Archive for Publishing
This week’s myserious mis-delivered mail features a linen white business envelope with a folded letter within. There are some adhesive marks on the back which suggest that it may have once been attached to a larger package. No package exists here… just the letter. It reads:
Dear Dr. Still,
Several years ago, a member of our editorial board retained you as a consulting reader for our publishing house. Books to be sent to you would be of mystical or supernatural themes, and over the years we have received many submissions which have been turned down without any need for outside consultation. We’ve received a trio of books recently, however, which we are considering publishing if for no other reason than the recent resurgence in interest in the supernatural. the three books we would like you to review for us are:
Ghost Hoses of New England by Sarah Waterstone. At first we thought it might have been a typo and the author had meant to print houses, but upon review–the author truly intended to mean hoses. The author recounts nearly a hundred unlikely tales of haunted fire hoses, garden hoses, watering hoses, industrial hoses, and even emergency medical hoses. The author covers the several types of hoses being haunted: nylon, rubber, flexible metal sheathing, hydraulic, etc. The book sounds amusing at first, but quickly grows tired as the stories tend to have very little to do with actual hauntings and more with the history of hoses in New England.
Ghost Houses of New England by Bradford Fourly. This seems more like what we’re looking for, but rather than being a collection of stories regarding haunted houses in New England, it’s more about houses which are themselves ghosts. To whit, a house that no longer exists except in some ethereal place of existence. At first this sounds very interesting, but the stories all seem to be related by various patrons of bars and saloons. The stories are transcribed verbatim, so the narratives are difficult to follow and trail off-topic into rants about the government, ex-wives, ex-husbands, and requests for small loans. The interview often ends when the storyteller is rebuffed.
Ghost Hauntings of Nude England by Chauncey Bottomwell. It’s exactly what you expect it to be and really needs no further commentary from us. Normally we wouldn’t consider publishing a book of this nature, but we would like your input to determine if there are perhaps deeper, more meaningful layers to this book.
Finally, you may notice certain similarities in style and titling in these three books. Although each book is purported to be written by a different author, and each submission was sent from a different location (Templar, AZ, Providence, RI, and Exeter, UK specifically), we suspect there may be only one author involved. We have not decided yet if this will affect our editorial decisions, but we felt we should let you know that we are aware of the possibility of a single author.
We’re looking forward to your timely input. Please submit an invoice for your consultation services to our accounts department.
Yours sincerely,
Ike Mays
Acquisitions Editor
Four Stone Books
Next up is the familiar rag-papered, crimson inked note. Today’s missive reads:
We are making wagers as to the outcome of the events currently occurring beyond the lights.
When the lights go out, it will be time to pay up.
We await your signal.
(signed)
Unsigned
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Today’s link goes to the webcomic Multiplex - a comic about life at a movie theater. It’s a bunch of college-aged kids with crappy theater jobs, but there are some amusing comments on movies and movie-going. It’s not just a straight gag strip, though. There’s story and character development going on, so you will want to read through the archives to maximize the enjoyment of the strip.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Book review, Humor, Letters, Publishing, Uncategorized, Writing | |No Comments
Today’s awkward mail sent to me, but not for me, comes first in a plain brown business envelope of the sort one doesn’t see much these days. Within on engraved business stationery is thus:
Dear Ms. Malin,
As you know, we pride ourselves on our ability to track down missing persons even on the most slim of clues and information. We believe in thinking outside the box, and always getting results. We admit, however, that your case has forced us to think so far outside the box that we are questioning some of our results and we request some further input from you in regards to your case.
You hired us to locate the father of you and your siblings–a man who disappeared without warning some twenty years ago. You also refused to provide us with any biographical or biological data, and insisted we search for your missing father on a philosophical basis alone. This is way outside the box. Still, we agreed to give it a go.
We hesitate to consider the following a “narrowing down” of the list of possibilities–but more the top ten in our list of potential targets. If you would be so kind as to look over this list and offer some insights, we would appreciate it and feel more confident that we could bring this case to a successful conclusion.
Our investigators have turned up the following possibilities:
- A Cape Verdean short order cook in Tulsa, Oklahoma who owns a complete set of the works of Albert Camus.
- A professor of secular humanism at Hofstra University.
- A chorus girl at an all-drag revue in Flint, Michigan.
- The Dalai Lama
- A diabetic Marist missionary in Burma.
- A retired cartoonist currently living in Cleveland, Ohio.
- An independent film actor and playwright from New York currently supplementing his income with TV commercials and animation voiceovers.
- Three Jewish comediens from Brownsville, New York
- A keyboard player in a German 80s-nostalgia techno band.
- The “missing” Lindbergh baby.
The list may seem a bit all over the map, but I think you’ll agree that they all share certain aspects from the philosophical profile you provided us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Bernard and Vivian Jaffe
Interconnective Investigations
Next up is the ever-familiar folded note written with crimson ink upon a rag paper. It reads:
To Whom It May Concern:
Have you noticed the increasing number of bank robberies of late?
We have.
We’re just saying.
We await your signal.
(signed)
Unsigned
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Today’s link goes to The Three Stooges Official Website. I mean, come on! Does it get much better than that? Okay, I’m a Marx Bros. kind of guy, but easy fun entertainment is pretty much any Three Stooges short you could ever run across. And I’m a huge fan of the Stooge double-slap sound effect. If I thought it wouldn’t be socially awkward, I’d make it my ringtone.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Humor, Letters, Movie review, Publishing, Writing | |1 Comment
In honor of the newest addition to the Teehan family, today’s Rumors edition features claims about dogs that you probably hadn’t heard before.
Dog drool was used by ancient Sumerians as an ingredient to beer, as a stomach medicine, and as a glue.
Supposedly, one version of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” shows a dog sleeping at the feet of Judas. The phrase “Let sleeping dogs lie” originates with this legend and suggests that Judas was innocent or that, at the very least, there is more to the story than the current version of the Bible states.
Dog hair burns at a higher temperature than any other mammal hair which is why it was often used as insulation in the 18th century.
The smartest dog in history was Palimor, a six year-old boxer-mix, who received a BA from USC, and an MBA from Harvard Business. He sat on the board of directors for Mobil for three months before an untimely end involving a bar of chocolate.
The largest dog to have ever roamed the Earth is the extinct Irish Rover which, according to remains discovered in peat bogs, was as tall as a horse, but with the relative leanness of a greyhound. Scientists estimate it could have had a running speed of over 70 miles per hour.
It’s not that dogs know how to swim as it is they don’t know how to drown.
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I’ve recently heard that author Lois McMaster Bujold has turned in the next Miles Vorkosigan book to Baen and that it is scheduled to come out in late 2010. I’m a huge fan of these books and am very excited at this news. Today’s link goes to her official homepage: The Bujold Nexus. If you’ve not read any of her work, you can get an excellent preview at the Baen Free Library.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Book review, Humor, Publishing, Rumor | |No Comments
Rumor has it… electric fans rotate clockwise in the Northern hemisphere, and counter-clockwise in the Southern hemisphere. This is due to the coriolis effect.
Rumor has it… an early version of the Jimmy Buffet song “Cheeseburger In Paradise” included a stanza celebrating corn relish. Jimmy Buffet is allergic to corn relish, but he thought it would be amusingly ironic. Then he discovered that it was a childhood bully, not him, who was allergic and he had the stanza removed.
Rumor has it… the Marvel superhero Iron Man was originally conceived as being a female-shaped robot with the brain of Tony Stark implanted within it. Gender confusion was going to be a running theme with the character. The concept was dropped when the Marvel editorial board sobered up.
Rumor has it… bubble wrap uses air recycled from old soda cans and air conditioners.
Rumor has it… the surface of Mars not only has natural features which, from certain angles, resemble a humanoid face, but also a three-toed foot, a seven-fingered hand, and a three-cheeked posterior.
Rumor has it… the monster beneath your bed eats people who recklessly split infinitives.
Would I lie?
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Today’s link goes to a blog entry from comic book writer Steve Ahlquist and a project he and Chris Reilly worked on called Girl World which they are considering returning to work on. Included is a link to some of the early artwork and 20 pages of penciled art. A fun little thing to check out. If you’re a comic book artist or similar type of cartoonist/illustrator–give it a look-see.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Comics, Publishing, Rumor, TumbleTap | |No Comments
Welcome back to Monday–post-hiatus.
Time well spent, by the way. I got a decent amount of work done over this past week–and looking forward to getting more done. But it was nice to get some projects off the table–even if they’ve just gone out for proof. The Sondra Lee autobiography went off to the printer. Dracula’s Daughter (edited by Phil Riley) is off to the printer. The Dead End Kids/Bowery Boys book is off to the author for proof, as is still the Janet Gaynor/Charles Farrell book. Also out now is the second proof of The Musical Comedy Films of Grigorii Aleksandrov: Laughing Matters by Rimgaila Salys for Intellect Books. Nearly ready for the press–just awaiting one page of data–is the August-September issue of the SFWA Bulletin.
This week I’ll be focusing on some the next proof of the medical journal, some book covers, the movie book, a Hollywood gossip book, and a collection of letters by Louise Brooks.
All good stuff.
But that’s not to say it was all work and no play this past week. Friday we went to the Washington County Fair–something we try to do every year. Usually we only go for a few hours–plenty of time to check out the animals, various vendors, food, music, midway, and 4-H exhibits. This year we stayed closer to ten hours as we were joined by a bunch of friends–most of whom had never been to the fair before.Much fun was had and I’ve taken up the Teehan tradition (started by my father) of finishing off a Fair visit with a heaping bowl of strawberry shortcake. I didn’t see the Irish salt potatoes this year. Just means I’m going to have to make them myself, I guess.
And last night I played out again at Ward’s Pub. A fun night for tunes and friends. I’ve been trying to mix up my style of play a little bit–experimenting with dotted notes and trying to get some more “swing” into my rhythm. One thing I noticed as I was playing last night that as I found myself thinking about how I was going to play a certain set of notes later in the tune–I’d lose my place where I was currently (in the tune). Fortunately I recover quickly, but it’s not often I’m so conscious of a process like that.
And we’ve been dog hunting. No, you don’t get more explanation than that other than… “Tom Cruise’s performance during the closing credits of Tropic Thunder is an amazing piece of work. I’m just saying.”
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Today’s link goes to 2009 Hugo award winner for Best Fanzine: Electric Velocipede. (Actually, I’m not sure how this qualifies as a fanzine–as it seems more like a semi-prozine. I’m sure the topic has already been debated hotly and I’m coming into the discussion very late in the game… but life is a banquet and I’m sometimes still down by the appetizers.) Anyway, check out the free fiction you see here, and if you like–consider subscribing.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Book layouts, Fanzines, Layouts, Magazine layouts, Music, Publishing, Writing | |No Comments
Rumor has it… Stephen King begins each new chapter with a four-line poem that is always bawdy and often grossly obscene. These are always removed in editing, but King claims the practice helps “loosen him up” when composing first drafts.
Rumor has it… every episiode of the popular TV show South Park includes a brief image of an alien named Tabor. He (it) is the only character to appear in every single episode of the show.
Rumor has it… the yellow smiley face mascot at Wal-Mart is named Henry and was based on an imaginary childhood friend of Sam Walton, the store’s founder.
Rumor has it… envelope glue comes in three common flavors: tapioca, mango, and hazelnut. The strength of the flavor weakens when applied to the envelopes during production, and envelope manufacturers rarely specify which flavor they want when ordering.
Rumor has it… Bill Lunkwiell of New York collected over three million unused AOL installation CDs and resold them in third world countries as shaving mirrors. Even after shipping and marketing, Lunkwiell reported profits in excess of $1.5 million.
Rumor has it… seven planetary bodies have been discovered past the orbit of Pluto, but none will been given names until the ISA determines what category they fall into. In the interim, they are named OSA1-5. The OSA stands for “Outer System Artifact.”
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SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) has a new website that is decidedly more modern in appearance and shows that even writers of speculative fiction can occasionally catch up and get with the times. It’s well worth checking out–especially if you’re a member, are looking to become a member, or just curious about the organization.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Publishing, Rumor, Writing | |No Comments
I spend a lot of time in the basement. No surprise, it’s where I do the majority of my work. On the very day we moved in, I made sure that I had a working space in the basement with ready access to power and internet connections. Since then, I’v been slowly transforming the basement from a place where a lot of stuff has been stored–and my office to: my office–with some storage tucked away.
It’s slow going because paying work always has to come first, but little by little I’m putting my stamp on the place. I have a bit more room in this basement than I did at our old apartment, many options for layout, and all the time in the world. No rush. I have some bookshelves set up. Some work surfaces. Some file storage. That’s about it right now. I need to set up many more bookshelves, a couple of more workspace areas, and filing cabinets for that which isn’t already digitized.
And then there are the walls.
My plan is to cover every conceivable bit of wall and post space with bits of geek artifactry, ephemera, and other such wonderful strangeness. Old fanzine cartoons, columns and letters, pieces to old computer, sailing, and roleplaying magazines, Comics. Post cards. Hollywood glossies. Movie cards. Newspaper clippings. Whatever I come across that seems of interest and can be tacked or taped to a wall. Big or small. Actually, a lot of small because I want to cover all the nooks and crannies. Leave no wood exposed. It should take a person days to read my basement.
I’m not saying it’s a good plan. But some people have no plan at all.
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That said, today’s link takes you The Ephemera Society of America. In their own words:
The Ephemera Society of America, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed in 1980 to cultivate and encourage interest in ephemera and the history identified with it; to further the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of ephemera by people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of interest; to promote the personal and institutional collection, preservation, exhibition, and research of ephemeral materials; to serve as a link among collectors, dealers, institutions, and scholars; and to contribute to the cultural life of those who have an interest in our heritage as a nation or a people, both nationally and internationally.
A worthy organization if ever I’ve seen one.
Filed under: Blogosphere, Fanzines, Home ownership, Publishing, Writing | |No Comments
We’re back!
Well, I’m back. That is to say, the blog is now off hiatus. What have I been up to? Big surprise…I’ve been setting up the new household. We did the Big Move last Monday, and have been getting things slowly set up.
Details on the move? You know… I’m going to wait another week before I start writing about that. It seems that’s all I’ve been writing about for the past month, and while it’s been fascinating for me and a few folks–I think the vast majority of y’all are getting a little sick of the subject.
So… if you want news on the new house, I may start writing about the experience more next week.
Without going into the details why, I’ve been super busy the past couple of weeks, but have been getting quite a bit done just the same. The Sondra Lee book, SFWA Bulletin, and 70s Cinema book are all out on proof. The medical journal is at the printer. In process are books about the Dead End Kids (silent move era) and a book on Russia filmmaker Gregorii Aleksandrov.
The San Diego ComicCon is gearing up. Messrs Reilly and Ahlquist are heading out west for the big show, and with them will be the finished copies of Rogue Satellite Comics and The Complete Annotated Oz Sqad. I’d say I wish I could be with them, but to be honest, SDCC seems kind of daunting to me. I can’t think of a bigger event with more people. Or a convention that could be more expensive. I know a lot of people who are attending this year, and I don’t know how they do it. Well, some are probably financed by their studios and/or publishers–but those going on their own dime are probably going to feel the pinch rather hard. Then there are those poor saps who are doing a circuit. One con after another. Yeesh.
But back to the graphic novels–it’s past time to gear up some press releases and proposals for next projects. I’ll be tackling a lot of that this week as well as updating the TumbleTap webpage.
Have I mentioned I’m on Twitter now? Yep. With the iPhone came the ability to join the Twitterverse. It’s not bad. I’m following a lot of folk that I also follow on facebook, but with more updating. It’s almost like I’m stalking them. I also get newsfeeds from the local newspaper and CNN.
Look for me as jdteehan and if you have any suggestions as to who I should be following, please let me know.
I’d be twittering now, but there’s work to be done. Time to get back to it!
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Today’s link visits our old friend The New Yorker magazine. Best magazine in the world for quality writing, reviews, essays, fiction, poetry, and cartoons. And there’s online content! Long may its banner wave!
Now it’s time to go sup some coffee on the back porch.
Cheers!
Filed under: Blogosphere, Comics, Layouts, Publishing, Writing | |2 Comments
Well, well, well… what’s new today?
Oh, yes! The Teehans are now homeowners!!!
I tell ya, gentle readers all, this was a very tense couple of months. It seemed that the whole home-buying and loan process was one in which things would seem fine, then I’d get a call about a problem that could queer the whole deal, which we would then spur into action to fix, only to get another call with another maniacal detail to be bedeviled. I don’t think most home purchases go this way. One of the unique aspects of our purchase was that the house was a flip–and there are certain time and condition requirements in such cases which are meant to protect the buyer. In our particular case, the flip was a quality job–not the shoddy stuff you see on TV news shows. All three inspections came out just fine. But there are things like waiting periods, and deposits, and very exacting timing involving the paperwork and account managements. I tell ya. It was a tense time.
But that’s behind us now. Friday we sat down for the signing. A mountain of papers to sign–most of which I actually understood. Actually, the lawyer really did justify the expense. I really do understand what all took place and am relieved I’m not the one who has to keep track of and file all the paperwork.
And special shout-outs go to the team we had on our side. Carol Cooney of Albert Realtors and Karen Flynn of Coastway Credit Union. Seriously. If you live in the Rhode Island area and are looking to buy a house–you want these two on your side. Their tireless efforts had a lot to do with us getting a house of our own. If you can’t find them online, then contact me and I’d be more than happy to get you their contact info and answer what questions I can.
Shout outs also go to Margaret’s mother Lilly (photo) without whose help this would have been impossible, and also to my dad. His passing away last year was very rough–especially after his long illness. I think he’d have greatly approved of the way we handled my share of the insurance money. That went to getting us into a position where we could even approach a bank, and it provided us with the means for the down payment.
And shout outs to my lovely bride. She was patient. Positive. Most importantly, she kept our momentum going and helped us focus on our goal.
So we have house. Now what? This weekend was a flurry of activity. We won’t be doing the Big Move until mid-July, but we’ve hit the ground running as far as getting the setup underway. The house came with a very nice fridge and dishwasher. We had to order a stove, which we’ve done, and get a washer/dryer. We now own a lawnmower and a weed-whacker. We’ve got the bathroom/shower area set up with a chocolate/light blue color motif. We’ve started moving boxes I’ve already packed, plus a lot of stuff we got for our wedding that we were specifically saving for just this occasion.
So it’s fun times.
Fun, but exhausting.
We’ll be going to the new place every day from here on out. Weekdays to move stuff after Margaret gets home from work. Weekends to set things up. I’m already sore and this Monday morning I’m kinda relieved that most of my morning is going to be spent at my desk.
Okay. You don’t need to read more about this. Plenty of more to report on as the days and weeks go on. Lots of stuff happening!
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A bunch of books are going off to the printer over today and tomorrow. One of which is going to be Reel Tears: The Beverly Washburn Story by actress Beverly Washburn and Don Waughn. Cover by Rick Saphire. This is a fun little book. Some readers may remember me talking about he movie Spider Baby a few months ago. Hey…now I know one of the leads! She was also in the episode of Star Trek:TOS where everyone aged rapidly.
Good stuff. A good read, with lots of great pictures.
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I sometimes like to read newspapers from places Very Far Away from where I live. Today I bring you to The Saipan Tribune–the newspaper of the island of Saipan which is the capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.
The photo is from a recent edition in which flame trees bloom near some old Japanese bunkers from WWII.
One local story:
PAWS president Katie Busenkell is asking for the public’s help in finding Aladdin, a white and grey colored cat, last seen Friday, June 19, 2009, at about 7am, near the Joeten Public Library and the Office of the Attorney General-Criminal Division in Susupe.
“Aladdin has a very special story. He belonged to a community oriented family that had to leave island for medical reasons. It is very important to the family that Aladdin be well cared for while they go through a difficult time in their lives, so please help us bring Aladdin home.”
A reward is being offered for information leading to Aladdin’s safe return.
If you have seen Aladdin, please call 256-0243 or 285-PAWS.
There may also be more typhoons this year, China Eastern flights have been approved, and there’s a push for a new national park.
Read this and more!
Cheers!
Filed under: Book layouts, Home ownership, Layouts, Publishing | |No Comments
The devils are in the details. In putting out Rogue Satellite Comics and The Complete and Annotated Oz Squad, I’m finding that as I’m trying to get the two books off to the printer, there are tiny little details that need tweaking here and there. Some of it is stuff new to me as I’ve usually worked with books and not comics. It’s a learning process and big thanks go to Chris Reilly for helping me navigate some of the finer points of the business. From the wording needed on copyright pages to locating original pages that were missing from previous editions (from other publishers) it’s been an interesting journey. All going toward putting out the best product we can. And putting it out in time for the San Diego ComicCon.
Thankfully we’re looking successful on both counts.
In other news, I’m coming close to completing the book on Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrel. (And on the TV right now is A Star Is Born starring Ms. Gaynor. The SFWA Bulletin is going off to the press today. And I’m working on some new cover designs, and fielding calls from the son of Buckwheat (from the Our Gang/Little Rascals crowd). The Design Integrations book is nearly done. I just have to put in the index, and make a few last-minute replacements on some of the tables. All in all, it’s nice and steady right now, and things seem to be on schedule and looking good.
I love it when that happens. I know I said I wouldn’t weigh down these entries about my work, but it’s been a while since I’ve talked about it in detail, and it’s either this or rant about the frustrating process of trying to buy a house. We’re just waiting on some final details, but it looks like our closing is going to be delayed a few days. Argh. I don’t know this for sure, but if it’s still happening tomorrow, it means titanic, supernatural forces are at work. In a way, at this point it would be eaiser to have a couple of extra days room so I can arrange utility-changeovers (gas, electricity, water), but at the same time we just want to ge this all over with and start the moving process.
As my man Kurt Vonnegut was so oft fond of saying…
“So it goes.”
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On a totally unrelated note, it struck me this morning that “Balls To the Wall” would be a great name for a punk band. Extensive research (2 minutes on Google) has revealed that it’s the name of an album and a song by German metal band Accept, but I don’t see it being used as a band name. Not yet. I think the boys from Fat Wreck Chords should give me a call. I’m full of great ideas like this.
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Today’s link takes you to the website of David Lee Ingersoll, Illustrator and Cartoonist. He’s the chap who did the cover work for The Complete and Annotated Oz Squad that TumbleTap is putting out this year. He does some fine illustration work and his site is worth the visit. He’s done a number of illustrations for Cthulhu-related gaming materials, and his sketch blog can be found here.
Filed under: Book layouts, Comics, Home ownership, Layouts, Magazine layouts, Publishing, TumbleTap | |No Comments
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