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28 Feb 2009: March tweak
Refresh this site to see our masthead for March - and visit the homepage to read a short story from Thomas Mann in flippy format.
posted on February 28, 2009 06:12 PM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
28 Feb 2009: Snowsales
Latest post up, in which I reveal I am high as a kite as last week's sales were so good. Email me if you haven't got your password.
posted on February 28, 2009 09:49 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
27 Feb 2009: guest post
I wrote a guest post for How Publishing Really Works. Read it here. I note that one miserable person clicked on the button to signify that it was 'not helpful'. I'm so sorry, sir or madam. I'll try to be more helpful in future.
posted on February 27, 2009 01:25 PM | link | Comments (7) | Leave a comment
27 Feb 2009: It scares me
>TED Talks are cool. Brainy folk give twenty minute talks on all sorts of subjects: art, science, the future, coral. You can fetch videos of them direct or you can ask iTunes to maintain a stock of them. One of the talks showed a four-legged robot walking across rough terrain, snow and ice. It's called Big Dog and it scares me. The way it moves is unsettling. It stumbles and then finds its feet. And the buzzing noise it emits makes it seem much more frightening. It is more frightening than things that Hollywood designs to be frightening. And yet, when someone gives it a violent kick - to demonstrate that it can right itself - I felt empathy, and momentary disgust toward the person kicking it. But it's just a motorised platform, and a very cool one at that. Conclusion: the future is going to be strange. Prepare yourselves.
Continue reading "It scares me" »
posted on February 27, 2009 10:49 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
27 Feb 2009: Participative publishing in action: LIVE
Carlton Reid, author and bike king, is currently canvassing opinion on which cover we should use for his forthcoming Family Cycling. He's up to 450 views on the Issuu page and 20 comments on the cover discussion. Have your say now!
posted on February 27, 2009 10:47 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
27 Feb 2009: Quick parts
One small tool I use to improve my efficiency is Quick Parts in my mail program, Outlook. At the click of a button, pre-written and formatted text can be inserted into an email. It works great for the sorts of emails I have to send lots of. I thought you might be interested - and slightly horrified - to see some of the Quick Parts I use.
Continue reading "Quick parts" »
posted on February 27, 2009 08:10 AM | link | Comments (4) | Leave a comment
26 Feb 2009: The Shattered Teacup
Here's George Mann's free short story, The Shattered Teacup. You can also listen to an audio version by going to our homepage.
Flippety flippety.
posted on February 26, 2009 09:37 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
25 Feb 2009: AIs 2009
posted on February 25, 2009 03:32 PM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
25 Feb 2009: The internet
I have 9 GCSEs, four A levels, one degree and one postgrad diploma and I am at an utter loss to know how I got them since the internet hadn't been invented. It truly is a thing of wonder. Today I stand before you humbled to share the latest internet service that I've been introduced to: issuu.com (thanks Carlton). It's a) free b) gorgeous and c) useful. Go here to see what I mean.
[shakes head]. The internet, man. The internet!
update: a superb blog from an issuu chap. I really, really like them!
posted on February 25, 2009 01:33 PM | link | Comments (9) | Leave a comment
21 Feb 2009: Adventures with Lulu
It's been great to hear all the positive feedback about our Interesting Experiment. Your comments on this blog and on your own have been fascinating, and I'd like to incorporate some of your thoughts into this experiment.
Eoin, for instance, wonders whether we could take it a step further and use this as a way to involve readers more in the process of creating a book. I love that idea, although I don't want to force people to have to spend money to give us useful feedback. So - if you send in proofreading notes for any of our proofs that you buy from Lulu, or give us some detailed, considered feedback, then I will refund you the price of the book. How's about that. Don't take the mick and point out one typo, though!
posted on February 21, 2009 10:14 AM | link | Comments (3) | Leave a comment
21 Feb 2009: Snowsales
Latest post is up.
posted on February 21, 2009 10:03 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
21 Feb 2009: Pics
Here's some pics from the last few weeks.
posted on February 21, 2009 09:59 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
20 Feb 2009: Contentious
Everything about child-rearing is contentious. I have lost count of the number of times I've put my foot in it regarding breastfeeding, education, nappies... everyone's way is The Right Way and to suggest otherwise is akin to a slap in the face, it seems. So chances are, if you're a mother, you're not going to like this.
Continue reading "Contentious" »
posted on February 20, 2009 09:05 PM | link | Comments (3) | Leave a comment
20 Feb 2009: Tra la la
Hey, here's a thing. The Affinity Bridge is on the longlist for the Arthur C Clarke award! Who knew! I only found out because of my narcissistic tendancy to technorati 'snowbooks' from time to time.
Congrats and good luck, George!
posted on February 20, 2009 08:58 PM | link | Comments (3) | Leave a comment
20 Feb 2009: Early birds
Do YOU like new fiction? Do YOU like to get your new fiction early? Do YOU like early NEW fiction EARLY and don't mind paying a premium? And do YOU also like marketing materials and samplers of future books? Well YOU'VE come to the right blog post.
In what I shall call An Interesting Experiment, we are making available some books and samplers waaay before publication via Lulu. Yes, Lulu - the self publishing company. I have been on a bit of a roll with them the last few weeks since I discovered that their prices aren't too bad, their quality is very good and they print in runs of one - perfect for proof copies to send to endorsers and key buyers. Since I've created these books and samplers for my own marketing purposes, I thought I'd make them publicly available, in the spirit of adventure. I have even included our 2009 AI pack which I've produced and bound to look beautiful.
Hot foot over to our store front to see our wares. And just think: if you click on the 'buy' button, a fresh new copy will be printed especially for you. It may even still be warm when it lands on your front door mat*.
* No, it won't be. Although if I ever set up my own POD company I shall make sure to ship the freshly-minted copies in strongly insulated packs to make it so.
posted on February 20, 2009 09:09 AM | link | Comments (8) | Leave a comment
20 Feb 2009: I never believed it
Apparently RyanAir are going to let you use your mobile to make calls (at £3 per minute) while you're flying. Given that we've always been told mobile phones 'may interfere with the aircraft's navigational systems' isn't this terribly dangerous? Aren't they putting tens of thousands of lives in danger? Or maybe RyanAir will replace all of their aircraft with a new type that's immune to mobile phone usage. Or just possibly mobile phones never were bad for airplanes - after all, you can turn off the phones but not the giant cell phone towers on the ground. I've never liked it when companies decide to tell us obvious lies - particularly companies we trust with our lives. (And despite their insistence that I should listen to the flight safety announcement because they are 'periodically updated' they never are. It's always the same announcement I've been hearing since I was five.)
Continue reading "I never believed it" »
posted on February 20, 2009 07:53 AM | link | Comments (3) | Leave a comment
18 Feb 2009: Just passing through
You know when you arrive in a new country, your cell phone will often get a text message from whichever local network your phone has logged onto. I've just been playing with the phone I used last time I was in the States and noticed one of those. What's cool about it, is that it's for a Canadian phone network and says 'Enjoy your stay in Canada'. Well, I didn't visit Canada. I just flew over it for a couple of hours. Bad me for not correctly engaging flight mode on that phone. But it's pretty cool that it logged into a phone network while we were whizzing through the sky.
posted on February 18, 2009 01:48 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
18 Feb 2009: Zee pinch flashovers
I've said some harsh things about Horizon before. It was the science program of my youth and it was so full of info I'd have to get books out of the library to puzzle it out. It looked at black holes and quarks and the origin of the universe. Now it's self-consciously shot and almost content-free, and tackles diet fads and homeopathy. But last night they slipped up and broadcast a show that didn't insult my intelligence.
I was expecting to cringe, but I thought it was time to give Horizon another chance. And I was surprised and delighted by their look at generating electricity from hydrogen fusion. The show wasn't as dense with theory as in the olden days, which is fine, because it was absorbing nevertheless, and for once the self-consciously abstract camerawork didn't seem like padding in a show already full of padding. No, instead all the boke and lens flares did what they were supposed to do: give you a moment or two to think about what had just been said.
Continue reading "Zee pinch flashovers" »
posted on February 18, 2009 09:59 AM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
18 Feb 2009: Justify that
Do you have an iPhone? I see more and more of them everyday. Plus I love mine to an unreasonable extent. Originally, I upgraded my old phone to a brand new 'iPhone killer' (an HTC Touch HD, supposedly capable of doing everything an iPhone can, but better and more of it). Despite heaps of ecstatic reviews, I hated it. Nothing worked the way I thought it would. And even once I'd worked out how to do something, the touchscreen seemed to ignore me half the time. And then I tried an actual iPhone and it was night and day. It was intuitive, satisfying and fun. And I very quickly found myself making excuses for the things it did badly. Plus with the iPhone, you can easily add extra little programs to make it do new things. Some of those add-on apps are really amazing. But here's one that will surely only really please publishers. It's called 'Kern' and it's a game in which your goal is to correct the letter-spacing in a word. I'm betting this makes Em want an iPhone. Or maybe not, because after all she has real books to lay out. What's really needed I suppose is a way to make doing real layouts fun. Well, I'm sure there'll be an iPhone app along for that soon.
posted on February 18, 2009 08:20 AM | link | Comments (8) | Leave a comment
17 Feb 2009: Proto type
Why draw letters by hand? Why not make up little punches for each character and use them over and over? Just think of the possibilities. But when was movable type invented? And if the answer was 1700BC then why didn't it catch on? Of course if the Phaistos disk is wrongly dated or a fake then that latter question goes away. But just in case you haven't heard of it, I thought I might direct you to the relevant Wikipedia entry.
posted on February 17, 2009 09:07 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
16 Feb 2009: Skarlet
Nice little review here.
posted on February 16, 2009 04:28 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
15 Feb 2009: Snowsales
Latest post is up. Why haven't you asked for your password yet?
posted on February 15, 2009 07:10 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
13 Feb 2009: Gradient Blur Trick
If you follow the link in the last post to the Adobe bookshop you won't see an image that looks quite like the thumbnail I provided. That's because I faked a tilt-shift camera look in Photoshop. Then I thought some of you might want to know how to do that (I had to ask the internets for help; it wasn't me being brilliant). My first thought was to apply an adjustment layer and then put a gradient across that layer's mask so that the blur varied in strength from one side of the image to the other. Then I noticed that there is no adjustment layer for blur (at least in the version of Photoshop I was using). Instead what you can do is duplicate the image layer and blur it all. Make the blur the maximum blur you want to see on the finished image. Make sure the blurred layer is on top and then add a mask layer to it and put a gradient across that. I've provided an example if you keep reading.
Continue reading "Gradient Blur Trick" »
posted on February 13, 2009 07:10 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
13 Feb 2009: On the subject of mis-classifications
Look at this amazing project, entitled There Is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World. (I'm posting about this mainly to make our librarian friend, Jenn, actually twitch.)
posted on February 13, 2009 09:07 AM | link | Comments (4) | Leave a comment
13 Feb 2009: Curious
I typed the word 'occult' into an image library search engine. This is what it came back with.
posted on February 13, 2009 09:05 AM | link | Comments (6) | Leave a comment
12 Feb 2009: A piece of junk email arrives.
"Would you like to reach families who love their pets by way of an inclusion into the official show bag at The Ultimate Pet Show at the NEC Birmingham in may 2009 ?."
Er. No. What? No.
posted on February 12, 2009 01:48 PM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
11 Feb 2009: Necessary Books?
I've heard that betting shops do perfectly well in a recession. Had it survived, I suspect Woolworths might have been nicely placed too. What about bookshops? Are books luxuries that you cut back on, as opposed to necessities like food, shelter and iPhones? Or are books cheap and simple: good value when trips out or holidays abroad might overstretch your budget? I haven't got any historic data for the recessionproofedness* of books. But some of you guys must be terribly old experienced and wise. Are recessions good, bad or irrelevant for bookstores and publishing companies?
*Warning! Might not be a word.
posted on February 11, 2009 09:18 AM | link | Comments (6) | Leave a comment
10 Feb 2009: Kindle the Second
Is the new Kindle any good? Will it truly smell like a book? Will it be waterproof enough to drop in the bath - perhaps swelling up to twice its size but still being readable? Will it have the indefinable magic of paper books? And which of these questions is sarcasm masquerading as proper humour? All of them? None? If everyone in the world were forced to vote on whether Kindles should entirely replace all paper books, what would they choose? Or is that a false choice? Will gadgets like the Kindle in fact nibble away at paper book sales for years to come, gradually gaining ground - grabbing a gadget-fan here, a frequent-flier thriller reader there? Will this be the first eBook reader that makes a real dent in the market or will it be the next Kindle or Sony Reader, or the eventual Apple entry into the field?
Read a preliminary review of the Kindle 2 here.
Continue reading "Kindle the Second" »
posted on February 10, 2009 11:45 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
08 Feb 2009: News
Who can resist a news story entitled 'Snow-crazed Stoat Goes Berserk'? Live action footage here.
posted on February 8, 2009 09:39 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
08 Feb 2009: Great
InDesign CS4 supports cross references. Now I have to shell out a bazzillion pounds for an upgrade. Bah.
posted on February 8, 2009 03:18 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
07 Feb 2009: Three things
1) Snowsales post is up.
Continue reading "Three things" »
posted on February 7, 2009 01:21 PM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
07 Feb 2009: Rentaghost. No.
Unfunny
I could believe one SnowBlog commenter might have fond memories of Rentaghost, but not two. That's like 25% of you or something. Could this be the rosy-tinted rear porthole of nostalgia that everyone now seems to view their childhood TV through? Similar to the effect that made me think Marine Boy was excellent until finally it was reshown and I realised it didn't even make sense (though I still want OxyGum and Jet Boots). My memories of Rentaghost are of thinking how cool the idea of ghosts was - basically they were like indestructible superheroes (c.f. original Randall & Hopkirk, which I loved) - and being so disappointed that all they did was bicker in overly loud voices and make mistakes*. I will admit it was good to start with, but it outstayed its welcome by quite a number of years as far as I was concerned. Here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia entry that backs me up:
*Now that I come to think of it, it's the same objection I have to Torchwood.
posted on February 7, 2009 09:42 AM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
06 Feb 2009: Blog abuse
<abuseblog> Fiona, got your email but for some reason Outlook won't let me reply. I'll send that copy out!
Sorry, internet, for treating you like email.
</abuseblog>
posted on February 6, 2009 09:50 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
06 Feb 2009: Trolls
I imagine every time I type the word 'capitalism' the SnowBlog readership dips like the Dow, but in my defence, the question of which brand of capitalism is best seems to be at the heart of our current economic recession/depression/hiccup. Capitalism is powerful, but it's capable of doing as much harm as good. It can use up resources and leave all but a minority poor if we let it. Or it can be modified so that it tows the whole economy towards prosperity. It's a much slower journey, as we see in Socialist-leaning countries, where they make sure to keep their capitalism on a leash. Prosperity takes a lot longer that way than letting the beast off the leash, but now, just as in the Great Depression, we're surveying the damage that's caused when the beast runs wild. It's like one of those big trolls that pull open the gates of Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies: very handy, but you don't want them getting drunk or throwing tantrums. And it's not just me who thinks like this. Naomi Klein has a little piece in the Guardian today about ordinary people in a smattering of recession-hit nations who are starting to care about these things, mainly as a result of watching their countries slide into debt and depression. As she points out, many of us would prefer the government bail out the victims of this crash and not its instigators. Yes, it's a bit socialist, but that doesn't seem like such a bad thing once the boom is over.
posted on February 6, 2009 07:53 AM | link | Comments (4) | Leave a comment
05 Feb 2009: Unknown weather types
I'm taking a bit more interest in the weather forecast at the moment. Like I would if I were in Minneapolis. Or any other place where the weather might be out to get me. I don't normally have to worry about that in the UK. And I feel like weather forecasts have had their heyday. They were rubbish when I was little.
Continue reading "Unknown weather types" »
posted on February 5, 2009 08:51 PM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
04 Feb 2009: Recession bargains
This is a bit anecdotal, but every day I read in the paper about jobs lost and profits evaporating. And I read about prices slashed and record discounts offered. But strangely, I haven't managed to pay less for anything yet. Not that I look upon a recession just as a way of snapping up some bargains. I just find it strange that nothing I've wanted to buy in the last few months has been reduced. Perhaps I'm buying the 'wrong' things. But weirdly, my mum is trying to buy a new car at the moment and we all know that the car industry is really struggling with its mountains of unsold inventory.
Continue reading "Recession bargains" »
posted on February 4, 2009 09:03 AM | link | Comments (3) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: Maneater review
A 4 star review here.
posted on February 3, 2009 08:04 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: Spruce
Have tinkered with the banner on the site. My hope is that it will subliminally encourage you to buy the current month's new offering. [in spooky voice] Buy...the book...of shadows... it's really... gooood...
posted on February 3, 2009 07:55 PM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: Thanks, Catherine!
Catherine from the Bookseller's done a nice piece on Onix Central today. Thanks!
posted on February 3, 2009 05:17 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: E-Book Stupidity. Apparently.
"You'd think that publishers would have learned from the travails of the music and movie folks, and they did, in a way. Unfortunately, what they learned was fear." - John Siracusa
Seemingly just because the future hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it's been cancelled. It's still on its way. Read more about it here.
posted on February 3, 2009 11:37 AM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: Proud Bookworm Interview
A lovely interview with our fine horror author Thomas Emson here.
posted on February 3, 2009 09:14 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: World domination plan coming along nicely
The headlines are about snow, but what do commenters think the story is about? [In Mr Burns voice] Exxxcellent.
(Although I did detect the tiniest touch of narkiness. That Emma Barnes parping away on her trumpet again. She probably orchestrated the snowfall just to boost her company's PR. When will she learn humility?)
posted on February 3, 2009 09:02 AM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
03 Feb 2009: An ode to snow
posted on February 3, 2009 08:57 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
02 Feb 2009: Things I saw in the snow today
A collection.
Continue reading "Things I saw in the snow today" »
posted on February 2, 2009 08:13 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
02 Feb 2009: Put ONIX to work
Did you know that the same Onix file that you send to Amazon or Nielsen can also be used to populate your website, feed your catalogues or provide the information for just about anything else that uses your title information? To be honest, if you're a regular SnowBlog reader you should do (or you've just been skipping those posts, in which case you're bad).
Continue reading "Put ONIX to work" »
posted on February 2, 2009 03:34 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
02 Feb 2009: Supernaturally good
I was saying cruel and hurtful things about Demons recently (that's the lazy ITV copy of Buffy The Vampire Slayer). The good news is that it's getting better. The last episode was boring and predictable but not laugh-out-loud bad. What a coup.
I'll tell you what is good, though: Being Human. I didn't plan to watch it after reading the premise which was: a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost share a flat. Eeek. What a horrible, horrible idea. It made me think of Rentaghost, a very annoying kids' program from the Eighties about a house full of ghosts that still makes me grind my teeth with its pointless shoddiness. The only way they could have made the concept for Being Human sound worse is if it were: 'A vampire, a werewolf and a ghost go into a pub...' Of course, having said that, you won't be surprised to hear that Being Human is marvellous. Very mature (definitely not suitable for kids). It's also funny, exciting and altogether unexpected, with surprisingly intense moments of drama, and every character is intriguingly idiosyncratic and watchable (with the possible exception of a few moments of Russell Tovey going a little broad occasionally, but that's nitpicking).
Continue reading "Supernaturally good" »
posted on February 2, 2009 08:42 AM | link | Comments (5) | Leave a comment
01 Feb 2009: Come round my gaffe
After my shameful misuse of the word 'enormity' the other day, I got to thinking about other words which I commonly misuse unless I consciously think about them. I know that language evolves an' all that, but I still want to know the rules so I can break them knowingly rather than in ignorance.
So here's my little refresher. Do add more!
Continue reading "Come round my gaffe" »
posted on February 1, 2009 07:43 PM | link | Comments (9) | Leave a comment
01 Feb 2009: Mystery Grid
So. What's that we can see in the picture there? Well, firstly you can see a glimpse of my wonderful Bee Desk. So called because it's got bees all over it. But what you can also see is a credit card I was destroying earlier today because it's past its expiry date. After I'd snapped it in two, I absentmindedly peeled the top layer of plastic off and discovered a mystery grid underneath the hologram. Click on the pic to see for yourself. Weird and interesting, huh? But what does it mean? (I've smudged out the card number, so that's what the Photoshoppiness there is all about.)
posted on February 1, 2009 05:33 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
01 Feb 2009: Graph
Click on the thumbnail for a useful and interesting (zombie-related) graph.
posted on February 1, 2009 10:22 AM | link | Comments (3) | Leave a comment