Hardcovers
1. Embassytown by China Mieville
2. The Devil Colony by James Rollins
3. Welcome to Bordertown edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner
4. Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey
5. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
6. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente
7. Clockwork Rocket by Greg Egan
8. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
9. Dancing With Bears by Michael Swanwick
10. Jim and the Flims by Rudy Rucker
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Deadline by Mira Grant
2. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
3. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
4. Feed by Mira Grant
5. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
6. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
7. Heartless by Gail Carriger
8. Desdaemona by Ben Macallan
9. Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds
10. Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
Trade Paperbacks
1. Save Yourself, Mammal! A Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Collection by Zach Weiner
2. xkcd volume 0 by Randall Munroe
3. Soft Apocalype by Will McIntosh
4. Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks
5. Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein tie with
Happily Ever After edited by John Klima
July 01, 2011
Racing to the Bottom
by Alan Beatts
"Racing to the bottom" has become a bit of a buzzword recently. The common usage has moved a fair bit away from the origin, which dates from the late 19th century and related to the economic practice of states reducing taxes and regulations for corporations in the interest of attracting them. Today it's used anytime financial pressures cause businesses to reduce their prices in response to competition, which prompts their competitors to drop _their_ prices and so on and so on. The cascade effect can drive prices downwards to the point that none of the businesses involved can make a profit while producing a good quality product.
And what, you may ask, the hell does that have to do with books? For a very long time, it had nothing to do with them. The majority of books were created by a small group of publishers who all worked within a very similar set of financial constraints (i.e. the cost of paper, shipping expenses, rent in New York, editor and other production staff pay rates, advertising expenses, usual discounts, reasonable expectations for author advances and so forth). Additionally, the prices were set by the publisher and printed on the product. All of this left very little room for price drops as well as no real interest or willingness to do so.
On top of that, the distribution chain for books was pretty firmly fixed. Books were published, sold either directly to retailers or to wholesalers who then sold to retailers. Though it was possible to self-publish a book, it was very hard to get it into that distribution chain. And, for all intents and purposes, it was impossible to get a self-published book into that chain on anything like an equal footing with books published by major publishers.
But now, it's all changing and I'm worried we might start seeing a race to the bottom on book pricing, with disastrous consequences. And I'm not saying that as a bookseller -- I'm saying that as a reader.
"Racing to the bottom" has become a bit of a buzzword recently. The common usage has moved a fair bit away from the origin, which dates from the late 19th century and related to the economic practice of states reducing taxes and regulations for corporations in the interest of attracting them. Today it's used anytime financial pressures cause businesses to reduce their prices in response to competition, which prompts their competitors to drop _their_ prices and so on and so on. The cascade effect can drive prices downwards to the point that none of the businesses involved can make a profit while producing a good quality product.
And what, you may ask, the hell does that have to do with books? For a very long time, it had nothing to do with them. The majority of books were created by a small group of publishers who all worked within a very similar set of financial constraints (i.e. the cost of paper, shipping expenses, rent in New York, editor and other production staff pay rates, advertising expenses, usual discounts, reasonable expectations for author advances and so forth). Additionally, the prices were set by the publisher and printed on the product. All of this left very little room for price drops as well as no real interest or willingness to do so.
On top of that, the distribution chain for books was pretty firmly fixed. Books were published, sold either directly to retailers or to wholesalers who then sold to retailers. Though it was possible to self-publish a book, it was very hard to get it into that distribution chain. And, for all intents and purposes, it was impossible to get a self-published book into that chain on anything like an equal footing with books published by major publishers.
But now, it's all changing and I'm worried we might start seeing a race to the bottom on book pricing, with disastrous consequences. And I'm not saying that as a bookseller -- I'm saying that as a reader.
July News Roundup
* For those who would like an advance peek at Vernor Vinge's forthcoming novel CHILDREN OF THE SKY (sequel to FIRE UPON THE DEEP), Tor.com has posted an excerpt here: <http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/06/children-of-the-sky-excerpt>. The novel will be released in October.
* You know you've written a pretty impressive novel when Ursula Le Guin raves about it. Enjoy this review of China Mieville's novel EMBASSYTOWN: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/08/embassytown-china-mieville-review>
* The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists has announced the finalists for the 2011 Chesley Awards. You can see the list here: <http://www.asfa-art.org/pages/06-currentawardspage.html>. Congratulations to all of these worthy nominees!
* Genreville's Rose Fox responds to an unintentionally condescending article on the Nebula Award Weekend from The Washington Post. Original article here: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/science-fiction-and-fantasy-writers-of-america-hold-annual-convention/2011/05/21/AF4vkK9G_story.html>, and Rose's response here: <http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=1218>
* Lev Grossman (author of THE MAGICIANS) reviews George R.R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS for Time Magazine (and compares Martin to Tolkien): <http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2081774,00.html
* You know you've written a pretty impressive novel when Ursula Le Guin raves about it. Enjoy this review of China Mieville's novel EMBASSYTOWN: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/08/embassytown-china-mieville-review>
* The Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists has announced the finalists for the 2011 Chesley Awards. You can see the list here: <http://www.asfa-art.org/pages/06-currentawardspage.html>. Congratulations to all of these worthy nominees!
* Genreville's Rose Fox responds to an unintentionally condescending article on the Nebula Award Weekend from The Washington Post. Original article here: <http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/science-fiction-and-fantasy-writers-of-america-hold-annual-convention/2011/05/21/AF4vkK9G_story.html>, and Rose's response here: <http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/genreville/?p=1218>
* Lev Grossman (author of THE MAGICIANS) reviews George R.R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS for Time Magazine (and compares Martin to Tolkien): <http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2081774,00.html
June 01, 2011
May Bestsellers
1. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
2. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
3. Mind Storm by K.M. Ruiz
4. Embassaytown by China Mieville
5. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
6. Welcome to Bordertown edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner
7. Dancing With Bears by Michael Swanwick
8. Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross
9. Tiassa by Steven Brust
10. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3. Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5. Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
6. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
7. Ark by Stephen Baxter
8. Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
9. Taint in the Blood by S.M. Stirling
10. Equations of Life by Simon Morden tie with
Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
Trade Paperbacks
1. Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks
2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
4. Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
5. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
2. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
3. Mind Storm by K.M. Ruiz
4. Embassaytown by China Mieville
5. Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente
6. Welcome to Bordertown edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner
7. Dancing With Bears by Michael Swanwick
8. Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross
9. Tiassa by Steven Brust
10. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3. Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5. Infernal Devices by K.W. Jeter
6. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
7. Ark by Stephen Baxter
8. Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
9. Taint in the Blood by S.M. Stirling
10. Equations of Life by Simon Morden tie with
Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
Trade Paperbacks
1. Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks
2. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
4. Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
5. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Overheard at the Store and at Fog Con
This is a feature that appears periodically, as we attend conventions and overhear things. The tradition of keeping track of anonymous overheard bits and bobs started for us at the 2002 ConJose in San Jose, where trying (or trying not to) fill in the blanks on overheard conversations made us laugh so much that we made it a tradition. When we haven't attended any cons recently, we just keep track of outrageous stuff we've heard in the store! So we heard the following in the store in May:
"Exactly how pregnant are you allowed to be at this wedding?"
"She kidnapped them & fed them bran muffins until they had Stockholm Syndrome. And were very regular."
"I've seen myself burned in effigy more times than I can count."
"We are going to have haunted Nazi clowns!"
"Do you know any women in open relationships who'd be interested in attending?"
(1) "You just don't wear six-inch heels to a show with a mosh pit."
(2) "Hell, no. Maybe two inches; just enough to kick someone!"
"Which one do you hate better?"
"It's unfortunately much more rare that old favorite books, re-read, are visited by the Awesome Fairy than by the Suck Fairy."
And these gems were sent to us by our Anonymous Intrepid Reporter (thanks, AIR!) from BayCon:
"Yes, that's my service cat; I've lost my sense of ennui, and now he looks bored for me."
"OF COURSE I know who Michael Moorcock is; I just didn't know he was an author."
"The mask used to belong to my mother; she wore it at her wedding."
"I'm finally making money, and now you tell me the place is on fire?"
"Dude, don't you know to use painter's tape? Duct tape will pull all your hairs out."
"I'm sure there's a pretty nice person there, behind all the boredom I feel when talking with her."
"He said the high heels hurt him only when he's sleeping."
"Exactly how pregnant are you allowed to be at this wedding?"
"She kidnapped them & fed them bran muffins until they had Stockholm Syndrome. And were very regular."
"I've seen myself burned in effigy more times than I can count."
"We are going to have haunted Nazi clowns!"
"Do you know any women in open relationships who'd be interested in attending?"
(1) "You just don't wear six-inch heels to a show with a mosh pit."
(2) "Hell, no. Maybe two inches; just enough to kick someone!"
"Which one do you hate better?"
"It's unfortunately much more rare that old favorite books, re-read, are visited by the Awesome Fairy than by the Suck Fairy."
And these gems were sent to us by our Anonymous Intrepid Reporter (thanks, AIR!) from BayCon:
"Yes, that's my service cat; I've lost my sense of ennui, and now he looks bored for me."
"OF COURSE I know who Michael Moorcock is; I just didn't know he was an author."
"The mask used to belong to my mother; she wore it at her wedding."
"I'm finally making money, and now you tell me the place is on fire?"
"Dude, don't you know to use painter's tape? Duct tape will pull all your hairs out."
"I'm sure there's a pretty nice person there, behind all the boredom I feel when talking with her."
"He said the high heels hurt him only when he's sleeping."
June News Roundup
* A note to our newsletter readers, genre historians and geeks-in-general: Bud Webster, SFWA's Estates Liaison, writing in "Black Gate", mentioned that he could use a hand finding out who now represents the work of the following authors. If you have any information that might assist him, please contact him care of "Black Gate": <http://www.blackgate.com>. And a further note to writers out there -- please, for the love of dingoes, once you've published some stuff, do some estate planning! Don't leave future generations to boggle over whom to ask if they can reprint your work. His article about that is here: <http://www.blackgate.com/2011/05/29/estate-your-business-please/>
Here are the authors for whom Mr. Webster is seeking representation info: Christopher Anvil, Jerome Bixby, Ronald Anthony Cross, Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, Raymond Z. Gallun, Chester Geier, Wyman Guin, Colin Kapp, P. Schuyler Miller, Kris Neville, Rog Phillips, Ross Rocklynn, T. L. Sherred, Wilmar H. Shiras, George H. Smith, George O. Smith, Angus Wells, and Wallace West.
* Steven R. Boyett, <http://www.steveboy.com/> author of ARIEL and ELEGY BEACH, did an amazing reading at FogCon in March. If you'd like to hear the pieces, the links are below. You may also hear the first two chapters here: <http://www.mortalitybridge.com/>.
<http://www.steveboy.com/audio/steven_r_boyett_-_mortality_bridge_%28soliloquy%29_-_fogcon_03-11.mp3>
<http://www.steveboy.com/audio/steven_r_boyett_-_mortality_bridge_%28floating_bridge%29_-_fogcon_03-11.mp3>
* Charlie Jane Anders (of Writers With Drinks and i09.com fame) wrote a very flattering article about Borderlands bookstore and Cafe for The Open Bar at Tin House (an online magazine): <http://www.tinhouse.com/blog/>. Thanks very much!
Here are the authors for whom Mr. Webster is seeking representation info: Christopher Anvil, Jerome Bixby, Ronald Anthony Cross, Lloyd Arthur Eshbach, Raymond Z. Gallun, Chester Geier, Wyman Guin, Colin Kapp, P. Schuyler Miller, Kris Neville, Rog Phillips, Ross Rocklynn, T. L. Sherred, Wilmar H. Shiras, George H. Smith, George O. Smith, Angus Wells, and Wallace West.
* Steven R. Boyett, <http://www.steveboy.com/> author of ARIEL and ELEGY BEACH, did an amazing reading at FogCon in March. If you'd like to hear the pieces, the links are below. You may also hear the first two chapters here: <http://www.mortalitybridge.com/>.
<http://www.steveboy.com/audio/steven_r_boyett_-_mortality_bridge_%28soliloquy%29_-_fogcon_03-11.mp3>
<http://www.steveboy.com/audio/steven_r_boyett_-_mortality_bridge_%28floating_bridge%29_-_fogcon_03-11.mp3>
* Charlie Jane Anders (of Writers With Drinks and i09.com fame) wrote a very flattering article about Borderlands bookstore and Cafe for The Open Bar at Tin House (an online magazine): <http://www.tinhouse.com/blog/>. Thanks very much!
May 01, 2011
April Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1. Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
2. White Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker
3. Tiassa by Steven Brust
4. Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross
5. Pale King by David Foster Wallace
6. 1636: The Saxon Uprising by Eric Flint
7. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
8. Deathless by Catherynne Valente
9. WWW: Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer
10. The Unremembered by Peter Orullian
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
2. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
3. WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
4. Deceiver by C.J. Cherryh
5. Changes by Jim Butcher
6. Equations of Life by Simon Marsden
7. Magic in the Hunt by Devon Monk
8. License to Ensorcell by Katharine Kerr
9. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch tie with
Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
10. Soulless by Gail Carriger
Trade Paperbacks
1. Sleight of Hand by Peter S. Beagle
2. I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells
3. Enigmatic Pilot by Kris Saknussemm
4. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson tie with
Zendegi by Greg Egan
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
1. Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
2. White Luck Warrior by R. Scott Bakker
3. Tiassa by Steven Brust
4. Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross
5. Pale King by David Foster Wallace
6. 1636: The Saxon Uprising by Eric Flint
7. Pegasus by Robin McKinley
8. Deathless by Catherynne Valente
9. WWW: Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer
10. The Unremembered by Peter Orullian
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel by Pip Ballantine & Tee Morris
2. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
3. WWW: Watch by Robert J. Sawyer
4. Deceiver by C.J. Cherryh
5. Changes by Jim Butcher
6. Equations of Life by Simon Marsden
7. Magic in the Hunt by Devon Monk
8. License to Ensorcell by Katharine Kerr
9. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch tie with
Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
10. Soulless by Gail Carriger
Trade Paperbacks
1. Sleight of Hand by Peter S. Beagle
2. I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells
3. Enigmatic Pilot by Kris Saknussemm
4. The Crippled God by Steven Erikson tie with
Zendegi by Greg Egan
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Foundations of Fantasy
by Alan Beatts
I was recently chatting with a customer who was looking for suggestions for fantasy novels that he might enjoy. After a few twists and turns, the conversation got onto some of the basic ideas in the field. We determined, to my surprise and his pleasure, that he hadn't read a number of the original works that those ideas came from. Below are a few of them. I'm not suggesting that any of them are "must reads," but they are all quite good in their way. There is also a certain quality of excitement to the writing because, when they were written, the ideas were new and fresh to both the readers and the author. Something else that interests me is the way that the ideas are richer and more complex in these earlier appearances, rather than than the hyper-simplified versions that appear in the hands of later writers.
A side note for the scholars out there -- I know that some of these are not the first time that the ideas appeared. But they are the first time that the idea appeared in a modern work that was widely read and reasonably successful.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Certainly, almost everyone who reads this newsletter has probably read it and, if not, you've almost certainly seen the movies (which are, I think, quite good). The original element here is that this was the first time that a small, diverse group of heroes ventured forth against terrible odds to defeat the Dark Lord. Granted there are many other ideas that appeared here for the first time but that quest is the thing that has probably shaped more subsequent novels than any element. If you've some time, give it another read and notice that the group of people who join together on the quest have a number of sometimes mutually incompatible motivations and agendas. They're not by any means friends or even allies at the start and, halfway through the story, the group is broken apart by internal friction, distrust and the loss of its leader. That particular element is often eliminated by other authors who are working the same idea.
The People of the Black Circle by Robert E. Howard.
I picked this novella because it's my favorite Conan the Barbarian story but almost any of the authentic Howard Conan stories will do (as opposed to the fix-up and share-cropper novels that were completed or written by other authors). Conan is the original "savage barbarian" character in fantasy fiction. But he's much more than a big, muscle-bound, unlettered, dumb sword-swinger as portrayed in the films from the 80s. During the course of his life he advances from being a simple thief to leading larger and larger groups of men until he finally reaches the pinnacle of being a general and, later, a king. He is portrayed as being both very intelligent and highly literate. The picture of the barbarian in modern fantasy tends to lack these elements but, more importantly, it lacks a fine but very important distinction present in Howard's work -- Conan is a barbarian because he disdains the trappings and rules of civilization, not because he is incapable of functioning within them.
The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft.
"Nameless elder gods" is a phrase that most people who read fantasy have run across somewhere, sometime. And The Necronomicon is possibly one of the most famous nonexistent books in the world. Lovecraft came up with both of those ideas. The Dunwich Horror (alongside The Call of Cthulhu) is both one of his best stories and gives the fullest outline of his cosmology. The idea that there are old gods (or aliens, or demons, or . . . ) that wait outside of our world and desire to return, with very bad consequences for us, pops up all over fantasy and science fiction. But one of the fine points of Lovecraft's vision is that these Elder Gods are so old, so alien, and so powerful, that human beings are completely below their notice. In Lovecraft's world, humans aren't at war with these beings any more than ants can be at war with a bulldozer. We're just in the way and will be swept aside whenever "the stars are right". Only a small handful of the characters in his fiction survive their encounter with the truth of the larger universe and most of them are driven insane by the experience. This idea of a heartless cosmos in which humanity is essentially insignificant and powerless is absent in most other fantasy. It would seem that this is with good reason; after all, who wants to read about that? But if so, then why has Lovecraft's work continued to attract readers for almost a century?
I was recently chatting with a customer who was looking for suggestions for fantasy novels that he might enjoy. After a few twists and turns, the conversation got onto some of the basic ideas in the field. We determined, to my surprise and his pleasure, that he hadn't read a number of the original works that those ideas came from. Below are a few of them. I'm not suggesting that any of them are "must reads," but they are all quite good in their way. There is also a certain quality of excitement to the writing because, when they were written, the ideas were new and fresh to both the readers and the author. Something else that interests me is the way that the ideas are richer and more complex in these earlier appearances, rather than than the hyper-simplified versions that appear in the hands of later writers.
A side note for the scholars out there -- I know that some of these are not the first time that the ideas appeared. But they are the first time that the idea appeared in a modern work that was widely read and reasonably successful.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Certainly, almost everyone who reads this newsletter has probably read it and, if not, you've almost certainly seen the movies (which are, I think, quite good). The original element here is that this was the first time that a small, diverse group of heroes ventured forth against terrible odds to defeat the Dark Lord. Granted there are many other ideas that appeared here for the first time but that quest is the thing that has probably shaped more subsequent novels than any element. If you've some time, give it another read and notice that the group of people who join together on the quest have a number of sometimes mutually incompatible motivations and agendas. They're not by any means friends or even allies at the start and, halfway through the story, the group is broken apart by internal friction, distrust and the loss of its leader. That particular element is often eliminated by other authors who are working the same idea.
The People of the Black Circle by Robert E. Howard.
I picked this novella because it's my favorite Conan the Barbarian story but almost any of the authentic Howard Conan stories will do (as opposed to the fix-up and share-cropper novels that were completed or written by other authors). Conan is the original "savage barbarian" character in fantasy fiction. But he's much more than a big, muscle-bound, unlettered, dumb sword-swinger as portrayed in the films from the 80s. During the course of his life he advances from being a simple thief to leading larger and larger groups of men until he finally reaches the pinnacle of being a general and, later, a king. He is portrayed as being both very intelligent and highly literate. The picture of the barbarian in modern fantasy tends to lack these elements but, more importantly, it lacks a fine but very important distinction present in Howard's work -- Conan is a barbarian because he disdains the trappings and rules of civilization, not because he is incapable of functioning within them.
The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft.
"Nameless elder gods" is a phrase that most people who read fantasy have run across somewhere, sometime. And The Necronomicon is possibly one of the most famous nonexistent books in the world. Lovecraft came up with both of those ideas. The Dunwich Horror (alongside The Call of Cthulhu) is both one of his best stories and gives the fullest outline of his cosmology. The idea that there are old gods (or aliens, or demons, or . . . ) that wait outside of our world and desire to return, with very bad consequences for us, pops up all over fantasy and science fiction. But one of the fine points of Lovecraft's vision is that these Elder Gods are so old, so alien, and so powerful, that human beings are completely below their notice. In Lovecraft's world, humans aren't at war with these beings any more than ants can be at war with a bulldozer. We're just in the way and will be swept aside whenever "the stars are right". Only a small handful of the characters in his fiction survive their encounter with the truth of the larger universe and most of them are driven insane by the experience. This idea of a heartless cosmos in which humanity is essentially insignificant and powerless is absent in most other fantasy. It would seem that this is with good reason; after all, who wants to read about that? But if so, then why has Lovecraft's work continued to attract readers for almost a century?
May News Roundup
* Because we were updating computers in January, we must now present a belated congratulations to Borderlands employee and Nightshade Books co-mastermind Jeremy Lassen and his wife, Liza Erpelo. Jeremy and Liza celebrated the birth of their daughter, Aubrey Malaya Erpelo Lassen, on January 14th, 2011. Aubrey is the first "Borderlands baby," and we say "Welcome to Earth, kiddo!".
* The nominees for this year's Hugo Awards have been announced. Congratulations to all of those nominated! You can find the whole list here: <http://www.renovationsf.org/hugo-intro.php>.
* Congratulations to Lauren Beukes, whose novel ZOO CITY has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award. I adored this novel, which somehow successfully combines cyberpunk-noir, myth, and fantasy in a fascinating new way.
* Cat Valente, who will be here Saturday, May 14th, has written a special series of shorts for the libraries and stores she is visiting! You can start reading here by downloading the pdf of the first part of "Nine Lessons From a Wyverery Governouresse": <http://us.macmillan.com/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairylandinashipofherownmaking> and follow the links from store to store to finish the pieces. You can also jump directly to Part 6, which Borderlands has posted here: <http://www.borderlands-books.com/#catstory>.
* "Rosebud Magazine" is running its biennial Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award competition. This is a contest for original works of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, or horror, 4000 words or less. The deadline for entries is September 1st, 2011, and the entry fee is $10/story. The grand prize is $1,000 and 4 runners-up receive $100 each. All winners will be published in "Rosebud". More details here: <http://www.rsbd.net/NEW/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76:shelley&catid=35:contests&Itemid=54>
* The Bay Area Maker Faire is taking place May 21st and 22nd at the San Mateo County Event Center. Like the coolest science fair ever, The Maker Faire is full of the best and most creative do-it-yourself tech around. Discounted early-bird tickets are available until May 11th. More details here: <http://makerfaire.com/bayarea/2011/>.
* We regret to report the death of author, editor, feminist, and science fiction critic Joanna Russ at the age of 74. Ms. Russ died peacefully in hospice care.
* Correction: Apologies to Gail Carriger and Seanan McGuire for my typo in our list of Best-Selling Titles last newsletter. This intrepid editor was cutting-and-pasting too fast, and inadvertently credited Gail Carriger's novel CHANGELESS to Seanan. Sorry, folks.
* The nominees for this year's Hugo Awards have been announced. Congratulations to all of those nominated! You can find the whole list here: <http://www.renovationsf.org/hugo-intro.php>.
* Congratulations to Lauren Beukes, whose novel ZOO CITY has won the Arthur C. Clarke Award. I adored this novel, which somehow successfully combines cyberpunk-noir, myth, and fantasy in a fascinating new way.
* Cat Valente, who will be here Saturday, May 14th, has written a special series of shorts for the libraries and stores she is visiting! You can start reading here by downloading the pdf of the first part of "Nine Lessons From a Wyverery Governouresse": <http://us.macmillan.com/thegirlwhocircumnavigatedfairylandinashipofherownmaking> and follow the links from store to store to finish the pieces. You can also jump directly to Part 6, which Borderlands has posted here: <http://www.borderlands-books.com/#catstory>.
* "Rosebud Magazine" is running its biennial Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award competition. This is a contest for original works of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, or horror, 4000 words or less. The deadline for entries is September 1st, 2011, and the entry fee is $10/story. The grand prize is $1,000 and 4 runners-up receive $100 each. All winners will be published in "Rosebud". More details here: <http://www.rsbd.net/NEW/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=76:shelley&catid=35:contests&Itemid=54>
* The Bay Area Maker Faire is taking place May 21st and 22nd at the San Mateo County Event Center. Like the coolest science fair ever, The Maker Faire is full of the best and most creative do-it-yourself tech around. Discounted early-bird tickets are available until May 11th. More details here: <http://makerfaire.com/bayarea/2011/>.
* We regret to report the death of author, editor, feminist, and science fiction critic Joanna Russ at the age of 74. Ms. Russ died peacefully in hospice care.
* Correction: Apologies to Gail Carriger and Seanan McGuire for my typo in our list of Best-Selling Titles last newsletter. This intrepid editor was cutting-and-pasting too fast, and inadvertently credited Gail Carriger's novel CHANGELESS to Seanan. Sorry, folks.
April 01, 2011
March Bestsellers
Hardcovers
1) Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
2) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
3) Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett
4) The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
5) Hellhole by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
6) The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle by Pat Rothfuss
7) Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross
8) The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
9) Daybreak Zero by John Barnes
10) Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Paperbacks
1) Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
2) Soulless by Gail Carriger
3) Blameless by Gail Carriger
4) Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
5) Feed by Mira Grant
6) Changeless by Gail Carriger
7) An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
8) Dead Waters by Anton Strout
9) Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
10) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie tie with License to Ensorcell by Katharine Kerr
Trade Paperbacks
1) The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2) Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
3) Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
4) The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
5) Kraken by China Mievielle tie with Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
1) Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
2) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
3) Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett
4) The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
5) Hellhole by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
6) The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle by Pat Rothfuss
7) Scratch Monkey by Charles Stross
8) The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie
9) Daybreak Zero by John Barnes
10) Pale Demon by Kim Harrison
Paperbacks
1) Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire
2) Soulless by Gail Carriger
3) Blameless by Gail Carriger
4) Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
5) Feed by Mira Grant
6) Changeless by Gail Carriger
7) An Artificial Night by Seanan McGuire
8) Dead Waters by Anton Strout
9) Zoo City by Lauren Beukes
10) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie tie with License to Ensorcell by Katharine Kerr
Trade Paperbacks
1) The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2) Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
3) Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
4) The Crippled God by Steven Erikson
5) Kraken by China Mievielle tie with Soft Apocalypse by Will McIntosh
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