Jan 22 2010
Friday Midday Links: Publishing Haiti Relief Efforts
Bloomsbury decided to change the cover of Magic Under Glass after intense criticism of the cover arose around the web.
“Bloomsbury is ceasing to supply copies of the US edition of Magic Under Glass. The jacket design has caused offense and we apologize for our mistake. Copies of the book with a new jacket design will be available shortly.”
Keishon is running her To Be Read Challenge for 2010. Next month is virgin heroes. I’m going to have to do an “If You Like” post for that so we can get some ideas of what to read for that challenge.
Drive Thru RPG is offering access to over $1000 worth of RPG titles if you donate $20. The money will go to Doctors Without Borders. See this great Boing Boing piece on the Doctors Without Borders inflatable hospitals.
Ann Somerville is selling two of her books to raise money for the Haitian relief effort. Links here:
Susan Helene Gottfried says that any royalties earned on her books from now until January 31 will be donated to Haiti.
Crossed Genres is hosting free fiction for Haiti.
Wired did a more comprehensive look at ebook readers than I did last Sunday. You might want to take a look.
Kobo has announced its ebook reading platform and bookstore will be available on all mobile platforms shortly.
With applications in development for Windows 7, Android and additional operating systems, Kobo, Inc. today announced that the service will be available for various tablet and slate computers in February 2010. Kobo (www.kobobooks.com) is a global eReading service that offers mobile applications on the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Palm Pre, as well as support for netbooks and dedicated eReaders, like the Sony eReader. Kobo's selection of popular books includes more than two million titles with content from major publishers including Random House, Harper Collins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, Penguin and Harlequin.
BISG has released press releases about its new study of ebook readers and their habits. For example, the study noted that 30% of ebook readers would wait three months for an ebook release of their favorite author and 20% of ebook readers stop buying print within 12 months of adopting ebook reader. Richard Curtis says the 30% number signals a confirmation of publishers’ decisions to delay ebooks. I think it only signals that consumer buying behavior for a select few authors can be manipulated. Computers remain the primary ebook reader of choice. It’s interesting and I wish I had an extra thousand of dollars or two laying around. Maybe it’s a study I can request through the college library.
Harlequin is leaving no digital reading venue untouched (like a Regency rake!). It has partnered to provide 33 novels on the Nintendo DS platform in Japan. I think some of the books are manga although I’m not entirely sure. Here’s a couple of links that talk about the deal. It’s more than a port of just text to the digital platform. Harlequin has added features like a content relation chart of characters. Sounds like something I need in a Liz Carlyle book.
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Jan 22, 2010 @ 11:04:52
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Jan 22, 2010 @ 12:40:00
Whoa! I never expected a shout-out here. Thanks, ladies! Two authors have joined me in this effort: Progressive author Sue Lange and romance’s Wylie Kinson. Details at the Meet and Greet (also known as my blog).
Jan 22, 2010 @ 13:12:53
Jamie!
*crickets*
Jan 22, 2010 @ 13:32:15
I am doing the TBR challenge this year, and I was so sure I didn’t have a virginal hero in my TBR pile, but lo, I had glommed Kathleen O’Reilly, and happen to have Touched by Fire on my Kindle.
Jan 22, 2010 @ 14:40:06
I have an early, early historical romance for next month’s theme.
Jan 22, 2010 @ 14:56:44
If you haven’t read it, I really recommend Patricia Gaffney’s Wild at Heart. Wonderful virgin hero.
Laura Kinsale’s The Shadow and the Star, one of my favorite romances ever, also has a hero who is a virgin (though he was sexually abused as a young child).
Jan 22, 2010 @ 16:43:10
Another virgin hero suggestion: Caressed by Ice by Nalini Singh. Just finished it and really enjoyed it.
Jan 22, 2010 @ 18:48:42
Here’s a sampling of science fiction romance books featuring virgin heroes:
Beyond The Rain by Jess Granger
How to Lose an Extraterrestrial in 10 Days by Susan Grant
“My One†in Lovescape by Dara Joy
Ritual of Proof by Dara Joy
Parallel Heat by Deidre Knight
Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair
Shadow Fires by Catherine Spangler
Sam's World by Ann Williams
Jan 22, 2010 @ 19:20:45
I looked up “Magic Under Glass” on GoodReads, but I don’t see what’s wrong with the cover. Anyone want to fill me in?
Jan 22, 2010 @ 21:30:16
@Jessica G.
The issue with “Magic Under Glass” was that the main character in the book is a person of colour. If you look at the cover however, that is not who is shown. It’s similar to the other Bloomsbury book issue “Liar” where again, main character was black and the publishing company had a misleading cover.
The link posted above goes into it more.
Jan 22, 2010 @ 22:01:07
@Jessica G.:
Jessica, I own the book “Magic Under Glass.” The cover art is quite beautiful, depicting a woman of indeterminate ethnicity.
I’ve started reading the book (YA fantasy) and the book describes Nimira, the protagonist, as having “dark” coloring, “brown” skin, and a “golden glow.”
I don’t see the discrepancy since the woman on the cover looks “golden brown” to me, but evidently her skin is not “dark” enough to suit some readers.
Jan 23, 2010 @ 09:29:43
Hi Jessica,
There’s a story on this in the UK Guardian:
“Bloomsbury USA’s decision to feature a white girl on the cover of Jaclyn Dolamore’s debut novel Magic Under Glass, which stars a dark-skinned heroine, has sparked controversy across the internet and accusations of “white-washing”, just five months after the same publisher was forced to back down over a similar controversy.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/21/bloomsbury-race-row-book-cover
Jan 23, 2010 @ 13:41:55
From the article provided in Post No. 11:
Based upon this information, it is fair to say that, while the cover model featured on the original cover art does not exactly match the heroine’s hair coloring, the model is still a reasonable approximation of how some people indigneous to the regions cited by the author might look.
As Freud says, “Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.”
Jan 24, 2010 @ 06:33:10
The Book Smugglers have a picture drawn by the author in this summing up of the events, showing what the author thought her heroine looked like.
http://thebooksmugglers.com/2010/01/smugglers-stash-news-8.html
I’d say that is darker skinnned than the US cover heroine. I actually think the UK cover is cuter, anyway, even though they circumvent the whole issue by making the characters appear in shadow.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Nq47tHupL._SS500_.jpg
Jan 24, 2010 @ 15:03:34
@Estara:
Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. I honesty do not see a glaring difference in the U.S. cover model’s complexion and this drawing. Hair color is different, but I’d say the cover model’s coloring is comparable to the author’s drawing.
Just FYI, I purchased the book. For some reason, the cover is darker in RL than appears on screen.
Is the cover model an exact likeness? No. Does the cover model represent a credible example of this description:
Jan 24, 2010 @ 15:08:36
The issue of the cover was clearly covered in this thread. Any further comments on the subject will be deleted.
Jan 24, 2010 @ 15:34:47
I second Wild at Heart, Patricia Gaffney, for a wonderful story with a virgin hero. Love love loved it.
Jan 24, 2010 @ 20:11:39
Three more virgin heroes altho how could any of them be unread :)
1. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
2. Forbidden (Jo Beverley)
3. Gentle Conquest (Mary Balogh)
… I’m picking Door B for the next TBR challenge, heroes in pursuit: Marrying Stone by Pamela Morsi.