The glamor!
Thursday, August 16th, 2012 07:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniIt rained like a sonofagun all day. No. It POURED much of the day, with intermittent moments of mere rain.
Out of the downpour, then, at a Very Early Hour, came the painters. They painted. One of the things they painted was the ceiling and wall along the descent to the basement. For this, since the basement stairs ceiling is a jillion feet high, a scaffolding was erected, including a plank for the painter to stand on while he painted the walls.
Socks, being the safety conscious supervisor that he is, immediately took it upon himself to walk the plank out to the far end, thus proving that it would adequately support a Really Big Guy. He then marched back down the plank to the hallway, gave the painter, who had been properly waiting the end of inspection, a nice, 'round both ankles hug, and work went forth.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, the boss was ripping the hell out of the wallpaper. Sigh. I've hated that wallpaper for years.
Into all this busyness came the electrician, who inspected the (relatively minor) problem of having to move an outlet in the bathroom, and the (rather more complex) problem of the crossed wiring in the bedroom. He intends to return tomorrow, or perhaps Monday, to do what he does best.
Over on Facebook Lauretta posted this link, which I think is pertinent to the repair situation as it unfolds.
The Claims Officer called to let us know that a check has been sent to the Remediation Guy, covering his costs in full. Another, very much smaller check, will be in the mail to us tomorrow.
Late in the day, the auction went over, and the Green Folder is as I type packed up and ready to embark on the journey to its new home, tomorrow.
The inventorying continues. Found a whole stack of soggy cardboard boxes today. And this is after things are dry.
So, the glamor.
Regarding the writing life and the recurring topic of why writers drink...I had meant to point to this a couple days ago, but for some reason, I forgot.
Here, read. I'll wait.
Back? Was that a good read, or what?
Now, what this is, is that Hachette Publishing is demanding that its authors accept DRM on their ebooks. What a surprise, right? But the wrinkle here is? They're also demanding that Hachette authors demand that any other publisher those authors may publish with ALSO DRM those authors' books.
Which is crazy. I mean, first of all, what publisher listens to authors in matters of line, sales, and marketing? Clearly Hachette doesn't, or they'd've dumped DRM some time back. And? Who died and left Hachette Emperor of the Publishing Universe? They're going to force other publishers (by which, in this instance, Hachette chiefly means "Tor") to abide by Hachette's demands -- how, exactly?
But! Hachette doesn't care. Their threat is to its authors: Make this so, or suffer the consequences. I have spoken; go.
I really don't know what I'd do if I was a Hachette author. Besides, yanno, lay in a whole lot of wine. Direct my agent to pull my Hachette titles? Direct my agent to pull my titles with That Other Publisher? Go back to college and take a degree in accounting?
Wouldn't it be lovely to sit in a comfortable room, with a cat or two to hand, and a window looking out onto a scene you find inspiring, and just. . .write books, leaving the world and all it's craziness on the far side of the door?
Yeah, that's gonna happen.
G'night.
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no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 12:14 am (UTC)The number of clients I have now because they've gotten fed up with the crapity raining down upon them from similar smoking publishers is kind of scary, and making me glad I got out from under the Corporate Publishing Dayjobbery when I did...
no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 12:26 am (UTC)Oversimplifying, maybe, but not by much.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 08:49 am (UTC)Or, to put it another way: I'm a small businessman in the business of writing books. Do you think I wouldn't have switched to self-publishing in a shot if the numbers were favourable?
no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 05:43 pm (UTC)We do now self-publish eChapbooks, through Smashthing, Nook, and Kindle, and I'm increasingly nervous about How That's Going to Go, down the road, especially with the various reports that BN is tottering and about to fall.
I trust Amazon not at all -- I certainly don't trust Amazon to have my best interests at heart. And I know, first hand, that Amazon has changed, oh -- it's Associate program payouts several times, each adjustment taking the percentage received by the Associates downward. Not to mention the 800-pound-gorrilla moves it continues to make on small presses.
The individual authors who are publishing through Amazon are the smallest presses there are, and always at the back of my mind I'm wondering when the percentage of sale price is going to start falling and if it will be attended by Deranged Claims (protected by Attack Lawyers) that because you used Amazon's technology to produce your book, that sucker now belongs to THEM. Exclusively.
no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 03:36 am (UTC)I will say that I know a fair number of people who work for (or used to work for, it's been a while) Hachette, and by and large they aren't idiots. Here's hoping they blink a couple of times and think "Wait, what?" and fix that right soon.
In other news, it's really easy to get rid of DRM... but I prefer to buy my multiple copies of the same books from publishers who don't make me jump through the hoops to read the books I've purchased on my very own ereading devices. Thank you, Baen.
:)
The House
Date: 2012-08-17 06:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 08:47 am (UTC)I am published by Orbit (Hachette) in the UK. I am also published by Ace and Tor in the UK, and Macmillan (Tor) in the UK.
I have not received a letter like this.
(OTOH, the folks at Orbit, all the way up to CEO level, know exactly where I stand on DRM, and probably consider me a lost cause on the subject who, if pushed, would make a loud fuss in public and quite possibly walk rather than falling into line.)
no subject
Date: 2012-08-17 10:38 am (UTC)On the other hand, Thank You for posting the link to Flanders & Swann. I have a CD with all their songs, but had forgotten about how delightful they are.
:)
DRM
Date: 2012-08-17 03:48 pm (UTC)Re: DRM
Date: 2012-08-17 05:44 pm (UTC)Hatchette et al.
Date: 2012-08-17 09:34 pm (UTC)By the by, I bought several of Harry Harrison's stories last night for my Nook. Laughed myself silly, of course.
Re: Hatchette et al.
Date: 2012-08-17 10:09 pm (UTC)Flanders & Swann - The Gasman Cometh
Date: 2012-08-19 06:41 pm (UTC)Enjoy
Jamie O
The Gasman Cometh
Date: 2012-08-19 06:49 pm (UTC)Jamie O