The practice of naming storms at all came from the novel Storm by George Rippey Stewart, Random House, 1941, a Book of the Month selection.
In that book, they called the wind Maria.
See also:
Hurricane Bob
Hurricane Agnes
The Hurricane of '38
Barbara, report him to the Florida Attorney General's Economic Crimes division.
Bobby's going to lose his "yacht."
Q. What does "we want your book, not your money" mean?
A. We want your money.
Reading and Signing for Lincoln's Sword, 2:00-3:00 PM, September 4th, 2010, at The Village Bookstore, Littleton, New Hampshire. See you there!
From PublishAmerica to their authors, 18 August:
Dear author:
You didn't opt for your book to be available in a $9.95 PAperback version.
Check your softcover price today.
How about instructing us to create your book as a Pocketbook? Because that's what we're introducing today:
the PublishAmerica Pocketbook.
PublishAmerica Pocketbooks look like our softcovers, same cover, same binding, same page count, same paper stock, but they have a different ISBN, and they are designated and marketed as a Pocketbook, which is clearly stated on the book, at a very competitive retail price. Consider them a hybrid between our softcovers and our PAperbacks.
Almost all Pocketbooks* list for only $14.95, permanently.
Most softcovers list for $29.95.
Activate your Pocketbook today. Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your softcover, use this discount coupon: Pocket45. Minimum order volume is 6 copies. Use the coupon on your softcover only. All non-softcover orders under the Pocket45 coupon will not be processed.
The coupon activates the production of your book's brand new Pocketbook version. It will make your $14.95 Pocketbook available to the whole wide world within approx. 24 hours after your order. In the Ordering Instructions box write "Send Pocketbooks", then the Pocketbook version of your book is what you will receive for this order.
PS: you did activate your PAperback? Adding a Pocketbook version is a smart move anyway. Activate it today.
Thank you,
--PublishAmerica Author Support Team
*Only Pocketbooks with high page counts list at a higher price.
I wonder if our good friends at Simon & Schuster (who own the trademark on "Pocket Books") would be interested?
ebear #28: And you didn't call me on the phone?
The latest, from the 16th:
Dear author:
Are you sometimes thinking about an overhaul of your book? Think it can use some changes, or even many changes, but it needs a fresh pair of eyes to pull it off?
Use a PublishAmerica ghostwriter.
Our veteran group of PublishAmerica ghostwriters have been editing, changing, improving thousands of books for many years. They often report that their "fingers are itching" to rewrite this or that portion of the books they were working on. They have just recently been reassigned from our text department to our ghostwriting team.
Ghostwriters may touch a plot or storyline, improve characters and strengthen dialogue, change the language, elevate the book to a new level. They rewrite anywhere between some and all of the book. They will work with you, ask for your input. Ghostwriters waive all rights: the book's copyright remains exclusively yours. Once they are done, you can choose to use some or all of their changes. Your ghostwriter will take care of submitting the rewritten book file to our printers, but only after your final approval. Oh, and of course we will send you some copies of the brand new version of your book, for free.
Ghostwriters make you a better writer. They stay anonymous. You will still receive all the credit for your improved book!
Go to http://www.publishamerica.net/product95963.html and instruct us to assign a ghostwriter to your book. In the Ordering Instructions box, write the title of your book. You will be contacted by your ghostwriter within 48 business hours. Benefit from our low introductory price of $499 before it increases to $699. You must choose a shipping option to activate the service. First come, first serve.
Thank you,
--PublishAmerica Author Support Team.
Alas, no, we never did get an expedition together.
Greatly delayed answer to Crystal (hope it wasn't for a homework assignment):
B: High volume oxygen and transport.
At the Basic level, "High volume oxygen and transport" is the right answer to nearly every question.
Yesterday's offer from PublishAmerica to its authors:
Dear author:
Three days only.
Let's promote your book at one of the AARP's best attended events, Orlando @50+. If you are a Baby Boomer, this is your crowd!
PublishAmerica is scheduling to be there as the event kicks off September 30. If you are an AARP member, you undoubtedly know about this high-energy phenomenon that attracts tens of thousands. Crosby, Stills and Nash and B.B. King will entertain them, as will Whoopie Goldberg and Larry King.
We plan on showcasing your book at this major 3-day AARP event.
Orlando @50+ is an AARP event for Main Street folks and celebrities alike. For many of you, this is your core audience! Also, if the AARP Magazine takes in interest in your book, well, the sky is the limit! With 40 million or so members age 50 and over, the AARP is one of America's largest membership organizations.
Secure your book's spot at our presentation. Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your softcover, use this discount coupon: AARP40. Minimum order volume is 4 copies; one will go to the AARP event, the others will be shipped to you. Use the coupon on your softcover only. All non-softcover orders under the AARP coupons will not be processed, so you'll be losing your money if you try. Use AARP50 for orders of 9 or more copies, and you'll secure front row display.
Many authors will be present, so there will also be live book signings going on. You can choose to participate from a distance. You have the option to submit signed copies of your book. In the Ordering Instructions box write "Book signing" if you also want your books to participate in our virtual book signing, and return your signed copies asap so that we can ship them to Florida in time. Only copies purchased under the AARP coupons qualify.
Offer expires Monday night.
We'll see your book at the AARP in Orlando next month!
--PublishAmerica Author Support Team
Joel, this is just one more in a lengthy series of special offers that have all required that the authors buy x copies of their own book. Others have included sending your book to Random House, sending your book to the New York Times Book Review, sending your book to Tom Hanks, sending your book to Wal*Mart, sending your book to Oprah, getting an autographed copy of a Nora Roberts novel, and so endlessly on.
The poor n00bs who've gone with PublishAmerica seem to think that this is all Standard Publishing Practice, and a Really Good Deal for them.
The author needs to order copies from PublishAmerica because that's how PublishAmerica makes its money: By selling overpriced copies of their own books back to their authors.
I'm certain in my heart that what's going on is that those authors who take the bait will have the digital files of their books uploaded to the PubIt! program that B&N is kicking off.
Today's offer:
Dear author:
Follow-up for those of you who couldn't or wouldn't activate their Barnes and Noble e-book yesterday. There is now also a low-barrier activation.
Remember, after we talked to Barnes and Noble director Marcella Smith who was all excited, in her own words: "about the progress we're making on getting access through [wholesaler] Baker and Taylor to the PublishAmerica titles for our [Barnes and Noble's] customers", this was the big news:
They want your book and make it available as a Barnes and Noble e-book this summer.
Barnes and Noble actively carries its e-books not only online but in each of their many hundreds of bookstores. What this means is that your e-book will be stocked and immediately available in every single Barnes and Noble store. PublishAmerica has said that it is willing to partner with them on e-books as long as they charge no fee.
Here's the low-barrier option: go to www.publishamerica.net, find your softcover, use this discount coupon: EBarnes25. Minimum order volume is only 2 copies. Use the coupon on your softcover only. All non-softcover orders under any EBarnes coupon will not be processed, so you'll be losing your money if you try.
The EBarnes40 coupon remains valid also. It gives you the better discount, and priority conversion as soon as Barnes and Noble opens their fee-free program this summer; minimum volume is 4 copies.
We'll see you in a Barnes and Noble store near you!
--PublishAmerica Author Support Team
Just in case our friends at Barnes & Noble didn't know, PublishAmerica has been pretty free in throwing their name around:
03AUG10:
Dear author:
Barnes and Noble just called in this morning to stock multiple copies of multiple book titles.
If you want your book considered for stocking by Barnes and Noble, we will let those responsible for the purchase order know.
Softcovers only.
Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your softcover, use this discount coupon: B&N55, which gives you a discount that our industry typically reserves for bookstores only: 55 pct. Must order at least 4 copies. Use the coupon on your softcover only. All non-softcover orders under this coupon will not be processed, so you'd be wasting your money if you tried.
Your use of the B&N55 coupon will automatically cause your book to be recommended for stocking.
Thank you!
--PublishAmerica Bookstore
11AUG10:
Dear author:
The news from Barnes and Noble is getting better and better. We just got off the phone with a director in their headquarters.
Now they want your book and make it available as a Barnes and Noble e-book this summer.
Here's the beauty of Barnes and Noble: they don't just passively put an e-book on the internet. They actively carry it in each of their many bookstores. What this means is that your e-book will be stocked and immediately available in every single Barnes and Noble store.
They are totally relying for their future profitability on e-book related sales. Barnes and Noble has invested enormous amounts in upgrading its digital world, and they report top sales for their Nook e-reader. If you have visited a Barnes and Noble store lately, you must have seen their Nook corner. PublishAmerica is willing to partner with them on e-books as long as they charge no fee.
Do you want your book made available as a Barnes and Noble e-book, both online and in their bookstores? Barnes and Noble will carry your book in all of their many hundreds of superstores.
To qualify, go to www.publishamerica.net, find your softcover, use this discount coupon: EBarnes40 . Minimum order volume is 4 copies. Use the coupon on your softcover only. All non-softcover orders under the EBarnes40 coupon will not be processed, so you'll be losing your money if you try.
We'll see you in a Barnes and Noble store near you!
--PublishAmerica Author Support Team
Note: That 4 copies of the "softcover" (as opposed to the "PAperback" (sic)) can run $120 and up.
But, unless I'm mistaken, this proposed Islamic center/mosque isn't at the WTC site.
It's two blocks away which is, in NYC terms, a Long Friggin' Way.
CNN:
Finalist dies at world sauna championships
A competitor has died and another is in hospital following a tragic end to the World Sauna Championships in southern Finland.
Russian Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy died Saturday after taking part in the final of a competition in which contestants are required to withstand rising temperatures for as long as possible.
False starts unpublished.
Two minute cutoff?
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
Chances are you don't understand the situation.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 324 |
| 2009 | 817 |
| 2008 | 761 |
| 2007 | 1084 |
| 2006 | 780 |
| 2005 | 658 |
| 2004 | 338 |
| 2003 | 381 |
| 2002 | 75 |
Total: 5218 comments. View all these comments on a single page. (May take a frightfully long time to load.)
The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by James Macdonald:
Show all comments by James Macdonald.