April Upcoming Events

SF in SF Urban Fantasy Panel with Steve Boyett and Bruce McAllister - Saturday, April 21st at 7:00 pm

Dana Fredsti, PLAGUE TOWN (Titan Books, Mass Market, $7.99) - Sunday, April 22nd at 3:00 pm

Christopher Farnsworth, RED, WHITE AND BLOOD (Putnam, Hardcover, $25.95) - Saturday, April 28th at 3:00 pm

Jack Campbell, THE LOST FLEET: BEYOND THE FRONTIER: INVINCIBLE (Ace, Hardcover, $26.95) - Friday, May 4th at 7:00 pm

Terry Bisson, ANY DAY NOW (Overlook, Hardcover, $24.95)  - Saturday, May 5th at 5:00 pm

Walter Mosley, THE GIFT OF FIRE / ON THE HEAD OF A PIN (Tor, Hardcover, $24.99) - Thursday, May 10th at 7:00 pm

Borderlands Books and Cafe Rummage Sale - May 12th and 13th from Noon to 8:00 pm.

Event details after the break

March Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. The Mirage by Matt Ruff
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. Arctic Rising by Tobias Buckell
6. Rising Thunder by David Weber
7.  Intruder by C.J. Cherryh
8. Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
9. Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik
10. Intrusion by Ken Macleod

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. Timeless by Gail Carriger
2. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
3. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
4. Westward Weird edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
5. A Clash of KIngs by George R.R. Martin
6. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
7. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
8. Feed by Mira Grant
9. Soulless by Gail Carriger
10. Doubletake by Rob Thurman

Trade Paperbacks
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. The Pillars of Hercules by David Constantine
3. Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
4. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
5. The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Another Future for Bookstores

by Alan Beatts

If you've read this column much over the past few years, you know that my outlook for bookstores in the long term isn't very optimistic.  I think that the combination of internet sales and ebooks is going to result in most bookstores closing (although I'm not sure how soon that will happen).  I figure that a few smaller stores will stay open by gearing their business towards truly rare antiquarian material along with small press, high quality new books.

However, during a conversation with a fellow bookseller a few weeks ago, I realized that there was another possible future for some bookstores.

April News Roundup

* The Locus Science Fiction Foundation is running a Kickstarter donation campaign to fund the storage, archiving, and digitization of their huge collection of over 60 years of science fiction and fantasy ephemera, including photographs of everyone who is (or was) anyone in the field over the past five decades.  Their goal is to make the contents of the entire collection searchable and viewable online.  This is a very worthy cause that deserves the support of anyone who cares about the history of our field.  You can make a donation at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2040521099/locus-photo-and-ephemera-archive-project .

* Borderlands gets a mention in this charming Globe and Mail article called "Bookworming By the Bay": http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/travel-other-destinations/bookworming-by-the-bay/article2376933/ .

* Jack Vance is Alive and Well and ONLINE!!!
John Vance, Jack's son, would like you all to know about the fabulous website http://www.jackvance.com Spatterlight Press is up and live, and filled with photos, information and news about Grandmaster Jack Vance and his wonderful worlds of science fiction and fantasy.  Not only can you learn all about this wonderful science fiction writer, but Jack's books are available as ebooks, downloadable from the site, directly benefiting the author!  With photo albums of Jack, Norma, and the family, Jack in his prime, and commentary from family and friends, this is a wonderful resource for fans of Jack and his books alike.  More is being added - it launched in mid-March - so bookmark the site to visit and see what gets added to the shop and photo albums. You can also "like" Spatterlight Press on Facebook, and keep up to date with ebook releases via Twitter, at https://twitter.com/#!/SpatterlightPrs

* Thanks to Rina Weisman from SF in SF, who pointed out another Borderlands name-check (in an article about the unfortunately for-sale Balderdash Books,) from Seattle's free weekly paper "The Stranger".  They called us "superb": http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/03/15/balderdash-books-is-for-sale

* I don't know how we missed this over a year ago: "Mental Floss" Magazine presents 12 great bookstore cats including our own late, beloved Ripley: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/78757

* Congratulations to Andrea Hairston, whose novel REDWOOD AND WILDFIRE won the 2011 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. Complete details at http://tiptree.org/

* For those of you who collect Philip K. Dick books, the titles published by Vintage will be going out of print, and there will be new editions with an entirely new cover design being published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  We still have most of the Vintage editions if you want to complete that collection now.

* i09.com offers "10 Great Fantasy Series to Read While You're Waiting for the Next George R.R. Martin Book" http://io9.com/5876715/10-great-fantasy-series-to-read-while-youre-waiting-for-george-rr-martins-next-book?tag=gameofthrones .  We're happy to make additional suggestions once you need 'em.

* The nominees for the 2012 Arthur C. Clarke Award have been announced: http://www.clarkeaward.com/ .   And then author Christopher Priest called the list "dreadful" in The Guardian, and called for the judges to resign: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/29/arthur-c-clarke-award-christopher-priest?newsfeed=true .  (My favorite part is where Priest says that Charles Stross writes like "an internet puppy," and now Stross wants that blurb on his next novel, _and_ you can also buy the t-shirt! http://www.zazzle.co.uk/internet_puppy_t_shirt_tshirt-235730813931635704 )

* Entertainment Weekly is running a "Game of Thrones" contest.  Entrants can win a trip to Comic-Con 2012 with admission the panel, "Game of Thrones" DVDs, or copies of the books .  https://usscpromotions.com/entertainmentweekly gameofthrones_ultimate_experience/

* I think it's pretty cool that THE HUNGER GAMES books (and movie) are inspiring teens to try archery: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/hunger-games-fans-filling-lanes-queens-archery-ranges-article-1.1052892

* FREE magazines: One of our long-time customers, Roger Miller, has 40 complete, consecutive years (1968 - 2008, plus random issues from the last 4 years,) of Analog Science Fiction Magazine to give away to someone local (San Francisco / Bay Area).  He just wants them to go to a good home, and you must pick them up.  If you're interested, email Jude at jfeldman@borderlands-books.com and I'll put you in touch with Roger.

March News Roundup

* Ebook agency sales model under fire from the Department of Justice.  The DoJ is planning on suing Apple and five of the big six US publishers for anti-trust statute violations stemming from their adoption of the "agency model" for ebook sales.  The results of this dispute are liable to shape bookselling for publishers, authors, readers and booksellers for a long time to come.  Details here http://tinyurl.com/8yodqll and here http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203961204577267831767489216.html .

* Don't miss the Borderlands Spring Rummage Sale coming up May 12th!  When you keep a store in one space for more than ten years, all sorts of interesting stuff tends to accumulate, so come and look for bargains on cool and bizarre things that ended up in the basement.  More details to follow in next month's newsletter.

* Thanks to Locus Magazine for the following: author Frank Robinson is auctioning off his entire mind-blowing collection of pulp magazines, "including complete files of all science fiction magazines from 1926 through 1990. Condition on the items is “near mint” to “mint,” and titles include such gems as Amazing Stories, Miracle Science and Fantasy, SCOOPS (the first British science fiction magazine, from 1932) and more. Included are the first Arkham editions of Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. For more information, contact gunnison@adventurehouse.com."

* Del Rey Spectra and Suvudu are calling for fan art to enhance their science fiction and fantasy characters' cage match!  (This time there are 64 characters involved.)  I don't even know how to begin explaining this to you, so I'm just going to link to it: http://sf-fantasy.suvudu.com/2012/02/cage-match-2012-call-for-art.html

* J.K. Rowling's next book will be an adult book, and a radical departure from Harry Potter: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/deals/article/50754-j-k-rowling-inks-deal-with-little-brown-for-adult-book.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+PW+Daily&utm_campaign=0c8492380b-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email

* Congratulations to the 2011 Nebula Nominees!  The complete list is here: http://www.sfwa.org/2012/02/2011-nebula-awards-nominees-announced/

* Two "A Game of Thrones" Season Two trailers! (1) http://sciencefictionworld.com/tv/fantasy-tv/961-new-trailer-for-game-of-thrones-season-two.html , (2) http://sciencefictionworld.com/tv/fantasy-tv/979-new-game-of-thrones-trailer.html

* Deeply disturbing: THE SHINING mashed up with "Toy Story" for "Toy Shining": http://kylelambert.co.uk/gallery/toyshining/index.html

February Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
3. Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian Cameron Esslemont
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
6. Nested Scrolls by Rudy Rucker
7. The Mirage by Matt Ruff
8. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
9. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
10. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Mass Market Paperbacks
1. The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi
2. Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3. Apocalypse to Go by Katharine Kerr
4. After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn
5. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
6. Soulless by Gail Carriger
7. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
8. Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
9. Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
10. The Great Game by Lavie Tidhar

Trade Paperbacks
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Embassytown by China Mieville
3. Orb Sceptre Throne by Ian Cameron Esslemont
4. City of the Lost by Stephen Blackmoore
5. Surfing the Gnarl Plus . . . by Rudy Rucker

Why Best Sellers Matter

by Alan Beatts

The New York Times Best Seller list has been produced every week since 1942.  Even with massive influence on book buying habits by Amazon, a Stanford Business School analysis strongly suggests that most book buyers look to the Times list for book purchase suggestions.  Although the effect of getting a book on that list is not huge for well-established authors, it can make the career of a new or previously mid-list author.  Making the list leads directly to larger advance payments, bigger print runs, and greater publicity expenditures for later books, not to mention much higher sales numbers for the current book and the consequent greater royalty payments.

Short of prestigious awards like the Pulitzer or Nobel Prize, there is probably nothing that can have a greater instant effect on an author's future and income.

The exact details of how placement calculation is performed for the Times list is a trade secret, kept by the News Surveys department of that paper.  Even the staff of the Book Reviews section, which publishes the list, doesn't know how it is calculated.  In general however, each week sales figures are collected from a selection of independent and chain bookstores (of which Borderlands is one), along with other sales outlets such as drug stores, supermarkets and gift shops.  Wholesalers are also included but the figures are weighted so that the final figure is based more on books sold to actual readers, rather than the number of books shipped to stores (which might languish on the shelves for a month or more before being returned).   A result is the Times list's reputation as one of the best, if not the best, measures of a book's immediate popularity.

February News Roundup

* Charlie Jane Anders (of Writers With Drinks, Other Magazine, and i09.com fame) has organized a San Francisco Bookstore and Chocolate Crawl for Sunday, February 26th!  It starts at noon at Green Apple Books on Clement and ends at Modern Times Books on Florida Street, with stops in between at various book shops and purveyors of chocolate including Borderlands at 4:45 pm!  Complete details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/200529393378320/

* The Custom Made Theatre Company, who are producing the stage play of Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother", have extended the play's run through the end of February. See it, if you haven't yet -- it's really extraordinary. http://www.custommade.org/tickets

* The deadlines for application to Clarion West are fast approaching.  The upcoming session (June 17 to July 27) will be taught by Mary Rosenblum, Hiromi Goto, George R.R. Martin, Connie Willis, Kelly Link and Gavin Grant, and Chuck Palahniuk.  For more information visit their website at http://www.clarionwest.org.

* Author Jim C. Hines recreates the poses from his (and other peoples') book covers & it is hilarious! Thanks, i09. http://io9.com/5875868/fantasy-author-recreates-fantasy-novel-cover-poses-with-hilarious-results

* Lots of genre novels, including GOOD OMENS by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, are among the list of 25 books selected to be given away during World Book Night. "Now in its second year, the event will take place on 23 April, marking both Unesco’s International Day Of The Book and Shakespeare’s birthday. Some 20,000 members of the public will be chosen to give away copies of their favourite title from the list, with one million books being  distributed at venues including hostels, pubs and hospitals in a bid to boost reading."  For complete details, and the rest of the list, which also features THE PLAYER OF GAMES by Iain M. Banks, MISERY by Stephen King, and LET THE RIGHT ONE IN by John Ajvde Lindqvist, see http://www.terrypratchett.co.uk/?p=974.

* Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak, who is deadpan perfection. Hilarity ensues. http://www.hulu.com/watch/322712/the-colbert-report-grim-colberty-tales-with-maurice-sendak-part-1 Part 2 follows.  Sorry for the ads, which are un-skipable.

* We're sorry to report the death of author Christopher Samuel Youd, (who used the pseudonym John Christopher, among several others) at the age of 89. Youd was the prolific author of THE DEATH OF GRASS, The Tripod trilogy, and many others. You can find his obituary in the UK's Guardian newspaper here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/06/john-christopher-samuel-youd

* Sadly, Dick Tufield, the voice of the "Lost in Space" robot, has also passed away at the age of 85. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dick-tufeld-voice-lost-space-284500

January Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1) Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson
2) Nested Scrolls by Rudy Rucker
3) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4) A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
5) A Path to Coldness of Heart by Glen Cook
6) 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
7) Reamde by Neal Stephenson
8) Seed by Rob Ziegler
9) Snuff by Terry Pratchett
10) Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge

Paperbacks
1) A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2) A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
3) A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4) A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5) House Name by Michelle West
6) The Fuller Memorandum by Charles Stross
7) Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
8) A Hard Day's Knight by Simon R. Green
9) Up Against It by M. L. Locke
10) Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card

Trade Paperbacks
1) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2) Among Others by Jo Walton
3) The Liminal People by Ayize Jama-Everett
4) Empire State by Adam Christopher
5) Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan Boudinot

Overheard at the Store

This is a feature that appears periodically, usually as we attend conventions and overhear things.  However, sometimes we overhear amusing tidbits even when we're not attending a convention:

"She described it in terms that I would have been much happier had she never described it in."

"Sometimes, being chewed on by a hyena is Nature's way of telling you to take a break."

"I don't care how cute he is, I don't want to [deleted] someone who wipes out species! Not okay."

"What do you mean, 'Which one?'?! Exactly how many new lesbian werewolf novels ARE there?"