The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Xopher:

Show all comments by Xopher.

Posted on entry The "agency model" as I understand it ::: February 09, 2010, 12:18 PM:
But when it comes down to it, a book that we know will sell a large number of copies will be published no matter what the quality.

Even if the imprint's reputation will suffer as a result? Is that sort of thing at least weighed in the process of deciding whether to publish something?

If not, I'll be sending in my manuscript for Teenage Vampire Superheroes at the Winter Olympics sometime next week!
Posted on entry PSA, part 2 ::: February 09, 2010, 12:04 PM:
Sooooo...Patrick. ARE you declaring an email DMZ/Amnesty/Bankruptcy/Singularity? Want to remail you something if so, but don't want to pile lead on a drowning man if not.

Post-Scarcity Anarchy
Post-Singularity Attitude
Poly-Specific Association
Posted on entry The "agency model" as I understand it ::: February 09, 2010, 11:13 AM:
Tor rejects books for perceived commercial worth, not quality.

How about "Tor sometimes rejects books for perceived commercial worth, rather than quality."? I don't think you meant to imply that Tor never rejects books for lack of quality. Do you think they'd publish a book if it were absolute garbage but would sell?
Posted on entry Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada ::: February 08, 2010, 06:30 PM:
Ah, I didn't scroll down far enough. I find some of the words a little hard to make out in the video, so I have to count up or down from the last one I can discern.

Also, the cute guy in bed with Muppets is credited as "Team Genius," which I doubt is his actual name. From the TG site I think he's Todd Michael Rogers.
Posted on entry Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada ::: February 08, 2010, 04:47 PM:
Who's the cutie in bed with the Muppets?
Posted on entry Boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada boomdeyada ::: February 07, 2010, 10:19 PM:
I love this!

You think Munroe has noticed this yet?
Posted on entry The "agency model" as I understand it ::: February 07, 2010, 09:04 PM:
Oh, come on, Avram. You know that those magazines are, or at least were when I was a kid, called "comic books" by the kids who bought and read them.

That doesn't really undercut your point about the difference between the "Legion of Super Heroes" comics I bought when I was a kid and the modern graphic novel, which point I agree with.
Posted on entry Open thread 135 ::: February 07, 2010, 07:46 PM:
Wow. Just saw this video. Sarah Palin reading cheatnotes off her palm at a convention of morons teabaggers.
Posted on entry The "agency model" as I understand it ::: February 06, 2010, 10:54 PM:
heresiarch 205:

Here's a start, though they admit there are others they're not talking about.
Posted on entry PSA, part 2 ::: February 06, 2010, 07:05 PM:
Wow, I'm glad the drugs are working. I had no idea you were still sick.
Posted on entry "No one goes around suggesting that everyone should become their own autonomous cheesemakers and cheering the death of the cheese industry. Why? Because that would result in a lot of shitty cheese." ::: February 05, 2010, 11:29 PM:
Avram, there would be some great cheese if everyone made their own, but a lot of it would be shitty.

There are some great self-published books out there, but a lot of them are very shitty cheese indeed. Yes, there are shitty-cheese traditionally-published books too, but I'd bet there are fewer of those. (Willing to be persuaded otherwise.)
Posted on entry Open thread 135 ::: February 05, 2010, 07:24 PM:
I love it when right-wing loonies go after each other.
Posted on entry A music exec's take on the Macmillan/Amazon throwdown ::: February 05, 2010, 01:13 PM:
To elaborate, you don't sell things at a profit in order to sell more of a different thing at a loss. It's the other way around.
Posted on entry A music exec's take on the Macmillan/Amazon throwdown ::: February 05, 2010, 01:11 PM:
Mike, the Kindle is overpriced and a profitable item for Amazon. The ebooks are loss leaders. Your theory is refuted by these two facts.
Posted on entry A music exec's take on the Macmillan/Amazon throwdown ::: February 05, 2010, 12:52 PM:
Amazon would like to take a thin-to-negative margin, for whatever reason. (Possible reasons include: 1) driving the competition out of business, 2) ensuring that e-books are cheap enough that people don't decide that piracy is a better option, 3) the belief that they can push down their wholesale costs in the long term and get the better sales volume caused by low prices plus better margins.)

Why are you ignoring the obvious reason? They want to sell lots of Kindles, and below-cost pricing on ebooks will help them do that. I'm not sure how you could have missed that.
Posted on entry Open thread 135 ::: February 04, 2010, 06:06 PM:
Serge, I hate to break it to you...


ONLY KIDDING! HONEST! DON'T KILL ME!
Posted on entry Intelligence in, intelligence out ::: February 04, 2010, 04:44 PM:
"Hey, girlfriend, how you doin' today?" "I got PMS and a rifle, boyfriend, life is good."

This exchange is beyond price, and so are you!

As a Scawwy Bad Unit-Disruptative Homosexical, I do have to admit I've had my fantasies about Special Forces guys. Never, ever, about the kind of testosterone-poisoned thug-freaks who work for Blackwater, the type we used to call 'gorillas' until we all learned that real gorillas would set a good example of patient restraint to the average human male.
Posted on entry Open thread 135 ::: February 04, 2010, 04:35 PM:
I do not agree with the Mysteries Should Have Extra Syllables line of liturgical reasoning.

It's worse than that. It's a Big Words Are Incomprehensible line of reasoning. What a frakking moron.

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