How do you read ebooks?--veinglory Back in the day I had a rocket e-book reader. It was kind of like trying to read a book that had been written in HB pencil, on a brick. I chastised myself for wasting money at a time when I really didn't have very much to throw around. I think I still have the charger here somewhere although I eventually threw the rocketbook away.

More recently I bought a Sony ebook reader--which proved to be even more expensive and even more useless. The reading experience was somewhat better, more like it was written in 4B pencil on a cement block, and for a while I was satisfied. But I cannot get the battery to hold a charge. And being on a plane with no books is irritating, but being on a plane with an ebook reader that won't start up is infuriating.

Through all of this I did most of my actual ebook reading on my old workhorse Toshiba laptop. I drag this thing all over the country. It has been dropped on runways, had coffee spilled over it and on one memorable occasion been trodden on by a full grown boar (an actual pig, no metaphor here--fortunately he let me have it back). But as much as I love the thing it is damned heavy and after ot runs for an hour or two you could fry and egg on it.

So I am going to have one more go at finding a good ebook reading device... that will double as a travel laptop. The ASUS EEE PC 4G, it has a 7 inch screen, runs Windows XP and has various other gizmos I haven't had before (webcam etc). Here's hoping for better luck with this device.

What are the rest of you reading your ebooks on, at home and when travelling?

Labels: readers

  ¶ posted at 9:52 AM by Emily Veinglory 8 Comments

  Smile When You Say that, Pilgrim--veinglory The insult is in the intent. Which is why the Duke uttered that famous line. You can use pretty much an cuss word you want to describe a friend, if you smile as you say it. The same word said in earnest is likely to have an entirely different effect.

But some words get more of a benefit of the doubt than others. It seems that 'erotica', for example, is fine with most of use now. Some still prefer 'erotic [insert genre here]' but on the whole, we're good. Although 14% Are still not having it, smile or no.



Pornography however is more likely to be assumed to be an insult (57% of respondents). But a growing proportion went for some version of 'it depends'. So if the customer is using pornography as a neutral genre word they would pretty much be okay with it.



The times, they are a-changing. Shall we try this again in a year or two and see if it has shifted and in which direction?  ¶ posted at 4:40 PM by Emily Veinglory 4 Comments

  Page Not Found--veinglory A few of my favorite blogger-hosted posts are suddenly turning up 'Page not Found'. Like this one that was entitled 'NCP Authors and Artists'.

Excerpts from Madris De Pasture's yahoogroup rants can still be found on other blogs, but how long this is the case might depends on how craven other blog-hosts prove to be.

Edited to Add: For more information see: Told to Delete.

Blogger's position is "If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits...". Meaning "if you threaten us we will fold."

Labels: NEW CONCEPTS PUBLISHING

  ¶ posted at 5:20 PM by Emily Veinglory 4 Comments

  Author photos?--veinglory The author photo, hmmm. Do you have one? Because I have been thinking of using one but the more I look at other author's photos the more I think it might be a mistake. Most of them are, in my opinion, terrible. They fall into a number of major categories.

A lot of romance authors seem to go for the "Mummified by Avon" look. That is hair that is three or four shades, all of them unknown to nature. Add to this matt apricot skin, lips and blush like a drag act, teeth too perfect to believe and an outfit last used as a costume for the climatic who shot J.R. scene. In the background is what we are meant to assume is one's stately home.

Men seem to go for the "I Take Myself Too Seriously" photo. That is the one with the dramatic lighting, serious expression and stare into the middle distance. Oh and always in grey scale, because in grey scale nobody can tell that you are bald.

Some authors seem to cut costs and go with the "Who, Me?" picture. This comes in two main forms, either them holding a camera up to the bathroom mirror, or them turned towards some other person whose shoulder can still be seen in the cropped version. The overall impression is that the author not only doesn't have a stately home, they don't have a friend who would take their picture or enough of an ego to have a picture be all about lil' ol' them.

Perhaps one of the least offensive versions is the "Shiny, Happy Author" picture in which a young, over-saturated author grins maniacally in front of a white background. If the author is attractive this can work fine, but still looks more like an advertisement for minty gum than an author photo.

There are a few other versions along the lines of "I'm Kooky!!1!", "I Live in a Fantasy World", "Me So Sexy", "If I Can See a Single Wrinkle in this Picture I Will KeeeeLL You (a.k.a. The Soft Focus Mystery Author)" and "Portrait of an Artiste (beret optional)."

But frankly, I have yet to see an author photo I liked, so maybe it is just me.... Do authors really need a photo? If so, what should a good one look like?  ¶ posted at 3:51 PM by Emily Veinglory 18 Comments

  Breaking--veinglory New
Ravenous Romance press release here.

Labels: HOLLAN PUBLISHING / RAVENOUS ROMANCE

  ¶ posted at 8:50 AM by Emily Veinglory 15 Comments

  GUEST POST: Evolution of a Cover: Fangs and Fur by Michelle Houston Like many authors, when I sent out my cover art request for FANGS AND FUR I was worried about how it would all turn out. I have seen some fantastic e-book covers, and I have seen some that frankly I would be ashamed to have.

I’ve really lucked out with both Whiskey Creek Press Torrid and Phaze in that my covers have been at least close to what I had in mind, and have been something I have been happy to have my “name” associated with. Part of the problem is that there is only so much that can be done with splicing images together to create a concept, and I understand. I also know that many cover artists don’t or won’t take the time to work with the author to add that additional element to their book – which I don’t understand.

Some I know think that with e-books a cover isn’t as important as in a brick and mortar store. I disagree. When someone is looking at e-books we have only the first few lines of the blurb and the cover to hook them with. Print books can be picked up, skimmed, and so on. For us, we have an excerpt, often chosen for us by the publisher, to try and seduce a reader. That’s it.

So I always very hesitant when I see the email waiting on me -- cover art for _______ book.

When I received the cover for FANGS AND FUR it was so very close to what I had in mind. It had a sexy couple, and a pair of wolf eyes glowing from the bottom of the image. But something was missing.

Ms. Heaston was wonderful; she asked if there was anything I would change about it. I sent back an email asking if we could incorporate more of the shifters into the cover. There isn’t just a wolf shifter, there is also a tiger and a fox. And as much as I liked the idea of the font adding the ‘fang’ feel to the cover, I hated the font. I also wanted some claw marks somewhere, to help with the feel of it all.

She, bless her, got EXCITED! (It could have gone the other way entirely, which is what I was afraid would happen) It was wonderful. Her energy about it all, the way she talked about having an idea come to her that was perfect was highly thrilling.

When I got the cover back the second time it was almost, not quite but almost, perfect. Rather than a black strip along the bottom of the sexy couple image there was tiger fur. And the claw marks were spot on.

The only issue I had was that in trying to bring in a vampire image, she put a small set of human eyes at the top in the first claw mark, and they were kind of creepy looking. The wolf eyes were still at the bottom of the cover, and I suggested moving them up where the vampire eyes were.

She was more than willing to do so and then I got the cover back. I was shocked, and so very excited myself. It was FANGS AND FUR. It accented the book that I loved writing, giving it an additional depth.

For more information about FANGS AND FUR visit: michellehouston.com or
whiskeycreekpresstorrid.com/authors/Michelle_Houston.shtml

If you are an author and would like to contribute a 'behind the cover' post about the cover art of a recent release please email Emily at veinglory [at] gmail.com

Labels: behind the cover

  ¶ posted at 7:22 AM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments

  You Can Leave Your Hat On: the once and future pinup--veinglory There are a lot of sub-genres that don't so much come or go, as adapt for a new generation. Romance is one, erotic genre fiction... and the pinup. The idea of the pinup is to be sexual in a way that is non-threatening for the audience. Something you could literally 'pin up'. Now in some circles that is the artistic equivalent of a gynecological exam--but in most environments it is a little more artfully posed or coyly covered up.

Hanging in my office this year (and by the way where the hell do most of this year go? September already!) is 'Bad Rap's EXPOSED calendar. Whatever might be threatening by the amount of skin should is rendered pretty broadly acceptable by the puppy dogs and charity angle. What I liked about this calendar is not just that the models looked happy (many pin ups seem to exuded a sort of miserable poutiness) but that it included an interesting range of people. Pin ups in general lean female, white, young, blonde etc etc. Very dull.

And for those who think the pin up is all terribly retro, well it is still clearly alive and well in magazines and on billboards pretty much everywhere. Unless of course I am just reading sexuality in this Agent Provocateur advertisement that is not intended? (*cough* riiight). The pinup is, if anything, even more ubiquitous now and pinned up in even more public places. What would be sexual harassment on an office noticeboard, is now run of the mill on the side of bus stop or subway wall.

The pinup genre still, of course, includes crude, misogynistic and just plain 'ewww' material. And decisions about what is the right time or place for a sexually posed human figure are not always fool-proof. But one very welcome development has been the realisation of advertisers and other purveyors of all things Pavlovian that what is good for the goose, well....



And while we are on, tangentially, the subject of advertisements--here is a favorite of mine:

  ¶ posted at 5:32 PM by Emily Veinglory 0 Comments

  Paper Bag Press--veinglory
Website here.

Seeking: erotic short stories.

Disdainful of their taboos, check: "Toilet issues — must we go there? The answer is no."

'About Us' page not exactly thorough, check--quoted in full: "Paper Bag Press is a new online publisher of erotica. We work and publish electronically so you can receive your purchases immediately, and to help protect the environment. We can publish as many stories as possible, and not waste one shred of paper. Please let your personal friends know about us, if you think they would enjoy a visit."

Edited to Add: no it seems I was wrong, they will publish short stories ebooks, not work via subscription. Royalties of 30% of list.

[Found via Gillhoughly at Absolute Write.]

See also from Craiglist: "As in the times of Anais Nin, the economy is such that your pocketbook may be suffering. Perhaps writing some erotic short stories would be a good way to make some money, pay some bills, and make your life a bit easier. Paper Bag Press is a new, online shop for the highest-quality erotic short stories on the planet. We are seeking all sorts of authors for exclusive publication. Yes, we want to pay you! Generous royalties off the list price will be paid. We are in this to make money, and we feel you should be, as well."

Further comment at SBTB.

Labels: Paper Bag Press

  ¶ posted at 11:13 AM by Emily Veinglory 2 Comments

  From Craigslist Quoted from Craiglist, found via Jan Darby at the Absolute Write forums

Ravenous Romance needs freelance copyeditors for erotic romance novels (50K words) and short stories (2500-7500 words). Quick turnaround. Interested in long-term contracts for high volume of work.

Compensation: $200 per novel, $25 per short story

#

Ravenous Romance needs interns to read and evaluate erotic romance novel and short story submissions and copyedit manuscripts. Must have some copyediting training and/or experience, an affinity for erotica or romance books, and great communication skills. We offer a fun work environment and great experience for your resume!

Compensation: no pay

Labels: HOLLAN PUBLISHING / RAVENOUS ROMANCE

  ¶ posted at 12:36 PM by Emily Veinglory 4 Comments

  Contracts and Covenants--veinglory
Put simplistically:
* A covenant is an agreement made with a feeling of trust, which specifies what you will unreservedly provide to another person.
* A contract is an agreement made out of suspicion, which specifies what another party must do for you.
Problems occur when a person enters an agreement seeing it as a covenant, things go wrong, and they find themselves exiting via an agreement being treated as a contract.

For example, when people getting married are asked what the likelihood is that they will divorce, the median answer is 0%. This, in the full awareness that the answer in relation to other people is about 50%. Most people sign a marriage contract with little or no awareness of what they are agreeing to in event of the divorce they don’t expect to have.

Writers with a covenant outlook tend to equate suspicion of a publisher’s abilities (will they sell many books?) with moral suspicion of the publisher’s nature (No they are not a scam!). They willingly shoulder the greater part of the responsibilities (all authors these days have to promote their books to make any sales, even best sellers!) and tend not to doubt the capacity of the publisher (do they have distribution? Marketing staff? Expertise? Capital?). And if you look at it from the other end, if a lot of authors are covenant thinkers, publishers find it makes life easier not to rain on their parade.

For example, the agreement between a patient and doctor is often seen as a covenant where both aim to make the patient well. But 50% of us will eventual die while under treatment for an injury or disease, and doctors are left making crucial end of life decisions often with very little prior notice and no way to consult directly with the patient. Would they want extreme measures taken to preserve their life? What types of outcome would be worse than death for this person, and what would not? But what would happen if the doctor talked about end of life issues with new patients who are there to get over the flu, not pick out a casket?

It is not surprising that very few e-publishers talk about the realities of the current market, the typical sales figures and the prejudices an e-book writer might face as they try and move into richer commercial markets. People, especially people at the beginning of a new enterprise, actively do not want to look at the downside, or contemplate what will happen if it all goes pear shaped. That is a fact of life and a psychological blind spot that is to some extent necessary if we want people to undertake large projects with uncertain benefits: books, boyfriends and children come to mind.

But you don’t have to live in gloomy land in order to protect yourself from misfortune. You just have to visit. I would suggest that author put aside a little time to think some negative thoughts and put in place some basic protections, have a nice bottle of wine and a comedy romance DVD to get back to the sunny side afterwards…. Here are a few suggestions. If I have missed any please let me know.

* Make sure your will covers disposition of books and their royalties.
* Make sure you have copies of contracts and royalty statements. If there are any missing, request replacements. You probably won’t need them, but if you do it may be too late to ask for those replacement copies if the publisher has already folded or become hostile. Also it is simply a good idea to have complete records in case something happens to the publisher’s copies.
* Read through your contracts and make sure you have a basic understanding of them. Look specifically at how renewal occurs, which rights you have sold and any options clauses that might limit where you can submit future work. If you do not understand any sections do a little research online or ask for clarification. You signed it, you need to know what it means.
* Consider joining an authors’ association that offers expert advice and legal support, or identify a lawyer near to you that has experience with publishing contracts. You may never need them, but if you do you won’t be in a good state of mind to do careful research. And professional groups may not be all that sympathetic if you join only after you have a problem.
* Google your publisher and be aware of what other people are saying about them. But always consider the source, every major companies has a few problems that may be due to freak events, unstable people, or old history.

Finally, there is nothing that says you cannot take a covenant approach to life, being positive, generous and trusting. But if you do so you need to know for sure that any parties you enter into a binding agreement with are taking the same approach, and always will. My advice, even to the most sunbeam-and-pixie-dust inclined, is to trade an hour or two of suspicion for the security of a fair contract with a reputable publisher who is not only inclined, but obliged, to live up to your expectations.  ¶ posted at 11:18 AM by Emily Veinglory 2 Comments

  On the Lighter Side...--veinglory From my collection of vintage pussy postcards and photos. An Edwardian era LOLcat (they had better grammar).

REST FOR THE WEARY
The weary here a rest will find
(for kittens only, bear in mind.)



Which does remind me.... I like hot-hot-hot erotica, written and visual, but I also like material in the coyly suggestive to cheerfully risque. I sometime wonder if the erotic romance categories can be a little restrictive in suggesting that erotica comes primarily only in different quantities, not different qualities. Not to mention sometimes conflating sexual explicitness with theme. It is sad how much confusion can be caused just by writing a sweet MM or menage... but I digress.

If you want to see some more vintage photos of couples, mild pin-ups and general craziness I could occasionally feature of some of the more interesting shots. But I am not sure of that is wandering a little far afield of our designated topic....  ¶ posted at 2:38 PM by Emily Veinglory 4 Comments