Home » Posts tagged "reading" (Page 5)

Why StoryBundle (and HumbleBundle) Makes Sense

I wrote about StoryBundle a while back. It seemed like a pretty neat idea– get five or six DRM free books for a price you set, and determine for yourself how much of what you paid should go to the company, the authors, and a charity of their choice, for a limited time. StoryBundle is on their second bundle now, which is a “Halloween Horror” bundle that includes titles by Joseph Nassise, Weston Ochse,  Jon F. Merz,  among others, and, if you’re willing to meet a minimum price, two additional books.

I did not try out the first StoryBundle, and I just learned about this one. But not that long ago, Publishers Weekly ran an article about HumbleBundle, which sounded like the same kind of thing, I went to the site to see if it was. HumbleBundle is pretty similar– the difference seems to be that the authors included in StoryBundle’s bundles are indie authors whose names the average mainstream reader might not recognize, but the authors included in the current HumbleBundle are much more well-known (and are getting a heck of a lot more publicity). Kelly Link, an author I love, contributed two titles to the bundle, and I saw the names of a couple of other authors I had not read but was kind of interested in trying out. So I purchased the HumbleBundle. Thirteen books and comics for whatever I want to pay, with the option to contribute some of the money to the Electronic Frontier Foundation? I’m there. And it is a good deal not just for me (not just for the price but because I’m trying new things) but for at least some of the authors of the books in the bundle. I had never read anything by John Scalzi, although I’d heard his name. His book Old Man’s War was included in the bundle, and it was fantastic. It is, of course, the first book in a series, though, so now I’m going to have to seek the others out. That works out to be a pretty good strategy! I’m now reading a book by someone I had never heard of at all, Lauren Beukes, and it’s amazing. Authors and publishers need to take a close look at how well this model is working. For anyone who isn’t really well read in a particular genre and is interested in trying it out, this kind of opportunity, either through HumbleBundle or StoryBundle is golden. Over a million people have purchased the HumbleBundle now… that’s a lot of customers, and most of them must be satisfied, or people would stop buying the books.  If you are a horror fan looking for some great Halloween reads, check out the books at StoryBundle.com– chances are you’ll find something you like.

Teen Read Week: It Came From The Library!

Teen Read Week has arrived, and this year’s theme, It Came From The Library– Dare To Read For The Fun of It, is a perfect fit with our mission here at MonsterLibrarian.com. And so I’d like to share with you the inspirational artwork created by our own Bob Freeman in honor of the occasion.

It Came From The Library

 

I have to say, it has a much more threatening  and ominous feel than the stuff YALSA created. Wouldn’t this make an awesome bookmark? Visit YALSA’s Teen Read Week ning here and our own Teen Read Week page for 2012 here, and check out our Pinterest board for Teen Read Week 2012 here for more reviews and resources, and make sure to come back soon– we’ve got a guest post from Kenneth Oppell, author of This Dark Endeavor and Such Wicked Intent, coming up!

All Hallow’s Read: Give a Book This Halloween

All Hallow’s Read is a “new” Halloween tradition established by author Neil Gaiman, who suggested on Twitter a few years ago that we all give someone we love a great scary read on October 31st. After all, why should gifts wait for birthdays or Christmas? I love this idea.

  I’m not the only one, by far. But in particular, a number of authors have decided that All Hallow’s         Read is a great opportunity to not only give the gift of fear to the ones you love, but also to share it with other people who might not be so lucky. Ten authors have banded together for a blog tour– Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read— to encourage people to donate books to the nonprofit literacy organization Books for America, based in Washington, D.C., between now and October 19.  Donating books will enter you in a giveaway, but who needs a reason to share their love of reading?  Here are the details about the giveaway and about donating books, sent to me by the authors participating in the Fiction Frolic. I hope you’ll decide to donate!

*******************

Help Raise 1,000 books for charity and enter to win $200, signed books and swag!

We are excited to share about an ambitious blog tour—Fiction Frolic for All Hallow’s Read—where ten authors from several genres are working hard to raise 1,000 books in three weeks for Books for America.

From October 1st to 19th, donate a new book (or books!) and earn extra bonus points in a huge giveaway that these authors are hosting.

Two winners will each receive the following PRIZES!          a Rafflecopter giveaway

$100 Amazon G.C.
5 signed books from the authors hosting the event
A swag bag
Plus—in honor of All Hallow’s read, gift a signed copy of one of our books to a friend!

With a total of $200, 12 signed books (including the gifted books) and major swag, what better way is there to raise books for charity and celebrate All Hallow’s Read?

Each author participating is also donating signed copies of their books to Books for America, an awesome charity that is officially sponsoring their event and excited to be involved with All Hallow’s Read. In 2011, Books for America donated more than $800,000 worth of books and materials to DC area schools, shelters and dozens of other educational programs and organizations.

The authors are blogging throughout the event at The Fiction Frolic Blog.
• 10/1-5 Read about how books shaped their love for reading and writing.
• 10/8-12 Read their scariest, funniest or craziest Halloween experiences, or learn about their favorite Halloween themed book or movie, or favorite work of “dark” literature.
• 10/15-19 Enjoy some flash fiction, short stories and novel excerpts.

So donate, share, and look for daily ways to enter to win. Donate to charity for bonus points!.

This event is sponsored by:
Eleanor T Beaty, author of the YA paranormal Veiled Mist
Brewin’ author of the supernatural horror, The Dark Horde
Andy Gavin, author of the fantasy horror, The Darkening Dream
Laxmi Hariharan, author of the YA fantasy, The Destiny of Shaitan
Kimberly Kinrade, author of the YA paranormal thriller/romances, Forbidden Mind & Forbidden Fire
Richard Long, author of the supernatural thriller/horror, The Book of Paul
M.C. Mars, author of the mind-bending novel, Burner
Melissa McPhail, author of epic fantasy Cephrael’s Hand
Sheryl Steines, author of She Wulf & Days of First Sun
Pavarti K Tyler., author of the Lit Fic Shadow on the Wall and the erotic horror Consumed by Love