Limiting Ebooks Is Wrong

Please sign this petition against HarperCollins self-destructing ebooks.

But you know what I really think this is?  A huge opportunity for small presses, self-published authors, crowdfunders, and all the other alternative models out there.  Run to libraries while Big Publishing still has its head where the sun don't shine.  Say, "Hi, we heard about the stupid self-destructing ebooks.  Our ebooks are immortal!  Buy them and keep them forever!"  If you want to be really radical: "This is our ebook.  It's not only immortal, you can simultaneously loan it to as many people as want it, because it's made of bits instead of dead trees." (Some folks have a separate sell-to-libraries option for that.)  Your book will then be in the libraries for the foreseeable future ... and of course, you put your URL in it so readers who liked that book can look up your website and find your new stuff they might want to borrow or buy.  Ideally, by the time Big Publishing realizes what is going on, the alternatives will have grabbed so much market share that it will be hard to crowd them out again.

Sometimes winning a battle just comes down to noticing that your opponent has just done something catastrophically stupid and being prepared to take advantage of that.

Limiting Ebooks Is Wrong

Please sign this petition against HarperCollins self-destructing ebooks.

But you know what I really think this is?  A huge opportunity for small presses, self-published authors, crowdfunders, and all the other alternative models out there.  Run to libraries while Big Publishing still has its head where the sun don't shine.  Say, "Hi, we heard about the stupid self-destructing ebooks.  Our ebooks are immortal!  Buy them and keep them forever!"  If you want to be really radical: "This is our ebook.  It's not only immortal, you can simultaneously loan it to as many people as want it, because it's made of bits instead of dead trees." (Some folks have a separate sell-to-libraries option for that.)  Your book will then be in the libraries for the foreseeable future ... and of course, you put your URL in it so readers who liked that book can look up your website and find your new stuff they might want to borrow or buy.  Ideally, by the time Big Publishing realizes what is going on, the alternatives will have grabbed so much market share that it will be hard to crowd them out again.

Sometimes winning a battle just comes down to noticing that your opponent has just done something catastrophically stupid and being prepared to take advantage of that.

Limiting Ebooks Is Wrong

Please sign this petition against HarperCollins self-destructing ebooks.

But you know what I really think this is?  A huge opportunity for small presses, self-published authors, crowdfunders, and all the other alternative models out there.  Run to libraries while Big Publishing still has its head where the sun don't shine.  Say, "Hi, we heard about the stupid self-destructing ebooks.  Our ebooks are immortal!  Buy them and keep them forever!"  If you want to be really radical: "This is our ebook.  It's not only immortal, you can simultaneously loan it to as many people as want it, because it's made of bits instead of dead trees." (Some folks have a separate sell-to-libraries option for that.)  Your book will then be in the libraries for the foreseeable future ... and of course, you put your URL in it so readers who liked that book can look up your website and find your new stuff they might want to borrow or buy.  Ideally, by the time Big Publishing realizes what is going on, the alternatives will have grabbed so much market share that it will be hard to crowd them out again.

Sometimes winning a battle just comes down to noticing that your opponent has just done something catastrophically stupid and being prepared to take advantage of that.

Limiting Ebooks Is Wrong

Please sign this petition against HarperCollins self-destructing ebooks.

But you know what I really think this is?  A huge opportunity for small presses, self-published authors, crowdfunders, and all the other alternative models out there.  Run to libraries while Big Publishing still has its head where the sun don't shine.  Say, "Hi, we heard about the stupid self-destructing ebooks.  Our ebooks are immortal!  Buy them and keep them forever!"  If you want to be really radical: "This is our ebook.  It's not only immortal, you can simultaneously loan it to as many people as want it, because it's made of bits instead of dead trees." (Some folks have a separate sell-to-libraries option for that.)  Your book will then be in the libraries for the foreseeable future ... and of course, you put your URL in it so readers who liked that book can look up your website and find your new stuff they might want to borrow or buy.  Ideally, by the time Big Publishing realizes what is going on, the alternatives will have grabbed so much market share that it will be hard to crowd them out again.

Sometimes winning a battle just comes down to noticing that your opponent has just done something catastrophically stupid and being prepared to take advantage of that.

Flower Photos

 Roses are red...

Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Activity

This is from the "21 Days of Dreamwidth" meme:

8. What community do you wish was more active?

I would like to see crowdfunding have more posts by people other than me.  More traffic on science_fiction and worldbuilding would be nice too.

One-Card Draw by Siege

siege will be doing a one-card draw on Tuesday from the Hero's Deck.  Tipping is welcome but not required.

One-Card Draw by Siege

siege will be doing a one-card draw on Tuesday from the Hero's Deck.  Tipping is welcome but not required.

One-Card Draw by Siege

siege will be doing a one-card draw on Tuesday from the Hero's Deck.  Tipping is welcome but not required.

One-Card Draw by Siege

siege will be doing a one-card draw on Tuesday from the Hero's Deck.  Tipping is welcome but not required.

Torn World: May Is Sea Monster Month

Torn World has a monthly theme for May: sea monsters!  This setting features a lot of aquatic megafauna that cause problems for people traveling or working on the water.  There will be lots of new art, stories, some nonfiction articles, etc. that feature sea monsters appearing during this month.  The one in the new site banner is a dreamskate.  Check out the first entry, "Sea Monsters: An Introduction."  I wrote a whole bunch of material about the sea monsters, which will be released in sections.

For a glimpse of previous examples, I recommend "A Monster Project" and "Monster Teeth and Art Glass."  ellenmillion has made "A Little Luck" temporarily public too.

Torn World: May Is Sea Monster Month

Torn World has a monthly theme for May: sea monsters!  This setting features a lot of aquatic megafauna that cause problems for people traveling or working on the water.  There will be lots of new art, stories, some nonfiction articles, etc. that feature sea monsters appearing during this month.  The one in the new site banner is a dreamskate.  Check out the first entry, "Sea Monsters: An Introduction."  I wrote a whole bunch of material about the sea monsters, which will be released in sections.

For a glimpse of previous examples, I recommend "A Monster Project" and "Monster Teeth and Art Glass."  ellenmillion has made "A Little Luck" temporarily public too.

Torn World: May Is Sea Monster Month

Torn World has a monthly theme for May: sea monsters!  This setting features a lot of aquatic megafauna that cause problems for people traveling or working on the water.  There will be lots of new art, stories, some nonfiction articles, etc. that feature sea monsters appearing during this month.  The one in the new site banner is a dreamskate.  Check out the first entry, "Sea Monsters: An Introduction."  I wrote a whole bunch of material about the sea monsters, which will be released in sections.

For a glimpse of previous examples, I recommend "A Monster Project" and "Monster Teeth and Art Glass."  ellenmillion has made "A Little Luck" temporarily public too.

Torn World: May Is Sea Monster Month

Torn World has a monthly theme for May: sea monsters!  This setting features a lot of aquatic megafauna that cause problems for people traveling or working on the water.  There will be lots of new art, stories, some nonfiction articles, etc. that feature sea monsters appearing during this month.  The one in the new site banner is a dreamskate.  Check out the first entry, "Sea Monsters: An Introduction."  I wrote a whole bunch of material about the sea monsters, which will be released in sections.

For a glimpse of previous examples, I recommend "A Monster Project" and "Monster Teeth and Art Glass."  ellenmillion has made "A Little Luck" temporarily public too.

Monday Update 5-2-11

These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Asexy Sex Scenes 101
Healthy Eating
Poem: "Hope of the Future"

These posts all relate to Torn World:
Sunday Fic Meme: "Raining Kittens"
Coming Soon: "Family Ties and Torn Skies"
Torn World: New Bit Characters
Torn Tongue: Nouns Beginning with "J"
Torn World on WebFictionGuide


The next Poetry Fishbowl will be on Tuesday, May 3 with a theme of "folk tales."  I look forward to seeing your prompts!

"Rabbit Season," a Monster House poem about Easter, is now complete.  The epic poem "A Periodic Table of Elementals" is ahead of production.  The "Serial Poetry" page on my website now has a listing for "The Odd Trio" series.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "One-Tick Literature," "Lookbacks," "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," "On the Rocks," "The Ties We Twine" (fiction). Back to me for edits: "Cutting Time," (fiction) and "Steam Power" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board at Torn World: "Forbidden Love," "Scars of Stone," "Clouds in the Morning," (fiction), "Cage of Hope" (poetry).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Without Fail," "The Green Speech" (fiction) and "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance."  Currently writing: "From Dark to Bright," "Raining Kittens" (fiction).

Monday Update 5-2-11

These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Asexy Sex Scenes 101
Healthy Eating
Poem: "Hope of the Future"

These posts all relate to Torn World:
Sunday Fic Meme: "Raining Kittens"
Coming Soon: "Family Ties and Torn Skies"
Torn World: New Bit Characters
Torn Tongue: Nouns Beginning with "J"
Torn World on WebFictionGuide


The next Poetry Fishbowl will be on Tuesday, May 3 with a theme of "folk tales."  I look forward to seeing your prompts!

"Rabbit Season," a Monster House poem about Easter, is now complete.  The epic poem "A Periodic Table of Elementals" is ahead of production.  The "Serial Poetry" page on my website now has a listing for "The Odd Trio" series.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "One-Tick Literature," "Lookbacks," "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," "On the Rocks," "The Ties We Twine" (fiction). Back to me for edits: "Cutting Time," (fiction) and "Steam Power" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board at Torn World: "Forbidden Love," "Scars of Stone," "Clouds in the Morning," (fiction), "Cage of Hope" (poetry).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Without Fail," "The Green Speech" (fiction) and "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance."  Currently writing: "From Dark to Bright," "Raining Kittens" (fiction).

Monday Update 5-2-11

These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Asexy Sex Scenes 101
Healthy Eating
Poem: "Hope of the Future"

These posts all relate to Torn World:
Sunday Fic Meme: "Raining Kittens"
Coming Soon: "Family Ties and Torn Skies"
Torn World: New Bit Characters
Torn Tongue: Nouns Beginning with "J"
Torn World on WebFictionGuide


The next Poetry Fishbowl will be on Tuesday, May 3 with a theme of "folk tales."  I look forward to seeing your prompts!

"Rabbit Season," a Monster House poem about Easter, is now complete.  The epic poem "A Periodic Table of Elementals" is ahead of production.  The "Serial Poetry" page on my website now has a listing for "The Odd Trio" series.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "One-Tick Literature," "Lookbacks," "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," "On the Rocks," "The Ties We Twine" (fiction). Back to me for edits: "Cutting Time," (fiction) and "Steam Power" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board at Torn World: "Forbidden Love," "Scars of Stone," "Clouds in the Morning," (fiction), "Cage of Hope" (poetry).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Without Fail," "The Green Speech" (fiction) and "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance."  Currently writing: "From Dark to Bright," "Raining Kittens" (fiction).

Monday Update 5-2-11

These are some posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Asexy Sex Scenes 101
Healthy Eating
Poem: "Hope of the Future"

These posts all relate to Torn World:
Sunday Fic Meme: "Raining Kittens"
Coming Soon: "Family Ties and Torn Skies"
Torn World: New Bit Characters
Torn Tongue: Nouns Beginning with "J"
Torn World on WebFictionGuide


The next Poetry Fishbowl will be on Tuesday, May 3 with a theme of "folk tales."  I look forward to seeing your prompts!

"Rabbit Season," a Monster House poem about Easter, is now complete.  The epic poem "A Periodic Table of Elementals" is ahead of production.  The "Serial Poetry" page on my website now has a listing for "The Odd Trio" series.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "One-Tick Literature," "Lookbacks," "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," "On the Rocks," "The Ties We Twine" (fiction). Back to me for edits: "Cutting Time," (fiction) and "Steam Power" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board at Torn World: "Forbidden Love," "Scars of Stone," "Clouds in the Morning," (fiction), "Cage of Hope" (poetry).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Without Fail," "The Green Speech" (fiction) and "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance."  Currently writing: "From Dark to Bright," "Raining Kittens" (fiction).

Monday Update: 5-2-11

 These are some of my LiveJournal posts from the later part of last week, in case you missed them:
Asexy Sex Scenes 101
Healthy Eating
Poem: "Hope of the Future"

These posts all relate to Torn World:
Sunday Fic Meme: "Raining Kittens"
Coming Soon: "Family Ties and Torn Skies"
Torn World: New Bit Characters
Torn Tongue: Nouns Beginning with "J"
Torn World on WebFictionGuide


The next Poetry Fishbowl will be on Tuesday, May 3 with a theme of "folk tales."  I look forward to seeing your prompts!

"Rabbit Season," a Monster House poem about Easter, is now complete.  The epic poem "A Periodic Table of Elementals" is ahead of production.  The "Serial Poetry" page on my website now has a listing for "The Odd Trio" series.

Torn World writing update:
Approved as canon: "One-Tick Literature," "Lookbacks," "Squiggles: Excerpts from Nleimen's Journal," "On the Rocks," "The Ties We Twine" (fiction). Back to me for edits: "Cutting Time," (fiction) and "Steam Power" (poetry).  Currently in front of the canon board at Torn World: "Forbidden Love," "Scars of Stone," "Clouds in the Morning," (fiction), "Cage of Hope" (poetry).  Drafted: "Cutting Cords and Clasping Hands," "Like Ash Before the Wind," "Without Fail," "The Green Speech" (fiction) and "The Hearsay Cafe," "The Colors of the Rainbow" (poetry).  In revision at home: "Water Dance."  Currently writing: "From Dark to Bright," "Raining Kittens" (fiction).

Make Your Own Field Guide

Creating a field guide to your backyard is recommended as a family activity.  For me it's more like an open-source wildlife habitat.  I enjoy sharing news and images of my yard in hopes of inspiring other folks to appreciate their own little corner of the world.  Plus I get to share experiences with other gardeners -- the ones I watch most regularly are scattered far around the globe.  I figure central Illinois and my prairie garden are as exotic to my friends in New Zealand etc. as theirs are to me. 

Some snippets from my yard:
Spring Flower Photos
Photography: Ice and Light
Seen at the Hopper Feeder
Examining the Snag
Photography: Wildlife
Photography: Forest Layers
Photography: Additional Prairie Plants

Make Your Own Field Guide

Creating a field guide to your backyard is recommended as a family activity.  For me it's more like an open-source wildlife habitat.  I enjoy sharing news and images of my yard in hopes of inspiring other folks to appreciate their own little corner of the world.  Plus I get to share experiences with other gardeners -- the ones I watch most regularly are scattered far around the globe.  I figure central Illinois and my prairie garden are as exotic to my friends in New Zealand etc. as theirs are to me. 

Some snippets from my yard:
Spring Flower Photos
Photography: Ice and Light
Seen at the Hopper Feeder
Examining the Snag
Photography: Wildlife
Photography: Forest Layers
Photography: Additional Prairie Plants

Make Your Own Field Guide

Creating a field guide to your backyard is recommended as a family activity.  For me it's more like an open-source wildlife habitat.  I enjoy sharing news and images of my yard in hopes of inspiring other folks to appreciate their own little corner of the world.  Plus I get to share experiences with other gardeners -- the ones I watch most regularly are scattered far around the globe.  I figure central Illinois and my prairie garden are as exotic to my friends in New Zealand etc. as theirs are to me. 

Some snippets from my yard:
Spring Flower Photos
Photography: Ice and Light
Seen at the Hopper Feeder
Examining the Snag
Photography: Wildlife
Photography: Forest Layers
Photography: Additional Prairie Plants

Make Your Own Field Guide

Creating a field guide to your backyard is recommended as a family activity.  For me it's more like an open-source wildlife habitat.  I enjoy sharing news and images of my yard in hopes of inspiring other folks to appreciate their own little corner of the world.  Plus I get to share experiences with other gardeners -- the ones I watch most regularly are scattered far around the globe.  I figure central Illinois and my prairie garden are as exotic to my friends in New Zealand etc. as theirs are to me. 

Some snippets from my yard:
Spring Flower Photos
Photography: Ice and Light
Seen at the Hopper Feeder
Examining the Snag
Photography: Wildlife
Photography: Forest Layers
Photography: Additional Prairie Plants