Jared Sandman

Amazon seems to be softening its stance on exclusivity, which I commend.  What’s best for retailers is to have all books available in all formats to all people; anything less than that isn’t fair to the consumer and may very well eat into the bottom line.

A few months back Amazon had a four-month exclusive deal with DC Comics.  Only Amazon would be able to sell digital versions of 100 topselling DC titles.  In protest to this move, Barnes & Noble removed from sale the physical copies of those same titles in their stores.

Fast forward a few months, and now Amazon’s publishing its own line of books in conjunction with Houghton Mifflin.  E-book versions can only be sold through Amazon, however, so again B&N protests and refuses to stock print copies if they can’t sell digital copies as well.  This is a reasonable move; moreover, Books-A-Million joined the boycott and also won’t carry Amazon titles.

Their ploy appears to be working.  A few upcoming Amazon titles will have wider e-book distribution outside the Kindle marketplace.  I expect to hear an announcement from B&N in the near future reversing their initial decision and allowing Amazon titles to be sold in their brick-and-mortar stores.

The only thing that doesn’t make sense to me is why Amazon partnered with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to print their titles.  Amazon has its own printing operations (see Createspace), not to mention editors and everything else needed to bring a book to market.  What value does Houghton Mifflin add?  I could see if Amazon were trying to piggyback on Houghton to get print copies in bookstores.  But since B&N shot down that notion, I see no reason why Houghton should be part of the equation.  They’re unnecessary, a middleman who merely siphons off money — which will no doubt result in higher book prices.

Author and editor Stanley Wiater hosted a Canadian television series a few years back; unfortunately, the show never aired here in America.  Interviews from the show occasionally surface on Youtube, however.  Here’s one with Harlan Ellison (don’t forget to check out the first two parts).

Dark Dreamers was originally a book of interviews published over twenty years ago.  I have an old dog-eared copy that I read and re-read in junior high.  It contained a ton of great information about horror writers, not to mention in-depth coverage of their books, habits and work schedules.  Everyone from Stephen King to Richard Laymon to Charles L. Grant was represented.  Download the e-book today.

About ten years ago Cemetery Dance published a companion book of Beth Gwinn’s photographs that went with many of those interviews.  I have a copy of that as well, with signatures from about two dozen of the contributors I’ve met over the years.  I wish Stanley would put together another volume — More Dark Dreamers? — showcasing some of the writers he missed the first time around (like Ray Bradbury), as well as authors who’ve risen to prominence during the past generation. 

On another note, I bring your attention to the sidebar where new links to all my novels have been posted.  Feel free to clicky-click and snag a copy (in both digital and trade paperback) of any that strike your fancy.  Thankee.

Libraries, schools and bookstores across the country today are celebrating Read Across America in honor of what would’ve been Dr. Seuss’ 108th birthday.  The Lorax is being released in conjunction as a movie.  It’s my favorite of his books and this film strikes me as a corporate cash grab at low-hanging Truffula fruit.  Stephen Colbert put it best earlier this week, and in rhyme no less (starts at 1:10). 

A lot of other writers share a birthday on March 2, such as John Irving, Tom Wolfe and Peter Straub.  And mine is today as well, number twenty-seven.

It’s Leap Day at last, the one day every four years when Leap Day William emerges from the Mariana Trench to trade children’s tears for candy.  Or not.

I’m a big fan of 30 Rock, the smartest comedy on TV since Arrested Development.  Can’t wait till 2013 when Netflix starts streaming new episodes again.

Two posts of note from the past week or so:  one by Brian Keene about being prolific and another from Robert McCammon on writing as a calling.  Read up and take notes.

Sorry for all the links lately rather than lengthy posts.  I spent February going over edits for Blackstone and finished those yesterday.  I have probably a week worth of rewriting ahead of me before I start on another round of proofing.  The good news is that the novel’s shaping up.  I can see the finished book inside my manuscript now, which is always an encouraging sign.

This is one of the best short films I’ve seen in some time.  I first watched it over at Feo Amante’s website, which is a great place to visit for news and reviews about movies, books and All Things Horror.

The animation in Alma is incredible, as it was brought to life by artists who’ve worked with Pixar in the past.  It’s beautiful, sad and legitimately creepy at the same time.  And all without a word of dialogue.  Watch it.  Twice.

I learned about this from Cemetery Dance, thought I’d pass it along for those who aren’t on their mailing list.  Writer Ronald Kelly’s daughter is raising money for an overseas trip as part of the People to People program.  You can read about it here. 

In junior high I was offered an opportunity to be part of the same program.  Unfortunately I did not make it to Europe, though I wasn’t too disappointed because I knew my school’s senior French class always took an annual trip to Paris and I wasn’t about to miss that.  I spent more than three years learning French in anticipation; by the time I was about to graduate, the War of Terror had begun and all overseas trips had been cancelled indefinitely.  Someday I’ll make it to France . . .

Plus here’s an article about Richard Matheson published in Variety a few months back.  It’s nice to see a new generation finding Matheson’s stories, even if most people don’t realize whose ideas Hollywood’s mining.  Personally I prefer Variety over Hollywood Reporter because it’s more business oriented and less celebrity obsessed.

I came across this diagram not long ago and found it interesting.  I didn’t realize how many genres existed.  Every one has its own writers who are closely associated with a particular subgenre, whether John Grisham and the Legal Thriller, George R.R. Martin with High Fantasy or Nicholas Sparks with Terrible Manipulative Romances.

There’s some overlap to the map, I can see.  For example, what’s the difference between Horror and Weird Fiction?  Isn’t the “weird tale” what horror was called before it became a viable commercial genre in the 1970s?  And how is general horror different from a supernatural thriller or paranormal mystery?  And why isn’t the action/adventure genre represented?

Where would I place my own novels?  I consider Leviathan to be an Adventure novel, but others may consider it an Environmental Thriller.  The Wild Hunt is Horror, yet it involves Fantasy elements from Norse folklore.  Dreamland is a Sci-fi Thriller (also not represented) that’s very psychological in nature.  The Shadow Wolves is a Supernatural Thriller, and my upcoming novel, Blackstone, could be called both Supernatural Thriller or Paranormal Mystery.

Once the genres are sliced too thin, I think their constructs fall apart.  Many books don’t neatly fit into any specific category because they blend genres.  In fact some stories belong to multiple genres at once (think Neil Gaiman’s masterful American Gods).  It was either Richard Matheson or Ernest Hemingway who said — I’m paraphrasing — There are ultimately two types of stories, good and bad.  I tend to agree with that.

On Saturday the mail carrier delivered a package for which I’ve waited the past nine months.  Cemetery Dance published a massive, two-volume anthology called The Century’s Best Horror Fiction.  Edited by genre historian John Pelan, it covers one hundred stories and one hundred authors across the entire 20th century.

These are stunning books; I fully commend Chizmar and his team for such an ambitious undertaking.  This book has been years in the making, as you can imagine, and I preordered it last summer.  It’s a bit pricey at $150 (more for subsequent printings) but well worth the investment.

Looking over the table of contents, I’d say 70-75 percent are stories I haven’t yet read.  Some are incredibly obscure, while others are among the most-anthologized stories ever penned.  In the story notes for every selection Pelan discusses his reasons for including each particular piece and oftentimes recommends alternate tales or authors who almost made the cut (poor Joseph Payne Brennan, overlooked yet again).  That “honorable mention” list could fill a third book; no doubt I’ll try to track down many of those passed-over gems in the future.

I would rank The Century’s Best Horror Fiction among horror’s top retrospectives.  It goes right on my bookshelf between The Dark Descent, Foundations of Fear and the two American Fantastic Tales volumes that Peter Straub collected a few years back for Library of America.

A couple of weeks ago I also received the latest issue of Cemetery Dance magazine, a Graham Masterton special.  There was *ahem* a slight delay between issue #64 and #65, but it’s crammed with great interviews and stories.  I even picked up two Masterton books I haven’t read because the other contributors raved about them.  Here’s hoping #66 isn’t far behind . . .

In other news has anyone else heard about the movie Paranorman?  It’s supposed to come out this summer, and the trailer has me hooked.  It’s a kids’ film, I know, but a kids’ film with monsters.

Amazon runs periodic sales on certain items, including my books.  I’ve noticed it in the past with my paperbacks, and last night I realized the Dreamland e-book is on sale for a short time.  Snag a copy of this sci-fi thriller now for cheaper than a buck (regular price $2.99).  And if you dig it, consider leaving a review on Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing, Shelfari or wherever else you choose.  After all, word-of-mouth is the best way to sell books.

DREAMLAND

When Derek White captures footage of a desert firefight between the US Air Force and a pair of UFOs, his becomes the evidence the world has awaited.  Confirmation of extraterrestrial life, it’s the type of proof that’s dangerous in the wrong hands and revolutionary in the right ones. Many would give their lives to protect Derek’s recording; more would kill to destroy it.

As Derek uncovers a vast government conspiracy, the Men in Black dismantle his life from the inside out. With his sanity at stake, he’s forced to seek the enigmatic Mr. Majestic, the one person who can provide a full disclosure of the truth. Except to find Majestic, he must break into a covert military installation.

Outsiders call the place Area 51, but insiders know it as Dreamland.