The Post BEA (Sausage) Links Edition

My involvement in the wild and weird world of horse racing precluded me from going to BEA this year, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t do some book related activities this weekend. Nope, I spend quite a bit of time clicking away at work on different book websites trying to collect the best and most interesting list of book news. Of course, just as I’m about to copy and paste said list into a tidy little column file I get a call from an angry customer who dislikes the hair of one of our main announcers and wishes to lodge a complaint, causing me to forget everything I’ve just learned. In an attempt to avoid this repeated forgetfulness, I’ve just started keeping a running link list. There’s no guarantee that I’ll look at the link later and remember why I saved it, but it gives a bit of a clue, at least.

There are two new book advertising/compilation sites on the ‘net these days: Early Ink and Romantic Advances.

Early Ink is a website open to all genres (fiction and nonfiction) that allows authors/publishers to buy space for their upcoming titles as well as excerpts and links to various sites. Readers can then leave their comments on the upcoming titles as well as link back to the page from their own sites. Information on how to register your book and the price of a monthly preview can be found here.

Romantic Advances (still in Beta) is for upcoming Romance novels (or books with romantic elements) run by several romance bloggers. There is currently no price to submit your information to the website, but they may be offering advertising space in the future. The site is currently a work and progress and more features may be added at a later date.

Both sites offer you a chance to learn about new books that will be hitting the shelves soon as well as another arena to promote your book and up your presence on the internet (something I feel is important).

We have a new (relatively speaking as she’s been around since March) bookseller on the blog block in Jenn Brissett’s A Bookseller’s Tale. I particularly enjoyed her insights and additions in this post to Melissa Lion’s “Bookselling this Week” article “How to Talk to a Bookseller: A 10-Step Guide for Authors,” but she also does a great job highlighting books and other book news that I would not have heard of otherwise.

Oh, and after you’re done checking Jenn’s blog out, skip on over to The Stealth Geek, the blog of an anonymous scifi/fantasy publishing type. For those of you who don’t know what a Steath Geek is, here is a handy definition from The Stealth Geek FAQ sheet* that I found via google: A Stealth Geek (SG) is a person who has many of the internal qualities of geekiness yet who does not look or act like the stereotypical geek. Publishing commentary with a large dose of sarcasm, just like I like it.

Speaking of blogs, why did it take me so long to learn about the Rap Sheet? Formerly a column in January Magazine, the Rap Sheet is now a blog devoted to “information about new and forthcoming books, special author projects, genre innovations, and distinctive crime-fiction-related Web sites.”

Since we just focused on a thriller/crime-related blog, it seems only right to point you towards this article from 2004 by Lee Child called “Thriller Sidekicks.” Should someone tell Mr. Child that in movies at least, sidekicks have a high mortality rate for this very reason? You can’t have someone who outshines your star.

Let’s trade this thriller geekery, for something a little more scientific, shall we? Some of you already know that I have a degree in Biology, and while I realize long ago that I wasn’t cut out to be a doctor (I require a certain amount of sleep to resist giving in to my day to day homicidal tendencies) science in general is really damn interesting. So when I find something that celebrates not only science, but women scientists, I’ve got to spread the word. She’s Such a Geek is the companion blog for the book She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology and Other Nerdy Stuff edited by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders*. It’s filled all sorts of good nerdy (and girl nerdy) stuff for people who loves strange facts and interesting science figures.

Katherine Taylor, author of The Rules for Saying Goodbye and the woman who almost stumped me with her Lit Nerd list of books on the Monster Recommendations list, is the author/blogger in residence over at the Elegant Variation this week. Go check her out for Lit recs and Lit news as well as thoughts on the everyday.

Now because I’ve traded emails with Betsy Bird of Fuse #8 fame, every once in awhile she pops up in my Gmail chat friends list. Normally her messages have to do with work, but the other day there was a link to the blog “Children’s Music that Rocks” by fellow NY librarian Warren Truitt. I’m like Dennis the Menace with a button, give me a link and I have to follow it, often to my own detriment, but this time I was pleasantly surprised. If you’re a parent looking for children’s music “doesn’t make adults want to rip their hair out” this is the blog for you. It also includes recommendations of rock and roll themed or based books for children.

Finally, my nomination for best BEA blogging (noting, of course, that I wasn’t there so my opinion means nada) goes to Bully Says: Comics Ought to be Fun. Any blog narrated by—and involving cute pictures of—a cute little stuffed animal bull in costume has my vote. Not only does Bully have some nice thoughts on different comic booths, but he seems to mingle well with others. I hope that Norton knows what a little goldmine they have and they make him the publisher mascot. If publisher’s even have mascots that is…

That’s enough links from me, I think. How about you? Have any links you feel like passing along?

*Now updated with the new (and up to date) link!

**Charlie, I'm so sorry. I have no idea why I typed Charles instead of Charlie, other than my own inability to think in the morning. Thanks for the heads up on the name typo and many many sorries.