A question

I have redone the cover of "Three Windows", altering the picture somewhat and also sorting out the stupid mistake which meant the title still wasn't aligned correctly on the spine. I hope.

Should I:

Pull the book and apply the revised cover, thus improving the look of it and turning those that have already been ordered into rare collectors' items (ha!)

Or should I:

Leave it as is?

Here's the revised cover:



This would be a poll, but I'm on my way to bed. Please let me know what you think.

EDIT: done.

On why I'm doing what I'm doing

First of all, everyone who wants to be a proper published author should read this informative and helpful post from seanan_mcguire, in order to understand why I'm settling. (You should also read anything else she writes. She's good, and she's published, and she knows what she's talking about.)

( There follows a certain amount of self-pitying whining. Feel free to skip. )

This has been to some extent a vent.

Odd thought

Reading Humphrey Carpenter's That Was Satire That Was, it occurred to me that the point in history when satire was freed from the clutches of the elitist upper-class public-school Oxbridge Footlights-mafia mob and became the province of the right-on working-class alternative-comedy mob--the point when it stopped being something that fashionable middle-class people went to see and became something anybody could enjoy, or indeed do--was precisely the point at which it stopped making any difference. TW3 helped to bring down a government. Spitting Image helped to prop one up. Have I Got News For You achieves nothing beyond being funny, which is of course a laudable goal in itself, but they could do it just as well without the politics.

I don't think this was a point Carpenter was trying to make, or if it was he did it fairly subtly. But I think it's true, as far as it goes, which may not be very far.

What do you think?

May Contain Hedgehogs (but may not)

( Behind here... )

Lulu and shipping costs

Some people have reported ridiculous shipping charges when they tried to order my books. I've sent a support email and am awaiting an answer, but in the meantime I checked out the support forum.

Apparently this is an ongoing rhubarb between Lulu and their customers, and quite rightly so, and has only cropped up recently ("within the last two weeks" said one forum poster, and that was about a week ago). There are a number of factors. One of them is simply the cost of the companies they use, and Lulu say they are actively looking into finding better ways to ship their products. Another is that it seems that not all of the shipping options available come up on the site--presumably they're looking into that as well. Another (though it shouldn't be applying to my stuff) is that some book sizes are printed in the UK and some only in the US, which is why I went for trade size instead of standard paperback.

One option that was mentioned was for me to buy a bunch of copies, which works out cheaper, and then bounce them out to people. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to do that at this point, but it's something to consider for later if the situation doesn't improve.

In the meantime, if the shipping charges push the books beyond the threshold of what you're willing to pay, please don't feel bad about not buying the things. There was bound to be a downside to this--it was all far too easy. If the problem gets resolved, then that will be fine: if not, I won't think any the worse of you, honest. :)

Music review

So, tonight we finally sat down and listened to Playing Rapunzel's CD Abseiling For Beginners. It was well worth the wait.

( Review follows... )

(no subject)

Self-fulfilling prophecies, number 27 in a series of far too many: if I happen to come across people, say on the website of a famous sci-fi-based magazine, reiterating in mindless chorus the myth that science fiction fans have no sense of humour (because all sf is po-faced and deadly serious, because science fiction fans have no...you get the idea) it makes me very angry, because whereas I will defend anyone's right to believe something for which there is no evidence either way, the rote regurgitation of actual proven falsehoods as if they were true really gets my goat. And so I comment irately, and come across as...someone with no sense of humour. Le sigh. One of these days I'll get a clue.