Books

[Kathy Li]

I'm stuck halfway in T.H. White's The Elephant and the Kangaroo, and I've been meaning to reread The Once and Future King--it's been a good long while, now, since I first read it.

Unfortunately, I'm brain dead from fatigue. So, I'm reading lots of YA fiction (and romance novels, but I'll spare you the Nora Roberts wallowing. I know how delicate your constitutions are about that stuff. ) Comfort reading.

I finished the Louise Marley Singer in the Snow and it was as good as the other Nevyas, and it was very nice to revisit that world again. It also prompted me to go McCaffrey spelunking, so I had a quick reread of Pegasus in Flight. And then, I picked up a Sharon Shinn YA I'd had lying about for a while called The Safe-Keeper's Secret which I loved.

It's apparently one of three books set in this particular fantasy world (the others are The Truth-Teller's Tale and the Dream-Maker's Magic) it's mostly a vaguely medieval fantasy setting, where there are three types of people with special abilities: the Safe-Keepers who can keep any secret you tell them (there's typically one per village), the Truth-Tellers, who cannot lie no matter what they say (but they're usually itinerant because nobody likes having them around all the time ), and there's one single Dream-Maker, whose presence will make someone's dearest dream come true, only the Dream-Maker will live a life of sorrow and has no control over who or how her power manifests.

The story is about two children who have been raised as brother and sister by a Safe-Keeper. The way all the story plotlines wove themselves together was terrific, and the ending had me crying and laughing. I have got to go find the others, now, and get caught up on my Sharon Shinn (I have all the angel books, I'm just behind on everything else...)

Oh, and I just started Peter Beagle's The Unicorn Sonata.

[Dragon Writer]

anyone read sword in the stone? i'm reading that, and the other books by t.h. white at the moment...though i have already read sword in the stone. i suppose, in this case, it's a GOOD thing i hadn't known there were other books earlier...

[AlidaART]

I really wanted to buy Lady Friday the last time I was in a bookstore...but its hardcover and a little on the expensive side. Ah well. I shall have to wait.

The Thursday Next books are, as far as I can tell having read only the first two, rather entertaining but definitely not re-read material. I can't figure out why, but...yeah.

[Kathy Li]

So, I've been working my way through Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" series and having fun with it, but I think I'll continue to borrow these from the library rather than buy my own copies. I'm not sure I'm going to be rereading these any time soon. I just finished The Big Over Easy.

What's interesting is the shift to Jack Spratt and the NCD, but still treating the fictional world as if it's both inside AND outside of books. I'm getting a little confused. It might be a while before I pick up The Fourth Bear. The books are really funny, though.

I also stopped by my local sf/f store and picked up a bunch of new books. Apparently China Mieville has written a YA book (!!) Un Lun Dun, Nix's Lady Friday is out, and Louise Marley's written another Nevya book, Singer in the Snow. Riches.

And just for a laugh, here's Nix making fun of big long epic fantasies. (It's just a joke!)

[Dragon Writer]

*sighs* this is to be an auther, you need a second job...i mean, a LOT of the best authers are actually lawyers and docters as well! only the really BIG authers can manage to get by on just writing alone.

[Space Cadet]

I just checked the '2006 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market' to see what Harcourt pays. They didn't list their royalties . . . but Harpercollins Children's did. They probably pay about the same, right? Harpercollins pay 10 - 12 1/2% royalty on retail price, so that's about what DD probably gets. That's better than a lot of authors, but it still doesn't add up to much. Yeah, OK, the YW books have sold over a million copies, but the royalties for that have been stretched out over nearly 25 years. In summary if (when) the SYWTBAW movie comes out, let's all go see it at least twice each

[Rubywolf]

It still isn't fair that authors get so little money. All artists are paid ittle for their work. You may mention that paintings go for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. However, paintings take a long time to make, paints are VERY expensive, you need a lot of paint to make a large painting, galleries charge a very high percentage, canvases are expensive, brushes are sometimes up to eighty dollars, etc. the bills start to add up, and the artist, whether an author or apainter, is forced to pop out products like some sorta robot.

[Kathy Li]

Errr... just to play devil's advocate.... DD just has to pay her own bills and her agent's fee. She doesn't have to spend money for employees, editors, office space rent & utilities, storage, losses on other books that don't sell, production costs, registering ISBNs, returned unsold books, shipping, or ads (from the publisher's end).

While a publisher or retailer's chunk may be larger, their expenses are also a lot larger. If you didn't know the book was out, you wouldn't buy it. If it wasn't a store shelf, you wouldn't see it. And all that costs money.

But yeah, DD should be richer than she is. Another reason movie options can be good things.

[Fox]

I neve belived that it was that low. I always expected that they got around the 25-40% mark. I mean now it makes sense why DD is not a very happy millionairess! all the effort it takes to write a book and the pulisher comes off the best, Unless your Tolken or JK , its a shame the church did'ant copy write the bible they would of made enough money to buy a loaf of break by now kidding.
Fox

[Peter Murray]

Originally posted by Rubywolf:
true. Royalties are important. But what percentage of a book price at barnes and nobles goes into the author's pocket and what percentage goes into the owner of barnes and nobles? I would like to know. does anyone know?

I don't know what it is now, but I vaguely remember that Terry Pratchett (probably) was getting 8p per copy from a £4.99 paperback and 15p from a hardback at whatever price they went for.

But that just seems so small an amount compared with the retail price.

The UK has a fee that libraries pay every time a book is borrowed, and apparently the amount Pratchett received from that one year was enough to buy one or two chocolate bars.

[Rubywolf]

we love libraries. Libraries are awesome. i get tons of books from the libraries. I've been reading up on Chihuahuas. I never knew all that stuff about my little ball of fluff. She's a little mama's girl. Chihuahuas are supposed to be very smart. I must have gotten one of the stupid kinds.

[Kathy Li]

Hey, the library bought the book--that copy gave the author royalties.

Most authors also don't mind if you buy their books used--they're happier to be read than not, and they know that someone who buys the book used is likely to buy the next one new, because they won't be able to wait. You shouldn't have to pay just to try the book to see if you like it.

[Dragon Writer]

rubywolf: true. Royalties are important. But what percentage of a book price at barnes and nobles goes into the author's pocket and what percentage goes into the owner of barnes and nobles? I would like to know. does anyone know?

no...and you guys are starting to make me feel ashamed that i get almost all my books from library...*erects shield from stabbings* it's not my fault! i don't get an allowence! and dad usually won't buy me a book if i can get it from here...

[Rubywolf]

true. Royalties are important. But what percentage of a book price at barnes and nobles goes into the author's pocket and what percentage goes into the owner of barnes and nobles? I would like to know. does anyone know?

[Kathy Li]

Because while buying a book used costs less, it also means the author doesn't see a penny of profit from it? Yes, it's a pain, but buying books new can be a good thing: the author actually gets a royalty from that first sale.

You could stretch pennies farther by taking any books you didn't like and trading them in at the used bookstore for trade credit.

Small note, Rubywolf: your sig's too long by one line. The max length is six lines, including separators and blank lines. Not a big deal.