My Life As Books in Boxes
Our house is undergoing renovation, so I had to pack all my stuff in boxes. It became evident how much of a bibliophile I am, as most of belongings are–no surprise–books (which includes my comics, manga, RPG books, and local fiction magazines). Even before the renovation, books have dominated my room, first filling the shelves, [...]
Three Reasons Why the iPad Will Be Awesome
It’s nearly been a month since Apple’s iPad was announced, and while it’s not without its flaws, some people have been too skeptical about it. Here’s three core reasons why I think it will rock: (1) It’s something to everyone. Here’s the sleight-of-hand that Apple managed to pull off. The iPad is a device that’s [...]
The eBook Wars: Pan Macmillan vs. Amazon
I was planning to discuss Apple’s iPad for this essay, but with the news that Amazon stopped carrying Pan Macmillan titles (for genre fans, that means the Tor imprint), let’s look at the bigger picture. The problem with living in the present is that we don’t have perspective. To use a World War II analogy, [...]
A Stalker’s Notebook – The Long Wait to Publication
I’m an aspiring writer, and hopefully some BSC Review readers share my passion for writing. My first international sale (i.e., book that you can purchase outside of the Philippines) was to the anthology The Dragon and the Stars edited by Derwin Mak and Eric Choi. It’ll be coming out on May 4, 2010.
Now to some readers, the short story, or even the novel, may seem immediate. The road to publication, however, can be a long (and difficult) process. Here’s the timeline of what occurred in my case (and mind you, this is for one short story; you can just imagine what the more prolific/long-form authors go through).
More after the jump…
A Stalker’s Notebook: Updating Genre Labels
Genre labels are a tricky subject. On one hand, yes, it’s a helpful tool for readers and booksellers, whether you’re in a bookstore or a library. It helps categorize and classify books. On the other end, it also sets limits as to what kind of audience a particular book or author should garner.
More after the jump…
A Stalker’s Notebook – Hardcover Madness
To me, there are two types of bibliophiles in the world: those who buy mass-market paperbacks and those who buy hardcovers (I tend to lump the ‘tweener trade paperbacks in the latter category). I’m more of a mass-market paperback kind of guy; I’m cheap, and I want something portable (I miss the days when pocketbooks could actually fit in your pocket). But from time to time, I eventually succumb to the dark side and buy hardcovers. What’s the appeal of hardcovers?
More after the jump…
A Stalker’s Notebook: Gender, Minorities, and International SF
One of the stereotypes of the genre is that fantasy and science fiction is escapist. And yet, in the past year alone, we’ve had fevered discussions such as Race Fail, forced a publisher to alter one of their book covers, and witnessed the birth of a new organization, Outer Alliance, which focuses on LGBT issues in literature. This author is also involved in The World SF News Blog, which focuses on international SF. Suffice to say, the genre is politically charged and very grounded in the real world.
More after the jump…
A Stalker’s Notebook: eBook Pricing – The Chicken or the Egg Dilemma
The price of an eBook is a contentious subject. I can probably fill up two months of BSC Review essays tackling the various perspectives. Each side have reasons to be invested on the subject. For example, readers are consumers, so they want to know why they’re paying ridiculous amounts for it (not to mention the expensive buy-in for eReaders). And as critical as we might want to be of would-be monopolizers such as Amazon or Sony (and recently, Barnes & Noble), they are investing a lot of money in developing the eBook infrastructure (devices, software, market, etc.). But for the purposes of this essay, I’ll tackle the plight of major publishers (this distinction is important).
Read on after the jump…
A Stalker’s Notebook – The Taboos of Editing, by Charles Tan
I’m a big fan of anthologies (whether it’s reprint or originals), and I have come to greatly respect their editors. These are the men and women who are responsible for the creation of the anthology, from inviting authors to accepting/rejecting stories to filling out the rest of the book (the specifics will vary from anthology to anthology, editor to editor). It is in this context of collection creation that I talk about editing and the ethics and expectations of what should and should not be included in an anthology.
Read on for the full column…
A Stalker’s Notebook – The Paradox of Book Reviewing by Charles Tan
As a book reviewer and one who occasionally reads other book reviews, my generic advice to most people is not to blindly trust the review, but base it on the reviewer. For example, if I find the reviewer and myself enjoying Jeff VanderMeer’s Finch for the same reasons, then it’s most likely that I’ll agree with the writer’s review of other similar titles. However, if I find the reviewer disliking the book for the very reasons I like it (or vice versa), then that particular review is not applicable to my tastes. I’d either look for a reviewer whose preferences are more inclined to mine, or if the said reviewer is truly my opposite, then interpret their recommendations as the reverse.
Read on after the jump…
A Stalker’s Notebook: Speculative Fiction – The Genre without Limitations by Charles Tan
Today, BSC welcomes Charles Tan, who is going to be offering us glimpses into his Stalker’s Notebook. He’s kicking us off considering a word many of us have adopted, and some of us could claim to have perpetuated in the net-age of discussion. I want to take this opportunity to welcome Charles to the BSC fold.
Check out Speculative Fiction – The Genre without Limitations after the jump…
