Tag Archives: signings

Episode #37: Kindle Unlimited — Whether You Like It or Not

 

TSD-crackup

Amazon, man. Amazon.

After a month of writing, blogging, event planning, and deering-do, Tee and Pip return to the mics (finally!) for a brand new Shared Desk…but wait, didn’t we talk about Amazon last time? Well, yeah, we did, and once again we return to the latest “sweet deal” for you. It’s a look at Kindle Unlimited, and a look back to Tee’s Past all caught on video in this latest podcast.

Have a listen, comment on the blog, and feel free to reach out to us at 703.791.1701 to share your thoughts with us!

 

00:00 — Introduction & Catching Up

  • Waxing nostalgic over Eva Marie Saint and Cary Grant
  • July got by us. Let’s just say that.
  • Pip’s feeling the sting of hard-core audio editing.
  • Pip’s been spending a lot of time in Deadly Hollywood.
  • If anyone has zero room to talk about our edits as being “light tweaks”…
  • Tee and Pip are waiting to hear from ACX and Writers’ Digest…on separate subject matters.
  • We may not be at San Diego ComicCon, but our work is.
  • One degree closer to Del Toro!
  • Got to love that agent-of-awesome, Laurie McLean, and the way she’s working our works-in-progress…
  • Darkwater is going through the pitching phase again.
  • Tee’s still working on Wolf in the Fold.
  • Publication date for The Diamond Conspiracy: End of March 2015.
  • Sometimes Pip will let Tee in on what ideas she’s hatching…

AmazonHold

9:04 — Kindle Unlimited…and Bad Timing on Amazon’s Part

  • We’re not turning our Shared Desk into the “What the Hell is Amazon up to this show?” show…
  • Kindle Unlimited
    • Spotify for Books. (Don’t you call that a library?)
    • Another great idea for Amazon…until the details come to light.
    • How “deep” does this pool reach?
    • There’s a deal for Kindle Unlimited for the Big Six, for indie authors, and for indie authors of a certain caliber.
    • Hugh Howey got this “special” deal.
    • And we turned to Joe Konrath for an opinion….
  • Just so you know, it’s not just us who are stopping to wonder…
  • The feudal system of authors on Amazon
  • How Amazon surprised — or strong-armed — indie authors into this program…
  • It’s a great idea with terrible timing.
  • We’re trying this, but only with a couple of our titles.
  • Three months of exclusivity? In book terms, that’s an eternity.
  • Seriously, Jeff Bezos — between that letter to Hachette authors and now this little stunt, are you not thinking about how this looks?
  • And Tee, once again, turns to Joe for comment on this matter of KU.
  • If you think the comparison to Spotify is good, it’s not.
  • Pushback from Episode #36 
  • Kindle Unlimited is a nice idea, but we want to try it on our terms.
  • When it comes to Amazon and their services, know the terms.
  • Exclusivity is never a good thing!

25:27 — “Writers Off the Clock”

  • In this household, we support a swash and a buckle…
  • It was The Musketeers that motivated Tee to go through stacks and stacks AND STACKS of videotapes.
  • What have we discovered in this deep dive into Tee’s Past?
    • Tee in his long-haired-hippie days.
    • Tee taps!
    • Tee on stage with ComedySportz, JMU, and Vpstart Crow
  • My plan: Go through VHS footage, and then edit it all down to one “master” performance.
  • Still searching for an edited rehearsal and footage of The Three Musketeers, on stage with Vpstart Crow.
  • Why go through and edit all this? New ideas for #ThrowbackThursday.
  • Signing with Swords — coming soon!
  • Other great gems discovered…
    • Some footage of me and my father, spinning tunes for WXJM
    • Glyn JonesRed in the Morning, premiering at JMU
  • Tee discovers in this stumble down Memory Lane an interview in 1986…and I had the worst acne on my chin…

35:41 — The Wrap-Up

  • Tee puts up a case for hanging on to some of these VHS tapes.
  • The Curse of the Blair Witch Project…a better production than The Blair Witch Project.
  • Besides digitizing video, we are…
    • Having a sale on One-Stop Writer Shop. Check it out!
    • September 13 — S4, coming soon!
    • September 26-28 — Steampunk Unlimited in Strasburg, PA
    • October (possibly November) — a special event at Huzzah Hobbies in Ashburn, VA
    • October 25 — HallowRead (alongside Kate Smith and PJ Schnyder) in Ellicot City, MD
  • Tales from the Archives — yeah, we fell off the rails…but we’re getting back on track.
  • Anxiously waiting for word from The Parsec Awards
  • …and ACX on the audio edition of Ministry Protocol.
  • Onward, to the future…

Related Links

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or question for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.

Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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The Shared Desk — Episode #005: Concerning Cons


Breaking well beyond the boundaries of an hour, The Shared Desk brings you another on-the-road recording. This time, Pip and Tee are in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas for FenCon VIII, and are joined by a rabble more of vile confederates:

  • Gail Carriger
  • Olivia M. Grey
  • Odin1eye
  • Beth Case
  • Ash Robbins
  • Machelle Grimes

The topic of the night — CONVENTIONS. Why do we pack up and head out for destinations unknown and why should authors consider paying them a visit? Join Tee & Pip poolside for this round table discussion on conventions from the author’s and the fan’s perspective.

00:00 — Introduction

  • Are you sure you’re Philippa Ballantine?
  • It was supposed to be a paperwork ceremony, but the neighbors had other ideas…
  • Kick back for this hour-long extravaganza recorded in the great state of Texas!

02:28 — Concerning Cons (with Gail, Olivia, Ash, Machelle, Beth, and Odin)

  • Introductions all around…
  • So what brings our guests to FenCon and what did they expect?
  • Odin gives his approval for FenCon’s Phineas & Ferb panel
  • Speaking to Gail about experiencing a con from the GoH’s point-of-view
  • Pip comes clean on how tough it was to “return to reality” after the Guest of Honor treatment.
  • What do you as a potential guest offer to the cons?
  • Tee shares a major faux pas that programmers can do to “enthusiastic” participants…
  • SHOUT OUT TO BALTICON!!!
  • A few words on Gail’s rack…
  • Beth Case introduces herself. (She was late as she was playing with robots.)
  • Ash is put on the spot: What could a newcomer bring to a con? (Let Tee tell you…)
  • What is a Rite of Ascension for a Would-Be Author?
  • The difference between Cons and Writers’ Conferences
  • SHOUT OUT TO SIN!
  • For Beth and Odin, what should the fans bring to the con? What would be considered good fan etiquette?
  • “Fanboi” can happen to anyone…even Pip’s dad…
  • Beth squees under peer pressure….and so begins spontaneous squeeing through the remainder of the podcast….
  • Moments of fanboi happen, even with authors on meeting their heroes
  • Felicia Day makes Gail squee.
  • Pip and Tee look ahead to ComiCon…and Tee gushes a bit over Jared Axelrod. (Easy to do.)
  • Closing comments and promotions…with a SECOND SHOUT OUT TO BALTICON!!!
  • breaks the ONE HOUR BARRIER!

59:15 — Writing Advice from Crazy Uncle Charlie

  • If you’re going to break the one hour barrier, it might as well be with a Warlock Rock Star from Mars.
  • Questions for Crazy Uncle Charlie
    • From Olivia: What is your process for creating characters?
    • From Machelle: Should I use an outline, or dive into writing a story?
    • From Gail: Should I use a pseudonym?
  • C.U.C. is a little distracted by the present company, but he soldiers on…
  • What is it about Odin1eye that bothers C.U.C.?
  • Pip tries to keep C.U.C. on track. She tries…and tries…and tries…

1:06:16 — The Wrap-Up

  • The audio is barely two week’s old…and it’s already dated.
  • Heading to New York Comic Con this week!
  • Check out our websites for our New York Comic Con schedules.
  • We’re on an app!!!
  • But we are not done yet! We’re hooking up with friends at ComiKazie Expo in Los Angeles.
  • Chillaxing?! Seriously?!
  • Thanks, Gail, for this episode’s album art!
  • Yes, the next episode will not be super-sized. It’ll be just us. (Maybe…)

More Shout-Out’s During the Show…

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Find us on Twitter at either Tee’s or Pip’s account,
leave us a voicemail or question for the show at 703.791.1701,
or leave us a comment here at the blog.
Enjoy the ride
and we’ll catch you later.

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