Yes, yes, I’m a few days late drawing a name out of the hat, my only excuse being that I hosted a rather grand party over the past weekend and spent a few days cooking (and then a couple of more days “recovering” by polishing off the opened bottles of wine so they wouldn’t go to waste).
The June customer who wins a box of every title we have published to date (and an advance copy of Kelland) is Sarah from Medford, Massachussetts!
Sybil Baker will be reading from The Life Plan Wednesday, July 1st, at 5 p.m. at Page After Page Bookstore, 111 So Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC 27909. And for all the budding authors out there, you should check out Sybil’s Sybil Baker’s Book Tour Disaster Stories guest blog at RobinHemley.com.
In the meantime, Gary Clites’ Seneca Wood has been getting some great reviews, such as this one in the Cumberland Times-News and this one at the Huntington News website.
On June 14th, my friend and longtime collaborator and host for various websites Stuart Carroll very unexpectedly passed away.
I had just spent a lot of time on the phone with Stuart as we moved websites, including this one, to better, newer servers, and then spent most of last week moving websites to yet another new host, since Stuart’s one-man business is in the process of getting dissolved. One of the risks of supporting small business and going with what essentially is a one-man show is of course the possibility that if something happens to that one man, you’re kind of SOOL, but in keeping with our belief in small business, that was a risk we were happy to live with. (Our new web host is also a small business, though with a handful of employees this time, because I never ever want to move that MySQL database again.)
Over the years, Stuart hosted quite a lot of websites I built for various clients and pet projects, including that website I ran for a politician a few years back. That one, he more or less hosted for free actually, because it was the only politician he’d ever come across he really liked, and I returned the favor by recounting the funniest stories about the weekly staff/dinner/campaign meetings for him. But more importantly, Stuart was a friend. I have a folder full of saved e-mail providing concrit for stories I’ve written, and he referred me to the illustrator who did the cover image of Mouth of the Lion. He got me hooked on a German soap opera via YouTube for a while (so evil!), and that wasn’t even the worst TV show he sucked me into with his enthusiasm. And last Christmas, when I made him address his Christmas card to Casper, myself, and the dog, he only complained a little about having to include the dog on his card ;-)
So rest in peace, Stuart. You will be missed.
Gary Clites currently has the following appearances scheduled in support of Seneca Wood:
Communiqué from the Mountain State Ecological Front:
Wood Garrett has a problem. A disgraced reporter hiding in the mountains of his native West Virginia, he finds his peaceful life shattered when someone who wants his land tries to frame him for murder to get it. Before he knows it, his friends have been drawn into the trouble, and he has to take up the fight to save their lives. He quickly finds himself in a battle that involves corrupt chicken farmers, crooked cops, hired killers, tabloid TV reporters, fake ecoterrorists, and very hungry bears.
Casperian Books is pleased to announce the release of Gary Clites’ debut novel, Seneca Wood.
You can read the first chapter here.
And because this month marks Casperian Books’ third birthday, we’re raffling off a box full of all our in-print titles (and possibly some forthcoming releases) amongst our customers. All US residents who purchase a book through our website during the month of June will automatically be entered to win!
Apparently I forgot to put the large, bold disclaimer that the shopping cart can only be used for domestic and Canadian orders on the product page for Control and somehow in all the moving hullabaloo just ended up thinking people weren’t reading instructions. Oops?
On the bright side, I’m never, ever going to forget that one again!
Not actually unpacked except for the essentials, but we’re moved and able to ship product again.
Not on the web, but physically. I’m sitting here in the completely packed up office with the keyboard balanced on my lap because the old desk already went to Goodwill, and I’m about to shut down the computer and pack that up as well for the move tomorrow. So in essence, we’re going to be offline until some time Saturday. (Don’t worry, Internet at the new place was hooked up and tested a week ago–I’ve learned my lesson with Comcast–so we really will be back online just as soon as we manage to unpack the computers at the new place.)
We are pleased to announce the release of the fourth book in the Administration Series, Control by Manna Francis.
This volume contains the novellas Control and Coming from America and six other short stories, continuing the lives, loves, and occasionally intricate problems of dedicated and opportunistic para-investigator Val Toreth and up-and-coming corporate Keir Warrick in the near-future dystopia of the European Administration.
Like the title suggests, this one is all about power: gaining it, keeping it, or losing it, control is more than just a game–it’s a critical tool for survival. No more so than in the Administration, where the Investigation and Interrogation Division’s Val Toreth faces professional and personal hazards every day. And when an attack on one of the most loyal and valued members of his investigative team makes the professional very personal indeed, Toreth finds himself entangled once more in the darker side of corporate life and crime. He’ll need help, not just from his colleagues but from his “regular fuck” Keir Warrick, to make it out the other end safely.
Even away from their offices, Toreth and Warrick find that their jobs create challenges and tensions that threaten their relationship, because finding a balance is all about knowing when to keep control and when to let it go.
You can read the first chapter here.
Buy it now to avoid the increased shipping charges the US Postal Service will be visiting upon us on May 11th! (Click here for international orders.)
Don’t forget that Chris Owen will be signing books at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, tomorrow, Saturday, April 25th. Full details can be found here, so check it out if you’re in the Orlando area.
We’re going to start accepting international orders for Manna Francis’ new book, Control today.
To order Control for international delivery, please follow the instructions listed on this page. Please allow twenty-four hours for your quote to arrive (time differences and whatnot).
Regarding the whole Amazon Rank fail thing (full explanation for those who haven’t heard here), I really only have two things to say:
1) We’d love to sell to all our customers direct
2) When that doesn’t seem practical to our customers, we’d much rather they buy from Barnes and Noble. A full list of our titles on that website can be found here.
Chris Owen will be attending the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, from April 22nd to April 25th. Book signing for the general public will be taking place on Saturday, April 25th. Full details can be found here, so check it out if you’re in the Orlando area.
We’re all set up to start drop-shipping international orders from our printer’s UK facility! In many cases, the shipping rates for our customers will be much more reasonable than they were before as well! For full details, please visit this page, which explains the process.
A massive shout-out to my partner and future husband who takes the craziness in stride and, when receiving an e-mail saying “Can I use your credit card to save on currency conversion charges for the business?” simply replies with his credit card details and the online login to his bank account. I knew I picked the right one there ;-)
We are pleased to announce the release of Silly Little Rich Girl by Jimmy Gleacher.
In Silly Little Rich Girl, Jimmy Gleacher introduces a fascinating and contradictory heroine. Privileged, famous, beautiful…Liza seems destined for a successful career on Wall Street until a series of events loosens her grip on reality and sends her on a cross-country quest. From New York to Florida to Seattle, she visits the fringes of the underworld, gets an hour’s worth of fifteen minutes of fame, falls in love for the first time, and believes her obsession with finding her sibling is sisterly love.
Liza’s journey is a classic road trip with a postmodern spin. Through Liza, Gleacher takes on American popular culture, from the sacred to the profane. Reality television, politicians, and evangelical Christians are just a few of Gleacher’s targets in this incisive sophomore novel.
“Gleacher doesn’t get the attention he deserves. He’s a smart, funny writer with a fresh narrative voice. Silly Little Rich Girl is a quirky, heartfelt story, an adventurous newfangled tour of America’s pop culture, microcelebrity, and mental illness.” – James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces
“A refreshing and creative novel that can be read in one sitting. Jimmy Gleacher has delivered an original piece of writing. He will make you laugh, too.” – Jonathan Lynn, BBC, Broadway and Hollywood Legend
Click here to read the first chapter of Silly Little Rich Girl.
Sybil Baker starts a blog tour in support of The Life Plan today. You can view the full schedule of events here.
And then, there was this, which is just hilarious: US Post Office hard hit by the recession–or are fewer people mailing things because they are making it damn near impossible to send anything at reasonable cost? Speaking of, I was able to log into the new UK dropship account over the weekend. There are still a few things that need to be ironed out, an international order site that needs to be created, and a shipping calculator that needs to be set up, but it looks like international shipments will be back fairly soon.
Yeah, I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but I did have a meeting with the controller of my local post office last week. Summary (and this is direct quote): “Well, an envelope with a (as in one) book in it will probably go through if you don’t secure it with tape.” Yeah, right. She didn’t actually respond when I asked her, “Would you send an envelope on which the flap hadn’t been taped down in addition to using the rather flimsy self-sealing strip?”
So, the long and the short of it is that we are deep in discussions with our printer about using their UK facility to print and drop-ship international orders from. They are much more helpful than the USPS, and I’m confident that this will all come together over the next couple of months. In preparation for outsourcing, we’re even removing the “Printed in the United States of America” text from all the books we’re currently working on that haven’t gone to the printer yet. I find it a little sad that our (admittedly minor) contribution to keeping the US economy going will be reduced because of the asshattery of a federal agency, but that’s business, I guess.
Speaking of the US economy, we’re going to raffle off some books to victims of the current crisis. So if you’ve been laid off, you can win some free reading material! Here’s how this is going to work: scan your unemployment check stub (black out any amounts and other personal information except for your name and address) and e-mail it to contests [at] casperianbooks [dot] com by midnight on April 14th. We’ll be picking random names out of the mailbox on tax day that will receive some goody packages of reading material!
Well, I’ve had some interesting conversations with the USPS’ consumer advocate this past week, and let’s just say that they are not amused about losing quite a nice chunk of revenue from international and priority mail shipments. Of course, they’re also having trouble getting the manager of our local post office to call them back…
In other related news, we’re investigating the possibility of doing international order fulfillment from Germany in the future, since my father has kindly volunteered his services as a “branch office.” Not sure yet if that’s going to work–we’ve got some inquiries with the European office of our printer running–but it is a possibility. We’ll keep everyone posted!
Today, we are pleased to announce our spring 2009 lineup!
On March 1st, 2009, we released The Life Plan by Sybil Baker, which tells the story of patent attorney Kat, who is trying to save her marriage on a trip to Thailand.
On April 1st, 2009, we will be releasing Silly Little Rich Girl by Jimmy Gleacher, which chronicles heroine Liza Davis’ cross-country quest to find her missing sister.
On May 1st, 2009, the fourth book in the Administration Series by Manna Francis, Control, will be released, continuing the stories of opportunistic para-investigator Val Toreth and up-and-coming corporate Keir Warrick.
On June 1st, 2009, we’ll close out spring with the release of Gary Clites’ Seneca Wood, a thriller about the chicken industry set in rural West Virginia.
Happy reading!
Today, we had two international shipments returned to us, because the US Postal Service, in its infinite wisdom (and presumably in an effort to increase revenues) has decided that not only should the 4-pound limit for international priority mail shipments in flat rate envelopes apply (we’re a-okay with that), but that they also must now be completely flat, which means, effectively, we can no longer ship books in flat-rate envelopes. International media mail, of course, was discontinued long ago; as was the economy (ocean) parcel service. Meaning that the only option we’d have for shipping internationally at this point would be Airmail parcel service, which would cost more than our books cost, which is just not an option.
To make a long story short, we’re forced to discontinue international delivery of our titles. We urge international customers to check out their regional Amazon site or other online retailer: all our titles on Amazon.ca, all our titles on Amazon.co.uk, all our titles on Amazon.de, all our titles on Amazon.fr, and if somebody would assist me with doing the ISBN search on the Japanese Amazon site, I can link to that as well.
The only slightly satisfying part about this whole mess is that in its pettiness, the US Postal Service has just cost itself at least $2000 a year that they were earning from us in international shipments–so much for increasing its revenues.
And because I’m slightly evil: My local post office supervisors are called Christine and Baldeesh. Their phone number is +1-916-227-6521. The generic complaint phone number for the US Postal Service is: 1-800-275-8777. The online complaint form is here. The applicable regulation is on this page–the part where it says you can’t include a bulky item (in this case books) to create a small box shape, even if the items otherwise fit the dimension and weight restrictions. The snailmail address for complaints is: Consumer Advocate, USPS, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20260-2200, USA.