Scrivener Scribbles

A book blog, what I like, what I think other people will like, my (hopefully) interactive exploration into the new, the old, re-reads of my faves and not-so faves. What others (comments, New York Times Bestseller lists, suggestions from B&N, etc.) believe I'll like, and maybe some stuff I won't. Let's go read some books!

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Can I Say WOW!!!! *mind blown*

So I finally read (and am now posting on) John Green's Looking for Alaska!!!  From the moment I started reading I was sucked into the novel. I didn't just want, I needed to know more about Miles (the narrator and the whole reason we end up at Culver Creek). I needed to know more about his search for his Great Perhaps and his slightly morbid obsession with last words, but hey, I guess everyone needs a hobby.

I'm still amazed at the detail each character is given, Pudge (a.k.a. our narrator), The Colonel, Takumi, and of course, Alaska Young. Their complexities and quirks drew me in and I felt that I too was attending Culver Creek, sitting up with my friends, sweating and sneaking out for an adventure, looking for my own Great Perhaps.

The structure of the book kind of reminded me of a diary, as each section of text contained a heading set up with some sort of time reference like "forty-seven days before" "three days before" "two days after." Before? Before what? I could only guess. Then IT happened. One night, after some drinking and some questionable choices, Alaska wakes distraught. The Colonel and Pudge (and later Takumi, as we find out) let Alaska go. She's in one of her "Alaska" moods, its Alaska, its OK  we don't hold Alaska back. But she shouldn't have gone and her friends shouldn't have let her go. She is killed on the highway. The heading take on a new form. We know the before event, and of course, we now know why the headings change to 'after.' How did I not see this coming!?!?!?!?! Alaska just seemed so alive, it never occurred to me to anticipate her death.

The rest of the novel (as her death was by no means the end) continues to follow Pudge and his remaining group of friends as they try to understand why Alaska left, where she was headed in the middle of the night, if her death was a accident or a suicide, and grapple with why they let her go. Through Pudge's and The Colonel's search for the truth, we see the different forms of grief and how each character copes with the loss of the vibrancy of Alaska.

There are so many facets to each character and their role within the book that you wonder how Mr. Green could contain each within the same story, yet they all fit. No one seems out of place, no one seems unnecessary. Despite the heavy occurrences, this is an incredibly fast and gripping read (I read it cover to cover in a matter of hours) and while the heavy themes do hold presence, they are so hoity-toity that they make the novel unapproachable. With the perfect mix of comedy and tragedy, Looking for Alaska has got me hooked on John Green, and I can barely wait for more!

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The Wrong Order

I am a fan of libraries.  You can read ANY BOOK YOU FIND either for free or for little cost.  HOW AWESOME IS THAT!?!?!?!?

While I am waiting on my copy of Looking for Alaska, I decided to borrow a book from my local library using the Overdrive Media app (since actually getting to the physical library with work schedules is kind of tricky) and I found a book that I haven't read before (one of my habits) and looked interesting based on the little blurb included.  I figured I'd give it a try; if I didn't like it I would just return in.  ITS FREE, who am I to complain? The snappy cover (what I believe is the second version of artwork, but I can't say for sure) reminded me somewhat of the art-deco look, and since I am SUPER HYPED about the new Great Gatsby movie adaptation, I thought this would be a nice little jaunt back into the pre-depression, post-Great War era.

I was slightly wrong (I should have read the blurb a bit more carefully!), this journal actually takes place in the years before World War II. The book is titled The FitzOsbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper. The book is pretty awesome, especially if you are a fan of reading young adult lit when you are not a young adult (another habit, and one that I personally don't see anything wrong with) and you are a fan of diary-style books.

That really is all I care to say about the plot.  I don't think its really fair of me to do any sort of Scrivener Scribbles review without reading the full series, as I assume I'll have even more to rave about after viewing the books as a whole, in their proper order as they are historical fiction. *sigh*

Having just finished the book today, I realized that I had read the second book in a trilogy!  The FitzOsbornes in Exile is actually the second book in The Montmaray Journals.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to read this book again, I just think my second read will be in the correct order!  Though I haven't read all of the series, based on the middle book, I highly recommend the series.

Check out The Montmaray Journals and, as always, feel free to tell me what you think!

Question Time!

1-What historical fiction novels have you read/look interesting to you?

2-Have you ever read a book series in the wrong order?

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SELF-PUBLISHING...DUH DUH DUUUUUUUH

Okay, so that was my attempt at doing a scary-music-background noise in a title.  Maybe it didn't work out so well.

Today's post is all about the world of self-publishing. Yes, I said I would post this about three days ago.  Yes, I know this is "late." BUT THIS IS A REALLY BIG TOPIC, OKAY?!?!?!?!?!

I thought, "sure, spend a few days doing some research, write about it, you'll be good to go."  I was so wrong.

The world of self-publishing is HUGE. I found the process overwhelming as I tried to sift through what websites and other bloggers had to say about self-publishing, as well as trying to find reputable self-publishing platforms. Holy cow, have I opened a can of worms!

I started with news articles and found that most articles tend to give the same gist of facts and statistics.  Two articles that I found to be informational as well as entertaining to read are Nick Morgan's article for Forbes called "Thinking of Self-Publishing Your Book in 2013? Here's What You Need to Know," and Alan Finder's story "The Joys and Hazards of Self-Publishing on the Web" for The New York Times.  Both articles state the hard fact that in the US alone, about 600,000-1,000,000 books are published every year, about half of these are self-published works.  Yes, it is doable my friends.

The problem?

GETTING YOUR BOOK FOUND BY THE PUBLIC.

In the world of readily available books and an ever-consuming population, books can get forgotten.  Throughout my few days of extended research, I have found that the biggest problem in getting a self-published work out of a bookstore and into the public's hot hands is the lack of media attention for a new book. Without a publisher/printer/agent/marketing team/etc. to back a book, who is going to know about it? How will you book get discovered?

Finder's article goes on to explain that when most people self-publish, they are really using assisted self-publishing, or publishing a e-book using a "no-frills website."  Assisted self-publishing occurs when an author uses a company and pays for separate or packages services that include editing, proofing, marketing and PR, cover design, and access to social media to help hype up your book.  Finder stated that these companies primarily focus on producing "BOOK books" or hardcover/paperback books, but with the rise in e-books, assisted self-publishing companies now offer (or are beginning to offer) digital manuscripts to be sold online.  Services like Lulu, CreateSpace, Aventine Press, iUniverse, and AuthorHouse have similar-looking packages, but varying rates. Do your homework. Know what you want before you think about utilizing one of these services.

The "no-frills" websites, like Smashwords publish eBooks only, but they are lower in cost than the assisted publishing companies listed above. From what I understand, Smashwords lets you publish eBooks for free and allows you to sell through various eBook retailers. Smashwords is also one of the no-frills websites that doesn't include extra packages (they believe in the do-it-yourself self-publishing), but they do have a list of independent contractors if you do want extra help in formatting or cover design. Scribd is another no-frills self-publishing site. Some of the big retailers of eBooks also offer their own self-publishing platforms, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple (click the names for links on their how-to pages).

The Good: you get a published book on the market, without having to deal with agents or publishing companies and their totally awesome rejection letters! Most companies (assisted and "no-frills") are not exclusive. You can sell your book through more than one retailer, not just on the publishing website.

The Bad: You have to really make sure you hype up your book, or you get a published book that no one knows about.  You can also end up paying a pretty penny for your work.

The most important ideas to take away from this is that 

1) Just because you can sell it doesn't mean you will sell it.

Self-published authors tend to sell less copies of their book due to lack of marketing and a knowledgeable public (this is were assisted self-publishing and an investment in some professional cover art will help).

2) Know what you what to do and how much time you have.

If you are technologically capable and have loads of free time, maybe you want to self-publish entirely on your own and save yourself some money.  If you are not so tech-savvy or want to take a little less time on a service offered by a company and you happen to have some money to invest, I think assisted self-publishing is the way to go.  You also want to compare companies and what they offer based on your own needs.

Well, to you aspiring authors out there. Best of luck, let me know when you have a book up for sale and I may feature on this blog! Established authors (either traditional or self-published), if you have any thoughts to weigh in, please leave a comment (oh, and the same goes for you, any book ideas you want to see on here, give me a shout out)!

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The Votes Are In!

Alrighty folks, the votes have been tallied and you've voted for Looking for Alaska as my first foray into the world of John Green! If you care to know, the runner up was The Fault in our Stars, so maybe that will be my next read? Who knows?

More to come on my progress with Looking for Alaska, but step one is actually getting my hands on a copy of said book...so until then I guess!

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UPDATES!

You can now leave comments on my blog because ScrivenerScribbles now supports the disqus commenting feature. Not going to lie, I didn't know this feature existed until today...but NOW I DO! Check it out!

It is also the second full day of voting for your favorite John Green book (or book that you haven't read yet if you're like me!) that you would like to see featured on Scrivener Scribbles. Tell your friends!  Get the word out!

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Miss Buncle's Book

This recent finish of mine is by author D. E. Stevenson, published in 1934.  The story follows that of Miss Barbara Buncle who has decided to write a book so she can have some sort of income.  Huzzah, her book is published (if only it seemed that easy in the real world)!

The major point of conflict for the story doesn't involve any sort of supernatural/paranormal phenomenon (which usually are the books I go for, not going to lie).  Instead, it is the town's response to the novel.

WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!

Miss Buncle has written a book (under the alias of John Smith of course) about the town she lives in! For you modern readers, think along the lines of Kathryn Stockett's The Help.  The book is set in a parallel town (Copperfield), while the actions of the characters are in the town of Silverstream. Many of the character's names stem from their original counterparts(example: Colonel Weatherhead= Major Waterfoot), as well as their characterizations.  For the majority of her book, Miss Buncle simply followed the author's rule  of "write what you know," and wrote down the stories of those she knows from Silverstream for her perspective (not necessarily the perspective the inhabitants of Silverstream would care to be written from). It is only halfway through her fictional book that Miss Buncle starts to use her imagination, and uses a mythological Golden Boy and his pipes to start causing mischief and merriment to the fictional inhabitants of Copperfield.  Yay, all is well and good.

EXCEPT-----------------

1- Citizens of Silverstream have discovered their characters in Copperfield.

2- Many inhabitants are offended (even if their character isn't "bad" in the book, they just want their affairs to be kept private) by the novel, those who are not offended are either ostracized or succumb to mob-mentality. 

3- The typical small-town ring-leader, a Mrs. Featherstone Hogg, has taken this book as her personal crusade to find the author, John Smith, and oust him out of Silverstream.

4- Miss Buncle never imagined any of this would happen. To take her mind of things, she will write another book.

Full of small-town busy-bodies, witty humor, characters that can fit into reality, as well as those who shouldn't but, unfortunately, do, Miss Buncle's Book is not one to miss.

Miss Buncle's Book is available in paperback, as well as ebook format from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and has an audiobook form on iTunes.

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A Poll! Your chance to decide!

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In Betweens

Ok, so this isn't a book review, a thought about new writing, frustration over getting published, etc. BUT it is a little note about the blog.  If you have any suggestions for books to read, or you've simply read a book that I have talked (or will talk) about, feel free to leave me your thoughts, questions, suggestions, twitter links, and all that fun happy stuff in the comments.  Be sure to follow me on twitter @ScrivenerScribb!

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The First Book (oh, and a bit about me)

Okay, I admit it.  I am one of those bookstore browsers who totally judges books by their covers.  Admission number two: I'm REALLY picky.  That's part of what this blog is about, me, exploring the untraveled spaces that lie between two covers that I have yet to crack.  Sure, those covers will probably start out in my comfort zone (fiction, probably young adult, don't judge) until I get some followers who have some suggestions of other authors and their stories to discover!

Anyway, back to my original point: The First Book.  This First Book is BEAUTIFUL.  It is Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, a novel by Robin Sloan. Yes, I picked it up because Barnes and Noble had failed to catch my interest in the YA section and I was giving up, just about to leave the store, when I saw the "new releases" section.  This little book, with its white cover, yellow neon-y books, and handwritten-looking title caught my attention.  Not really ready to commit to a new purchase yet, I picked it up, and flipped it open to the blurb.  I was hooked.

The main character, Clay Jannon, needs a new job, and Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour bookstore is intriguing, just as curious as its owner, Mr. Penumbra.  Now, I don't want to give anything away (part of this blog is going to get you to read the books with me, if I'm taking your suggestions, I want you to take some of mine!) but if you like adventure, plot-twists, mysteries and a sense of humor, this is a book for you!  Warning: you may get frustrated because YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS ALREADY.  It is well worth the wait.  TRUST ME ON THIS. You will not regret it.

Also, Mr. Robin Sloan has a pretty awesome website for this wonderful, http://www.robinsloan.com/penumbra/, you'll find some awesome stuff hidden by the author (no spoilers here), as well as some cool interesting facts (like, the jacket of book glows in the dark! I never read my copy in the dark, so I actually haven't tried this "feature" yet).  You can also read the short story that inspired the novel.  SO COOL!

The book also has a twitter account, so be sure to check out @Penumbra to give a shoutout, or why not hit up the author himself at @robinsloan (is at @ redundant?).

In other links, the publisher's website www.fsgbooks.com contains a free (yes, FREE) reading guide, as well as reviews, excerpts, links to Robin Sloan's website, and links for you to buy the book (you know, if your local bookstore or library can't get it, yes it is available on the kindle, nook, and ibooks to name a few digital editions) and all of that fun happy stuff!

Hopefully, without giving away any spoilers, I leave you with a question provided by the aforementioned reading guided from fsgbooks.com. Discuss the physical traits of your copy of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Do you have a hard copy or an e-book, and where did you buy it? How does the design of the book enhance your reading experience?

My answer to this question includes the traits from above (though I guess my copy is a little more worn that it was the first time I picked it up off the shelf).  My favorite part of the physical has to be the cover underneath the dust jacket, no spoilers, but if you've read the book, you'll get it (and if you've read the book but haven't taken the jacket off-->DO IT).  I do have the hard copy version, like said, I picked it up out of sheer curiosity on what I was beginning to believe as a failed visit to B&N. Overall, the design of the book is intriguing, it drew me in to the blurb, which drew me in to the the novel.

I loved the book. It is one of those books that you don't want to end.  Thank you Mr. Sloan.

I would love to find more of these works on my shelves.

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There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main... and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life. -Walt Disney