Juno Books

If you are a published author, I hope you or your agent is aware of this

NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Court-ordered process of officially notifying authors, publishers, and other copyright-holders about the landmark Google Book Search class-action settlement is underway.

Authors and publishers throughout the world are receiving detailed information about their legal rights and options by email and postal mail. A Summary Notice is being published in 218 countries and 72 languages, which complements the mailed notice program. Class members should visit http://www.googlebooksettlement.com for complete information, including the Notice of Class Action Settlement, and key dates.

The Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and Google announced the proposed settlement in late October 2008. The settlement, if Court-approved, will authorize Google to scan in-copyright Books and Inserts in the United States, maintain an electronic database of Books, and make various uses of the Books as specified in the settlement. For out-of-print Books and, if permitted by Rightsholders of in-print Books, Google will be able to sell access to individual Books and institutional subscriptions to the database, place advertisements on any page dedicated to a Book, and make other commercial uses of Books. At any time, Rightsholders can change instructions to Google regarding any of those uses. Through a Book Rights Registry (”Registry”) established by the settlement, Google will pay Rightsholders 63% of all revenues from these uses. The settlement also provides for cash payments to Rightsholders of Books and Inserts that Google scans prior to May 5, 2009.

Class members’ rights may be affected by the settlement even if they do not act. Those who wish to opt out of or object to the settlement must do so by May 5, 2009. Claims for cash payments for Books and Inserts scanned by May 5, 2009 must be filed by January 5, 2010. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York will consider whether to grant final approval of the settlement at a hearing on June 11, 2009.

Complete information about the settlement is available at The Authors Guild has information and resources, too.

Okay, so I wasn’t a big basketball fan until LeBron James came along. Baseball? Now there’s the game…but I never got basketball. But, living in Akron, Ohio, you couldn’t help but become more informed back when the media started covering LeBron James while he was in high school. Now? I’m turning into a diehard Cavs fan, not just because of James but because of the synergy of team, their obvious team affection, and a gleeful determination to win. Still, watching LBJ is a big part of the show.

Frank DeFord did a nice little essay on NPR this morning about James. He compared the basketball player to a Greek goddess: “…ageless, [James] just suddenly materialized before us, full grown, like Athena bursting forth from the brow of Zeus. He looks wise for his years, as indeed he appears to be. Above all, especially for one so young, one so fussed over from such a callow age, he always seems to have a sense of who he is — the anti-A-Rod, if you will.”

There is something mythic about “King James”. He may not be a superhero but his supreme athleticism is so far above the level of most mere mortals you begin to understand why the ancient heroes were assumed to be at least semi-divine.

What does any of this have to do with fantasy, Guran?

Everything, grasshopper. As DeFord points out, James is also to be admired for his “sense of who he is”, and by doing so he points out an element that our culture deems “heroic”. Good and evil are no longer so easily defined. Traditional heroes always win against easily identifiable evil foes. And while there’s always going to be a demand for that sort of fantasy, fantasy is also always evolving. To quote Terry Brooks: “[G]ood fantasy is social commentary combined with good storytelling…Sure, the stories take place in an imaginary world. But those worlds mirror our own and tell us things about ourselves that need to be said and understood.”

When you start examining the heroes (and I use the word to connote both male and female) in contemporary fantasy, this “sense of self” starts emerging as an important characteristic. Sometimes they are still in the process of self-discovery, but it is this sense of who they are and what they must do that guides them rather than a concept of “good”.

And when it comes to the female hero, she is what she is because she is female. Even in that epitome of high fantasy, Tolkien’s trilogy, where there is only one female hero — Eowyn — she is so because she is a woman rather than a man. She can defeat the Witch-king, whom “no living man may hinder,” because she is a woman. (”No living man am I! You look upon a woman.”)

Just thoughts…

After I posted the “diva” pic of Dewie earlier, I mentioned that Brussels griffons were pricey pups. I’ve now been informed by Dewie and big bro Malcom (below in their Christmas togs) of National Brussels Griffon Rescue, Inc. So if you are looking for an affordable ‘dorable dog to adopt, they list Brussels griffons in numerous states. I was aware of Labrador and golden retriever rescue agencies, etc., but didn’t realize there was one for b-griffs.

Hey, I’m a cat person. What do I know?

that, duh, I entirely forgot to mention at editors, agents & blogs, oh my!

Shelf Awareness has an interview with Patricia Briggs by Marilyn Dahl in which Briggs discusses “the popularity of urban fantasy, saying that the genre made its debut with some very good writers, like Charles de Lint and H.P. Lovecraft, and strong writers have given it a modern twist, authors like Laurell Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher. She likens this development to the horror genre when it took off with Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Robert McCammon–a small group of writers but very good ones. In Briggs’s opinion, readers may think they like certain writers because of the genres, but what they are usually responding to is good writing. She also feels that if booksellers thought more about the quality of writing instead of strict categories, they could get readers to cross types in their quest for a good book.”

It doesn’t have that glamor and the star-power of the Oscars, but the Telegraph (UK) has revealed this year’s short list for the Bookseller’s Diagram Prize for Oddest Book
Title of the Year:

• Baboon Metaphysics by Dorothy L. Cheney and Robert M. Seyfarth
• Strip and Knit with Style by Mark Hordyszynski
• Curbside Consultation of the Colon by Brooks D. Cash
• Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring by Lietai Yang
• The Large Sieve and its Applications by Emmanuel Kowalski
• The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais by Professor Philip M. Parker.

Previous winners of the accolade, run by The Bookseller magazine, include Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality, How to Avoid Huge Ships, and Highlights in the History of Concrete. Horace Bent, from the magazine said: “In this, the 31st year of the prestigious award, never have I found it so problematic to pick a shortlist of just six. At a time when the economic climate is forbidding and cost-cutting companies are ten-a-penny, I’m proud to report that the British publishing industry has remained as stubborn in the face of change as ever. Given the economic gloom, I would not have blamed publishers if they’d decided to slash their lists. But it gives me great pleasure to report that diversity lives!”

We’ve received word that Dru Pagliassotti’s CLOCKWORK HEARThas been nominated for the the 2008 Romantic Time BookReviews award for Best Small Press Paranormal Romance/Futuristic. CLOCKWORK HEART is not a paranormal romance or a futuristic romance. We called it a “steampunk romance” and I suppose you could go back to the original definition of “urban fantasy” as it involves a fantastic city…

Point is, it is a charming, unique book and it is nice that it is getting recognition. It was a particular favorite of the staff at Powell’s Books, too.

Escape to the fantastic and captivating three-tiered city Pagliassotti has created. The plot is intricate and has multilayered characters who perplex, entertain and gratify. This a wonderfully written book — one for the keeper shelf. (4.5 stars) — RTimes

…a fascinating, fast-paced and delightful novel in Clockwork Heart. The setting is intriguing and unique, melding the best of steampunk with the wonders of high fantasy, and is peopled with a rich blend of characters from all walks of life…Pagliasotti has brought forth a terrific novel, one that embodies a bold new direction in the fantasy genre. For those who enjoy the work of China Mieville or D.M. Cornish, here is another name to seek out on the bookshelves.”–SFRevu

Clockwork Heart is one of the most enjoyable fantasies I have read in a long time; I didn’t want the book to end. Clockwork Heart has everything you might want in a book-a strong girl hero, romance, intrigue, mystery, suspense, great humor, believable characters, strong writing, all in a fantasy setting….Clockwork Heart has just the right mix of fantasy and romance, with sprinkles of mystery and intrigue. There is so much to enjoy, here. For an entertaining, absorbing read, one you won’t want to end, pick this book up. Clockwork Heart is the best YA fantasy-the best book-I have read in a long time.–Teen Book Reviews

You can read more reviews here.

Yay Dru!!!

Editors are supposed to be able to reject manuscripts with a coldness that could solve global warming. As cruel and heartless as anyone may think I am when they get rejected, I’m not very good at it. If I *do* write something back that is brief and canned — like Your novel does not meet our current requirements — well, that’s still sincere. That’s all I can really say about some manuscripts. They just don’t “fit”.

Sometimes I say a little more, but I can’t take time to say a lot, if anything.

Once in awhile I really wrestle with a decision. When I do, I feel I owe the writer a little more of a reason. Or maybe it is part of a process of enunciating my gut reaction. But sometimes that’s all one is going on: gut reaction. “There’s really nothing wring with your novel, but it just didn’t appeal to me. Maybe it will to someone else.” Weak, huh?

Years ago when I started out editing a zine, I vowed I’d respond to every single submission personally — and this was mostly by snail mail no less. About 1000 submissions, a couple of death threats, more than a couple of rude writers, and several perverts later, I realized this was not really going to work. I got briefer and more cliched with the replies.

When Juno came along I, at first, promised to acknowledge each submission as it arrived. No pervs, potential assassins, or rudies, but this, too proved over-optimistic.

But the “email only” system worked and continues to work for me, although I think some agents dislike it. Lots of agents like to chat on the phone or have some sort of personal contact with editors. This is understandable. Agenting is about making a sale and personal contact helps. But I’m not in New York so I can’t have lunch and phone calls aren’t an efficient use of my time. Besides, for me, it *is* personal. Email is how I met my best friends.

I guess it comes down to realizing that every writer is a real person who has some hopes and dreams involved in the submission. I know that, so I’m not so good at evil even if I appear to be. On my end, it is a real person who is making a personal decision but who also has to weigh commercial possibilities and, if I am any good at this at all, some level of precognitive power to determine what readers will be wanting in a year or so.

The problem with trying to read the future is that you never know if you can until he future is the present.

HERE!

RIVERSEND is now available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and of course, directly from the publisher.

Riversend is our final “old Juno” book and a trade paperback (we’ll also have a hardcover). Unfortunately, its distribution will be limited and it just won’t be on a lot of bookstore shelves. Any bookstore can easily order it for you and I’m sure specialty stores may carry it. It is more than worth your time to go out of the way for!

The Stunning Sequel to the Highly Acclaimed
Amberlight

Fighting doubt and convention, beset with great challenge and facing profound change, Tellurith leads her displaced House to a new beginning and a different life in Iskarda–a life that includes men and women as equals. But the traditionalist Iskardans are outraged by Tellurith’s policies and appalled by her love for two husbands: Alkhes–the rough, dark Outlander who brought Amberlight its doom–and golden Sarth, epitome of the urbane men of the Amberlight Towers. To achieve Tellurith’s dream, both must re-shape their lives. To preserve the dream, all three must journey to Dhasdein’s imperial capital of Riversend and face deadly menace and perilous machination.

Debut novel VICIOUS CIRCLE by Linda Robertson will be Juno’s July release, its sequel HALLOWED CIRCLE is slated for December with DEAD CIRCLE due out sometime in 2010. Cover copy: Being a witch doesn’t pay the bills, but Persephone Alcmedi gets by between reading Tarot cards, writing her syndicated newspaper column, and kenneling werewolves in the basement when the moon is full—even if witches aren’t supposed to mingle with wolves. She really reaches the end of her leash, though, when her grandmother gets kicked out of the nursing home, and Seph finds herself in the doghouse about some things she’s written. Then her werewolf friend Lorrie is murdered . . . and the high priestess of an important coven offers Seph big money to destroy the killer, a powerful vampire named Goliath Kline. Seph is a tough girl, but this time she bites off more than she can chew. She needs a little help from her friends—werewolf friends. One of those friends, Johnny, the motorcycle-riding lead singer for the techno-metal-Goth band Lycanthropia, has a crush on her. And while Seph has always been on edge around this 6’2” leather-clad hunk, she’s starting to realize that while their attraction may be dangerous, nothing could be as lethal as the showdown that awaits them.

Link to large version of full cover.

Tim’s art, without title/author is also now on the Gallery.

And here’s what the inside front cover will look like:

I thought the phrase “set in a world quite like ours except for the intersection/transgression of
the numinous …with/upon the mundane” (reinforced later with a reference to “urban fantasy”) conveyed that we didn’t want alternate medieval worlds, completely fantastic settings, or the like. Since I’m getting a lot of those, I’ve amended the guidelines to read: “set in a contemporary (or a very few years in the future) world quite like ours…”

Also added: “We aren’t particularly interested in characters who feel that violence solves all problems, but they will, if needed, defend who and what they love.”

The phrase “science fiction” was added to the list of what is “not fantasy”.

This Temple Library Review is lengthy and the praise is beyond “high”. Some excerpts:

Every element, idea, character and plot thread flow into each other until your senses are overwhelmed in the best possible way…The core of the novel is the story itself that unfolds flawlessly in two entwining worlds… propelled by the characters’ strategies…To top it off every line is delivered with above satisfactory prose. For me Howard’s writing evokes a resemblance to Nabokov’s style with unconventional imagery and originality…I am not sure how Juno got their hands on this novel, but they landed quite the gold mine at least for urban fantasy readers. I may sound extreme, but here goes: This is a must-read, must-have and [to be]worshipped. This mythology junkie is more than satisfied and begs people to buy more than one copy as soon as possible. If I am correct, after several generations a first issue of this will be quite valuable.

Unlike the reviewer, Mr Markov, I don’t feel the novel is “flawless.” (Yes, even editors sometimes wish they had a second chance. And even given that, it would still be imperfect.) Nor would I compare the prose to Nabokov. But Chris Howard certainly has an intelligent imagination that lends itself well to world building and he utterly disproves any notions of men not being able to write compelling female characters.

Oh and he’s a nice guy, too. He promises me half of that “gold mine” Mr Markov predicts

I do suggest you pick up a copy of SEABORN — not for the future value, but simply because if you do plan on reading it, there aren’t all that many copies in the stores. Retailers were not enthusiastic.

Like almost all the other Juno titles, SEABORN was totally ignored by a lot of genre reviewers…probably because it came from Juno. Even AMBERLIGHT, nominated for an Australian fantasy award and reviewed in the Washington Post, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, was ignored by most sf/f review venues. SEABORN was reviewed in print only by Romantic Times Booklovers Magazine. Online, places FantasyLiterature.net, UrbanFantasyLand, SciFiGuy,ParaNormalPomance.org, Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin’ Blog, and the others reviewed it–and not always positively, but that’s natural

Not all books are for all people and reviews reflect this. We appreciate those folks who did give our books a shot and a shout out, even if not always positively. The only reviews I don’t appreciate are those that are unfair, blatantly ignorant, or so warped by the “reviewer’s” ego they can’t be considered reviews. (I recall one review of SEABORN that disdained it because the cover model looked like the “reviewer’s” ex-wife.)

In fact, as I’ve told some of my authors, if I assumed my “total reviewer” personality, I would not have given every single Juno title a positive review. Some I would have been quite positive about, but also pointed out flaws. Some I would have found entertaining for certain audiences, but felt they were lacking for others. Some I may have ignored myself.

As a reviewer and former reviews editor, I know better than most that not everything can be reviewed. But in the case of Juno Books — which from the beginning did a wide variety of fantasy, the only real connecting thread being a female main character — one has to wonder why it was consistently ignored by most SF/F review venues. It wasn’t because it was independent press. Our sister imprint Prime Books is regularly and widely reviewed.

Actually, I don’t really wonder. I have some theories. But I’d rather hear yours.

My doctor has a resident “therapy cat”, Sandy. She made the news today in the Akron Beacon Journal. Sandy should be pleased with her photos as they make her look more slender than she really is.

I’m a bit surprised I haven’t been flooded with submissions. After being closed so long and now with Juno being an imprint of Pocket…well, I expected to have more slush than an Icee machine by now. Also expected to be hearing from agents who might have disregarded Juno Books as too small a potato to deal with before. Haven’t been.

And yes, if it isn’t clear, Juno titles are really and truly published by Pocket with Gertrude the kangaroo on the spine and everything. New acquisitions will have Simon & Schuster contracts and all the accounting, etc. is through Simon & Schuster/Pocket.

Of course about a third of the submissions we’ve gotten so far are from folks who just can’t bring themselves to read the guidelines. Sigh.

The grandpup, Dewie, in Diva mode.