for a country deep in political turmoil, the killing of Massoud Ali Mohammadi in Tehran today came as a shock. There have been arrests, disappearances and occasional shootings, but the manner of his death was as meticulous as it was disturbing.
Mohammadi was blown up outside his home in an smart northern suburb of Tehran by a remote-control bomb that had been attached to a motorcycle parked on the street. As his stunned neighbours cleared up the rubble they struggled to understand why a little-known academic would have fallen victim to such a highly professional assassination.
Mossad? Or the Iranians afraid he was going to Mossad (or the CIA)?
Either way, reminds me of a Deep Black plot . . . in fact, I think it was . . .
(If you're looking for background, this story's pretty good, at least as of now.)
Why should Americans have all the fun?
The Brits can blow stuff up, too.
(The missile is the Brimstone*. The small size and ability to volleyfire is truly impressive.)
Here's a url with action in Afghanistan:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/sep/26/brimstone-missile-raf-afghanistan
* Typo in the video head. Man, I hate when that happens.
The Brits can blow stuff up, too.
(The missile is the Brimstone*. The small size and ability to volleyfire is truly impressive.)
Here's a url with action in Afghanistan:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2009/sep/26/brimstone-missile-raf-afghanistan
* Typo in the video head. Man, I hate when that happens.
More on that Ebook thing*
Someone commented to me that my $11.41 royalty on sales of nearly 40,000 "units" was really an example of a terrible contract.
They're right, but the truth is that the ebook clause in that contract is probably the best most authors can negotiate - I (and my coauthor) get fully fifty percent of the $$ the publisher gets. The current standard, at least in many boilerplate contracts, is 25 percent, and there are some publishers that that push 15. (We're talking about net. Yeah, this stuff is a lot more complicated up close.)
The problem is that the publisher negotiated a bad deal. (There are reasons for that I won't go into here.) Suffice to say, $11.41 isn't going to pay my mortgage - or theirs either. The ebook sales on this book over its lifetime won't pay for coffee service there for a day.
But hey, there's always foreign sales. Like in Japan . . .
Seventy-three "units" sold in Japan during that period. (Hard cover, I believe, though no one seems able to get me a copy.) My cut?
$15.17.
Love that exchange rate.
* Go back a day or two for the original post. And an update or clarification - the figure only covered a 3-month period. The next 3 months saw another 39,903 "units" sold, for $16.42. Keep this up, and I may be able to buy a box of cigars . . .
Someone commented to me that my $11.41 royalty on sales of nearly 40,000 "units" was really an example of a terrible contract.
They're right, but the truth is that the ebook clause in that contract is probably the best most authors can negotiate - I (and my coauthor) get fully fifty percent of the $$ the publisher gets. The current standard, at least in many boilerplate contracts, is 25 percent, and there are some publishers that that push 15. (We're talking about net. Yeah, this stuff is a lot more complicated up close.)
The problem is that the publisher negotiated a bad deal. (There are reasons for that I won't go into here.) Suffice to say, $11.41 isn't going to pay my mortgage - or theirs either. The ebook sales on this book over its lifetime won't pay for coffee service there for a day.
But hey, there's always foreign sales. Like in Japan . . .
Seventy-three "units" sold in Japan during that period. (Hard cover, I believe, though no one seems able to get me a copy.) My cut?
$15.17.
Love that exchange rate.
* Go back a day or two for the original post. And an update or clarification - the figure only covered a 3-month period. The next 3 months saw another 39,903 "units" sold, for $16.42. Keep this up, and I may be able to buy a box of cigars . . .
Even hangovers cost more in 2010
Bad news for our Russian friends . . .
Bad news for our Russian friends . . .
Russia sets minimum price for vodkaSorry, Ivan, Dimitri, Little Dog . . . But you guys should have been drinking the expensive stuff anyway.
The Russian government has set a minimum price for vodka that more than doubles the cost of the cheapest vodka on the market.
The minimum price of 89 rubles ($3) for a half liter of vodka (17 ounces) went into effect Friday, the start of the 12-day New Year's and Orthodox Christmas holiday, when alcohol consumption is at its highest.
More on that . . .
So now it turns out that the Christians In Action* were onto the Christmas plot . . . but were just a little , uh, behind the curve.
Some of my friends in Virginia are going to have a rough new year's.
Don't you wish things worked as well in real life as they do in books?
* As the Rogue Warrior likes to put it. . .
So now it turns out that the Christians In Action* were onto the Christmas plot . . . but were just a little , uh, behind the curve.
Some of my friends in Virginia are going to have a rough new year's.
Don't you wish things worked as well in real life as they do in books?
* As the Rogue Warrior likes to put it. . .
About Chisinau
Explain, Jim . . . or at least connect the dots . . .
I'm working on the next Dreamland Whiplash . . . A lot of the next Whiplash takes place in Moldova . . . Chisinau is the capital of the country . . .
. . . The "gates" in the picture are an apartment complex, or rather a pair of them . . . you see the "gates" as you come up from the south from the airport.
Why does Whiplash take place there? And what's the next book about?
Too soon to tell... but if you read Dreamland: Revolution, you'll get a headstart.
Explain, Jim . . . or at least connect the dots . . .
I'm working on the next Dreamland Whiplash . . . A lot of the next Whiplash takes place in Moldova . . . Chisinau is the capital of the country . . .
. . . The "gates" in the picture are an apartment complex, or rather a pair of them . . . you see the "gates" as you come up from the south from the airport.
Why does Whiplash take place there? And what's the next book about?
Too soon to tell... but if you read Dreamland: Revolution, you'll get a headstart.
The attack . . .
Amid all the uproar over the failed Christmas Day terror attack, one thing no one seems to be noting is that the incident is a goldmine of information for American intelligence agencies. Capturing the would-be mass murderer alive - all credit to the passengers and crew - is an intelligence coup, albeit one that no one's going to brag about.
It'd be nice to see it pay off with a midnight raid in Yemen in a few weeks, though the odds are that if it does we won't hear about it. I know a few SEALs whom I'm sure are literally salivating at the chance to get the call.
Meanwhile, the problems with Homeland Insecurity aren't exactly new; many people have been writing about them for years now. (Shameless plug department: Check out Rogue Warrior: Vengeance for a long but only partial list.) Fixing things will take . . . a lot more than I can outline here.
Fortunately, the terrorists are generally more psychotic than skilled. The media makes them out to be supermen; that's nonsense. This whole brouhaha is starting to look a little like Tet - the bad guys lost, but the media makes them look like winners.
I mean think about it. This asshole set his balls on fire, and the media is making him and the dickheads that set him up look like Osama bin Einsteins. Come on.
The Christmas Day plan, like a lot of terrorist plans, was seriously flawed. And here's another thing you won't hear: Part of the reason the plan didn't work - admittedly only part - has to do with the restrictions and procedures that make it slightly harder to blow up an airliner than it used to be. Take those away, and the outcome here would have been different.
Probably. Like I say, these guys aren't necessarily the most effective paranoid schizo crazies in the world, just the blood-thirstiest.
If we really want to do something about the problem, we have to attack it at the source, again and again. Hello Yemen, hello other armpit capitals of the world.
In the meantime, I'll be wearing freshly laundered boxers every time I travel.
Amid all the uproar over the failed Christmas Day terror attack, one thing no one seems to be noting is that the incident is a goldmine of information for American intelligence agencies. Capturing the would-be mass murderer alive - all credit to the passengers and crew - is an intelligence coup, albeit one that no one's going to brag about.
It'd be nice to see it pay off with a midnight raid in Yemen in a few weeks, though the odds are that if it does we won't hear about it. I know a few SEALs whom I'm sure are literally salivating at the chance to get the call.
Meanwhile, the problems with Homeland Insecurity aren't exactly new; many people have been writing about them for years now. (Shameless plug department: Check out Rogue Warrior: Vengeance for a long but only partial list.) Fixing things will take . . . a lot more than I can outline here.
Fortunately, the terrorists are generally more psychotic than skilled. The media makes them out to be supermen; that's nonsense. This whole brouhaha is starting to look a little like Tet - the bad guys lost, but the media makes them look like winners.
I mean think about it. This asshole set his balls on fire, and the media is making him and the dickheads that set him up look like Osama bin Einsteins. Come on.
The Christmas Day plan, like a lot of terrorist plans, was seriously flawed. And here's another thing you won't hear: Part of the reason the plan didn't work - admittedly only part - has to do with the restrictions and procedures that make it slightly harder to blow up an airliner than it used to be. Take those away, and the outcome here would have been different.
Probably. Like I say, these guys aren't necessarily the most effective paranoid schizo crazies in the world, just the blood-thirstiest.
If we really want to do something about the problem, we have to attack it at the source, again and again. Hello Yemen, hello other armpit capitals of the world.
In the meantime, I'll be wearing freshly laundered boxers every time I travel.
Joke for today . . .
Iran Leader Says U.S. Forged Report
Reuters . . . [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad was asked by ABC News about a report in London's Times newspaper last week on what it said was a confidential Iranian technical document describing a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator, the part of a warhead that sets off an explosion.
"They are all fabricated bunch of papers continuously being forged and disseminated by the American government," he told the U.S. network in an interview broadcast on Monday.
And when Israel blows up the plant where these are fabricated, the destruction will be a figment of Iran's imagination.
Creativity
Scott Adams' official Dilbert site -- http://dilbert.com/ -- has been running an interesting beta for the past few months, letting readers create and then vote on mashups from the original cartoons. If you're a Dilbert fan, you've probably already found your way over there. If not, then you ought to. Here's the link.
The interesting thing to me, though, is the fact that almost invariably, the original cartoons are much, much funnier than the ones created and then voted on by the general public. It's a stark reminder, really, of the way creativity and what we might call group think don't really go together. More minds aren't better when it comes to art.
And a lot of other activities as well.
Kind of the point behind Dilbert, now that I think about it.
Scott Adams' official Dilbert site -- http://dilbert.com/ -- has been running an interesting beta for the past few months, letting readers create and then vote on mashups from the original cartoons. If you're a Dilbert fan, you've probably already found your way over there. If not, then you ought to. Here's the link.
The interesting thing to me, though, is the fact that almost invariably, the original cartoons are much, much funnier than the ones created and then voted on by the general public. It's a stark reminder, really, of the way creativity and what we might call group think don't really go together. More minds aren't better when it comes to art.
And a lot of other activities as well.
Kind of the point behind Dilbert, now that I think about it.
Iran's intentions
Headlines from the past few days:
Tell me again why anyone would think they're not building nukes?
Oh, and then there's this:
Who needs friends when you have the Pakistani government on your side?
Headlines from the past few days:
Iran Says It Tested Upgraded Missile
(NY Times)
Insurgents in Iraq Hack U.S. Drones
(. . . with Iranian help - Wall Street Journal)
Secret Document Exposes Iran's Nuclear Trigger
(. . . actually old news, but still relevant - London Times)
Tell me again why anyone would think they're not building nukes?
Oh, and then there's this:
Pakistan Reported to be Harassing U.S. Diplomats
(NY Times)
Who needs friends when you have the Pakistani government on your side?
The right direction
Yesterday we criticize; today we praise.
Macmillan ceo John Sargent reported a new ebook policy for the house yesterday, blending enhanced, premium price e-versions with a delay of "several months" on other titles: "Our goal is to give the consumer what they want, when they want it, at a fair price. In 2010 we will publish our bestsellers in several ways. Some bestsellers will be enhanced with additional content and priced to reflect their increased value to the consumer. These will be published at the same time as the hardcover and will be available for three months as special editions. We will publish other bestsellers, without enhancements, several months after the hardcover release. We will adjust the number of special edition bestsellers we publish based on the market response. Working with our authors, we will continue to experiment with new models going forward."
(From Publishers Lunch)
Yesterday we criticize; today we praise.
An industry roiled
The changes that have been going on behind the scenes in the book publishing industry over the past few years are finally seeping out into the wider world.
This morning, there was a story in the news about Stephen Covey deciding to cut his own deal with Amazon for e-book sales, bypassing his traditional publisher. On Friday, the news media publicized a letter from Random House trying to claim it owns ebook rights for books published when ebooks didn't exist - an opinion at variance with what's come out of court proceedings that Random was party to.
It's easy to see why Covey - and a lot of other authors to follow - would go for a deal with Amazon cutting his traditional publisher out. Most publishers currently pay authors, at best, 25 percent of their proceeds on sales from ebooks. That would work out roughly to about 12.5 percent of what a customer pays - at best.
Deal with Amazon directly, and you can get 35 percent of the sale price. Deal with a different middleman (which is what Covey actually did, rather than what some stories lead you to believe), and you can get at least 25 percent of what they pay - twice the best deal an old-line publisher will pay.
Not good numbers, by the way, but that's what they are.
Publishers can argue that they add value to books in a number of ways; Random House tried to list a few, claiming to be investing "millions" in the Internet side of the business. But the dirty little secret is that, in many cases, publishers actually add little value to books, including the books at the very top of their lists. Take away their pipeline to the market - which they don't have with ebooks - and what does an author get?
A copy editor who adds ten errors for every one he fixes.
You can expect many authors to experiment with direct ebook deals. Whether they're the way of the future or not remains to be seen. But if you're a publisher, pissing authors off by claiming to own rights that they don't isn't the solution.
I deal with some great publishers, and some excellent editors. I have also dealt with the opposite.
I don't think the majority of authors want publishers to go out of business. But if publishing is going to save itself, it had better change much of what it does very soon.
Unfortunately, if it doesn't get this right, authors and readers, as well as the publishers themselves, will suffer.
The changes that have been going on behind the scenes in the book publishing industry over the past few years are finally seeping out into the wider world.
This morning, there was a story in the news about Stephen Covey deciding to cut his own deal with Amazon for e-book sales, bypassing his traditional publisher. On Friday, the news media publicized a letter from Random House trying to claim it owns ebook rights for books published when ebooks didn't exist - an opinion at variance with what's come out of court proceedings that Random was party to.
It's easy to see why Covey - and a lot of other authors to follow - would go for a deal with Amazon cutting his traditional publisher out. Most publishers currently pay authors, at best, 25 percent of their proceeds on sales from ebooks. That would work out roughly to about 12.5 percent of what a customer pays - at best.
Deal with Amazon directly, and you can get 35 percent of the sale price. Deal with a different middleman (which is what Covey actually did, rather than what some stories lead you to believe), and you can get at least 25 percent of what they pay - twice the best deal an old-line publisher will pay.
Not good numbers, by the way, but that's what they are.
Publishers can argue that they add value to books in a number of ways; Random House tried to list a few, claiming to be investing "millions" in the Internet side of the business. But the dirty little secret is that, in many cases, publishers actually add little value to books, including the books at the very top of their lists. Take away their pipeline to the market - which they don't have with ebooks - and what does an author get?
A copy editor who adds ten errors for every one he fixes.
You can expect many authors to experiment with direct ebook deals. Whether they're the way of the future or not remains to be seen. But if you're a publisher, pissing authors off by claiming to own rights that they don't isn't the solution.
I deal with some great publishers, and some excellent editors. I have also dealt with the opposite.
I don't think the majority of authors want publishers to go out of business. But if publishing is going to save itself, it had better change much of what it does very soon.
Unfortunately, if it doesn't get this right, authors and readers, as well as the publishers themselves, will suffer.
Final approach
So we're practicing unpowered landings . . . always a fun time . . . when the flight instructor calls into the tower for a heads up.
We're good, but look for a Cessna that was coming in . . . somewhere to our north . . .
"Where was that, Tower?"
"Near the lake."
Flight instructor can't see it. Neither can I. And I'm staring at the lake.
Well that and my airspeed indicator, which, you know, isn't exactly spinning off the dial with the engine off.
"See it?"
"Negative. I'm looking right at . . . oh . . . did you say near the lake, or in the lake?"
"Tower . . ."
I'm hoping the Cessna had floats . . .
So we're practicing unpowered landings . . . always a fun time . . . when the flight instructor calls into the tower for a heads up.
We're good, but look for a Cessna that was coming in . . . somewhere to our north . . .
"Where was that, Tower?"
"Near the lake."
Flight instructor can't see it. Neither can I. And I'm staring at the lake.
Well that and my airspeed indicator, which, you know, isn't exactly spinning off the dial with the engine off.
"See it?"
"Negative. I'm looking right at . . . oh . . . did you say near the lake, or in the lake?"
"Tower . . ."
I'm hoping the Cessna had floats . . .
Amazon's take
The NY Times Sunday Magazine published a typically lame interview with Jeff Bezos over the weekend, in which Amazon's "royalty" to authors who publish through them is favorably compared to that of traditional publishers'. Amazon gives authors 35 percent; publishers' royalty rates depend on a whole number of factors, but would generally be in the 10-15 percent range.
It's a completely misleading comparison. For one thing, publishers pay advances up front against the royalty; Amazon does nothing of the kind. The publishers are taking a real risk on the work, and the writer, generally before the book has been written. And without that risk, most books simply wouldn't be written at all.
Publishers also have real expenses associated with the book beyond marketing it - things like editing and physically producing it, for starters. And the way sales actually break down, the publisher is generally only getting 50 percent or less on the sale, so the author earns in the area of 20 to 30 percent of what the publisher gets.
And publishers don't turn around and sell copies of the books where authors don't make any money - as Amazon does when it sells "used" books.
Traditional publishers certainly can be criticized, but Amazon is in no way a white knight here. The changes in the industry that Amazon is trumpeting have generally not helped writers, and Amazon could clearly care less about that.
I'm not saying it's their job to care, but don't try and give me any impression to the contrary.
The NY Times Sunday Magazine published a typically lame interview with Jeff Bezos over the weekend, in which Amazon's "royalty" to authors who publish through them is favorably compared to that of traditional publishers'. Amazon gives authors 35 percent; publishers' royalty rates depend on a whole number of factors, but would generally be in the 10-15 percent range.
It's a completely misleading comparison. For one thing, publishers pay advances up front against the royalty; Amazon does nothing of the kind. The publishers are taking a real risk on the work, and the writer, generally before the book has been written. And without that risk, most books simply wouldn't be written at all.
Publishers also have real expenses associated with the book beyond marketing it - things like editing and physically producing it, for starters. And the way sales actually break down, the publisher is generally only getting 50 percent or less on the sale, so the author earns in the area of 20 to 30 percent of what the publisher gets.
And publishers don't turn around and sell copies of the books where authors don't make any money - as Amazon does when it sells "used" books.
Traditional publishers certainly can be criticized, but Amazon is in no way a white knight here. The changes in the industry that Amazon is trumpeting have generally not helped writers, and Amazon could clearly care less about that.
I'm not saying it's their job to care, but don't try and give me any impression to the contrary.
Jeremy's been busy, too
I've been having so much fun myself that I forgot to mention my alter ego, Jeremy Roberts, who just helped Rey Mysterio get his book out.
Rey's book is impressive. For a guy who makes his living working in a mask, he's pretty revealing.
Here's one place to get it.
I've been having so much fun myself that I forgot to mention my alter ego, Jeremy Roberts, who just helped Rey Mysterio get his book out.
Rey's book is impressive. For a guy who makes his living working in a mask, he's pretty revealing.
Here's one place to get it.
A miscarriage of justice
Knox Convicted of Killing Roommate
PERUGIA, Italy (Dec. 4) -- A jury has convicted American college student Amanda Knox of murdering her British roommate and sentenced her to 26 years in prison while her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito was sentenced to 25 years.
Unbelievable.
The prosecutor came up with the most outlandish theory, and managed to make it stick... at least partly thanks to a sex-crazed media.
Check out Doug Preston's Monster of Florence - and especially the background to the book - for all you need to know about the prosecutor. His web page on it is here.
Doug's book deserves to be read on its own, of course.
The prosecutor came up with the most outlandish theory, and managed to make it stick... at least partly thanks to a sex-crazed media.
Check out Doug Preston's Monster of Florence - and especially the background to the book - for all you need to know about the prosecutor. His web page on it is here.
Doug's book deserves to be read on its own, of course.
Fiction and its many possibilities
The other day I was talking about Leopards Kill, and the fact that much of the book is based on reality and what was going on in Afghanistan when I wrote it a few years ago.
Unfortunately, a great deal of what I hoped wouldn't happen did happen, but that's another post.
So a reader asked: Why exactly did you go to such lengths in the beginning of the book to say it was fiction? Because obviously a great deal of it is true, even the tiny details about how the buildings are laid out.
Because it's a story, not a history, not a prediction. One of the themes of the book has to do with the stories we tell ourselves to get through things, and how we get trapped by them.
Jack Pilgrim finds himself trapped by a story a lot of Americans got trapped during this decade. He confuses money with success, and for far too long is willing to accept hype in place of reality. The book is about him finding out what's real - and recovering his soul in the process.
And yes, it is about Afghanistan, and how we bungled things there. And yes, the parallels to Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now are deliberate and intentional.
Let me put it this way: I could have written a true story about the American operations in Afghanistan. (And at one point I was approached to do so. Another long story.) But that would have been just about Afghanistan. Writing Leopards Kill as a novel let me do more.
Oh yeah, you can pick it up here, here or even here. Now in paperback . . .
The other day I was talking about Leopards Kill, and the fact that much of the book is based on reality and what was going on in Afghanistan when I wrote it a few years ago.
Unfortunately, a great deal of what I hoped wouldn't happen did happen, but that's another post.
So a reader asked: Why exactly did you go to such lengths in the beginning of the book to say it was fiction? Because obviously a great deal of it is true, even the tiny details about how the buildings are laid out.
Because it's a story, not a history, not a prediction. One of the themes of the book has to do with the stories we tell ourselves to get through things, and how we get trapped by them.
Jack Pilgrim finds himself trapped by a story a lot of Americans got trapped during this decade. He confuses money with success, and for far too long is willing to accept hype in place of reality. The book is about him finding out what's real - and recovering his soul in the process.
And yes, it is about Afghanistan, and how we bungled things there. And yes, the parallels to Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now are deliberate and intentional.
Let me put it this way: I could have written a true story about the American operations in Afghanistan. (And at one point I was approached to do so. Another long story.) But that would have been just about Afghanistan. Writing Leopards Kill as a novel let me do more.
Oh yeah, you can pick it up here, here or even here. Now in paperback . . .
Yes, it is true - we let him get away
After all of the Apocalypse Now questions, what I'm asked most often about Leopards Kill is whether we really let Osama bin Laden escape after 9/11.
The answer is, yes.
This wasn't widely known when I was working on the book, but it is gaining more attention. Supposedly, the Senate will be looking into it soon, at least according to this story in the Times:
Story here (and elsewhere, if you don't like the Times).
A lot of the operational details remain secrete for a number of reasons unrelated to embarrassing people, but the outlines are pretty much there.
After all of the Apocalypse Now questions, what I'm asked most often about Leopards Kill is whether we really let Osama bin Laden escape after 9/11.
The answer is, yes.
This wasn't widely known when I was working on the book, but it is gaining more attention. Supposedly, the Senate will be looking into it soon, at least according to this story in the Times:
Senate Report Explores 2001 Escape by bin Laden From Afghan Mountains
WASHINGTON — As President Obama vows to “finish the job” in Afghanistan by sending more troops, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has completed a detailed look back at a crucial failure early in the battle against Al Qaeda: the escape of Osama bin Laden from American forces in the Afghan mountains of Tora Bora in December 2001.
“Removing the Al Qaeda leader from the battlefield eight years ago would not have eliminated the worldwide extremist threat,” the committee’s report concludes. “But the decisions that opened the door for his escape to Pakistan allowed bin Laden to emerge as a potent symbolic figure who continues to attract a steady flow of money and inspire fanatics worldwide.”
The report, based in part on a little-noticed 2007 history of the Tora Bora episode by the military’s Special Operations Command, asserts that the consequences of not sending American troops in 2001 to block Mr. bin Laden’s escape into Pakistan are still being felt.
The report blames the lapse for “laying the foundation for today’s protracted Afghan insurgency and inflaming the internal strife now endangering Pakistan.”
Story here (and elsewhere, if you don't like the Times).
A lot of the operational details remain secrete for a number of reasons unrelated to embarrassing people, but the outlines are pretty much there.
Websites blown out . . .
Sorry folks - we just found out that some our websites - Jimdefelice.com and one of the Rogue Warrior sites, Dictatorsransom.com - experienced technical problems due to heavy usage over the past few days. We still have some intermittent problems.
Sorry for the problems - we're working on fixing them.
And thanks for looking up us up. We truly appreciate your support.
Sorry folks - we just found out that some our websites - Jimdefelice.com and one of the Rogue Warrior sites, Dictatorsransom.com - experienced technical problems due to heavy usage over the past few days. We still have some intermittent problems.
Sorry for the problems - we're working on fixing them.
And thanks for looking up us up. We truly appreciate your support.
Gee, this is a shock
The story, which is here, goes on to talk to one couple who had a $440,000 mortgage reduced to $314,000. I'm sure they're very nice people, but at least according to the story the husband is the sole bread winner, and he's a 62-year-old janitor in California. I guess janitors there get paid a lot of money.
Wall Street Finds Profits Again, by Reducing MortgagesThe upshot is, they take private underwater mortgages which some helped write in the first place, and foist them off on the government. Which is, um, you and me.
As millions of Americans struggle to hold on to their homes, Wall Street has found a way to make money from the mortgage mess.
Investment funds are buying billions of dollars’ worth of home loans, discounted from the loans’ original value. Then, in what might seem an act of charity, the funds are helping homeowners by reducing the size of the loans.
But as part of these deals, the mortgages are being refinanced through lenders that work with government agencies like the Federal Housing Administration. This enables the funds to pocket sizable profits by reselling new, government-insured loans to other federal agencies, which then bundle the mortgages into securities for sale to investors.
The story, which is here, goes on to talk to one couple who had a $440,000 mortgage reduced to $314,000. I'm sure they're very nice people, but at least according to the story the husband is the sole bread winner, and he's a 62-year-old janitor in California. I guess janitors there get paid a lot of money.
Big stories
Speaking of Rogue Warrior . . . some readers were asking during one session or another about why the last few books have had such "big" plots - doing battle with Fidel in this case, the North Koreans, et al. Save the world versus rescue the (relatively unknown) kidnapped civilian.*
Part of it has to do with the reality angle - the stories are intertwining with things that are really going on in the wide world, what Dick's concerned about and up to, and so on.
But another part has to do with the times. Our perception, over the last several books, is that the big stories, with a lot at stake, are what people want to read. It's not just us - both publishing houses have emphasized that. Maybe we're just living in hyperbolic times, but there seems less appreciation or maybe room in the mass media for anything that's narrower or less than apocalyptic.
As for the next book - we're already working on it. Dick's made a couple of trips to the locale, gotten back with his skin (mostly) intact, and we've got some great material. Big and small.
Without me getting in trouble this time, either. At least so far.
Oh, you can get Seize the Day here. Or here.
* No, you didn't miss an installment. I made those up to illustrate the point. Sheesh, grasshopper.
Speaking of Rogue Warrior . . . some readers were asking during one session or another about why the last few books have had such "big" plots - doing battle with Fidel in this case, the North Koreans, et al. Save the world versus rescue the (relatively unknown) kidnapped civilian.*
Part of it has to do with the reality angle - the stories are intertwining with things that are really going on in the wide world, what Dick's concerned about and up to, and so on.
But another part has to do with the times. Our perception, over the last several books, is that the big stories, with a lot at stake, are what people want to read. It's not just us - both publishing houses have emphasized that. Maybe we're just living in hyperbolic times, but there seems less appreciation or maybe room in the mass media for anything that's narrower or less than apocalyptic.
As for the next book - we're already working on it. Dick's made a couple of trips to the locale, gotten back with his skin (mostly) intact, and we've got some great material. Big and small.
Without me getting in trouble this time, either. At least so far.
Oh, you can get Seize the Day here. Or here.
* No, you didn't miss an installment. I made those up to illustrate the point. Sheesh, grasshopper.
You want one . . .
. . . you know you do.
The new Rogue Warrior watch. And it keeps good time, too.
Here's a review.
. . . you know you do.
The new Rogue Warrior watch. And it keeps good time, too.
Here's a review.
Let's do it
I keep reading a lot of bs about New York not being able to handle a terrorist trial.
Give me a break. We've already done it. And I'm sorry, but keeping our collective mouths shut isn't going to make us any less of a target.
We're ready to fry the sob. And if it's what he wants - so much the better.
I keep reading a lot of bs about New York not being able to handle a terrorist trial.
Give me a break. We've already done it. And I'm sorry, but keeping our collective mouths shut isn't going to make us any less of a target.
We're ready to fry the sob. And if it's what he wants - so much the better.
What editors don't understand (#2,459)
Friend of mine was recently talking to an editor-type, who wanted to know how the work on his latest book was progressing. He did the writer shuffle, but the editor insisted on trying to pin him down.
"So what happens to this character?" asked the editor. "How does [the character]* pull the [plot point]* off?"
"Don't know," said the writer.
The editor-type went nuts.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
The meeting went downhill from there. I'm not sure if the editor-type thought my friend was bullshiting, being cruel, or somehow slacking off. But the upshot of it was a screaming match and some door slamming. Sorry I missed it, actually.
Now maybe he was bs'ing, or being cruel, or even slacking off, but what he said about not knowing what specifically was going to happen was surely true. The good stuff only happens when you get there. (Ditto the bad, but we don't have to go into that.)
That's what being a writer is - to a large extent, figuring it out when you get there is what makes it interesting.
That's not an editor's head -- an editor has to think more like an engineer, figuring out how things are going to be connected. They want to make sure the bridge is going to stand before they cross it. Writers just say, hell, let's get to the other side. We'll figure out how we do it when we get there.
* The specifics are irrelevant. Besides, by the time I explain the specifics, you'll be checking ESPN for baseball scores.
Friend of mine was recently talking to an editor-type, who wanted to know how the work on his latest book was progressing. He did the writer shuffle, but the editor insisted on trying to pin him down.
"So what happens to this character?" asked the editor. "How does [the character]* pull the [plot point]* off?"
"Don't know," said the writer.
The editor-type went nuts.
"What do you mean, you don't know?"
The meeting went downhill from there. I'm not sure if the editor-type thought my friend was bullshiting, being cruel, or somehow slacking off. But the upshot of it was a screaming match and some door slamming. Sorry I missed it, actually.
Now maybe he was bs'ing, or being cruel, or even slacking off, but what he said about not knowing what specifically was going to happen was surely true. The good stuff only happens when you get there. (Ditto the bad, but we don't have to go into that.)
That's what being a writer is - to a large extent, figuring it out when you get there is what makes it interesting.
That's not an editor's head -- an editor has to think more like an engineer, figuring out how things are going to be connected. They want to make sure the bridge is going to stand before they cross it. Writers just say, hell, let's get to the other side. We'll figure out how we do it when we get there.
* The specifics are irrelevant. Besides, by the time I explain the specifics, you'll be checking ESPN for baseball scores.
Time to volunteer . . .
. . . for jury duty.
. . . for jury duty.
Key 9/11 Suspect to Be Tried in New York
WASHINGTON — Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and four other men accused in the plot will be prosecuted in federal court in New York City, a federal law enforcement official said early on Friday.
Walkway over the Hudson
The last time I walked across the Hudson I was breaking the law if not defying gravity, climbing past the barricades and up over the missing boards to walk free and easy into what seemed like thin air. It was a spectacular feeling. And it was cold.
The other day I went back. The Walkway is now a unique public park, and you don't have to trespass or sneak anywhere, though figuring out a place to park may be a problem. It was just as amazing, at least as much for the thousands of people streaming in each direction as the view.
It wasn't cold. But somehow it seemed scarier if the thick fences on either side.
Directions and info here.
The last time I walked across the Hudson I was breaking the law if not defying gravity, climbing past the barricades and up over the missing boards to walk free and easy into what seemed like thin air. It was a spectacular feeling. And it was cold.
The other day I went back. The Walkway is now a unique public park, and you don't have to trespass or sneak anywhere, though figuring out a place to park may be a problem. It was just as amazing, at least as much for the thousands of people streaming in each direction as the view.
It wasn't cold. But somehow it seemed scarier if the thick fences on either side.
Directions and info here.
Speaking of what it is I do . . .
Which reminds me - I should plug my book, right?
Leopards Kill is out in paperback today... a few days early, to beat (well, hopefully join) the holiday rush.
You can get it here, among other places.
Which reminds me - I should plug my book, right?
Leopards Kill is out in paperback today... a few days early, to beat (well, hopefully join) the holiday rush.
You can get it here, among other places.
Dreaming of Bruce Willis
Marshal Zeringue runs a fascinating blog called "My book, the movie," which lets authors indulge in their fantasies of making it to the big screen. It makes for entertaining reading.
He kindly let me tell a story about Bruce Willis and Leopards Kill. Click here to get there.
The blog itself lives at http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com
You can also catch up with Marshal at this site:
http://americareads.blogspot.com/
The blog is waging a virtual war for books - gotta love it.
Marshal Zeringue runs a fascinating blog called "My book, the movie," which lets authors indulge in their fantasies of making it to the big screen. It makes for entertaining reading.
He kindly let me tell a story about Bruce Willis and Leopards Kill. Click here to get there.
The blog itself lives at http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com
You can also catch up with Marshal at this site:
http://americareads.blogspot.com/
The blog is waging a virtual war for books - gotta love it.
Tickets and deer . . .
I hadn't seen Dogboy for quite a while, but I knew he'd turn up eventually, and with deer hunting season on tap I wasn't surprised to find him at the local watering hole the other night, mooching beer and rooting, more or less, for the Yankees.
"Just the guy I wanted to see," he said, coming over to my side of the bar about a half hour before the game. "Can I get you a beer?"
"Sure."
"OK, give me some money."
A Guinness and a half later, Dogboy came up with a proposition -- a pair of Yankee tickets for my hunting license.
"What are you going to do with my license?" I asked.
"Take your deer. You ain't gonna get one anyway."
"I might."
"You never have the time. Or the patience. And your aim ain't what it used to be. Besides, if you really wanted a deer, you'd shoot one of the ones that run through your backyard."
"You still need a license."
"Oh excuse me, I didn't realize I was talking to a law abiding citizen."
"I obey plenty of laws."
"Let's cut the bull and get to the chaser," said Dogboy, showing off his deft turn of phrase. "I'll swap you two tickets to Game Six for your license."
Before I could say anything else, a guy at the end of the bar cleared his throat real loud.
"You're talking about swapping a hunting license for tickets to a ball game?" he said.
"Who's asking?" said Dogboy.
The man pulled out his wallet and flashed what looked like a badge.
I know what you're expecting -- what I was expecting. Dogboy, and maybe your truly, were about to miss a ballgame.
Heh.
"You're a cop?" asked Dogboy. He sounded skeptical, mostly because he knows all the cops within a fifty mile radius.
"Nope."
"Conservation officer?" asked Dog.
"Might be," said the guy. "And a Yankee fan."
They went out for a smoke. Dog came back around the fourth inning, by which time the Yanks were pretty much out of it.
"You still on for that deal?" I asked.
"Too late," said Dog.
"I hate to tell you this, Dog," said the bartender. "But that guy ain't no DEC conservation officer. He's a plumber. I hope you didn't give him your tickets."
"I did," said Dogboy. He smiled. "But I got plenty more tickets where those came from."
"You related to one of the Steinbrenners?" asked the bartender. "Or are the tickets fake?"
"Neither. I just collected a whole bunch of them last year."
"The Yankees didn't make the playoffs last year, let alone the Series."
"Then the tickets must still be good, right?" said Dogboy. He slipped a twenty onto the bar. "Give me a beer. And another Guinny for my law-abiding citizen friend."
"You're paying?" I said in disbelief. "Since when?"
"Since you can get twenty-five bucks for a parking pass," said Dogboy, lifting his glass. "Last year's prices. A true bargain."
I hadn't seen Dogboy for quite a while, but I knew he'd turn up eventually, and with deer hunting season on tap I wasn't surprised to find him at the local watering hole the other night, mooching beer and rooting, more or less, for the Yankees.
"Just the guy I wanted to see," he said, coming over to my side of the bar about a half hour before the game. "Can I get you a beer?"
"Sure."
"OK, give me some money."
A Guinness and a half later, Dogboy came up with a proposition -- a pair of Yankee tickets for my hunting license.
"What are you going to do with my license?" I asked.
"Take your deer. You ain't gonna get one anyway."
"I might."
"You never have the time. Or the patience. And your aim ain't what it used to be. Besides, if you really wanted a deer, you'd shoot one of the ones that run through your backyard."
"You still need a license."
"Oh excuse me, I didn't realize I was talking to a law abiding citizen."
"I obey plenty of laws."
"Let's cut the bull and get to the chaser," said Dogboy, showing off his deft turn of phrase. "I'll swap you two tickets to Game Six for your license."
Before I could say anything else, a guy at the end of the bar cleared his throat real loud.
"You're talking about swapping a hunting license for tickets to a ball game?" he said.
"Who's asking?" said Dogboy.
The man pulled out his wallet and flashed what looked like a badge.
I know what you're expecting -- what I was expecting. Dogboy, and maybe your truly, were about to miss a ballgame.
Heh.
"You're a cop?" asked Dogboy. He sounded skeptical, mostly because he knows all the cops within a fifty mile radius.
"Nope."
"Conservation officer?" asked Dog.
"Might be," said the guy. "And a Yankee fan."
They went out for a smoke. Dog came back around the fourth inning, by which time the Yanks were pretty much out of it.
"You still on for that deal?" I asked.
"Too late," said Dog.
"I hate to tell you this, Dog," said the bartender. "But that guy ain't no DEC conservation officer. He's a plumber. I hope you didn't give him your tickets."
"I did," said Dogboy. He smiled. "But I got plenty more tickets where those came from."
"You related to one of the Steinbrenners?" asked the bartender. "Or are the tickets fake?"
"Neither. I just collected a whole bunch of them last year."
"The Yankees didn't make the playoffs last year, let alone the Series."
"Then the tickets must still be good, right?" said Dogboy. He slipped a twenty onto the bar. "Give me a beer. And another Guinny for my law-abiding citizen friend."
"You're paying?" I said in disbelief. "Since when?"
"Since you can get twenty-five bucks for a parking pass," said Dogboy, lifting his glass. "Last year's prices. A true bargain."
Book wars
In case you haven't heard . . .
The price wars are driving publishers nuts. Even though no publisher has directly supported the lower prices with steeper than normal discounts (at least none have admitted it), the discounts are seen as decimating price points and killing or at least harming independent bookstores, who are losing sales because they generally can't offer to sell the books for less than they pay.
(The usual discount to book stores is 50 percent. That means the store paid somewhere in the area of half the list price to get the title. There are all sorts of promotions and other complications, but it's a useful rule of thumb. Oh, and authors generally get in the area of 6 to 12 percent, depending on the type of book, how many ultimately sell, the contract, etc. Yes, the guy or gal who wrote it gets the least amount of money in the process.)
There's some anecdotal evidence that the deeply discounted books are eating into the sales of other books a little lower in the pecking order, but given how slowly publishing works, it may be months before the real impact of this known.
At least somebody thinks people want to read books, and that they're worth bargaining over. The only problem is whether anyone will be able to afford to publish books when this is over.
Or write. But that's another subject . . .
In case you haven't heard . . .
Amazon.com extends Internet price war on books
By HILLEL ITALIE (AP)
NEW YORK — The book price wars are no longer just for pre-orders.
Amazon.com was offering hardcovers of John Grisham's "Ford County" and Barbara Kingsolver's "The Lacuna" for just $9 on Tuesday, the official release date for both books. Hardcovers generally have a list price of $24 or higher.
The price wars are driving publishers nuts. Even though no publisher has directly supported the lower prices with steeper than normal discounts (at least none have admitted it), the discounts are seen as decimating price points and killing or at least harming independent bookstores, who are losing sales because they generally can't offer to sell the books for less than they pay.
(The usual discount to book stores is 50 percent. That means the store paid somewhere in the area of half the list price to get the title. There are all sorts of promotions and other complications, but it's a useful rule of thumb. Oh, and authors generally get in the area of 6 to 12 percent, depending on the type of book, how many ultimately sell, the contract, etc. Yes, the guy or gal who wrote it gets the least amount of money in the process.)
There's some anecdotal evidence that the deeply discounted books are eating into the sales of other books a little lower in the pecking order, but given how slowly publishing works, it may be months before the real impact of this known.
At least somebody thinks people want to read books, and that they're worth bargaining over. The only problem is whether anyone will be able to afford to publish books when this is over.
Or write. But that's another subject . . .
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