Jim C. Hines - Another New Book

Previous Entry | Next Entry

Another New Book

Feb. 24th, 2010 at 9:30 AM

Today was my day to blog at SFNovelists. I’m pleased with today’s entry, a helpful¹ glossary of publishing terms. Here’s an example:

Page Proofs - 1. Your chance as an author to review the typeset pages of your book and correct any typos. 2. Your chance as an author to discover all of those larger changes you’ll wish you’d made before, but now it’s too damn late.

Full post is at http://www.sfnovelists.com/2010/02/24/writing-terms-defined/

#

So yesterday I went on about Diana Rowland’s book. Well it turns out Anton Strout also had a book out yesterday. I knew this, but somehow — completely by accident — forgot to mention it. I don’t know how this happened. I love Anton’s work. Really I do! I’ve reviewed him twice!

By the way, this blog post has nothing to do with a phone call I received last night that went something like this…

Anton: Hello Mister Hines. I was calling to let you know how much I enjoyed your review of Miss Rowland’s work.

Jim: Thanks, Anton. I appreciate–

Anton: I cannot help noticing, however, that you omitted another urban fantasy title from your post.

Jim: Oh, shoot. Sorry about that.

Anton: You are aware that I am published by, and have certain connections at Penguin, yes?

Jim: Well, sure.

Anton: Penguin, which just happens to to handle much of the sales and distribution for DAW.

Jim: Um … yes, that’s right.

Anton: Don’t you have a book coming out from DAW this July? It would be a shame if anything happened to it.

Nope, that conversation had nothing to do with my decision to blog about the book. Nor did the rather disturbing experience of waking up this morning to find a stripped copy of Mermaid’s Madness on the pillow beside me.

To make amends, I’m telling you all to go check out the third Simon Canderous book, Dead Matter [B&N | Mysterious Galaxy | Amazon]. Please? Tell ‘em Jim sent you.

—

For certain values of ‘helpful’ ↩

Mirrored from Jim C. Hines.

Comments

( 40 comments — Leave a comment )

Feb. 24th, 2010 02:48 pm (UTC)

Got my copy last Friday - and told Anton! Same day, found a copy of A Local Habitation which I have already read and told

seanan_mcguire that I loved it. Should finish Jade Man's Skin today (which is what I went into the bookstore to buy), then will start on Dead Matter.

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 02:50 pm (UTC)

Crap, did I somehow miss Seanan's book too? ::Checking Amazon:: Oh, good. Not officially out until March 2.

Too many friends writing too many cool books!

What's Jade Man's Skin? I haven't heard of that one before.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:08 pm (UTC)

Boy, you're right about the too many too cool books, Jim. I thought I'd gotten my TBR queue back to within sight of ten, and now it's over twenty again. How'd that happen?

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:18 pm (UTC)

It's all of those darn writers! Someone really needs to Do Something about those jerks.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

deborahblakehps

Feb. 24th, 2010 04:15 pm (UTC)

So true! I curse myself every day for making friends with all these danged writers. I had to go out and buy all these goblin books, for instance...

And not only do I have to buy and read these scoundrel's books, I have to blog about them, and keep up with their blogs, and network...

sigh.

If only they weren't all so clever, and funny, and nice. Damn it.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 05:53 pm (UTC)

It's that last bit, the "clever, funny, and nice" part, that's so damned hard to shake.

Yet another reason why LJ is so enjoyable.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

deborahblakehps

Feb. 24th, 2010 05:57 pm (UTC)

So true!

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

crazywritergirl

Feb. 24th, 2010 07:36 pm (UTC)

I recommend a Government Subsidy that furloughs a certain number of authors per year and pays them a living wage. They can write anything (shopping lists, etc.) as long as it's not published in any form. Then a 12-step program to help them deal with their word addiction.

Yeah, I'm sure that'll solve the problem. Not.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 25th, 2010 01:30 am (UTC)

I've considered writing a 12-step program for writers before. I think most of us could use one...

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

antonstrout

Feb. 25th, 2010 02:32 am (UTC)

I'm going to quit writing to help out, okay?

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:32 pm (UTC)

It's the sequel to Dragon In Chains by

moshui (Daniel Fox). Based on very old Chinese legend.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:39 pm (UTC)

Sigh. He's on my reading list, and he's talked about it a number of times. How exactly did my brain miss this???

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 04:20 pm (UTC)

It came out last Tuesday - that's why I was in the bookstore to buy it (besides needing a meeting place to exchange unclaimed art for money). It was just luck that I saw Anton's and Seanan's books piled up on the New SF/F shelf.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 02:48 pm (UTC)

And here I always thought Anton was a nice guy . . .

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 02:50 pm (UTC)

He still hasn't forgiven me for publishing a werejaguar story before he did.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

antonstrout

Feb. 25th, 2010 02:34 am (UTC)

Damn you, Hines! Now I'm going to send out my fan fic goblin pr0n!

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 25th, 2010 05:54 pm (UTC)

Just for that, I think I'll have to expand the werejaguar story into a novel!

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

antonstrout

Feb. 25th, 2010 06:01 pm (UTC)

Get ready for the Fagle's translation of my epic poem The Erotic Adventures of Jig Goblinlayer!

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 25th, 2010 06:08 pm (UTC)

Promise me it will be a pop-up book!

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:07 pm (UTC)

I guess we'll have to add that conversation to the aura of mystery and mayhem that surrounds Anton.

I must admit that I could swear that I saw Dead Matter at a B&N a couple of weeks ago...

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:17 pm (UTC)

You probably did. Unless you're a potential NYT Bestseller, your books usually start to show up on bookstore shelves a week or two before the official release date.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 04:30 pm (UTC)

Dunno about a couple of weeks ago, but I found my copy last Friday. :)

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

stillnotbored

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:14 pm (UTC)

Wow...I'd heard rumors about "publishing" and that some people played hardball. Guess those rumors are true.

I think you got off easy this time. Stripped copies of your book on the pillow are only a warning. Next time, the werejaguars come for you, your keyboard and your goblin figurines....

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:38 pm (UTC)

You mess with the Penguin family, you're likely to get pulped, if you know what I'm saying.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

stormsdotter

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:41 pm (UTC)

Oh please. Anton's just in Marketing--he doesn't have the power to pull a book, especially not a book in a series from an Established Author. (I used to work for another Penguin sub-company, I looked him up.)(And sent werejaguar day letters to his work e-mail.)(Because I could.)

The bottom line of publishing is to make money.

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 03:43 pm (UTC)

You know this was all completely tongue-in-cheek, right? ;-)

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

stormsdotter

Feb. 24th, 2010 04:09 pm (UTC)

Bah. I have a bad habit of responding to humor with semi-seriousness. Don't mind me.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 04:14 pm (UTC)

The first comment over at the SF Novelists posts was dead serious, which has me worrying I've been committing humorfail or something.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 05:53 pm (UTC)

I love that icon.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

antonstrout

Feb. 25th, 2010 02:36 am (UTC)

I'm in Sales, darlin'.. Sales.. .you are the worst stalker EVER, Stormy!

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

bodlon

Feb. 24th, 2010 05:05 pm (UTC)

I'm sure that copy of Mermaid was a coincidence. Some sort of perfectly explainable accident...

Link | Reply | Thread

allaboutm_e

Feb. 24th, 2010 06:23 pm (UTC)

At least he didn't sic a killer bookcase on you.

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 24th, 2010 06:25 pm (UTC)

Well, this was only my first offense...

(Heh. I had forgotten the killer bookcase scene!)

Edited at 2010-02-24 06:28 pm (UTC)

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

mouseferatu

Feb. 24th, 2010 08:30 pm (UTC)

Where do I sign up for you to also talk about my novel that came out yesterday? :-}

(And in answer to your next question... No, I have no shame.) ;-)

Edited at 2010-02-24 08:32 pm (UTC)

Link | Reply | Thread

Feb. 25th, 2010 01:29 am (UTC)

Shameless reponse: Any chance of a review copy? ;-)

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

mouseferatu

Feb. 25th, 2010 01:36 am (UTC)

Fair question, shameless or not. ;-)

Let me get back to you.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

mouseferatu

Feb. 25th, 2010 01:46 am (UTC)

Though I should point that TCS goes to some fairly dark places. Is that something that should worry me, vis-a-vis any review you might do? I seem to remember you saying that darker fantasy wasn't your bag...

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

Feb. 25th, 2010 01:51 am (UTC)

It depends. Heck, I've had people tell me my princess novels are dark.

Gratuitous darkness/violence, not so much my thing. On the other hand, I loved Samantha Henderson's book Heaven's Bones, which had some seriously dark and twisted aspects.

I can say that having glanced at the info on your web site, I am intrigued...

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

mouseferatu

Feb. 25th, 2010 01:55 am (UTC)

Well, there's certainly darkness/violence. I don't think it's gratuitous, but I guess we'll find out. ;-)

I'll let you know what I can arrange.

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

mouseferatu

Feb. 25th, 2010 06:10 pm (UTC)

Hey, Jim. My editor says he's happy to send you a review copy. :-)

Just get me your mailing address and phone--by e-mail, private message here, PM on Facebook, whatever--and I'll pass it along.

And thanks. Here's hoping neither of us regrets it. ;-)

Link | Reply | Parent | Thread

( 40 comments — Leave a comment )