Peter Straub Essay on Genre Fiction
Peter Straub
I got this little gem via Jack Haringa (a.k.a. Monsieur Crankypants). Like most horror authors, I’m a huge fan of Peter Straub and an even bigger fan when he lends his pen to non-fiction on the subjects of literature and genre. Click here to read Peter Straub’s the essay.
This essay is no different. In it, he dives into the age-old debate on horror fiction vs. literary fiction vs. all-other-genre fiction, etc., etc., ad nauseum. A debate normally cycles with same regularity and tedium of laundry in a dryer.
In this essay, though, Straub does not defend a position so much as put forward that the actual barriers between the “genres” amount to smoke, mirrors, and marketing. This is also not a very new argument, but Straub puts good words to it.
It’s a good read. Bonus … the comments make for good reading as well. How often can you say that about the comments on any online post?
Fantastic Illustrations by Serge Birault
Illustrations by Serge Birault
I found a sampling of this guy’s work on the Abduzeedo Design Blog. Birault is a freelance illustrator living in France. Much of his work (though not all) focuses on retro pin-up models in either ridiculous and/or macabre settings.
You can find his website here, his Deviant Art profile here, and his blog here.
And yes, I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for good art featuring busty women.
I’m a guy. Whad’ya want?
No Ink, No Paper: What’s The Value Of An E-Book?
E-Books vs. Dead-Tree Books
Of interest to me and everyone else in publishing is the rise of the e-book. Though it’s still a small part of the overall market, e-books are growing quickly as the technology to read them becomes more advanced and less expensive.
This NPR article (read it here) talks about how the traditional publishing houses struggle to hold onto old pricing schemes, probably to their detriment and possibly to their demise. It’s not so much about “will e-books kill dead-tree books” but about market realities, resistance, and consumer-driven economics.
