Comments on: Hot Books for Fall: Spotlight on Berkley by Editor Cindy Hwang

By: Patricia A.

Patricia A. — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 18:41:27 +0000

Cindy: Sorry to be late at the thread. It’s baseball playoff time–LOL.

I’m a huge fan of Kathryn Shay’s books. Her “Someone To Believe In” (for your company) is one of my alltime favorite books, & I’ve read it repeatedly. I love how Kathryn uses her past experience, as a teacher of adolescents, in her stories, & I’ve never read a book of hers that I haven’t learned something, as well as been extremely entertained, & touched. I find her writing to be very consistent, & I am always waiting impatiently for her next to be published. I’m really looking forward to renewing acquaintenances with Clay & Bailey in her upcoming O’Neal family story.

By: Cathie Linz

Cathie Linz — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:27:32 +0000

Someone told me that my editor Cindy had mentioned my book BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY (out now) here so I stopped by to say hi. Read the note about the woman’s legs on the cover and just wanted to note that my heroine Leena is a size 16 when the book begins and she’s a size 16 when the book ends (no shrinking down to a size 6). I was inspired to write this book by the Dove beauty campaign’s first commercial in the Superbowl in 2006 – where every girl (and woman) should feel she’s beautiful. Women come in all shapes and sizes. In doing my research I found that October is Love Your Body month intended to help women get a positive body image. All the best, Cathie Linz

By: TeddyPig

TeddyPig — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 04:30:08 +0000

HAH! Thanks Miki,

$9.99 for an eBook with stupid DRM. Are you high? Did your parents beat you as a small child? They might as well fold the website right now.

Eminent eFailure! Way to go Penguin!

By: Miki

Miki — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 04:07:32 +0000

Jeez, Jane! You had someone from Penguin on the hook? Why didn’t you ask her about the ebook pricing??

Like LinM, I’m doing my own personal boycott of Penguin’s books – but only those that are overpriced as ebooks. Many of the books you listed as new fall releases are priced as $9.99 ebooks, but $7.99 print books.

So, even if I want them, I’m picking them up at the library. I’m trying very hard not to buy more print books, or I’d just buy the paper. But that seems counterproductive to trying to support the ebook business.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 21:59:51 +0000

Claudia, are you talking about the cover? Well, weirdly enough, I am a “plus sized” girl and my legs pretty much look like that (mine are slightly larger, but my mom, who is the same size as me, has legs exactly like the cover). My butt and legs are not “plus sized”; it’s my top half that is! LOL So, it does happen :)

By: Claudia

Claudia — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:59:15 +0000

I see the Big Girls link has been fixed, but the “plus sized” cover model looks like a US size 6 or 4. LOL Too many good looking reads and I haven’t even looked at the October RT yet.

By: Li

Li — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:44:05 +0000

Thanks for the spotlight – Jane Austen’s “Emma” is one of my favourite books ever, and I probably wouldn’t have seen “Mr Knightley’s Diary” otherwise! It’s going on my wishlist now.

By: Ann Aguirre

Ann Aguirre — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:58:56 +0000

Sequel to Pillars of the Earth? I am so there. That’s one of my favorite books of all time. *dreamy sigh*

By: TeddyPig

TeddyPig — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 17:04:38 +0000

LinM,

Do what I do, I buy the particular author but do not promote the eBook in public.
I support the author.

How could any company be so narrow minded with a lock step business model with DRMs so proprietary that they will only ever get a small portion of the market? Especially when it leaves them vulnerable to market shifts with a highly possible wide consumer acceptance of a specific eBook reader that could take their customer base out?

Remember Sony Beta? Yeah, that worked well didn’t it?

By: LinM

LinM — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:43:45 +0000

Damn, damn, damn. I’m boycotting Penguin Group books until after Christmas because of their ebook policies. Not just the pricing policy that Jane pointed out but also the maddening inconsistencies: books available in only one DRM format; series that are only partially available in digital format, they start, stop, and restart at random; upcoming book announcements that can’t be trusted to identify whether or not a digital format will be available.

I realize that a boycott by only one person does not affect Penguin in any way but for me it is a reminder that there will come a time when ebooks are all that I can read. So the boycott interferes with the books I can read now; it also figures in my book conversations with friends, colleagues and family. I feel like a broken record but I read the list of upcoming books from the Penguin Group with sadness not anticipation.

By: Claudia

Claudia — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:01:03 +0000

FYI, the Big Girls Don’t Cry link points to an old anthology with the same name.

By: Tracy

Tracy — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:45:30 +0000

The cover for TEXAS PRINCESS is hot!!

I’m looking forward to Cathie Linz’s BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY. A plus-size heroine~whoooooot!!

By: Jennifer McKenzie

Jennifer McKenzie — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:56:05 +0000

*Sigh* My dream publisher! Thanks for this.
It also increased my TBR list AND a new Nora coming out in December. I can’t wait.

By: Shannon Stacey

Shannon Stacey — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:04:33 +0000

Down and Dirty , Sandra Hill (Nov) Nobody writes funny and sexy quite like Sandra Hill, and DOWN AND DIRTY is the next book in her bestselling Viking Navy SEAL series

Not only did my To Be Bought list just grow to budgest-stretching limits, but the project I have currently knocking on doors now needs a new title. *sob*

I’m practically salivating for the Blood Brothers trilogy!