Voicemails: listener wonders why publishers spread out a series over a span of time in between volumes instead of one right after the other (Summer's nickel: one exception seems to be new authors on Orbit Books); Lejon from Chandler wants to know if the guys have any recommendations on books that might be easy to "enhance" for the iPad and other devices yet to come; Anna is hesitant to fully embrace the self-publishing explosion because many writers who haven't put their works in front of an editor, emphasizing the desire for a level of quality control to remain in the mix
Listener Review: Web Genii brings us a review of The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg.
The Library: New into the studio this week: The White Road by Lynn Flewelling; Faery Moon by P.R. Frost; Spellcrash by Kelly McCullough; Inhuman Resources by Jes Battis; Is Anybody Out There? edited by Nick Gevers and Marty Halpern; Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds; Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb; The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories by Walter Jon Williams; Distant Thunder by Taylor Anderson; Lightborn by Alison Sinclair
Feedback Wanted: What do you think about submitting writing related questions to "Cover to Cover"? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!
Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know!
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Twitter: @dragonpage
Promo: The Gmail Podcast
Link: Dragon's Fire, Wizard's Flame by Michael R. Mennenga
It seems obvious to me, perhaps to anyone in the business of writing and publishing books and stories, that it's impossible to bring out a whole series of books at once. This apparently is not so obvious to the readers, who are our customers. To me, this means we should be communicating better with our audience. Authour involvement with his or her readership has been enabled by new technology, and as Mike S has said in the past, brings us back around the the times when storytellers and bards connected directly with people around the campfire or village pub. Authours, and to some extent, publishers, should take advantage of such communication, because ultimately it's the best way of finding out what people want.
With regards to publishers waiting to bring out a whole series, I think the caller was talking about series that are already finished. Of course a new book can’t come out until the author is finished writing it, and that takes time (A Dance With Dragons, anyone?). Readers get frustrated, however, when a series is finished and available in some other territory, and the North American publisher decides to release a trilogy over 3 years, instead of 3 months.
I posted a comment last week or before about David Wolverton/Farland's spinning up on e-books. Then this week, I listen to your Farpoint media's Adventures in SF Publishing where Shaun interviews Tracy Hickman about his and Laura's new e-book/site/hardback combo "Eventide" (http://www.dragonsbard.com/about/). Great stuff!
Did you hear the Agony Column with Deborah Drabien? She has a very interesting view on publishing, including why they don't want to make enhanced ebooks (5 min in):
http://www.bookotron.com/agony/news/2010/06-21-10-podcast.htm#podcast062310