tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-377804192008-07-16T18:13:29.341-04:00Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-61852593566025652832008-07-16T17:58:00.003-04:002008-07-16T18:13:29.372-04:00

Looks like a forthcoming e-reader is going to blow Amazon's Kindle out of the water. The Readius features a rollable display for easy pocketing, and doesn't (from what I can see) require proprietary software to create readable content. (They say readers will be able to get content from the Readius portal, other companies, or your own website.) That alone should be enough to garner the support of

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-23234642474799894052008-07-13T18:32:00.003-04:002008-07-13T18:33:59.487-04:00

Sent to printer (finally): Eight-Legged Marvels: Beauty and Design in the World of Spiders

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-82273311475999102962008-07-01T22:44:00.003-04:002008-07-01T22:47:51.952-04:00

Just uploaded to the printer, About Time: The Forerunners of Time Travel and Temporal Anomalies in Science Fiction and Fantasy. 15 stories from 1819-1916 that rely on time travel, time shifts, and other temporal tamperings before the "golden age" of science fiction.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-8131316013404449722008-06-28T01:42:00.002-04:002008-06-28T01:47:36.577-04:00

I'm amazed at the good start that Al Spoo's Pearly Mussels of Pennsylvania has had. Particularly as it's not a cheap book. Besides having a wide local readership, though, (Al does the nature column for the Lititz paper), I guess freshwater mussels are fairly important conservation-wise, so he's gotten lots of orders from state and federal employees (F&W, USGS, etc.). Will be interesting to watch

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-52360346731708384442008-06-28T01:33:00.002-04:002008-06-28T01:34:37.075-04:00

Sent to the printer...

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-69656557485351557422008-06-28T01:29:00.001-04:002008-06-28T01:30:51.854-04:00

Sent to the printer...

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-60910089676310210322008-06-14T09:20:00.002-04:002008-06-14T09:24:39.881-04:00

One of the staple sources for historical research, NewspaperArchive.com, is down due to extensive flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They'll be back up after the emergency is over. I also ran across a new historical newspaper database, and have found it quite useful: found about 70 more "historical bigfoot" articles, and hundreds more in other crypto categories. Not sure if it will be enough for a

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-65429077994084412802008-06-07T21:52:00.002-04:002008-06-07T21:56:19.332-04:00

Assuming no major problems, I'll have two books finished by end of next week: Bog-trotting for Orchids and Archaeology and False Antiquities. I haven't decided whether to go ahead and send them to the printer or hold off. I really need to go ahead and try and finish up the first volume of Varmints, which will deal with the mystery felines of North America. That'll probably take a month or two.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-51728097628693262752008-06-07T21:15:00.004-04:002008-06-07T21:52:11.722-04:00

PW is noting that while there was a 1% increase in traditional book publishing in 2007, there was a 39% increase in POD, short run, and other titles. I suspect that trend will continue in 2008. I'm not sure, though, that traditional publishers really "get" what's going on here. Here's a quote from an associate publisher for editorial at a traditional Christian publisher, InterVarsity Press: "On

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-80091458469398065072008-05-23T00:25:00.002-04:002008-05-23T00:27:46.212-04:00

Here's the wraparound for a classic (1901) cryptofiction novel, Beyond the Great South Wall, by Frank Savile, sent to the printer.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-86068510748741592532008-05-23T00:00:00.001-04:002008-05-23T00:02:33.817-04:00

The Pearly Mussels of Pennsylvania, by Al Spoo (coming soon)

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-15597147405005205862008-05-17T03:43:00.002-04:002008-05-17T03:47:00.800-04:00

I've sent Al Spoo's The Pearly Mussels of Pennsylvania to the printer. Full-color plates of 66 freshwater species, extant and extirpated, from the Keystone state. At about 210 pages, 8.5 x 11, it will retail for $59.95. (And, believe it or not, that's about average for shell books...) A 40% discount will be made available to booksellers who order direct from Coachwhip Publications.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-35312958353295777662008-05-13T23:51:00.003-04:002008-05-13T23:53:40.089-04:00

I've been wanting to do a cryptozoology atlas for some time, but royalty-free maps are incredibly expensive. Thanks to NASA, though, there are some very interesting options, so this is going to be my next major project. We're not talking about full-size 8.5 x 11 map spreads, of course, but they'll be accurate and in color...

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-78414875201906334272008-05-13T23:48:00.003-04:002008-05-13T23:55:19.364-04:00

Amazon has the Search Inside the Book for my two recently submitted titles up already. Quicker than expected, just a bit over a week, so I guess PDF is the way to go. Also, submitted a revised internal for Gosse's A Year at the Shore to clear up the narrow gutter margin.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-33514734854586675942008-05-13T14:36:00.004-04:002008-05-13T14:39:34.282-04:00

I've set up free downloadable (and printable) PDF versions of Herper's Life List and Herper's Survey. I've actually got a few other potential ebooks that wouldn't be commercially viable for print, but haven't decided if it's worth trying to sell them or just give them away...

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-35934808177295086422008-05-10T20:52:00.003-04:002008-05-10T20:54:09.460-04:00

I've decided to integrate ebooks into the publishing again, just added 10 titles as printable PDFs, using Payloadz for payment/delivery. Of particular interest, included both Historical Bigfoot and Boss Snakes, at $9.95 each, and included a $3.00 affiliate referral fee.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-76561534107584361572008-05-07T16:54:00.002-04:002008-05-07T17:00:31.929-04:00

I just approved the proof for my reprint of Gosse's A Year at the Shore. Overall, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. Colors look good, and the paper is a sturdy white, a bit thicker than the standard creme used for b/w. My only minor reservation was that the inside margin is perhaps a bit too narrow. I've seen discussions on this subject that argue for "less is more," but I think in the

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-12043233680172485732008-05-06T19:27:00.004-04:002008-05-06T19:29:32.415-04:00

Uploaded two titles (Historical Bigfoot, Boss Snakes) to Amazon's Search Inside the Book -- haven't really messed with that beyond CZ:S&S. We'll see if this makes any difference before I do any more. Google Books hasn't helped much.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-89427271064996270882008-05-02T19:59:00.002-04:002008-05-02T20:04:05.813-04:00

And the wraparound for the cover. Nothing fancy. This is a small book, 5.5 x 8.5, but runs about 182 pages or so. Being a "color" book (to allow for the color plates) it is a tad more expensive than most of my titles, but it's a book that is rarely reprinted. (The only other available right now is little more than a black-and-white photocopy...)

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-52452310821196480582008-05-02T15:37:00.003-04:002008-05-02T19:55:57.579-04:00

Some of the images from Gosse's A Year at the Shore.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-85687778883526041602008-05-02T14:56:00.003-04:002008-05-02T15:00:49.685-04:00

LSI now has their color printing available in the UK, so that will help my titles from being so "one-sided" distribution-wise. This means that as of June (I've just submitted the changes, so it takes a little while before it comes into effect), the color plates volume of American Spiders and Their Spinningwork and Forged Egyptian Antiquities will both be available in the UK. Several more color

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-70186579762612450112008-04-26T01:04:00.002-04:002008-04-26T01:09:27.937-04:00

Almost finished with Al Spoo's Pearly Mussels of Pennsylvania. Waiting for the CIP data block, need to do the cover next week. Also, finishing up Philip Henry Gosse's A Year at the Shore, which will be a small-size paperback with full color plates (36 of them) illustrated by Gosse (in 1870). The book is about the various small marine life that can be found along the coast of Britain. Great

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-58749883098893356272008-04-21T23:53:00.003-04:002008-04-22T00:02:34.436-04:00

Sad to say, but I've postponed my edition of Gould's Case for the Sea-Serpent due to copyright reasons. While going over a last-minute consideration, I ran across mention that when a book is published outside the US more than 30 days before the US edition, the copyright policy must follow the first country's rules. Drat it all. The US edition was published 4 years after the UK edition, with no

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-548989245682557362008-04-07T23:01:00.002-04:002008-04-07T23:06:47.542-04:00

Sent to the printer... Here's the wraparound, nothing fancy, same basic design (and same size) as my Oudemans and Lee sea serpent reprints.

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37780419.post-79700783218704159742008-04-06T18:48:00.003-04:002008-04-06T18:59:37.988-04:00

I'm trying to finish up my reprint of Gould's Case for the Sea-Serpent this evening, and after a little investigation realized that I'll only be able to offer US distribution of the title, rather than US/UK as with most of my books. UK copyright is life of author + 70 years, which means this book won't be public domain in the UK until 2018, another ten years. Because it had a US printing in 1934,

Chad Armenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001633929820341918noreply@blogger.com