Hardcovers
1. A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
2. Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey
3. Rule 34 by Charles Stross
4. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
5. Embassytown by China Mieville
6. The Dervish House by Ian MacDonald
7. The Year's Best Science Fiction 28th Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois
8. Jim and the Flims by Rudy Rucker
9. Flashback by Dan Simmons
10. Trokia by Alastair Reynolds
Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Heartless by Gail Carriger
2. Deadline by Mira Grant
3. The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross
4. The January Dancer by Michael Flynn
5. Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
6. The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan
7. Feed by Mira Grant
8. Kill the Dead by Richard Kadrey
9. The Tongues of Serpents by Naomi Novik
10. Late Eclipses by Seanan McGuire tie with Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
Trade Paperbacks
1. Sword of Fire and Sea by Erin Hoffman
2. How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
3. In Extremis: The Most Extreme Stories by John Shirley
4. Save Yourself, Mammal!: A Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal Collection by Zach Weiner
5. The Year's Best Science Fiction 28th Annual Collection edited by Gardner Dozois tie with Stories: All New Tales edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio
August 01, 2011
Borders. The End.
by Alan Beatts
Despite lots of work on the part of the management and staff of Borders Books and Music it wasn't possible for them to emerge from bankruptcy as a viable company. Last week all their remaining stores began liquidation sales, leaving Barnes and Noble as the only national bookselling chain in the U.S.
There has been a great deal written about what brought Borders to this point. In hindsight it seems obvious that two major differences between how it operated compared to Barnes and Noble go a long way towards explaining why Borders is closing and B&N is not.
Despite lots of work on the part of the management and staff of Borders Books and Music it wasn't possible for them to emerge from bankruptcy as a viable company. Last week all their remaining stores began liquidation sales, leaving Barnes and Noble as the only national bookselling chain in the U.S.
There has been a great deal written about what brought Borders to this point. In hindsight it seems obvious that two major differences between how it operated compared to Barnes and Noble go a long way towards explaining why Borders is closing and B&N is not.
August News Roundup
* Would you like to buy the house J.G. Ballard lived in for nearly 50 years? It's for sale for about $520,000. <http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/for-sale-futurologist-jg-ballards-old-home-in-need-of-modernisation-2311651.html> Having read HIGH RISE, though, I doubt I'd ever sleep comfortably there.
* Inspired by some quite dismissive reviews of HBO's "Game of Thrones" (actually dismissive commentary on the whole fantasy genre masquerading as dismissive reviews of this program,) Jacqueline Carey has posted an eloquent defense of fantasy readers, with a bit of help from _her_ readers: <http://www.jacquelinecarey.com/>
* As Alan suggested about three years ago <http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_newsletter_05-08.html (scroll down a bit to the "From the Office" article)>, giant bookstore chain Borders Books will be liquidated, instead of successfully surviving bankruptcy. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/borders-goes-under-bookstores-begin-to-hold-liquidation-sales-nationwide/2011/07/22/gIQAHWQvTI_story.html>
* In other bookselling news, there is a rumor going around that Apple might be looking at buying Barnes and Noble <http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/28/apple-considering-barnes-noble-acquisition/>. Though it seems insane on the face of it, B&N's Nook is the second most popular ebook readers in the US and B&N has been for sale for months, so . . . .
* Inspired by some quite dismissive reviews of HBO's "Game of Thrones" (actually dismissive commentary on the whole fantasy genre masquerading as dismissive reviews of this program,) Jacqueline Carey has posted an eloquent defense of fantasy readers, with a bit of help from _her_ readers: <http://www.jacquelinecarey.com/>
* As Alan suggested about three years ago <http://www.borderlands-books.com/about_newsletter_05-08.html (scroll down a bit to the "From the Office" article)>, giant bookstore chain Borders Books will be liquidated, instead of successfully surviving bankruptcy. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/borders-goes-under-bookstores-begin-to-hold-liquidation-sales-nationwide/2011/07/22/gIQAHWQvTI_story.html>
* In other bookselling news, there is a rumor going around that Apple might be looking at buying Barnes and Noble <http://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/28/apple-considering-barnes-noble-acquisition/>. Though it seems insane on the face of it, B&N's Nook is the second most popular ebook readers in the US and B&N has been for sale for months, so . . . .
July 01, 2011
June Bestsellers
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
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
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
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