If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

My numbers at Amazon are not as high as I'd like them these days (although I've had a couple of author friends assure me that's only a small part of the puzzle), but if you go by the slogan of "Think Global, Act Local," then Napier's Bones is doing very well indeed. The local paper has a small Books section in its Saturday paper, and included there is a list of the Top 10 selling books from the past week for McNally Robinson Booksellers here in Saskatoon.

And there, sitting in 4th place, is Napier's Bones. This pleases me greatly, especially since the local press has been no help whatsoever.

Labels: ChiZine Publications, Napier's Bones, publishing, sales, Saskatoon, writing

I had only put up a small piece of it before, but the review for Napier's Bones is now up at CBC's Books site. Go have a look!

Labels: ChiZine Publications, Napier's Bones, publishing, reviews, writing

Today was a bit slower. I did get to one B&N to sign more copies of Napier's Bones, as well as the Strand (where they were for some reason filed under Fiction. I personally didn't mind this, but sober second thought led me to believe that people looking for them would more likely go straight to SF/F). I also hit the Museum of Natural History, which was every bit as marvelous (and crazy busy) as last time. The weather was cool enough I could see my breath, but instead of going inside somewhere to eat I bought a hot dog from a street vendor. For supper I got a sandwich at a deli down the street from where I'm staying in Astoria, and it was quite good.

Tonight, after some hemming and hawing about what time it would be (initial suggestions had me there from 2-3am!), I will be at WBAI recording Hour of the Wolf with Jim Freund from 9-10pm, then rushing back to force myself to sleep before heading out to the airport at about 4:30am. Because it isn't live I obviously won't be taking phone calls, but we'll chat about the book, about writing, I'll read something, and probably listen bemusedly as Jim surprises me with a variety of questions. Should be fun.

Labels: ChiZine Publications, interviews, Napier's Bones, publishing, writing

There was lots of rain today, and as I walked downtown from uptown I smartened up and stopped at a camera store that was wisely also selling umbrellas (one of the short ones for only $4, which is fine as long as it makes it through tomorrow).

I dropped by the one Borders I could find that was still open, but, surprise surprise, they didn't have my book. The four Barnes & Noble stores I hit did, though, and all were keen to have me sign their copies. In fact, Karen at the Union Square store told me that they'd already sold out and had to bring them back in (not that this was huge quantities, mind), and it turns out she'd also a huge ChiZine fan, and has set up a special end cap devoted to their books. This was a delightful turn of events. One of the other B&Ns had me on their New SF shelf, and the other also had me on an end cap, while the 4th had my book mixed in with all the other SF; I'm hopeful that now that it has an "Autographed Copy" sticker on the cover, it'll go face out.

To tell you the truth, I was surprised at how non-blase everyone seemed when I came in, how genuinely interested they were. One woman was even halfway to excited. These are stores that are advertising events and signings by Gwyneth Paltrow and Rob Lowe, for crying out loud, and even some real authors in the mix.

After all that I had lunch at Punch with Amy, my agent, which was a nice time. Great to finally meet her in person, and while we chatted lots about life in general, there was business talk and a couple of potential ideas. And then after that I rushed back uptown and met for a short visit and a cup of tea with Jane Yolen, who was herself in town meeting with agents and editors. I hadn't seen her since Jo and I were in Scotland in 2003, and it was lovely to talk, about both life and business.

Finally, I spent the last hour and a half it was open wandering the first floor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had a free pass and may go back tomorrow; I do love that place.

Tonight, I am waiting for my host Mark to come back to Astoria from work, and we were going to find a place to eat nearby since his wife Sue is working late, but I have just received an invite to attend dinner in SoHo for Carol Emshwiller's 90th birthday. I just may head out there.

Labels: agents, ChiZine Publications, publishing, travel, writing

Not a review, so much as a reader reaction, something I think is incredibly important and valid. This blog post is from a reader who bought Napier's Bones after reading about it in my Big Idea piece (which was quite gratifying). He says nice things and finishes with, "Overall, it was a fun, fast paced read."

Labels: Napier's Bones, publishing, readers, reviews, writing

Missy's Reads & Reviews has some nice things to say about the book, including: "...this was a great read, fast-paced with an explosive beginning and equally entertaining reading. There's the definite feel of an Urban Fantasy read to it, but other than that it is like nothing that I've ever read before. It's a book to add to your TBR lists, for sure."

On the weekend I had lunch with Guy Gavriel Kay, and he and I were talking about review sites compared to more traditional venues in print, and he expressed his belief that these are the way things are going, with fewer and fewer column inches being devoted to print reviews. That's been my experience, too, with pretty much nothing coming from the local press or from Edmonton (where I used to live, where some of Napier's Bones takes place, and where I once wrote an award-nominated SF review column), and also seeing the larger publications, such as the Globe & Mail, severely cut back what they once had.

It intrigues me to come upon all of these online review sites, and I look forward to finding more. They represent readers who want to still want to discover new works, who care about the written word, and I'm pleased that they have jumped in to fill the void.

Labels: Napier's Bones, publishing, reviews, writing

Fantasy Book Critic has posted Liviu Suciu's full review of my novel here, and it's full of all sorts of praise. A few choice quotes:

"The numerological stuff in the novel is as good as anything I've read and the action is fast and furious with no let-up till the powerful climax."

"...the pages turn by themselves and the book is a very entertaining reading experience with a great ending."

"...if you are a math aficionado or a fan of Urban Fantasy that goes beyond vampires and zombies, you have to try Napier Bones (A+ for superb content and very good execution) since the author makes the premise work with brio."

Oh, and I also have a flowing style that keeps the pages turning. Nice one all round.

Labels: ChiZine Publications, Napier's Bones, publishing, reviews