New year, new updates!

Hi Everyone!

I'm still around, but behind on both this blog and my youtube channel. The usual excuses such as life, university demands and sickness getting in the way.

My resolutions this year don't revolve quite so strongly around this blog, but are more focused on doing the things that make me happy, whatever those happen to be.

At the moment, there are a few things that make me unhappy, such as May, Brexit and Trump. These made me unhappy last year too, so we know  am consistent in my politics, whether you agree with them or not. One of the reasons why these people/events make me unhappy, is because of the lack of accurate information out there. Now, I can't 'prove' to everyone that certain newspapers *cough daily fail cough* have a stronger bias than others that I would consider more trust worthy, but the simple fact that people are not asking the right questions, or don't even consider the need to ask the right questions, made me realise a major problem, and that is education, or lack of it. For adults, or teens, the best source of free education is and always has been the library. where somebody can read books written by smart and honest political minds (an honest politician? sounds like a joke, doesn't it, but they do exist) and take that information and make an informed decision for themselves.

Libraries are still closing. More and more are being turned into volunteer led, satellite libraries, where there are no professional staff, and volunteers do gossip, which is a dangerous thing. Gossip can put people off seeking out the help they need in private. Gossip can ruin lives and ruin the enjoyment of reading. "That man takes out kids books, but I've never seen him with a kid, so he must be a pervert." (reality could be a sick child at home, or the man struggles to read and is trying to help himself) "that woman always dresses in black, she takes out the porno books, she must be a freak" (reality is the woman enjoys erotica, which is fine not 'freaky'.) I could go on with examples, but you get the picture. This is the harm a badly placed volunteer can do.

So what can be done about this?

For the average person: Campaign to save your libraries. join some libraries. visit them. use the computer. borrow some books on your kindle, because you can do that and won't have to worry about remembering to return them. show your libraries some love. 

However, despite being average, I am also a library student. Libraries are my future. So I know that if I want the things I am unhappy about to change, then I have to do more than I already am doing. I have to use my voice more, push a little harder, fight more.

Next month I'll be attending Speak up for libraries conference in London. I am hopeful that attending will help me to build up an arsenal to use to do this. Who is with me?

Happy (Belated) New Year

Pamela 

NaNoWriMo week 1 - pep talk 2016

This is my 3rd year doing NaNoWriMo. I've talked about it in the past on this blog and on Puffybooks (youtube channel) and one part of it I've had mixed feelings on, is the pep talks. The pep talks are meant to lift you up, to inspire you or if you're in a slump, shake you out of it. Last year I wrote a pep talk that was quite well recieved within my region, but this year I've not been able to do the same again as they (in therory) have their pep talks lined up ready to go. So I'm sharing mine for week one here, and I hope that if you are taking part in NaNoWriMo (or another writing challenge) that you find it inspiring. Politics note: I don't like trump, but that does not mean I'm team hilary either.

- - - - - -

The world, like the early days of each new NaNo project is a scary place. It seems to get worse every day (that's for both the news and delayed writing) but us NaNo'ers have something that others don't have: Sanctuary in writing.
for a moment, forget about the new goverment cuts to benefits that Theresa May has brought in, forget that America is at risk of electing Donald Trump, pause on mourning for those innocents we've lost recently, (even though it's hard because you're thinking about Raina, who was killed for being a transgender woman, or Renee who was killed for being a native american woman with depression, or the others whose deaths still count but didn't make the news)

Take a deep breath and let your words do the talking, drag those fears out across the page and send them on a flying dump over fictional mountains. Or, if you can't focus on the finer details, let your rage fuel your plot points. Write about the corrupt protectors/leaders. Write charcaters that should be innocent or neutral because of their station but are really very dangerous. Tell that inner critic, that annoying bug who sits on your shoulder telling you that you're not good enough, that this story isn't going to be as good as your previous efforts, tell it to buzz off. lock it in a box and don't open it until after new years.

Channel your inner Hamilton, write like there's no tomorrow. write like you're running out of time.
The world is a scary place. Living can be a constant battle. Yesterday we gathered our troops, we picked up our swords, our guns (our pens) Today we go to war. Today we fight with our words. And fight tomorrow. and tommorrow, and tomorrow. Until the war is over, the battle has been won. The novel is complete. And you never know, your words may give strength to others. Your words might save a life.

The pen is mightier than the sword. And ours shall cut deep. 
Good luck and Strike True.
Pamela xx
[pamela-kitten]

Dewey's 24hr readathon - getting ready

Hey everyone!

It's been a while, but I'm still around!

I'm doing the Dewey's 24hr readathon on Oct 22nd.... yup, that is 24hrs of doing nothing but reading (well, I get to eat and go loo of course) dewey's readathon is a global event held twice a year in memory of Dewey, the wonderful woman and blogger who started it. Now, I'm looking for cheerleaders! No you don't have to wear a uniform or recite the cheers from Bring it on (unless you really want to!) for me, that means sending words of encouragement or sharing my posts via twitter or instagram, or my blog or youtube channel at some point during the 24 hours. sound good?

my links: twitter: @puffybooks Instagram: @puffy_books blog: bookshany.blogspot.co.uk Youtube: search 'puffybooks' and of course the hashtag for all of this is #readathon
Thank You and wish me luck!

...and if any of you reading this are doing the readathon too, feel free to help yourself to the banner and button below for your own use.

Pokemon Go! Book tag

for those not familiar with 'Book Tags', a book Tag is a bit like a questionnaire with themes.

This is an original tag, meaning that I made it all up!
 (NB. video that accompanies this article is still in editing)

Pokémon Go Book Tag 

Just like Pokémon go features the original 151 Pokémon, we’re going back to the beginning! 

11.       Pikachu – what was the first book series you remember collecting?

22.       Bulbasaur – favourite made-up creature in a book?

33.       Charmander – favourite book where fire is present or important as a metaphor?

44.       Squirtle – the last book that made you cry?

55.       Pidgey – a book that got away (you lost or was never returned)

66.       Jigglypuff – favourite romantic/chick lit book or book with pink on the cover?

77.       Poliwag – a book you didn’t think you would enjoy, but surprised you?

88.       Golem – a book that scared you as a child?

99.       Slowpoke – which book did you feel like would never end but you really wanted to finish?

110.   Hypno – what was the last book that made you feel really bored or sleepy?

111.   Krabby – has a book ever made you angry? And if so, which one?

112.   Koffing – best death scene in a book?

113.   Togepi – a rare or hard to find book you wished you owned, but don’t?

114.   Eevee – the sweetest / cutest story you have ever read?

115.   Mewtwo – which standalone made you wish for a sequel?

Bonus Questions –

116.   Team Rocket – best phrase said by or used to refer to a villain?

117.   Team Instinct (yellow, Zapdos bird) – favourite team or group in a novel or series?

118.   Team Mystic (blue, Articuno bird) – favourite book that has magic in it?

119.   Team Valor (red, Moltres bird) – what series do you wish could be resurrected and continued on for one more title? 

220.   Gotta Catch ‘em all – which book are you most eagerly anticipating in the next year or so?

My answers

11.       First series brought for me was Beatrix potter, followed later on by chronicles of Narnia, but first I remember actively seeking out was goosebumps.

22.       Mr Tumnus, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Mr Tumnus is intended to be a pan like creature, a satyr, half man and half goat. We share a fondness for tea.

33.       Catching fire, Suzanne Collins, the hunger games. If you’ve read the book, this needs no explanation.

44.       The serpent king by jeff zentner …. Oh Travis, I still miss you and your staff that went everywhere with you.

55.       I thought I had lost my copy of the bloody chamber by angela carter, which of course was the basis for the film ‘the company of wolves’. So I brought the penguin 75^th anniversary edition, which is beautiful. Hurrah!

66.       Where have all the boys gone? By Jenny Colgan. This book reminded me that love can pop up in unexpected places. And Ewan McGreggor has a small cameo in it. He is absolutely gorgeous in his cameo, of course.

77.       Cabal by Clive Barker – I enjoyed the film, nightbreed, and knew the book would be the complete opposite of that, which it was in many ways, but still enjoyed it just as much.

88.       The exorcist by Peter S. Blatty – I remember finding a copy of it in a supermarket when I was much, much, younger, and reading the synopsis along with the opening chapter very quickly before my mum noticed what I was looking at… it really creeped me out!

99.       Breaking dawn by Stephanie Meyer. I did finish it, but it took quite a while, the middle of the book was so dull and kind of pointless to me that it could have been cut out, and the remainder would have still been a decent book for fans of the twilight saga.

110.   Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides. I started it, I wanted to like it as I loved the virgin suicides, but I found myself bored very quickly, probably because incest as plot point has been done before (very common within Virginia Andrews’ books) but one day I will try again with it, just in case I wasn’t in the right mood for it, as it is rather a thick book.

111.   Can’t recall a book ever making me angry at the story itself. Angry on behalf of a character, the last time that happened would have been with The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner.

112.   The original ending of The little mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson. Go read it, it’s not a patch on what we know and love as the Disney story. Although Ursula made a much stronger villain than the sea witch in the original tale.

113.   The last unicorn & other stories by Peter S. Beagle. I have both the USA and UK dvds (there are differences), the graphic novel, a tattoo of the last unicorn herself, but have never obtained the book.

114.   Toss-up between Saddlebottom by dick king smith or the hen who dreamed she could fly by Sun-Mi Hwang. Both stories feature animals overcoming a challenge or obstacle and making their way towards attaining their dreams.

115.   It’s gotta be The Serpent King, I’d have loved to have seen Lydia and Dill several years later, to see how their careers have panned out.

116.   “He who shall not be named” – Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. This phrase is said numerous times throughout the books in reference to Lord Voldemort.

117.   I’m in Hufflepuff house, and proud of it, Hufflepuff pride! It has to be the houses in harry potter.

118.   The worst witch by Jill Murphy, multiple spells cast by Mildred Hubble always back fire in humorous ways, and is treated in a light hearted manner in the books.

119.   Grave (Harper Connelly series) by Charlaine Harris. I loved Harper’s quiet, serious nature and the way her relationship with her step brother (no physical relation) and would have liked a final visit with them.

220.   The 3^rd and final title in the sin eater’s daughter trilogy by Melinda Salisbury. I loved the first two books, and I know from following Melinda on twitter (and having met her in person) that the final book is well under way as a draft was submitted earlier this summer, and the cover art has been produced by the same artist who worked on her previous book covers, so now I am waiting for a release date!   

ARCs and the ethics of what people do with them

This script is a sister piece to a video currently being produced for my youtube channel, known as PuffyBooks. It is being published here in its entirety for those who may require closed captions on my video, or having difficulty due to language barriers.

Hi, I’m Pamela, and welcome to puffybooks.

Today, I want to bring to you a discussion video about the ethics of ARCs and what people do with them.  An Advance Reader Copy, or ARC is a final or penultimate draft version of a book that is printed and bound, at an approximate cost of $6 per book. These are then sent out to bloggers and reviewers in the media and retail/library environments, so that bookshops and libraries can decide if they want to stock the book, and so that reviewers can read and prepare a review of the book prior to final publication, with the intention of publishing that review in time for the book’s release date.  If you’d like a little more information on the actual time line between submission, ARC and final release, Ava Jae of Bookish Pixie has made a video called ‘don’t be a (book) pirate on this topic, which I will put the link for in the description box below.

On Friday morning, it was brought to my attention that an individual had obtained a copy/ARC of New World Rising by Jennifer Wilson, and had uploaded the book to the smashwords website using the original cover art of the book as well. This was most likely done with an e-book ARC, under an assumed pen-name and was being sold for $10 a pop. In this instance, copyright infringement has occurred. Jennifer has since been successful at having the book pulled from the smashwords website, but is still upset that a betrayal of trust has occurred.

In this instance, a crime has occurred, but what of the instances of where no money has exchanged hands or profit from single sale has occurred. 

The sale of ARCs, despite the fact they carry the disclaimer ‘not for sale’ on the cover is not a relatively new issue, but has become more common with the increase in popularity of book events and the rise of ebay and online sales. During my research for this video, I found references to ARCs by popular authors such as Anne Rice being sold for hundreds of pounds. Anne herself and her publishing team won’t have benefited from this sale of her ARC, and as she is a well established and financially secure author, who may well have received an advance for her manuscript, it could easily be argued from the viewpoint of the person selling the ARC that this will not hurt her. I personally disagree with this viewpoint on principle. But what of the authors who are newer? The ones who are still working another job to help support themselves as authors? In this instance, the person selling the ARC will have profited from the author’s hard work before the author themselves has received a single penny from their work. There has been in increase of this in recent years, in some instances ARCs obtained at industry events such as BEA are appearing up for sale on ebay before the plane has landed.  One reason for this that I have come across is that profit made from the selling of ARCs could finance the trip/cost of attendance.

Another example of where an individual’s actions regarding an ARC could potentially result in a huge financial and emotional loss for the author is the sharing of e-book ARCs via torrent websites. In this instance, the person sharing the e-book ARC won’t have gained financially through this as no money has exchanged hands, however as they have now made the book available for download for free, resulting in a huge loss of sales because who is going to buy a book that they can have for free? This results in a betrayal of trust between the author and reviewers, and a loss of money for both the author and the publishing house.

It can easily be argued that once a printed ARC, as a physical object, is in the hands of another person, it becomes their property to do with as they see fit. In most cases, no contract concerning the ARC has been signed, the ARC has been received and is now the property of the reviewer. For most authors, the sale of ARCs after the final finished book has been published does no real harm, the book has now been published, they have received some money for their work, and the ARC itself is rendered useless, becoming a collector’s item of sorts, of which their real fans may be interested in if they wish to own different versions of the books in their own collections.

It is the sale of ARCs and sharing of e-book ARCs via torrent websites prior to publishing that to me, as a booktuber, is an ethical issue, because not only are the authors I know and love the work of are being hurt both emotionally and financially by this, their trust in the individuals who request ARCs is also being gradually damaged over time.

At present, in order to receive a printed ARC from an established publishing house, or an e-book ARC from a net galley or from the author themselves in the case of indie/self-published books, certain requirements must be met, such as subscriber count, age of channel and social media presence. The standard is currently around 10,000 subscribers or more, and blogs/channels need to be ideally over a year old to prove how serious the reviewer/booktuber is. What I predict may happen in the future is that the requirements will increase, which will make it harder for smaller channels to build up unique content, and for the larger more established booktubers, the level of trust between them, the authors and publishing houses will have been damaged as well, because the relationship currently held now will be changed.

I do not know what can be done to help protect authors other than making a personal pledge to never buy or sell an ARC prior final release and to never download an illegally shared e-book, and to ask others to make this same pledge with me.

Thank you for watching.   

Ava Jae of BookishPixie's video "how not to be a (book) pirate" -
https://youtu.be/1Q7mS0Rn-Qo  

other articles of interest: 
From a blogger's perspective:

https://thebooktrovert.com/2016/05/16/the-great-arc-theft-of-2016/    
From an author's perspective:

http://scottsigler.com/2013/11/27/turds-in-the-publishing-punch-bowl/