Comments on: Cover to Cover #250: Robert J. Sawyer http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/ Conversations with the Creators of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Thriller fiction today! If you love SF literature, are an author or aspire to become one, you'll enjoy this podcast. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:33:51 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Would you kill one alien to save five? « Writing Every Day http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-244718 Would you kill one alien to save five? « Writing Every Day Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:11:35 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-244718 [...] I heard him interviewed on Dragon Page Cover to Cover, I was intrigued by the opening dilemma. Sarah Halifax, a brilliant astronomer who deciphered the [...] [...] I heard him interviewed on Dragon Page Cover to Cover, I was intrigued by the opening dilemma. Sarah Halifax, a brilliant astronomer who deciphered the [...]

]]> By: My 2007 Reading List « Writing Every Day http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-243647 My 2007 Reading List « Writing Every Day Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:02:02 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-243647 [...] of various flavors Rollback, by Robert Sawyer Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon [...] [...] of various flavors Rollback, by Robert Sawyer Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon [...]

]]> By: Summer Brooks http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-11077 Summer Brooks Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:13:47 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-11077 Exactly! What I think I'd want, to keep only the serious ones around, would be some sort of accountability setup... I wouldn't want to charge a fee for users, and I'd want to encourage full reviews now and again, maybe 1 formal review for each 10 quick ratings, or something like that. People who've rated more books get their ratings weighed more than someone with less than 25 ratings, or something to encourage the dedicated readers and contributors and to keep the influx of fly-by-nighters in check. Exactly!

What I think I’d want, to keep only the serious ones around, would be some sort of accountability setup… I wouldn’t want to charge a fee for users, and I’d want to encourage full reviews now and again, maybe 1 formal review for each 10 quick ratings, or something like that.

People who’ve rated more books get their ratings weighed more than someone with less than 25 ratings, or something to encourage the dedicated readers and contributors and to keep the influx of fly-by-nighters in check.

]]> By: Blue Tyson http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-11066 Blue Tyson Tue, 20 Feb 2007 02:17:26 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-11066 So you want RateYourBooks.com like how RateYourMusic.com works now? Without needing to pay to join like Librarything, or make a catalogue, or anything like that?> So you want RateYourBooks.com like how RateYourMusic.com works now? Without needing to pay to join like Librarything, or make a catalogue, or anything like that?>

]]> By: Zebra http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-10814 Zebra Sun, 18 Feb 2007 20:21:01 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-10814 Robert J Sawyer is really great, always nice to hear about his work. I will be looking forward to buy Rollback. Robert J Sawyer is really great, always nice to hear about his work. I will be looking forward to buy Rollback.

]]> By: Summer Brooks http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-10704 Summer Brooks Sun, 18 Feb 2007 05:54:58 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-10704 We do have several new book reviewers on board. We just have a bad habit of starting to use them for more than just book reviews :) I think it's cheaper to either use the review books as "compensation" for the reviewers, or fodder for Bookman's. But I like the idea of using them to show appreciation for generous donations... I think we can work with that one, somehow. But I still want a Netflix ratings system for books... just for rating them, not for renting or anything. We do have several new book reviewers on board. We just have a bad habit of starting to use them for more than just book reviews :)

I think it’s cheaper to either use the review books as “compensation” for the reviewers, or fodder for Bookman’s.

But I like the idea of using them to show appreciation for generous donations… I think we can work with that one, somehow.

But I still want a Netflix ratings system for books… just for rating them, not for renting or anything.

]]> By: Lou Sytsma (sit - sma) http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-10624 Lou Sytsma (sit - sma) Sat, 17 Feb 2007 16:31:29 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-10624 Good idea, Magess. If people agree to pay for shipping and review the books for posting here it would be a way to get rid of the backlog and give some more visibility to the books being sent to the Dragon Page. Good idea, Magess. If people agree to pay for shipping and review the books for posting here it would be a way to get rid of the backlog and give some more visibility to the books being sent to the Dragon Page.

]]> By: Magess http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-10428 Magess Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:50:55 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-10428 BTW, I still think you guys should lend out/give away the books that are taking over Michael's house. Or make them rewards for nice donations. Something. There's a whole reading audience out here, there has to be some way to feed books to them that doesn't make you guys go broke. BTW, I still think you guys should lend out/give away the books that are taking over Michael’s house. Or make them rewards for nice donations. Something. There’s a whole reading audience out here, there has to be some way to feed books to them that doesn’t make you guys go broke.

]]> By: Magess http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-10427 Magess Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:39:11 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-10427 The closest thing to what you're talking about in terms of recommendations is Amazon's method. And I think if you were to open the floor for -anybody- to be rating books as 8/10, you'd probably end up with data that looks a lot like Amazon's data. Because some people really don't know a good book when they see one. And some people really enjoy mindless fluff and would rate it highly. However, if you guys wanted to basically make your own FarPoint Spotlight site and rate all the books you can think of a la Netflix, you could control your data to people whose opinions you trust. With enough traffic, you could probably get publisher's wanting to quote your star rating, assuming it was high, to put on the back cover. Most people want recommendations based on what they like. You're talking about recommendations based on objective quality, where it doesn't matter what books a particular person has read and liked, they should still read X. The challenge, I guess, would be making people care. I mean, how do you get readers and publishers to care what you think? Possibly by giving out "awards" to those books that pass the test. When I worked at a house that was putting out children's books, if we could get anyone to give us any kind of award for quality, that gold label went on the cover and in every bit of marketing we did. And maybe you get readers to care through sheer arrogance, by declaring a weekly or monthly or yearly list of Things Worth Reading and -making- that news just by spreading that list around and acting like it's news. The closest thing to what you’re talking about in terms of recommendations is Amazon’s method. And I think if you were to open the floor for -anybody- to be rating books as 8/10, you’d probably end up with data that looks a lot like Amazon’s data. Because some people really don’t know a good book when they see one. And some people really enjoy mindless fluff and would rate it highly.

However, if you guys wanted to basically make your own FarPoint Spotlight site and rate all the books you can think of a la Netflix, you could control your data to people whose opinions you trust. With enough traffic, you could probably get publisher’s wanting to quote your star rating, assuming it was high, to put on the back cover.

Most people want recommendations based on what they like. You’re talking about recommendations based on objective quality, where it doesn’t matter what books a particular person has read and liked, they should still read X. The challenge, I guess, would be making people care. I mean, how do you get readers and publishers to care what you think? Possibly by giving out “awards” to those books that pass the test. When I worked at a house that was putting out children’s books, if we could get anyone to give us any kind of award for quality, that gold label went on the cover and in every bit of marketing we did. And maybe you get readers to care through sheer arrogance, by declaring a weekly or monthly or yearly list of Things Worth Reading and -making- that news just by spreading that list around and acting like it’s news.

]]> By: Roddy Reta http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-9979 Roddy Reta Wed, 14 Feb 2007 02:11:36 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-9979 Another great show and I look forward to hearing the suggestions for the "A plus" books. Another great show and I look forward to hearing the suggestions for the “A plus” books.

]]> By: Lou Sytsma(Sit sma) http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/comment-page-1/#comment-9946 Lou Sytsma(Sit sma) Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:25:54 +0000 http://www.dragonpage.com/2007/02/12/cover-to-cover-250/#comment-9946 Always great to hear Robert J Sawyer on your show as he is a consummate professional. I read Rollback via the Analog serialization and it is an excellent book. High concept as discussed yet Rob really dials in the emotional and mental implications of the scenario better than ever. An excellent book! You guys continue to do a superb job with the new format! Really enjoying the work you are all doing. Thanks! Always great to hear Robert J Sawyer on your show as he is a consummate professional. I read Rollback via the Analog serialization and it is an excellent book. High concept as discussed yet Rob really dials in the emotional and mental implications of the scenario better than ever.

An excellent book!

You guys continue to do a superb job with the new format! Really enjoying the work you are all doing. Thanks!

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