Finished Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed last night. It's gripping, sad, and fierce all at the same time. Explores themes of racism, Islamophobia, white supremacist terrorism, and police malcompetence in an extremely timely manner. It's a good book, which I'm extra happy about since I also liked Ahmed's This Book Won't Burn, so now I have another author whose work I'll be reading through.
Including Sabaa Tahir, Sabina Khan, and Adiba Jaigirdar, I've been reading a ton of great YA books by south Asian muslim authors recently, all discovered via the "grab something off the YA shelf by a probably-not-white author" method that has yet to fail me. Turns out the racism in publishing that puts a higher bar in front of authors of color at least makes it easy to find good books in one way >:(
#AmReading
Many people have this sense that the price of books is primarily linked to the cost of materials, manufacture, & distribution. But the majority of the cost of publishing books are in the labor leading up to the 1st copy: editorial & editorial production work, before any reproduction in whatever format. Addition labor happens later, for marketing. When you buy a book, you’re mainly paying for these kinds of labor.
From: @…
"Without reaching such dimensions, and thankfully without breaking neither your back nor your wallet, “The Computer” is as gorgeous as it is unwieldy. Its almost 500 pages, of impeccable glossy paper, retrace the impact of the computer as a vector of social change. Be sure to enjoy it on your couch or sitting on a table. You have been warned."
For the US market, what print-on-demand, self-publishing sites do people recommend? I use Lulu for my PL book, and I'm curious if people are unhappy with them/happier with someone else/etc. Thanks!
In the dishy new book
“2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,”
Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf describe how
Sergio Gor, a Trump aide who rose by publishing Trump’s coffee table books, created draconian loyalty tests during the transition.
It’s Trump's paradox:
If you choose your cabinet based on looks, you are likely to end up with a cabinet that makes you look bad.
Running government is harder than bloviatin…
Huh. In Philip P. Peterson's "Transport" SciFi series, the 5th book (currently only available in German), there was a "plague" in the 2020s that grounded all space missions for a long while. That book was published 15.05.2020, #COVID became "public" December 2019, only 6 months ago - kinda short publishing period. So either Peterson quickly rewrote that part and pu…
New book published June 2025:
FRANK ZAPPA'S AMERICA
by Bradley Morgan
An analysis of modern-day white nationalism & Christian fascism in the US through the lens of Frank Zappa’s music during the 1980s.
Publishing by Louisiana State University Press.
https://lsupress.org/9780807183922…
Ако сте наблизо, отбийте се да се запознаем от 12 до 13 ч. днес на Панаира на книгата, щанд на изд. Ерго 🙂
If you happen to be in Sofia and nearby today, come and say hi. I'll be signing books and talking Creative Commons at the Sofia Book Fair from noon to 1 pm (Ergo Books publishing house) 😎
Finished "Far from the Tree" by Robin Benway last night. For me, it was a gripping and absolutely delightful read. I can recognize that I'm absolutely unequipped to judge whether it authentically reflects the experiences of many or few of the people whose situations are similar to the protagonists', but I find myself fervently hopeful for the former, even as I recognize such hopes in the part of people like me can be part of ultimately harmful publishing selection feedback loops. (If anyone reading this happens to have read the book and found it distasteful, I'd love to hear that.) Notwithstanding my probably overcautious uncertainty, I'll definitely be seeking out more books by Benway. At the very least, I really enjoyed her little joining and framing metaphors, and the pacing and plot construction were good, with lots of nicely interwoven implications arising through the buildup, and an ending that left me satisfied (albeit, I'm an inveterate optimist, YMMV).
#AmReading
@tiotasram@kolektiva.social
