The First Domino Falls

I planned on having a relaxing day today, to work on some copyediting projects and spend some time reading. So I decided to go to Borders and hang out in the cafe and work there. I went just after lunchtime, and I was able to find a $30 A/C adapter for my Sony Reader for just $7.50. Needless to say, I was a happy camper and settled down in the cafe to get some work done.

Later in the afternoon, my stomach started grumbling, telling me it was ready for some food. The first inkling of a headache had started, so I figured it was time to grab a bite to eat. After I hit McDonalds, I had an urge to stop at Books-A-Million (BAM) in Raleigh because I hadn't been by in a while. When I pulled up, I found the store windows decorated with bright yellow signs proclaiming "50% off already marked price." I thought, well, that's one heck of a Labor day sale. Glad I stopped today!

After browsing the store for a bit, I reasoned that there was no way everything is 50% off. I stopped a sales clerk that was passing by and asked her if everything was on sale. She assured me that it was, and immediately my mind started calculating ways to "free" up some money so I could score some books. I went after ones that I knew would be cheaper to buy in paper form than ebook form. After all, now that I have and e-reader, I'm all about saving as much money as possible.

I lugged my armful of books to the checkout counter and grinned as the sales clerk rang up my goodies. I asked how long the sale was going to last, sure it was just a one day deal. The clerk looked at me stone-faced and said, "Till the 18th, when we close." I thought I had misheard, so I asked again. Nope, I hadn't misheard. The only Books-A-Million in Raleigh, NC, is closing on September 18th.

At first, I was shocked by this news. BAM was my preferred bookstore to go to until about six months ago. I've always had a BAM near me to go to. Soon, my faithful standby will be gone. Needless to say, I scrambled and grabbed another armful of books to buy.

But after I got a coffee and settled down in the cafe, I thought about the whole situation some more. The shock began to wear off after a little while and I came to realize that stuff Scott Nicholson and J. A. Konrath have been talking about is finally coming to fruition. Heck, I had even told my wife when I bought my Sony Reader that I thought traditional bookstores would start closing down in a couple of years. I guess, if anything, the thing that shocks me most about BAM closing is how soon it's occurring, not the fact that it's happening.

I won't be surprised to see other chains start doing the same thing around here. We have three Barnes & Nobles and two Borders here in Raleigh. I think it's just a matter of when, not if, for them. The nostalgic part of me is going to miss them. Especially BAM, since it was always my "go-to" store. But another part of me is excited. And not just because I scored some cheap books today. This is an exciting and turbulent time we are in, and I can't wait to see what changes are coming. I suggest you hold on tight. The winds of change are blowing strong.

Speaking of winds blowing, I'll leave you with a quote, or maybe more of a paraphrase, from the comedian Ron White: "It's not that the wind is blowing, it's what the wind is blowing."

Touching Base

Just a quick update of what's going on with me. There are a number of things on my "To Do" list, but my time seems to be shrinking awfully fast! But here are a few things that I have planned or that are in the pipeline:

1. I WILL write a review of Scott Nicholson's Speed Dating with the Dead. I finished this ebook (my first one on my new reader) last week, and it was a very enjoyable read. A bit different from Mr. Nicholson's other books I've read. I'd definitely recommend it.

2. I WILL get my "Books Read" section updated on the main page here. I believe it stops at 34 or 35, and as of right now I've finished 54 books this calender year. By far my best year ever for reading.

3. I am currently Beta reading a new Scott Nicholson book, and enjoying the heck out of it. It's the best "worst" novel I've ever read.

4. I plan on posting here more consistently. I know, I know, I've said it before. But I really want to use this blog to share my love for books, and I feel it is a good way for me to practice my writing skills. Just need to find where I placed all my time.

5. This weekend I'm going to a signing with Brian Keene and Mary Sangiovanni in Williamsburg, VA. Needless to say, I'm super stoked about this!

6. I plan on sharing more about my experience with ebooks. I'm a newbie to them, but folks like Scott Nicholson and J. A. Konrath have me really excited about them. Plus, they're doing some cool stuff and there are some awesome books available in ebook form only.

I think that about covers it for now. I'm going to probably start pecking away at this list tomorrow, as I've been up for 28 hours right now, and I'm a bit tired. I'd like to have a clear mind so I can enjoy things!

Continuing Shifts

As I blogged about last night, Dorchester Publishing is currently in a state of flux. Today, probably their most prominent horror author, Brian Keene, announced he is parting ways with Dorchester. I can't say that I'm really surprised by this decision. It does highlight my gut feeling that things at Dorchester are not good right now. And now, things have gotten even worse with one of their heavyweights leaving.

I believe this is a good move for Brian Keene. He has name recognition and a loyal fanbase, he is tech savvy when it comes to social networking (Twitter, Facebook, blog, etc.), and he has a tremendous amount of drive. I have no doubt that he will find success whatever route he ends up taking. I look at the success that J. A. Konrath has found by handling his own books, and very much believe Brian can do just as well, if not better.

I think we are about to embark upon a time of great upheaval in the publishing industry. We all knew ebooks were something that were going to have to dealt with at some time, but the poor economy has acted as a catalyst to speed up the process. I think we will see some major changes in the next year or two. Do I think print books will disappear? No, not totally. Will ebooks permenantly change the landscape of publishing? Yes, I wholeheartedly believe so. I see a time in the next couple of years when bookstores start closing, ereaders take off in popularity, and ebooks become the norm, instead of luxury items. I don't have a bunch of data upon which to base my opionions. They are exactly that, my opinions. But I do believe the writing is on the wall, er, on the ereader. This next generation has grown up on game consoles, the internet, and iphones. Honestly, the only way a number of them will probably ever enjoy a good novel is through electronic means. I'm as nostalgic as the next person. However, I'm already excited about this new world that is being opened up before me. I can't wait to enjoy the works of authors I would have probably never tried before.

Don't get me wrong. This is going to be a turbulent time ahead. Traditional publishers are not going to go down without a fight. But I think it's inevitable. Change is coming.

The Landscape Shifts

Recently, Dorchester Publishing announced that it is going ebooks only for the next six to eight months, and then they will be printing trade paperbacks (tpb) instead of mass market paperbacks (mmpb). There seems to be some confusion on their part as to how they are going to execute this shift, as evidenced by this article. Whatever they plan to do, this is a major gamble on Dorchester's part, in my opinion. For one thing, they risk losing current customers by suspending their mmpb line immediately. I haven't seen a clear explanation as to the suddenness of this move and why there is no transition period, so I'm not sure what the logic is behind it. My gut tells me business must have been pretty bad to require such an abrupt shift. But there are relatively few people who own ereaders at this time, so it seems a tremendous gamble to go ebook only for the next few months.

From a personal standpoint, I'm not thrilled by this decision. I am a horror book club member, and one of the things I looked forward to each month was getting my book club books in the mail. I enjoy reading stuff by authors I have never read before, and I've been pleased by the variety of authors in Dorchester's stable. Now I feel bad for many of those authors. The horror genre is not huge, and a number of talented writers seem to be caught in the middle of this mess. One of my favorites, Gord Rollo, just had the carpet pulled from under his feet by discovering his new book, coming out in September, will be one of the first books affected by this change. I'm not lying when I say this is probably the book I most anticipated from Dorchester this year. I anticipated it even more than Brian Keene's A Gathering of Crows (which was excellent, by the way). But now I feel really bad for Gord; who really knows how this will affect his sales? And what can he really do right now? And what options do the other mid-list horror writers have? It's not like there are a lot of publishers jumping up and down for horror books, even if they are written by some very talented people.

I hope this works out for Dorchester. I really do. They have put out some great works, and there are a number of upcoming books that should be really good. I just hope they are better organized and have more a plan than what they have portrayed so far.

On a side note, my personal landscape has shifted. I purchased my first ereader this past week, a Sony Reader Touch. So I am now officially part of the digital age. Despite my previous questions and concerns, I'm enjoying the experience of reading my first ebook on it, Scott Nicholson's Speed Dating with the Dead (and the book itself is pretty darn good). I think I can get used to this ebook stuff. Yes, I still love my paper books and will be reading them for a long time to come. But now I can get my hands on a number of books by a wide variety of authors that I normally probably wouldn't have in the past. So I'm very excited so far; I'll keep you posted on my thoughts on the whole ebook experience.

Yes, I'm still here

I know I've neglected this poor little blog for quite some time. Heck, it's almost been two months since my last post. This blog doesn't deserve this kind of treatment. It doesn't care that I've been busy at times, because it good and well knows that I've had a few minutes I could've spared. So, I'm without excuse as to why I haven't posted in a while. I just haven't.

I plan on dusting this thing off and using it a bit more than I have. There have been a number of great books I've read in the past couple of months, and all kinds of blog ideas I've had. So please be patient, my ignored sweetie. I promise I'm going to incorporate you in my life again.

A Dying Breed

I’m known at work as the book guy. I read during break times and lunch. I always have a book sticking out of my lunch bag. In fact, checking to make sure I have a book with me is always one of the first things I do before I leave the house. Not just going to work, but pretty much anytime I leave the house. I can’t fathom having pockets of dead time escaping me when I could be enjoying a good book.

A brief discussion with a coworker a couple of months ago stuck with me, and in recent weeks I’ve been thinking more about it. My coworker asked me how many books a month I read, and at the time I was averaging about four a month. He was astounded by that number and couldn’t believe it when I told him I had read, at the time, about 40 books for the year.

The thing that got my mind going recently was the number of books I’ve read so far this year. To date, I’m averaging over seven books a month, and I am currently reading my 23rd book of the year. And the part that really gets to me is that I could do better. There is still a lot of time that I waste doing a bunch of nothing and watching TV.

Since the conversation with my coworker, I’ve paid attention to those around me when I’m out and about. Very rarely do I see someone reading a book. At work, there is no one to discuss books with. I only know of one coworker who reads occasionally. In this age of TV, movies, game systems, and computers, it almost seems as though those who read for entertainment are a dying breed.

I know I sound like an old fart. Heck, maybe I’m becoming one. But I don’t think I’m at a point where I’ll run around saying the sky is falling. Even though it’s a divisive issue, I think ebooks are here to stay and they may encourage a new generation to take up the written word as a viable form of entertainment. I can totally support that. And I was encouraged just a week ago when I ran into a couple who each had a book with them.

It would be a terrible thing if reading for entertainment is cast to the side. I hope I can instill in my kids, if not love for, at least a respect for the written word. And if reading keeps on losing its luster, heck, I guess that would be a good thing for me. I could pick up more books at the used book stores!

Scott Nicholson's THE SKULL RING

Scott Nicholson's latest novel, The Skull Ring, is now available for Kindle and at Smashwords. Being a fan of Nicholson, I've anticipated this novel for a while. After the small publisher who was going to publish this book went defunct, it appeared this book would not see the light of day anytime soon. But lo and behold, Mr. Nicholson decided to dive into the waters of ebooks, and now this book is available. I've had the pleasure of reading it and here is a brief review:

Scott Nicholson changes things up a bit in his latest offering, THE SKULL RING. This novel is a suspense story set in the mountains of North Carolina about a young lady named Julia Stone. Julia is searching for clues to her past, who she is, what happened to her, and what happened to her dad. Julia lives in a near constant state of fear and finds it hard to trust others. The one person she does trust is her doctor, Dr. Forrest. As they delve deeper into Julia's past, the more "skeletons" come out of Julia's closet. The closer she comes to the truth, the less sure Julia is that she can handle it. It may come down to a matter of life or death for her.

Nicholson never relents as he takes the reader into Julia Stone's world. There are the feelings of fear, dread, and anxiety throughout this novel. Nicholson's masterly descriptive writing style creates a chilling tale set in a beautiful locale and pulls you into the story. You don't want to miss this one by Nicholson; he demonstrates his ability to branch out into other genres in a tremendous way with this book.

This is a really good read and a change of pace if you are familiar with Mr. Nicholson's horror. However, what is not missing is his high quality writing and ability to connect with the reader. If you're interested, visit Mr. Nicholson at his new enterprise's website http://hauntedcomputerbooks.blogspot.com/ or at his personal site http://www.hauntedcomputer.com/.