Reading Lists:

Last year, my friend Kyle and I gave each other lists of 10 books to read over the summer. Here was his list for me: 1. Cry, the Beloved country-Alan Paton 2. Battle Royale-Koshuea Takami 3. Starship troopers-Robert A. Heinlein. 4. Kafka on the shore-Haruki Murakami 5. The city of dreaming books-Walter Moers 6. The painted Veil-W. Somerset [...]

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My Resistance to Twitter is Getting Weaker

While I’m still skeptical about Twitter’s ability to sell any books for publishers, I can’t really deny that Twitter is supporting the “cult of personality” type following that authors now enjoy. It seems like an author’s book doesn’t matter as much as their online presence and persona. If publishers could make money every time someone [...]

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Author Marketing Tools

I’ve already shown that I’m a fan of traditional publishing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think that authors have a responsibility to market their own books. Books are increasingly associated with their authors – to the point that people buy books based on their author’s presence online or in the media. And while publishers [...]

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Hugo/Maureen Awards

I love science-fiction and fantasy, so I was really excited to hear that the Hugo Award nominees have been announced. I was disappointed, however, to see that I have read almost none of the nominated titles! SO, I have decided to give my own award for best novel, best graphic novel, best movie, and best [...]

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Chick Lit IS Women’s Lit

First of all, let me say that I know some people don’t know what the definition of chick lit is. I think this is the simplest explanation I’ve found (thanks, Wikipedia!): “Chick lit is genre fiction within women’s fiction which addresses issues of modern women often humorously and lightheartedly.” I really like chick lit, and [...]

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Dystopian Lit for My Imperfect World

I just read on Publishing Perspectives that Dystopian and Undead stories are very popular at the Bologna Book Fair this year. Well, that doesn’t really surprise me – it seems like half the books on the shelf are about these two subjects lately, though I do prefer zombies to vampires (vampires are too creepy).  Just [...]

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Ugh…No More Twilight Stuff, Please

I was working at Borders when the fourth book of the Twilight saga was released. Only a couple people in the store had read the books, and we were expected to host a release party with trivia and contests, so it seemed a good idea to read them. Even the fourth one, since I’d read [...]

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Poetry and Poetry Reviews

I just read this article about poetry, and the efficacy of poetry reviews – the point, tone, and sales potential of the reviews. At Ooligan Press, even as an Acquisitions manager I rarely like to read poetry. Honestly, I don’t feel like I have the expertise to comment on other people’s poetry – and the [...]

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