First, from author Susanna Kearsley, Charlie Stross explains publishing:
Publishing is a recondite, bizarre, and downright strange industry which is utterly unlike anything a rational person would design to achieve the same purpose (which I will loosely define for now as “put authors books into the hands of readers while making a profit, to the satisfaction of all concerned”). So over the next few blog entries I’m going to make some notes about what’s going on …
Misconception #1: The publishing industry makes sense.
But wait, there’s more! His second installment is even better: Common Misconceptions About Publishing #2.
Sing it, Charlie. Sing it.
From Nancy, who suspects #3 might be an actual Harlequin Presents hero, live and in the (feathery haired) flesh. Seriously. He’s royal, multi-lingual (ahem), is a former pop star and is holding a giant curving phallusy thing that says “HEAD.” How much more excellent could this guy be? Nerve.com and Nancy and I are in complete agreement: “Basically, he’s one of the most awesome men we’ve ever heard of.”
Finally, from Gry:
the best computer manual in the history of the world.
That “Misconceptions” #2 post is AMAZING.
Agreed. The (3 so far) posts about the publishing industry are great.
SB Sarah: You’re a goddess! – My first ever computer was the Franklin Ace 1000 with the best computer manual in the world, many thanks for bringing back fond memories.
The printer test page used a modern re-write of Little Red Riding Hood.
(Sentimental sniffle)
WHY can’t computers be fun like that? I want printer test pages with stories about love lost between machines who find each other again.. sniffle.
Just don’t let the fine people over at Ellora’s Cave hear of your yearnings or soon you’ll be reviewing things like:
“The printer shuddered, gushing forth a sudden torrent of hot printed longing at the Router rammed his glistening, golden 8P8C connector home into her Ethernet jack.”
Readers have rated this novel as “W” for “WTF?”
Can you translate the 10 Commandments of Romance Heroines into the machine luuuurrve genre? “Thou shall not lust in thy LAN port…”
Oh man, I am loving #5 from the “Olympians you can outrun” link! Quatchi! A Sasquatch mascot (Masquatch? Sasquot?) is just another item on the endless list of Reasons I Have a Crush on Canada.
Having just returned from a week on Vancouver, I’m feeling qualified to weigh in on the Olympics list. You might be able to outrun Quatchi, but almost no Americans can outskate him. At Olympic Mascots on ice in Robson Square, downtown Vancouver, the Quatch (FYI MUCH nicer than the Chach) skates backward and dances wearing that 40-plus-pound outfit. The snowboarder Rob Fagan and his friends make Prince Huberto of Mexico look … over-dressed. The photos in Chatelaine (what a great title for a magazine!) are quite tasteful – but you probably shouldn’t click through at work. The article is “Our Nation’s Best … Undressed.” Need I say more? My blog links through above so you don’t have to hunt the hunks too hard.
I don’t think I was clear enough above about the awesomeness of Quatchi.
Quatchi is the rare sasquatch who can play in the goal but isn’t embarrassed to show his soft side in a stars-on-ice show alongside dancing sea anemones. He’s a furry Lysacek/Luongo hybrid, although less defined in tights.
My word: reason27, as in “27 reasons why I love Quatchi, the Winter Olympics, and curling.”
I have a HUGE crush on Canada, myself. 🙂
Those Stross articles are amazing. Thanks for linking to them!
“Imperatives of the Trumpeter Swan”
Do I smell a romance title in there?