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30 Nov 2009: Google Mars, etc;
Every six months or so I like to check in with Google Earth and see what they've added. Last time it turned out you could look outwards at the stars. Now, as well as pretty much every spot on Earth, nicely annotated, you can explore the Moon, Mars or Earth's Oceans. Or you can go back in time with its History setting. Or you can pick the time of day and see where the sunlight will fall - handy for planning picnics or film shoots. I think Google Earth is maybe my second favourite internet thing, after Wikipedia. It's free, fairly simple to use and lets you explore Earth (and elsewhere) in a way that was impossible twenty years ago and probably unimaginable a hundred years back. It even downloads quickly. Go here if you haven't had a tinker with it lately.
posted on November 30, 2009 09:49 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
30 Nov 2009: Purty
Yuck, the World Press Photo Awards people have a crappy website. But once you manage to get a look at the photos it's more impressive. Though the watermarks do detract a bit. Anyway, I just thought you might like to take a look at the current winner in their Nature category. Click here or on the little picture to get a bigger version. It's of Chalten Volcano - complete with massive electrical discharges - taken by Carlos F. Gutiérrez. Imagine glancing out of your window and seeing that. It's enough to make you forget what you went upstairs for.
posted on November 30, 2009 09:28 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
26 Nov 2009: O brave new world!
That has such high-tech dealie-bobs in't!
I know it's stupid, but that watch in the picture links to your cell phone via bluetooth. When the phone in your pocket/bag rings, the watch vibrates and the watch's display shows who's calling. I won't buy it for myself for Christmas, but I could. I mention that because if you'd offered me such a thing when I was, say, eleven, I think my head would probably have exploded. When I was a child, only the Men from Uncle could own something like that. Now every stupid nerd with too much money can have one. Pleasurable sigh.
posted on November 26, 2009 08:14 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
26 Nov 2009: So Borders is in administration
You'd have thought this would be the moment of panic; this the point at which I throw my hands up and say 'well that's a lost customer'. Truth is, Borders and their sub brand Books Etc have bought hardly anything from us for the whole year. Our current balance with them is about £100. So on the plus side, if they go bust as a result of being in administration, our cash flow will hardly notice and we won't have to write off any debt. On the downside, it's already been a full year without a retailer who used to account for nearly 20% of our turnover, and it looks like that situation isn't going to change any time soon. Rumour had it that the buying team's budget was slashed, with a veto on buying anything much at all.
My view is that demand switches, though, rather than disappears. I hope that indie retailers do well out of it, although I suspect Amazon will do better (and Amazon, as I've said before, have returned about 3 copies of books in the last five years and buy about £3000 worth a month, so regardless of what you think about them, they're this indie publisher's friend). I suspect, though, that the 'drunk at 10.30pm in Charing X, pop into Borders to use the loos, buy a book on the way out' dollar is lost forever. I wonder what percentage of Borders' revenue that was?
And, obviously, thoughts are with all the fine people in the Borders team. Looks like it's yet another ruined Christmas for friends in the booktrade.
posted on November 26, 2009 08:13 AM | link | Comments (14) | Leave a comment
25 Nov 2009: Skarlet
Lookee here for a smashing review of Skarlet. As Scott Pack said 'Twilight it ain't'.
posted on November 25, 2009 04:56 PM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
25 Nov 2009: When the format is the message
The other day I was wondering why bookstores don't sell more gift editions. When you take a chance on a new book, you're probably glad it's a paperback, because you don't want to spend a lot of money on something you might hate. But if you love it, you might want to give it as a gift to a friend and the paperback edition's not so good for that. And, personally, I think modern hardbacks are a pain to read and hardly any less ugly than paperbacks. One solution would be for publishers to produce gift editions, maybe boxed, of their previous year's bestsellers in time for Christmas. And just as I was thinking these thoughts I got an e-mail from Anna Lewis at CompletelyNovel talking about their new service: personalised copies of out-of-copyright classics. I haven't tried it out yet, but it has to be worth a go. I'm going to slip into infomercial mode and pass on what Anna says about their service in case you're interested.
Continue reading "When the format is the message" »
posted on November 25, 2009 08:16 AM | link | Comments (0) | Leave a comment
20 Nov 2009: Drip with me
So, Waters of Mars, eh? I didn't even realise that a new Doctor Who episode was airing last weekend until I saw the cover of the good old Radio Times (who knew that was still going?). And new Who is always worth discussing. [spoilers]
Continue reading "Drip with me" »
posted on November 20, 2009 09:06 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
11 Nov 2009: Amazing review, in every sense of the word
Wow. This is amazing: someone reaaally likes Maneater!
posted on November 11, 2009 12:23 PM | link | Comments (2) | Leave a comment
02 Nov 2009: Speaking at TOC 2010!
I am so excited to report that we have won a slot at TOC next year. When I say 'we', I mean Onix Central (the publishing software company we also run, if you didn't know). It's a 10 minute slot entitled 'Creating a catalogue in under 10 minutes'.
To show you what I mean, here's an offer. Name a publishing company in the comments here, and as soon as I notice it (Roberrysaurus and other things permitting) I'll create and upload a pdf catalogue of that company's top 50 books published in 2009, using bibliographic data gathered from the public domain. Yes, it is magic. Yes, you can find out more if you email me.
Go!
posted on November 2, 2009 09:35 AM | link | Comments (7) | Leave a comment
01 Nov 2009: Nooooooooooo
Unbelievable. After discovering Microsoft Office Accounting, which I have extolled the virtues of previously, I am distressed to report that they are killing it off (with a fortnight's notice). Bloody typical. I blame you, internet, for not buying enough copies of it to make it worth poor little Microsoft's effort. For shame [tuts, shakes head slowly].
How likely is it that I will ever find another reliable, intuitive, cheap, robust accounting solution? Not likely. Not likely at all.
Boo.
posted on November 1, 2009 03:13 PM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment
01 Nov 2009: The Pub Bench
Long time readers might remember that I launched The Pub Bench about a year, or two, can't remember, ago. Then, as is my way, I moved on to some other new toy and didn't really push it. The site was quite manual to maintain and I had a silly idea that I'd charge for it (ha, foolish girl, charging for a service! Whatever next.) So the project was mothballed.
But I think more than ever there's a need for this sort of thing - a place where publishers and other people in the book trade can confidentially share their concerns with their industry peers and swap advice, experience and points of view.
Continue reading "The Pub Bench" »
posted on November 1, 2009 11:46 AM | link | Comments (1) | Leave a comment