The Faery Handbag on BBC7 (for 6 more days)

Mon 16 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Listen to “The Faery Handbag” (”A distraught young woman reveals how she has lost both her boyfriend and grandmother to a magical handbag.”) on BBC 7’s Fantastic Journeys. It’s live for 6 more days.


Ed Emshwiller on YouTube

Thu 12 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Sunstone:


Crack Fiction

Thu 12 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

The IAF just posted the contents of their next anthology, Interfictions 2, which we will publish for them in November. Lots of new and some old friends there—as well as an online annex of goodies, so: more good stories coming”

Interfictions 2 TOC!

Co-editors Delia Sherman & Christopher Barzak are pleased to announce:

The Table Of Contents for Interfictions 2!

Curious about the first one? Check it out:


More Kindle yech

Tue 10 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

So it looks like we may have to withdraw at least some of our titles from the Kindle as the Wall Street Journal reports:

Some publishers and agents expressed concern over a new, experimental feature that reads text aloud with a computer-generated voice.

“They don’t have the right to read a book out loud,” said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. “That’s an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law.”

An Amazon spokesman noted the text-reading feature depends on text-to-speech technology, and that listeners won’t confuse it with the audiobook experience. Amazon owns Audible, a leading audiobook provider.

We queried our contact at Amazon and he said:

The ability to read text aloud is very different from producing an audio version of a written work, so audio distribution rights are not required for any titles currently available as eBooks in the Kindle store.

But the difference is that the Kindle is specifically a reading device, so customers can buy the ebook—and get it read to them, which is a different product and right, an audiobook—whereas a computer is a multifunction device. We’re happy that computers have text-to-speech capabilities for visually impaired readers but this seems to be directly impinging on an author’s rights. Hmm.


Kindle King

Tue 10 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

The news that Stephen King has an exclusive story for the Kindle is 1) not surprising: the man cannot resist a new channel and 2) depressing as all get out. His poor core fans. If they don’t have a $359 object they can’t read it. Wonder exactly how fast it will be 1) torrented and 2) in print.

When did Amazon acquire the One Ring? Amazon take such a huge cut that having books there is almost a loss leader ad for our books in stores. (People still like to pick up and see what they’re buying—and our books are all printed on pretty pretty recycled paper.)

When talking heads say not to worry about bookstores/chain stores/distributors dying because Amazon will save us all, I think: ok, I can find a job that will actually pay me because if it’s all Amazon all the time, this job won’t.


Camille on the Couch

Mon 9 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

A bookseller asked, since we now have an interest in all things couchy, if we’d heard Camille Bloom’s CD Ten Thousand Miles. Seems Ms. Bloom has many shoes and a couch (more of a Big Chair, there) and is taking at least some of those things on tour this month. Even to . . . Easthampton! Maybe we can get a day-release from the head bampot and go see the show:


Semiprozinez (and other diseases)

Mon 9 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Eric Marin of Lone Star Stories is miffed that the Hugo Award for Semiprozine (fondly known as the Locus Award that none of us shall ever receive) may disappear at this year’s Worldcon in Montreal (in August, oh sunny lovely August).

Seems that Locus won too many times in a row so (maybe, haven’t been following this) some people want to change the rules so that there’s no award to dominate anymore. Which takes away the honor of nomination* for four other mags. Which isn’t very nice. We don’t care if we are nominated or not (we received the honor a couple of years ago and like that it gets spread around: there are a lot of people doing good work out there), but, come on, how about all the new zines, paper or online, why take it away from them?

So, if you’re going to be at the Worldcon (not sure if we will), go to the business meeting and tell them that the Semiprozine category, silly as it is, is worth keeping—at least until they go completely daft and make a Hugo Award for Semiprozine Editors, since there’s one for all kinds of other editors.

* That may seem like a joke, but if you’re smart you’ll realize it’s not. Or, you can wait until an award list comes out with your name on it—or you’re on a jury and have to decide the nominations—and then finally you might realize what an honor it actually is.


The Faery Handbag on BBC Radio 7

Mon 9 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Next Sunday at 6.30 PM GST, BBC Radio 7 will air their adaptation of Kelly’s story “The Faery Handbag.” (It also re-airs at 00:30 that night.) We’re very excited and curious to see what it will sound like!

“The Faery Handbag” is the third (of four) episodes in a show called Fantastic Journeys—you can go and listen (for another 6 days) to the current show, “Fifty Cents,” by Tim Powers and James Blaylock.


Small Beer at AWP

Mon 9 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: jedediah

We just secured a table at the AWP Chicago bookfair. If you’re planning to be there this week, please come say hello! You’ll find us next to the folks from Kundiman.

Also, because this came together in last-minute fashion, we need help! Anyone willing to work the table for an hour here or there will be paid in free books and glittering good karma. And stickers. And buttons. And secret coupons which you may redeem for secrets.

Finally: Chicagoans! The bookfair will be open to the public on Saturday. It’s at the Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan. We’ll be expecting you. All of you.


Mon 9 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Charles Platt shows he doesn’t know shit about how Wal-Mart works. Maybe this will clarify it, Charles: Demanding lower prices = moving jobs abroad. What a great company that it! And, those workers who used to work in textile mills or in manufacturing jobs that paid enough to support a family, can now get jobs at . . . Wal-Mart. And maybe a second job at Wal-Mart, too, as the first one sure as hell isn’t going to pay the mortgage.

While Wal-Mart may have made some positive contributions to society, they have also helped push thousands of people in this country out of their jobs. How? To quote Fast Company:

The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don’t change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and its 21,000 suppliers knows is the high cost of those low prices. Wal-Mart has the power to squeeze profit-killing concessions from vendors. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bras to bicycles to blue jeans have had to lay off employees and close U.S. plants in favor of outsourcing products from overseas.


Mon 9 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , | 2 Comments | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Charles Platt shows he doesn’t know shit about how Wal-Mart works. Maybe this will clarify it, Charles: Demanding lower prices = moving jobs abroad. What a great company that it! And, those workers who used to work in textile mills or in manufacturing jobs that paid enough to support a family, can now get jobs at . . . Wal-Mart. And maybe a second job at Wal-Mart, too, as the first one sure as hell isn’t going to pay the mortgage.

While Wal-Mart may have made some positive contributions to society, they have also helped push thousands of people in this country out of their jobs. How? To quote Fast Company:

The retailer has a clear policy for suppliers: On basic products that don’t change, the price Wal-Mart will pay, and will charge shoppers, must drop year after year. But what almost no one outside the world of Wal-Mart and its 21,000 suppliers knows is the high cost of those low prices. Wal-Mart has the power to squeeze profit-killing concessions from vendors. To survive in the face of its pricing demands, makers of everything from bras to bicycles to blue jeans have had to lay off employees and close U.S. plants in favor of outsourcing products from overseas.


Open search for Interfictions cover art

Tue 3 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

*The Interstitial Arts Foundation is searching for cover art for our second literary anthology, Interfictions II. All visual artists are invited to submit images for possible use as the cover art of the anthology.

From February 2 – 16, artists are invited to post images on our Flickr group at http://www.flickr.com/groups/interstitialarts for all to enjoy.  At the end of that time, the editors of Interfictions II, Delia Sherman and Christopher Barzak, along with Small Beer Press publisher Gavin Grant and Interfictions I cover artist Connie Toebe, will choose an image for the cover of this exciting original anthology, to be published in November, 2009.

What are we looking for? Any visual image that might look good on the cover of a book.  It could be a painting, a computer image, collage, sculpture or maybe even a piece of clothing.  The first volume’s cover was actually a photo of a 3-dimensional diorama box, so a photo of a sculpture or craft piece is not out of the question.  Contributing artists should be sure to consider their art in the context of a book cover. A book cover isn’t simply a pretty picture but part of a complete design. If you’re photographing a 3-dimensional piece (especially something that isn’t rectangular) please remember that the quality of the photo counts as well. A nicely composed photo is as important as the quality of the artwork in the image. The book cover will be 5.5″ wide and 8.5″ tall so a horizontal or square image might not work as well as a vertically oriented one. That being said, we’d love to be surprised. Show us something we’ve never seen before!

The details:

Questions?  Post them here, and we’ll answer them as soon as possible.

Good luck!  We look forward to seeing your artwork!


Locus, Hugos

Tue 3 Feb 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., , , , , | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Looks like the 2008 Locus Recommended Reading List is out and it includes some of our books. If you’re so inclined, you can vote for these in the Locus Poll (soon) and the Hugos (now). (Don’t forget Couch!)

Also on the list were The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror 2008 as well as Kelly’s collection Pretty Monsters, and the title stories, “Pretty Monsters” and “The Surfer.”

There are a ton of great books on the list, some of which are pasted below. Since we stopped reading for The Year’s Best in late November, and we usually read most of the material for the book from November to January, this list is certainly not exclusive. The Amazon links below are cut (libraries and indie bookshops are it) and the cut’n'paste was done on the fly, so it’s a sample of stuff we liked, but very messy!

Read more


Cloud & Ashes: 1

Fri 30 Jan 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Cloud & AshesToday we mailed out review copies of Greer Gilman’s second novel, Cloud & Ashes, to the trade mags who want it early, early, meaning it is one step closer to actually being a book. The review copies are uncorrected proofs as there a few tiny things that will change. They’re also shorter than the actual book will be, leading to an odd feel in the hand. But since the finished book will be a hardcover it should be ok.

We publish trade paperbacks and hardcovers and the format decision is a complicated piece of flummery. Cloud & Ashes is a hardcover for many reasons but the most important was that we wanted it to stand up to the many readings that we and other readers will give it.

Anyway, a few lucky readers get these copies early next week. In the meantime: smiling cats and cake!


Karl Rove: being paid by the word is hard

Thu 29 Jan 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Small Beer Press

Rove, poster boy for rewriting government in his own image, has a new column of Huge Import today in the Wall Street Journal in which he discovers that it’s hard to fill that white space. Rather than take notes from by-the-word science fiction from the 1930s, he’s taken to whining. And it is Hilarious. (Note to the WSJ management: if you fire Rove, you’ll save some money and maybe the paper will be able to keep affording you!)

My old, modest-sized office has been carved into four cubicles…. Mr. Obama’s tendency to work late into the night will also pose problems. Politico.com reports that the White House staff is “preparing for a return to long nights, heavy weekend shifts.” Requiring a senior staff that meets at 7:30 a.m. to work until 11 p.m. or 12 a.m. will quickly cause burnout and diminish the quality of advice and oversight.


Dr Dr

Thu 29 Jan 2009 - Filed under: Not a Journal., | Leave a Comment | Posted by: Gavin

One day (and it will have to be a very long day), we will go and re-watch all the Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee Doctor Whos. (I think we’ll skip Benny Hill.) Until then, Metafilter (I think), has provided this to tide us over:

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

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