Buzz Worthy News

“Game of Thrones for Girls” gets a book deal, highlights need to fire whoever thought up that tagline, the finalists for the Nebula Awards are announced, a brand new and exciting comic book is on the horizon, The New York Times Best Seller list is for sale and if you buy approximately 3,000 copies of your own book – you too could be on it!  Find out all this and more in this week’s Buzz Worthy News.

Buzz Worthy News is Cuddlebuggery’s weekly news post bringing you all the best information about the book and blogging world, particularly for the venn diagram of people who overlap between the two.  For new releases and cover reveals of all the best Young Adult fiction, check out our Sunday post: How New Titles.

Books

 Know what you call Game of Thrones for Girls?  Game of Thrones.

A novel by Erika Johansen was announced by HarperCollins to have sold her novel, Queen of the Tearlings.  Which is cool, right?  Awesome.  Unfortunately, the selling line for Queen of Tearlings is, “Game of Thrones for Girls”.

I think Leigh Bardugo said it best:

So moving along with how this is going to work. Rumours are that it was a seven figure deal although these rumours can’t be confirmed except by the invisible leprechaun that’s perched on my shoulder.

So what inspired this book?

The 35-year-old Johansen says she heard then-Sen. Obama give a speech in 2007 and was inspired to create the series’ idealistic heroine, 19-year-old Kelsea Glynn. The publisher is billing the books as a female version of George R.R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones.”

I am intrigued at least.  Let’s hope it works out well!

SOURCE

Nebula Award Nominees Announced – Sounds out of this world!

It’s that time again for the esteemed Nebula Awards and this year’s nominees have been elected.

“Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)
Ironskin by Tina Connolly (Tor)
The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
The Drowning Girl by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Roc)
Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)”

Congratulations, guys!  You can find the rest of the list here and check out the other category nominations.

SOURCE

Comic Book Superheroine who is dressed – You have to admit, this took a long time to happen.

Catherine Abigail Daniels is the creation of Will Brooker, author of Batman Unmasked and Hunting the Dark Knight.  She came about when Will Brooker visited a comic book store near the university where he lectures.

“I walked in and I just felt so unwelcome. All the comics on the shelves were featuring women as pin-ups – women with their boobs out, or their clothes falling off … If someone like me feels uncomfortable walking into a comic shop, it’s no wonder most teenage girls and adult women wouldn’t set foot inside one.”

This brilliant comic is by Shortpacked.com

Yes!  Thank you for recognizing the pain myself and other comic book fans go through.  First of all, those skin tight outfits that leave nothing to the imagination? What is she supposed to do when she gets her period, or is bloated, or having a fat day?  Also, last I checked – high heels were not great to fight crime in.  Also, I’m pretty sure most comic book artists are distinctly unaware of how spines work.  When a hero is fighting evil, she shouldn’t always be drawn in a pose that could double as a porn position.

“Finding a creative team including Ottawa illustrator Susan Shore and Kingston PhD student Sarah Zaidan. The team is almost entirely female, as is the story’s main cast, said Brooker, who could see the irony in his role in the project. “Women for good reason don’t feel particularly engaged in the superhero genre,” he said. “I have been immersed in superhero comics from a very young age – I’m an insider, so am working from the inside.”

I, for one, feel VERY engaged in the superhero genre.  Especially Thor.  I would engage him all day long.

“I wanted to get as far away as possible from presenting Cat as a sexual object,” said Zaidan of the comic’s front cover. “So she might be getting dressed, but she’s not showing off. The placement of her hands holding her skirt shut as she finished pulling up the zipper deliberately echoes the classic ‘hands-on-hips’ superhero pose, while subverting it: this is a superhero text, but with an everyday young woman as its protagonist; if she’s got her hand on her hip, she’s not doing it to pose, it’s part of the everyday act of getting dressed.”

I feel I need to see the comic to verify my approval.

SOURCE

Publishing

New York Times? More Like New York Crimes!

Okay, that was a little dramatic.  Not so much crime as naughty-no-nos of the publishing industry got revealed super hard this week as the story of how authors are shamming their way onto The Wall Street Journal and New York Times.

You can read the big long, painful story if you want – but basically it goes like this:

1. Author wants to get on the New York Times so they can reap the benefits through speaking gigs, publicity etc.

2. Author contracts ResultSource.

3. Author begs, borrows, and calls in favours to get their friends, colleagues and associates to preorder their book.

4. ResultSource takes thousands of the Author’s dollars and gets them on the lists by playing the game.

5. Author prances off into the sunset.

These books generally hit big sales for their first week, then those sales decline dramatically in the proceeding weeks.  In the case of Networking is Dead by Melissa G Wilson and Larry Mohl the returns for their books in weeks 2 and 3 of its release were actually higher than its sales.  So why go through all the drama of getting their books on the lists?

“It isn’t uncommon for a business book to land on best-seller lists only to quickly drop off. But even a brief appearance adds permanent luster to an author’s reputation, greasing the skids for speaking and consulting engagements.

Mr. Kaplan says the best-seller status of “Leapfrogging” has “become part of my position as a speaker and consultant.””

Ah!  All those speaker fees not unlike the $20,000 paid to Jonah Lehrer recently despite the controversy surrounding him.

Kaplan, in his blog post on the issue, didn’t entirely own to gaming the system, explaining that he was working within the unspoken rules of the system.

“I played the bestseller game using unwritten rules. And as I reflect upon what I experienced and learned, it’s clear to me that anyone with enough money can potentially buy his or her way onto a bestseller list.” –SOURCE

I would say when the end result is glory, prestige and money given to you on the basis of your supposed accomplishments – then the system has been well and truly gamed.

SOURCE

 Indie Slam Down on eBook DRM

DRM has be plaguing readers for a while now and boy have we complained about it.  Apparently we aren’t the only ones suffering.  A few indie stores have launched a suit against major publishers, suing them for DRM stonewalling them out of the industry.

“The bookstores making the complaint are the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, based in Albany, N.Y., Fiction Addiction in Greenville, S.C., and Posman Books of New York City, though the suit states that these stores are suing on behalf of ‘all independent brick-and-mortar bookstores who sell e-books.’” SOURCE

It may not be smooth sailing for them though as:

“The bookstores would like to be able to sell “open-source and DRM-free books” that would be accessible on Kindles and other eReaders. Author Cory Doctorow points out that the complaint misunderstands the term DRM. He writes on BoingBoing: “For some reason, they’re using ‘open source’ as a synonym for ‘standardized’ or ‘interoperable.’ Which is to say, these booksellers don’t really care if the books are DRM-free, they just want them locked up using a DRM that the booksellers can also use…There is no such thing as ‘open source’ DRM.””

If you’re interested in purchasing ebooks from indie suppliers, here’s a website that makes it easy.

SOURCE

Terrible Writers Everywhere Rejoice: You too could be so bad you succeed!

There has been a longstanding culture raised up around laughing at terrible writers.  One of the most famous terrible writers in the world was Amanda McKittrick Ros, but her poetry counterpart, William McGonagall, made headlines this week when one of his unpublished manuscripts is expected to go at auction for thousands of pounds.  Proving, if you didn’t need more proof than the Kardashians, Hilton and every single member of Jersey Shore, that sometimes a total lack of talent pays more.

“Edinburgh-born William Topaz McGonagall, a 19th-century weaver and actor who wrote about 200 poems, is widely regarded as the worst poet in English literature.

Although he delighted and appalled audiences, who sometimes threw rotten fish at him, his books remain in print and he is still widely quoted long after his more talented contemporaries have been forgotten.”

Oh god.  I think I just died a little inside.

In Praise of the Royal Marriage:

God bless, the lovely, and sweet Princess May, Also, the Duke of York, so handsome and gay.

Long life, and happiness to them, in married life.

May they always, be prosperous and free from strife.

May their hearts, always be full of glee. And, be kind, to each other, and ne’er disagree.

And, may the demon, discontent, never mar their happiness.

And, my God, be their comforter, in time of distress…

And, if they have children, may they grow grace.

And, be an honour, to the royal race. Of the empress of India, and Great Britain’s Queen. Who is faithful to her subjects, and ever has been.

SOURCE

 Entertainment

 Changes in Delirium TV Show

Fans of Oliver’s Delirium series eagerly await the upcoming TV Show.  However, there is tittering throughout the ranks as the script is leaked and some serious changes in the series emerge.

1. Julian Fineman. In the novels, Julian is a character introduced in the second book, “Pandemonium.” His father is a public figure, leading the DFA — Deliria-Free America — cause against the Invalids. In the proposed television series, Julian is introduced right off the bat, as a sickly young man who lives next door to Lena’s best friend, Hana, and is confused by his powerful attraction to her, though she’s not particularly interested. Yes — Julian and Hana.

Kat: No.

2. Lena’s mother. In the novels, Lena’s mother’s suicide makes Lena long for the cure and fear the dangers of love. In the pilot, it’s actually Lena’s father who she believes died because he was infected with “Deliria.” When she learns some shocking revelations about what actually happened to him, she’s driven to take drastic measures.

Kat: Hell no.

3. Ren. The pilot introduces a new character, Ren, another Invalid who is Alex’s best friend. Though Alex falls hard and fast for Lena, he’s oblivious to the fact that Ren’s feelings for him go beyond friendship. She’s a key part of the Invalid’s plan to resist the DFA, and ultimately goes undercover to infiltrate the government she’s planning to revolt against.

Kat: You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.

4. Pacing. The first episode of the TV series actually covers the entire plot of the first book, in addition to including information about Julian and the DFA that readers didn’t learn until the sequel. Of course, in order to cram all of that into 42 minutes, there are certain moments that are lost — particularly key bonding moments between Alex and Lena, like when he took her to his home in the Wilds, and the first time she was introduced to poetry. We’re hopeful that those things will come into play later.

Kat: If you need me I’ll be out smashing shit.

Arclight Gets the Greenlight Maybe

Arclight, a new debut by author Josin l. McQuien, was optioned by Universal studios this week in an exciting move toward getting this book on the big screen.

“Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer is on board to produce while Matthew Sand, best known for writing the 2009 Wachowski-produced action movie Ninja Assassin, will pen the screenplay.”

People in Power Care About Card’s Homophobic Ranting – Now that it might affect their bottom line.

After there was a massive outcry over news of Card’s hiring at DC comic, those involved in the upcoming movie of his extremely popular, Ender’s Game, are now tugging on their collars and looking distinctly uncomfortable.  “Hey, did anyone notice beforehand that Orson Scott Card is kind of a homophobic douche and going to impact on the promotion of this movie?” is what someone should have asked at some point before now.  But it seems maybe they didn’t, or that people didn’t really care that Card is a rampant activist, trying to deny human rights and equality to Americans on the basis of sexuality.  Sure.  No problem.

“Summit shifted the movie’s release date from March to November to take advantage of the holiday box office. The move also opens the door for producers to “maximize the joint marketing opportunities” with the November 22 release of the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, said an executive from one of the company’s involved in financing the film in July 2012.

Now Summit faces the tricky task of figuring out how to handle Card’s involvement. The first big challenge will be whether to include him in July’s San Diego Comic-Con program. Promoting Ender’s Game without Card would be like trying to promote the first Harry Potter movie without J.K. Rowling. But having Card appear in the main ballroom in front of 6,500 fans could prove a liability if he’s forced to tackle the issue head-on during the Q&A session.”

SOURCE