This Day in History, 2007: NYC Subway Meltdown

A year ago today, on August 8, 2007, severe rains flooded the New York City subway system, adversely affecting the commutes of many, many New Yorkers. Quite a few friends of mine got caught in the whole mess, and reading their reports made me nostalgic for where I grew up.

So, who wants to be the first to share their reminiscence of the event?

(And apparently in commemoration of the event, at 6:36 this morning we heard a boom and the power went out in our apartment and in other parts of Brookline. I'm guessing it's a blown transformer; there's one on our block that has had issues before. We hear NSTAR is on the case, so we're hoping to have power when we get home.)

[IRTF] FAQ: Buying the Book

As we get closer and closer to the publication date for I Remember the Future, I've had more people ask me about buying the book. In particular, people seem to want to know the best way to buy the book, the way that will most support me in my quest to get this book out there.

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered the book or who is actually contemplating buying the book. Whenever someone asks me the best way to buy the book, I've been giving what has become a stock discussion on the realities of book selling and book publishing. It occurred to me that I might as well post my thoughts here, so I could point people to it when they ask me.

Also, I suspect that what I'm about to discuss applies to more than just me, one author with one book. So, for all of you wondering the best way to support your favorite authors with your purchase, here's the way I see it.

The three questions answered behind the cut are:
1. Should I buy the book directly from the publisher?
2. Should I buy the book from my favorite independent bookseller?
3. Should I buy the book from from a chain store or a big-name store?

( Read more... )

To conclude: while it is true that I would love to get as many more pre-orders as possible (and if you're thinking of doing so, remember what I said about the advantage to you), in the end the best way to buy any book you want to support...is to buy it as soon as possible from wherever you prefer. (And buy as many copies as possible, as gifts for friends and family.)

Campbell Pins!

I just saw this post at Science Fiction Awards Watch that says that Jay Lake has announced a Campbell nominee pin, and that former nominees and winners will be getting pins. As a former nominee and winner myself, I am delighted, and I can't wait to get my pin.

I did ask two questions over there, though:

1. Does this mean that Campbell nominees will no longer get Hugo pins? (Some Worldcons gave them Hugo pins, some didn’t. In my case, I have Hugo pins for both times I was nominated.)

2. Do writers who were nominated for the Campbell twice get two pins? (To put this in perspective, every time someone gets nominated for a Hugo or a Nebula, they get a pin. As a double-nominee for the Campbell myself, I have an admitted vested interest in this question.)

A question I didn't ask about there: what about deceased nominees and winners? I'd like to see David Feintuch's heirs get one.

Also, if anyone has a link to a picture of the new pin, could they post the link? I'd love to see it.

As usual, I'll be gone from the Internet until Saturday night local time. Play nice.