Ah ha!
My Eos editor (she whom you heard on the podcast) just e-mailed me to say that Horizon is going back for a second hardcover printing, and the paperback of Beguilement for a fifth paperback printing. In today's economic climate, very good going indeed.
Ta, L. Cheered.
Subject: (news) Horizon on Kindle
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009
In related news, I see Amazon has their Kindle page up for Horizon this morning. It will be interesting to see how that does. Some folks are reporting in on Baen's Bar as having spotted it at other e-book vendors, too.
The vendors, be it noted, buy wholesale from the publishers and set their own prices. I have no idea how each one picks the price they pick. It's an interesting problem -- usually, when one is out in a brick-and-mortar store and contemplating purchasing a book in front of one, one must add in the time and gas costs of going elsewhere for a cheaper price, so it makes more sense to grab the volume in hand. Not true when shopping for pixels from one's keyboard, though I suppose other inducements can come into play.
All 4 TSK books are available in Kindle format, by the way, although not always cross-referenced. It may take some poking around to find all 4, but they are there.
Ta, L.
Subject: (news) Borders and Horizon
Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009
I'm told the Borders Horizon stocking problem has been ironed out, and that the book should be appearing in the physical stores. If anyone spots any, in their shopping, do report where and how many and so on.
I'm really sorry Borders missed the opening pop, but perhaps this'll catch the more casual browsers of the "Hey! I didn't know she had a new book out!" sort.
Also, it appears the problem of finding Horizon in some B&Ns is that somebody at HC paid for front table placement for the book. Blessings upon them, but that's not in the SF section where my readers (or, apparently, some clerks) are used to finding them. So if you can't find them in SF, try the front tables.
Ta, L. Almost done with this year's promotional push, wheeze.
Subject: Write On Interview with Bujold, Feb. 12, on KFAI
Date: Thu, 12 Feb 2009
The interview I did this morning (in the second half of the hour) with Steve McEllistrem is now up on KFAI's website, archived for the next two weeks. (After which it goes away.) The first half is pretty interesting, too -- I just read one of Temple Grandin's books this past winter.
I am not personally deft at downloading and listening to audio files, but I trust the more computer-literate among you will be able to make one of these links work:
http://www.kfai.org/node/17693
bests, Lois.
Subject: podcast date correction -- next Wednesday
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009
Hi all --
I got too efficient, there -- the Eos podcast is rescheduled to next Wednesday afternoon, time to be announced.
The KFAI interview is still on, however.
Ta, L.
Subject: (news) Bujold podcast Wednesday, broadcast Thursday
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009
Hi all --
I am going to be trying a new thing tomorrow afternoon, Wed. Feb. 11th -- a live podcast. The site is here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/AuthorsOnAir/TheBeyond
I will be interviewed by my Eos editor, Kate Nintzel, and there can be call-in questions and e-mail-in questions from the audience as well. So if any of you couldn't make it to one of my bookstore programs but have a question you're burning to ask, now's your chance. We figure it'll run 35 - 40 minutes. Unconfirmed start time is 1 PM EST -- I'll repost if that changes. It will also be archived.
Also, on Thursday, I have a local radio interview at KFAI in Minneapolis -- the show Write On Radio with interviewer Steve McEllistrem as before -- the show runs from 11 AM to noon, and I believe I'll be on the second half-hour. I'll do a short reading from Horizon, and then we'll chat a bit. The show will have streaming audio and be archived, so you won't have to be in the Twin Cities to hear it.
http://www.kfai.org/
(The first half is to be a taped interview with Dr. Temple Grandin, which also ought to be really fascinating -- I read one of her books this past year.)
Ta, L. Not normally this verbal.
Subject: (chat) more pop sci Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2009
I grabbed this one in the Powell's at the Portland airport on Monday, in the mistaken fear that I might run out of reading material on the plane. Finally got to it this past weekend:
Your Inner Fish: a journey into the 3.5-billion-year history of the human body by Neil Shubin.
Much as the title indicates, all the latest on what paleontology and genetics have delivered in the way of understanding of how we got to be what we are, by the scientist who discovered the Tiktaalik fossil in upper Canada. Lucid and exciting. Also with a very pleasing information-density that nonetheless knows what to explain first to get you going; the writer's teaching experience shows. If you haven't revisited biology since eighth grade, this is a must-read; if you own a human body, ditto. Highly recommended.
In my Barcelona speech this past November, I was bemoaning the loss of sense of wonder in SF; it seems I've been looking in the wrong genre. Must read more pop sci, where it is clearly alive and well.
Ta, L..
Subject: (chat) pop sci recs
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2009
I got two good popular science books read this week:
Faith, Madness, and Spontaneous Human Combustion: What Immunology Can Teach Us About Self-Perception, by Gerald N. Callahan
Lots of stuff I didn't know about how immune systems work, including some fascinating gender differences -- ferex, that women get auto-immune disorders at 5 to 20 times the rate of men... I'd now love to read a more recent take on all this, as this dates back to only as far as research had come in the late 90's.
Also: Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson.
Evolutionary reproductive biology across many bizarre species, done as an advice to the lovelorn column. Funny and wildly informative. Guys, be glad you're not male honeybees... It also explodes many prior assumptions about how things work. Highly recommended.
Ta, L.
Subject: (good news) Horizon is #30! Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009
Excellent news...
We did it! Despite all the distribution problems, my editor just called to tell me that Horizon cracked the NYTimes hardcover extended list, at the #30 position. Good for any book, but especially good for a genre book.
It seems the glitches I've been running into pertain across the board, and aren't personal to my baby. Whew.
Thank you all for all your help!
bests, L.
Subject: Horizon e-book update
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009
My editor writes:
"The way our e-books distribution works is: we post the files to our retailers, and give them an on-sale date. It usually takes accounts up to two weeks to push our files through their systems; they have to get DRM on the file, upload the metadata to the website, etc. That's where the two dates come from.
BUT -- we're aware of the great demand for e-Horizon. It turns out that we're getting the files in a week before anticipated, next Tuesday, 2/10. We'll post them to retailers that day and tell them they can go on sale immediately. NOT all retailers will be able to get the files up right away, so it won't be an equal release (which is what we usually strive for), but you can let the e-readers know that the e-book will be available next week. Amazon can usually get the files up within 24 hours, which would make e-Horizon Kindle-available a week from today."
So I hope that clarifies things for everyone. I parse that "available" as "start to be available", but having books arrive in stores unevenly is certainly nothing new.
Ta, L.
Subject: (news) Blackstone SoH in May
Date: Tue, 03 Feb 2009
Ah ha --
I see Blackstone is announcing Shards of Honor as a May release. It will be narrated by Grover Gardner.
And Ethan of Athos for March.
Just had a phone call from Grover Gardner this morning, to check on how I wanted "Rodeo" pronounced -- we settled on row-DAY-oh -- which means that Falling Free is now in production, yay!
Ta, L. (Back from tour, still playing catch-up. Anyone at any of the signings have reports?)
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