Paste, paste, paste...

Reading

1. kate_nepveu's post at ebooks linked to Barbara O'Neil and Jennifer Crusie talking about digital publishing. Here's an excerpt about publishing older works:

[Barbara:] I know people howl about this, but honestly, at 99c, I’m getting the same royalty I got per book in print.

[...]

Jenny: The thing about the .99 price point is that it was great at getting new readers when not very many people were doing it. And there are a lot of people who browse the .99 cent lists so it’s a way of getting new readers. But ultimately it’s a loss leader, and writers have to look at what it does to the perception of value of their books.

(More? Part 1, Part 2)

2. ira_gladkova: The OTW Server Poll and Fannish Diversity
An interesting look behind the scenes.

3. This blog about leather and leatherworking is oh so pretty. *remembers DW's limited styles, ability to post photos and/or reblog easily, and sighs*

Updates
I have decided to update the Femslash Escapist Adventure 10 list rather than leave a broken link in perpetuity. After some thought, I've crossed out Anik's Jungle Fever (since it's headed for publication) and added Sharon Bowers' totally classic X-Files/Silence of the Lambs cross-over fic, Phases of Fire. This one exhibited all the signs of tight writing, fairly spot on characterization, and great case fic. It also has the dubious honor of being the first femslash work that I've read (and kept me reading, obviously lol). There's an element of nostalgia there, yes, but the work stands for itself. Unlike many, it still stands strong against the test of time...

Reading
For those interested in reading accessibility issues, I saw this article on Smart Bitches, Trashy Books today: The Blind Teaching the Reader: An Interview. Related: TOC 2011: Jim Fruchterman, "Making the Book Truly Accessible".

Also, via ebooks: HarperCollins is trying to set an amount for how many times a digital ebook can be lent, and access to patron information. Librarians, e-book library users, and others are waving pitchforks at the moment, it seems. Here's a resource guide I spotted on a twitter feed.

There's definitely some great content being shared on the O'Reilly "Tools of Change for Publishing 2011" conference channel. Some highlights: TOC 2011: Margaret Atwood, "The Publishing Pie: An Author's View" (here's her interview after her keynote), TOC 2011: Kathy Sierra, "Creating Passionate Users", and Dana Newman's interview (she's a lawyer who deals with transactional and intellectual property law). Ex libris: TOC 2011: Anna Gerber & Britt Iverson, "Visual Editions: Part Revolution, Part Reinvention..." (very cool!)

Does it mean you've hit the limelight if e-book pirates chose to share your work online? If so, congratulations!

Curiously, I was looking at Karin Kallmaker's list of Ye Olde Myths of Piracy and was unsatisfied with the supporting evidence. The "myth" about authors actually earning more money? Well, it's not a myth in the sense that it's not real. Mercedes Lackey and several other authors who were part of the Baen Free Library experiment had sales of their books increase after they released it for free in 2002. Even MIT press and other academic presses had several works lifted out of obscurity and sold more printed copies precisely because the works were available for free. Obviously, this does not translate unilaterally across the board, but it's good to know all the facts on hand before we make a judgment.