Corrupt and Offensive?

Burning books. Ripping off the covers and destroying them. Removing them shelves, ripping them from a person’s hands. Locking them and throwing away the key.

This is what may happen when a book is deemed, “weird,” “freakish,” or “unacceptable.”  I was reading Quill and Quire online, and discovered a blog about a blog (hopefully not too confusing, right?). Derek Weiler wrote about publisher Brian Lam over at Aresnal Press who sent a few books to a convicted man whose sitting in a Texas prison.

The prisoner is a gay male who politely asked if they had any extra copies of gay literary books we could send, in order to help him “forget about the outside world.” He was sent some. One of the titles was called, The Carnivorous Lamb and it was, almost immediately, destroyed. The reason  was that “the publication is detrimental to offenders’ rehabilitation, because it would encourage deviant criminal sexual behavior.”

The Carnivorous Lamb

This quote is in regards to the editorial in the book. It was destroyed “because three pages in the book describe acts of incest between two brothers. But while incest is one of the plot elements in The Carnivorous Lamb, the book is a beautifully written melodrama that is also a stirring indictment of Franco-era fascism in Spain.” Lam writes,

“What I found interesting was that the State of Texas appears to be paying prison authorities to read EVERY PAGE of every publication sent to prisoners (a good use of taxpayers’ money), and that, at least in Texas, the archaic idea that literature WILL (not “may”) encourage DEVIANT CRIMINAL SEXUAL BEHAVIOR is alive and well.”

Just as music creates bombers and gun shooters, books create deviant criminal sexual behaviour. (Does my sarcasm come through?)

What do you think? Ridiculous? Not so much? Tell me why.

Written a book? Want to publish it?

So writing, and completing, a book is a terrific achievement. You have put your blood, sweat and tears into writing this thing, and you want to publish it. You want people to see and ready your baby. Makes sense, right?

But what happens when you get 500 rejection letters? What if you get a contract, and the money is puney? When you have something great, you know and your friends know it, it may just to be time to do-it-yourself.

So once you’ve built yourself a web presence (which everyone, apparently, needs these days) and you think you may be able to grab a teeny, tiny piece of the publishing pie, here is a video that can help you do it:

Still not convinced? Here are some advantages to self publishing:

1. You will always have complete (and total!) control over what you have written and how you want it to be produced. There is no middle man this time. It’s you and what you want.

2. It’s relatively cheap to copy, so there will be little out-of-pocket expenses.

3. You get 100% of the profits. You do not have to pay the publisher, the editors, the designers, the sales people, or the warehouses. You make all the cash.

4. Once you book has been self-published, you may have a better shot to get a “real” publisher to make you a much better offer.

So, congratulations on your first (or second) book. Take your time, figure out how you want to proceed, and get it done. If anyone has ever self-published before, if it worked or didn’t, please comment and let us know. It’s a tough world right now, and we need all the help and advice we can get on how to succeed. Good night, and good luck!

Sony Readers for Magazines, too?

From the Page the to the Screen

I have always loved books. I love the smell, the feel, the turning of the pages…but what does the book lover do when presented with an option to buy a Sony Reader, a $300 unit that allows me to carry books around electronically. Just purchase, download and enjoy. Simple enough, right? Press the arrow keys to flip the pages. Lovely.

No weight of a hardcover … no hurting thumbs from holding the book too high or too long.

Magazines, as I have noticed lately (as I want to cart ALL the ones I own around with me) are heavy as well. Three, four, even five of them in your bag is enough to want to leave them at home. Or at least consider that. The Sony Reader has asked many questions of the book publishing industy and has finally invented a new way to read books. This new way has not fully caught on, but it will eventually. More and more TTC go-ers will prefer a lightweight electronic *thing*, over their 50lb new James Patterson hardcover.

My question is this: will magazines hop onto this hobby horse? Will it soon be available to download any and all of our favorite magazines for a discounted (subscription) price? And is this a good thing? Please comment with your thoughts.

The Sony Reader

Make Your Own Wine

Make Your Own Wine –

On a Budget

Local Fermentations encourages wine lovers to bottle their own during economic hard times.

By: Jenna Williams

The History of the Grape and the Bottle

The grape is almost as old as the history of human beings. Grapes have been cultivated since 6000 B.C., and the delicious fruit did not stay wild for long. Years later, in 2000 B.C., sailors were carrying grapevines across the Mediterranean to Greece and all over the world. Though the prehistory of wine is unknown, it was discovered that in 4000 B.C., Egyptians were making and fermenting wine in earthen pots, which were unsealed. The Romans used wooden barrels to store their wine but it was not air tight, so the wine had to be consumed early, or it would go stale. But, finally, in 1750, the development of the cylindrical wine bottle with an airtight cork made wine lovers able to store and keep their wine for as long as they wished. Today, the most expensive bottle of wine is a Bordeaux, a 1787 Chateau Lafite and though it is completely undrinkable, it is worth approximately $160,000.00.

Small Place, Big Taste

At the local Fermentations on the Danforth, wine connoisseurs and up-and-comers can find and create something that is just right for them. Award winning, Fermentations is fast, fun, easy and completely guaranteed. Visitors can make anything from beer to wine to coolers.
The wine, however, is their specialty. Charles Fajgenbaum received a Grand Master Winemaker award in 2007, and has won awards for his Baco Noir, Vidal, and Riesling wines. The store has been voted Best in Toronto to make your own wine by Now Magazine five times and continues to receive praise from both critics and brewers alike.

Economic Squeeze

With the economy taking hits from both the left and the right sides lately, it is tough to decide what is alright to spend our money on and what is not. And for wine lovers, the decisions to buy just keep getting trickier. Wine fanatics usually have their favorite types of wines – the bottles they run into the store for and crave late at night or with a specific meal. Wine newbie’s, who take chances on different bottles, begin to have trouble deciding what they should spend o a bottle they are not sure of. And when our wallets start taking a hit, where can we go to satisfy our desires without breaking the bank?

Wine Lovers Rejoice

At Fermentations, the prices range from $140-$175 for 26 bottles. On average, this is approximately $5.38 a bottle!! This is a steal compared to any product that sells in the LCBO. When making your own wine, you can choose whichever wine you want to create and you have total control over the making of your wine fine throughout the entire process.

Are You Ready? The 4 Crucial Steps of Wine Making.

1. Think about the types of wine you prefer. White or red? Sweet or dry?
2. Meet with Charles at Fermentations and determine the best grapes and best methods to create your perfect wine.
3. Fermentation begins and excitement builds for your new bottles of wine.
4. You bottle your own, labeling it and corking it.

** (if you are beginning to get a bit antsy, check out the following video (see below) on how your wine is being made.)

From the Grape to the Bottle to You

Winemaking is an extremely fun process. You get to be a complete part of wine history as you pick your own grapes and bottle your finished product. During economic strains and tight budgets, remember that with Fermentations is possible to create a taste that is truly unforgettable – and for only $6/bottle!

Word of Mouth

If you have made your own wine in the past, I encourage you to tell readers about your experience. What did you make? How did it taste?      What would you say to first time wine makers? Any tips or hints that you are willing to spill?

Have any questions? Fermentations has the answers!

Can an old dog be taught new tricks?

Trying to become web friendly is a quite a difficult process, for a person like me, who prefers the old school way, the print way, the smell of a new book way, the feeling of a new heavy best selling hardcover in my hands way. Though I am certainly not an “old dog”, I feel as though I am from time to time in this course. My hand never goes up when asked about new technology, blogging, sharing or bookmarking. I stand on the other side of the room with those who are not electronically savvy. Alas, from 3:30pm – 5:20pm on Monday’s, I am completely immersed in online magazines, new lingo (such as twitter, tweeting, WYSIWYG, GUI and widgets) and an overwhelming sensation that everything I thought I knew is changing – in a crazy way.

Adjusting to new technology is never easy – and I am always one of the last to jump on the bandwagon, if you will. I was surprised, however, when doing the first assignment for my online magazines class. I was shocked to find how many sites (the ones that I visited!) were up-to-date with file sharing, RSS feeds and bookmarking.

It truly allows me to open my eyes to the “new way,” a way I have not yet adapted to, but am certainly willing to learn