How to use this Page

I’m super excited that Flashy 2 is now in print!! Woot woot!  Of the two Flashys, I have to admit this one is my favorite.

Flashy Fiction and Other Insane Tales 2 by Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden

Anthology Published Oct 13 2012

Ebook Price: 1.99 Available at [Amazon]

NOW Available in Print for 7.99 at [Amazon][Createspace]

Another anthology of the strange, bizarre, and just plain weird.

Unicorns, zombies, devils, dark whispers, teddy bears, and …fireflies? Try a taste of writing from two very different fantasy authors. Flash fiction stories are super short and perfect for when you ‘just have a minute’. This anthology contains 15 stories (both flash and longer short stories) from authors Sean Hayden and Jen Wylie. Run the rampart of emotions in this exciting mix of tales. From humor to horror, sweet to twisted, there is something for everyone.

A few days ago, I posted a caption challenge on my Facebook wall. Lots of great suggestions, and I ended picking Paul Carroll's caption. :-)

For a list of all survey results as well as current surveys still in progress, see my Inkygirl Survey Archives.

Thanks to all those who responded to my most recent survey, which asked:

Q. When making a book purchase, do you prefer ebook or print format?

Of 129 responses, 60% said they preferred print. 25% preferred ebook/digital.

Of the remaining responses ("Other"), here are some of the comments:

Ebook to get it fast for YA, but print book for picture books, & when I really love a book I want both. - @CherylRainfield

I do both. It varies with price and format. Some picture books don't look so great on the Kindle. They look better on the iPad. - @StacySJensen

Print if I plan to share with my students. (so MG books) E if I'd like to be able to read it anywhere (love having selection on my device) E if it is MY copy of a book I'm using with a reading group (love the notes features on my device and I don't lose my notes that way) Print if I already own part of the series or it's a series I think I will loan to family or friends (it's complicated!) - @Mselke01

I prefer print for fiction or anything pictorial, but I like ebooks for quick access to information

It depends. For a quick read, ebook. For things I want to save and reread or refer to often, print. - @bexdk

It depends on the book. For most, I prefer ebook. But there are some I want a print copy for my bookshelves. Usually, they are by favorite authors or friends.

I like print for children's books, ebook for adult (pleasure) print for how to book's...

Depends on the book and the price..and where I'll be reading. For travel, I prefer e-books. For home or camping, I prefer print. - Julie Chilton

Ebook for fiction, print for non-fiction. - @crazywritinfool

Both. I can't really separate the two because I usually end up buying the book in print even if I have it on my Kindle/iPad. I can't give up my books. I also will buy books for Kindle that I already own in print simply because it is easier to take on a trip or read in bed (for example: "War & Peace"). - @InkyTwig

Both! I love having both formats for different situations. - @wickedagrarian

Depends on the book. If it's something I want straight away, ebook, if it's more of a collectable - print.

E-book for texts I'll read linearly (novels, short stories). Print for reference materials, anything with graphics, anything I expect to consult arbitrary sections of. Also print for books with more "staying power", ones I'll want to have for years and years, 'cause who knows what'll happen to digital content over time?

Depends on the format & purpose: print = illustrated books e = reference books a = audiobooks, which is the only format I consume for fun. - @chaletfan

Ebooks, unless there are many illustrations or photos. In that case, I prefer print.

It depends. If I need something right now, I'll order a Kindle version, but for a nice slow read, I'll order print. If I want something to take on the plane, I order a Kindle; if I want to read it while taking a bath, I'll order print. For study and writing in the margins I'll order print because I don't care for the annotation function in electronic devices. Even the markup function in Word is annoying even though it's industry standard. - @suelange

I only buy drm-free ebooks and so my selection is limited, but I'm quickly coming to prefer digital over print. - @limako

Depends on the book. Picture Book, Easy Reader - Print (love to look at the color illustrations and for studying page turns) MG, YA Fiction - Ebook (convenience of being able to take it anywhere easily) - @darshanakhiani

Digital for novels, print for picture books.

Whichever is cheapest, naturally! (which at the moment is nearly ALWAYS print) - @readitdaddy

------------

Next survey: Book Trailers - Do They Work? (3 multiple choice questions + optional comments)

Do you have a suggestion for a future survey question? Please let me know!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Desert Baths

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends November 10, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Revisions are a circle. I print out a manuscript and read it while marking up edits and revisions. I go back to the computer and make corrections and changes. Then Print, Re-Read, Repeat.

The number of iterations depends on where I started and where I want to go, but the process remains the same. I am trying to match up what is in my head and what is on paper. If someone else reads it, I am trying to match up what is in my head, through the medium of words on paper, and put that exact image/story/whatever in someone else’s head–exactly. I try not to leave anything JUST in my head. It’s got to be on paper and in the reader’s head.

Revision–it’s a head thing. I’m doing it today. Are you?

kalidraws:

Two illustrations for this past weekend’s Boston Globe magazine! This time I was honored to be illustrating the cover again, as well as an accompanying page inside.

The theme of both illustrations is the power that moms wield through online networking. It’s easier than ever for moms to share tips, info, advice, and warnings on a variety of sites, blogs, and forums that are catered to them, and this connectivity gives them big influence!

I’m always excited to make illustrations about strong ladies, and I had a great time riffing on Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People for the cover! More on my blog!

Kali Ciesemier. Really enjoying watching her turn into one of the industry’s top illustrators. Click through to her blog link to see process images and more.

by Scott Rhoades

I've posted about my gradual conversion to e-books before, but it's been a while. I now feel like I've read enough of them to be able to write somewhat coherently about the (nonsensical) battle of the book vs the e-book.

First of all, let me say that I no longer draw a line between e-books and "real" books like I once did. The words are the same regardless of the medium, and the experience of consuming the words is similar enough, that any thoughts I once had about e-books somehow being less real have vanished. As far as reading goes, they are just as real as paperbacks or hardbacks.

When I started the year with my new Nook Color, a Christmas present from my wife, I expected to read about 35-40 books in 2012, based on my reading history over the past few years since I started keeping track. I read 42 last year, 15 of them on my iPad. The rest were printed.

Right now, I am nearing the halfway point of my 31st book of the year. I think four of those have been printed books. The Nook is a major reason why I've read so much. It's easy to have around and comfortable to hold, especially for big books. I can carry an entire library with me, between the Nook's memory and its memory card. I've even switched my favorite magazine to a digital subscription. It's easy to read without losing the sense of the magazine's design, and I don't have to deal with piles of past issues. I can read with the lights out (although I don't do that much). I can adjust the font size for more comfortable reading, and adjust the brightness of the screen for comfort in whatever lighting I'm sitting in.


That last bit shouldn't be underestimated. One of my friends, who used to be an avid reader, had all but given up on reading because his aging eyes required perfect lighting and a reasonable font size. He bought his wife a Nook Color, tried reading on it, and ended up buying another one for his wife because he took hers over. Now he reads a lot again.


Clearly, this little device has its advantages, But what about disadvantages?


I'm sure there were people who complained when mass-produced books from printing presses replaced the carefully and lovingly made manuscripts of yore. Book lovers (and I consider myself one of them) always talk about how they prefer the feel of a book, the smell of the pages, the tactile pleasures of the printed book. You don't get that from a reader. I have a leather cover for mine that gives it a cozier feel than the hard plastic of the bare e-reader. It helps, but it's not the same. While the Nook is more comfortable to read in bed than a thick book or a large-format book, it can't compete with most books in the coziness battle. This has really become obvious to me in recent months after I inherited some books that belonged to my grandmother and my aunt, who both died in the past year. I pick up those books, several of which were read to me when I was very small, and I can smell Grandma's house. Those books are treasures, for reasons far beyond the wonderful words they contain. Nobody is going to get excited about inheriting my e-book collection when my time comes. Some of my printed books might mean something to somebody, though.


I love my bookshelves. I have shelves in three rooms, all overstuffed with books, too many to fit standing upright, so there are