Hey, so I'm back to deviate again--though since a lot of us are more or less involved/invested in the Writing and Publishing world to begin with, this stuff isn't *too* off-topic. I hope.
So a few days ago Macmillan's CEO posted a message on Tor.com, and I put it in the back of my mind to consider and deliberate over later. Then I got super distracted with school things and replaying Kingdom Hearts until this morning, when Amazon and Tor posted on Facebook and their blog, respectively, that the new JK Rowling book was to be released in late September of this year.
So that was exciting for about five seconds.
And the reason my excitement took a downhill turn is this:
JK Rowling's book costs twenty dollars. As an EBOOK.
The hardcover version is about thirty something dollars--that's five bucks more than most hardcover Stephen King books go for. And while five bucks really isn't THAT much when you think about it--thirty bucks for a friggin' book is nonetheless ridiculous. (Hell, I won't pay in the 20-25 dollar range for a book unless it is a hardcover and/or special edition of a book or series that I love from the bottom of my heart).
That the hardcover version is 30 bucks is ridiculous. But that ebook price? Have they lost their damn minds?
I mentioned this to a few of you via text already, and Jose mentioned to me that the price wasn't that shocking. I knew more or less that other ebook vendors charge more than Amazon typically does, but I wasn't aware the gap was that friggin' big (and to be honest I'm still not--I have yet to check how much ebooks go for through Barnes and Noble, and theirs is the only other market I see in the bigger picture of competition, though I know that there are others). Point in fact, Amazon's Kindle store is selling JK's newest at 20 bucks for the ebook, too.
So all this bullshit brought me back to my consideration over Macmillan's current predicament with the DOJ and that whole collusion problem.
Apparently the Department of Justice has gone after some publishing companies for changing to the agency model, which influences the prices of their ebooks. The DOJ accused them of collusion, and according to Macmillan's CEO, the other companies have agreed to settle while Macmillan, claiming against the collusion accusation, has decided to duke it out in court. Here's the CEO's message regarding the matter:
http://www.macmillan-speaks.com/2012/04/11/a-message-from-john-sargent-3/
The part of the issue I'm most interested in though is the pricing of ebooks in general. Personally I think they should NEVER cost as much as a physical book--and why the hell should they? They're digital. You produce them once--and that's it! All downloads from there! There is no cost of reproduction after the initial production. They simply don't carry the same amount of value that a physical copy does--physical copies that can be autographed, easily loaned out, and resold. I mean, you can cuddle with your Kindle or Nook or whatever--but in your heart you'll know it just ain't the same.
All joking aside, what do you guys think? Are the big publishing companies right for what they're trying to do, or should they stop being such big babies and learn to adjust their marketing model for a digital product, and stop treating said product like a tangible set of goods? I'm not saying what Amazon is doing is necessarily right--they ARE undercutting the set price, and they are gaining a monopoly in the ebook industry by doing so--at least, it certainly seems that way. But on the other hand, I'd argue that Amazon's prices are generally fairly reasonable for what they're selling. 5-10 bucks for an average ebook sounds reasonable to me. 15-25 bucks does not, especially if you can't even inhale the new-book smell and sleep with them next to your head all night. Not...not that I do that. Often.
I know I don't have all the facts at the moment, so if any of you know more about this topic, please share!
Uhh, music, music...Any Once Upon a Time fans on here? Here's two music vids Jen showed me a week or so ago (potential spoilers!).
First one is RumBelle, and features some footage from other things Robert Carlyle and Emilie de Ravin have been in, like LOST, and whatnot. Second one is OUAT in general:
Enjoy!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
OH HEY THERE BLOG
It's not that I haven't been reading every single post on this website eagerly, I have. I just haven't been commenting or posting because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to talk about. Despite the fact that that really hasn't changed, I guess I can talk about...summer plans?
This is the first year that I haven't known exactly what I'm doing for the summer (seeing as how I totally quit that darn pool job...FINALLY). Don't get me wrong, money is nice and all, but I think I'm getting a little old to show up to work with no pants and not be, like, sliding up and down a pole or something. I will miss the no shirt, no shoes, no pants, no problem job though. A little.
So I've been forced to range pretty wide for jobs, including Alaska (horse guide, zip line instructor, and dog musher being the positions applied for), New York City (publishing internships...Penguin started recruiting this week!), and good ole Chicago, where a friend wants me to move in to an apartment with her. All this is cool, but I would like to know like...NOW what I'm doing for the summer. The suspense is killing me. KILLING ME. On top of that, I have a lot of work to get done, and way too many end of the semester projects that I've been putting off. Yikes!
What are everyone else's plans for the summer, anything exciting? concrete? hopeful? Let me know!
In the meantime, listen to this catchy little ditty about how much I REALLY JUST WANT TO GO OUTSIDE. The video is actual footage from the church that later became the cult that drank all that poisoned koolaid. The band superimposed themselves on the footage...ah! Still a very catchy song though :D
This is the first year that I haven't known exactly what I'm doing for the summer (seeing as how I totally quit that darn pool job...FINALLY). Don't get me wrong, money is nice and all, but I think I'm getting a little old to show up to work with no pants and not be, like, sliding up and down a pole or something. I will miss the no shirt, no shoes, no pants, no problem job though. A little.
So I've been forced to range pretty wide for jobs, including Alaska (horse guide, zip line instructor, and dog musher being the positions applied for), New York City (publishing internships...Penguin started recruiting this week!), and good ole Chicago, where a friend wants me to move in to an apartment with her. All this is cool, but I would like to know like...NOW what I'm doing for the summer. The suspense is killing me. KILLING ME. On top of that, I have a lot of work to get done, and way too many end of the semester projects that I've been putting off. Yikes!
What are everyone else's plans for the summer, anything exciting? concrete? hopeful? Let me know!
In the meantime, listen to this catchy little ditty about how much I REALLY JUST WANT TO GO OUTSIDE. The video is actual footage from the church that later became the cult that drank all that poisoned koolaid. The band superimposed themselves on the footage...ah! Still a very catchy song though :D
Friday, April 6, 2012
Suddenly, Bees.
Man I can never think of a story long enough to make into a post.
I just never do interesting things for extended periods of time. Except go to China I guess, but whatever man. What happens in Shanghai stays in Shanghai.
Anyway, I think I mmmiiiiiight be staying up north for the summer. It is just way easier to find shitty summer jobs on campus. I hope no one is too crushed by this, and you are all welcome to come and visit whenever. We can play more tactical laser tag. It is pretty bitching.
As for music:
I just finished playing Skyward Sword the other week.
I loved the game. It was beautiful.
I know they shoved motion controls down your throat, but I liked them. It felt pretty natural to be moving how I was moving.
I know the graphics were worse than they were in Twilight Princess. That was disappointing, but I liked the art style. I thought the character's faces were the most expressive they've ever been.
I just thought it was too easy. There. I said it. They held your hand through the whole damn game. It blew. Sometimes I just want to figure things out for myself! And the fairy-esque guide, Fi, was a steaming pile of shit.
Also, I thought the ending was dumb. The final boss battle was like..... the easiest fight in the whole game. Like seriously. Super dumb.
But it held a lot of value to me, because Zelda is one of the franchises I have followed from the very beginning. It gave me lots of feelings, this game.
By the way... who else is totally grossed out by the Oocca now?!
I just never do interesting things for extended periods of time. Except go to China I guess, but whatever man. What happens in Shanghai stays in Shanghai.
Anyway, I think I mmmiiiiiight be staying up north for the summer. It is just way easier to find shitty summer jobs on campus. I hope no one is too crushed by this, and you are all welcome to come and visit whenever. We can play more tactical laser tag. It is pretty bitching.
As for music:
I just finished playing Skyward Sword the other week.
I loved the game. It was beautiful.
I know they shoved motion controls down your throat, but I liked them. It felt pretty natural to be moving how I was moving.
I know the graphics were worse than they were in Twilight Princess. That was disappointing, but I liked the art style. I thought the character's faces were the most expressive they've ever been.
I just thought it was too easy. There. I said it. They held your hand through the whole damn game. It blew. Sometimes I just want to figure things out for myself! And the fairy-esque guide, Fi, was a steaming pile of shit.
Also, I thought the ending was dumb. The final boss battle was like..... the easiest fight in the whole game. Like seriously. Super dumb.
But it held a lot of value to me, because Zelda is one of the franchises I have followed from the very beginning. It gave me lots of feelings, this game.
By the way... who else is totally grossed out by the Oocca now?!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Brief Deviation
I know I already posted this week, but my class got canceled for the second time and I found myself with a lot of time on my hands this morning.
I wanted to deviate a little from what we usually do here to bring this to your attention: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/03/is-fan-fiction-ready-to-go-mainstream-thanks-to-fifty-shades-of-grey#more
I posted it on Sarah's FB wall, but having discussions on FB these days can kind of be a pain the ass. So I'm putting it here. And I wonder--what do you guys think of this business?
My initial reaction is to reject the idea entirely. I don't know if this is because of my mass media law influence or for some other reason, but things like this scream copyright issue to me. Of course, I know nothing about the book Fifty Shades of Grey, so this is definitely a knee-jerk reaction. (and looking it up on Amazon, I am assured it's not the kind of book I would want to read anyway).
According to Tor's article, I guess the book spawned from some Twilight fanfiction? Aside from what sounds like a bad relationship model based on the one in Twilight, I can't really tell how valid that claim is, though the article's author assures me its there or whatever. But my issue isn't so much with the book itself, but rather with what the article goes on to say about our generation and "sampling," and how our digitized age makes this even easier. I have to agree with the article on this point: it's definitely easier and more common for people to share their fanfiction online, in communities and forums and whatnot. I'm not a huge fan of the whole process (as a reader and as a writer), though even I'll admit I have had some fun playing around in other writers' backyards.
But to me, that's where that sort of writing belongs: in the backyard, free to read online, forever. Fanfiction is a great way to develop your own writing style and voice, a perfectly valid way to exercise your budding writing prowess. The websites and forums you find it on are fun places for fans of the universe created by another author. It crosses a line for me when money gets involved.
I'm not saying that this has happened already--again, from what I can tell from the plot blurb on Amazon, I can't quite see the Twilight connection aside from a super shitty idea of what a functional relationship is. But on the other hand, if what Tor's article says is true, then the work was borne from a Twilight fanfic and simply changed to cut all ties with Meyer's less-than-thrilling universe as created in Twilight. Does that make it okay? Maybe, but in all honesty I'm leaning a little towards "no." No, it does not make it okay. And not necessarily because of the whole copyright infringement thing.
I lean towards no because more and more often, I encounter novels and stories and TV shows that are all THE EXACT SAME THING AT THEIR CORE. Seriously. How many re-imaginings of the supernatural hunter/detective story are we going to see before we finally move on to something different? How many more authors are getting caught up in this trap? This sampling business, to me, is a potential catalyst for the continued destruction of original ideas. I know that having an "original idea" is fairly impossible--pick a novel, any novel, and you can trace an idea back to something else--but I feel people did and could still do a better job if perhaps they "sampled" less. Don't take a core idea--the detective story! with demons and banshees and bears oh my!--take something smaller, some tiny little fragment, and mix it up with something completely different. It might end up being disastrous--or it might end up super fricking awesome.
What do you guys think about all this business? My argument isn't exactly stellar, I know, but there it is.
Oh, and here, have a song:
Love me some Shinedown.
I wanted to deviate a little from what we usually do here to bring this to your attention: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/03/is-fan-fiction-ready-to-go-mainstream-thanks-to-fifty-shades-of-grey#more
I posted it on Sarah's FB wall, but having discussions on FB these days can kind of be a pain the ass. So I'm putting it here. And I wonder--what do you guys think of this business?
My initial reaction is to reject the idea entirely. I don't know if this is because of my mass media law influence or for some other reason, but things like this scream copyright issue to me. Of course, I know nothing about the book Fifty Shades of Grey, so this is definitely a knee-jerk reaction. (and looking it up on Amazon, I am assured it's not the kind of book I would want to read anyway).
According to Tor's article, I guess the book spawned from some Twilight fanfiction? Aside from what sounds like a bad relationship model based on the one in Twilight, I can't really tell how valid that claim is, though the article's author assures me its there or whatever. But my issue isn't so much with the book itself, but rather with what the article goes on to say about our generation and "sampling," and how our digitized age makes this even easier. I have to agree with the article on this point: it's definitely easier and more common for people to share their fanfiction online, in communities and forums and whatnot. I'm not a huge fan of the whole process (as a reader and as a writer), though even I'll admit I have had some fun playing around in other writers' backyards.
But to me, that's where that sort of writing belongs: in the backyard, free to read online, forever. Fanfiction is a great way to develop your own writing style and voice, a perfectly valid way to exercise your budding writing prowess. The websites and forums you find it on are fun places for fans of the universe created by another author. It crosses a line for me when money gets involved.
I'm not saying that this has happened already--again, from what I can tell from the plot blurb on Amazon, I can't quite see the Twilight connection aside from a super shitty idea of what a functional relationship is. But on the other hand, if what Tor's article says is true, then the work was borne from a Twilight fanfic and simply changed to cut all ties with Meyer's less-than-thrilling universe as created in Twilight. Does that make it okay? Maybe, but in all honesty I'm leaning a little towards "no." No, it does not make it okay. And not necessarily because of the whole copyright infringement thing.
I lean towards no because more and more often, I encounter novels and stories and TV shows that are all THE EXACT SAME THING AT THEIR CORE. Seriously. How many re-imaginings of the supernatural hunter/detective story are we going to see before we finally move on to something different? How many more authors are getting caught up in this trap? This sampling business, to me, is a potential catalyst for the continued destruction of original ideas. I know that having an "original idea" is fairly impossible--pick a novel, any novel, and you can trace an idea back to something else--but I feel people did and could still do a better job if perhaps they "sampled" less. Don't take a core idea--the detective story! with demons and banshees and bears oh my!--take something smaller, some tiny little fragment, and mix it up with something completely different. It might end up being disastrous--or it might end up super fricking awesome.
What do you guys think about all this business? My argument isn't exactly stellar, I know, but there it is.
Oh, and here, have a song:
Love me some Shinedown.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Ffffff...
When I was a freshman, I took a night class. It was Greek Philosophy, and it lasted from about 6 pm to 9 pm. The class was interesting, but I hated hated HATED the time slot like nobody's business, and was so relieved when that first semester finally ended. I swore from that moment on that I would never take another night class ever.
No such luck.
Because my school is known for being a science school, the science program is the biggest, and its majors tend to have more time slots. For the other majors, however, there is often only ONE slot available for any given Lit or Comm Arts class. I've managed to be lucky in this regard so far, but this coming Fall I will be saddled with not one, but TWO FRIGGIN NIGHT CLASSES.
Fffff.
Alright, enough complaining. Today marks my first Monday back from spring break and I can definitely feel myself in the home stretch. My break, while not exactly wondrous (though the Hunger Games premiere was great), gave me enough time to recuperate and get ready to close this semester out. And man am I ever ready for it to be over.
The Hunger Games-inspired album had some pretty good songs on it, this one included. Hope you enjoy as much as I have been, though I admit I'm not very familiar with this band.
No such luck.
Because my school is known for being a science school, the science program is the biggest, and its majors tend to have more time slots. For the other majors, however, there is often only ONE slot available for any given Lit or Comm Arts class. I've managed to be lucky in this regard so far, but this coming Fall I will be saddled with not one, but TWO FRIGGIN NIGHT CLASSES.
Fffff.
Alright, enough complaining. Today marks my first Monday back from spring break and I can definitely feel myself in the home stretch. My break, while not exactly wondrous (though the Hunger Games premiere was great), gave me enough time to recuperate and get ready to close this semester out. And man am I ever ready for it to be over.
The Hunger Games-inspired album had some pretty good songs on it, this one included. Hope you enjoy as much as I have been, though I admit I'm not very familiar with this band.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Guys I'm So Tired
Guys
Guys
I am so tired.
I have just been doing a bunch of work all of the time
and when I should be sleeping, I just think "Man you know what would be fun? Dicking around with some people I know."
Sleep is for the weak.
I can sleep when I'm dead.
In other news, I think this video is absolutely hilarious.
I also really want an Alaskan Klee Kai.
Maybe his name will be Keanu.
Definitely he will wear a bandana
Probably he will wear some sweet sunglasses.
Is that the sleep deprivation talking? Most likely.
Finally, a song. I almost forgot how much I loved Eric Clapton, until my history of rock and roll class made me remember.
Ughhhyessssss like nobody listens to that bass but seriously listen to it. And this is actually Clapton fucking up. His solo is on the wrong beat. Still...
So good.
Guys
I am so tired.
I have just been doing a bunch of work all of the time
and when I should be sleeping, I just think "Man you know what would be fun? Dicking around with some people I know."
Sleep is for the weak.
I can sleep when I'm dead.
In other news, I think this video is absolutely hilarious.
I also really want an Alaskan Klee Kai.
Maybe his name will be Keanu.
Definitely he will wear a bandana
Probably he will wear some sweet sunglasses.
Is that the sleep deprivation talking? Most likely.
Finally, a song. I almost forgot how much I loved Eric Clapton, until my history of rock and roll class made me remember.
Ughhhyessssss like nobody listens to that bass but seriously listen to it. And this is actually Clapton fucking up. His solo is on the wrong beat. Still...
So good.
Spring-like Side-Effects
GOOD LORD it is gorgeous out today. I woke up at my usual early hour (is seven even early? seems fairly late to me, but I also might be crazy) and IT WAS ALREADY 55 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I love winter and all, don't get me wrong, but there's a certain place in my heart for ideal hoodie weather, too, and despite the insane amount of wind whipping around out there, today's weather was/is that kind of weather.
My iPod shuffled to this song as I made my way to Spanish:
and it just seemed perfect.
The weather also reminded me that Spring Break is almost upon us. Anyone got any plans? Coming home, maybe? I know we all have different breaks, so when are yours? Mine is like the week of March 20th or something.
My iPod shuffled to this song as I made my way to Spanish:
and it just seemed perfect.
The weather also reminded me that Spring Break is almost upon us. Anyone got any plans? Coming home, maybe? I know we all have different breaks, so when are yours? Mine is like the week of March 20th or something.
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