If I convinced you to check out Stephan Zielinski‘s book Bad Magic with my review, or if you came to the book yourself by some other route, you will probably be interested in the interview with him that just popped up at the Agony Column (in both MP3 and That Vile Format). If you haven’t read the book the interview might give you a reason to. Even if you don’t plan to read the book, you might get a few giggles out of the interview. Alternatively, Zielinksi’s over-the-top thespian style of speaking might just drive you away from ever reading the book.
If I were ever to buy a lottery ticket (something rendered highly unlikely by my comprehension of mathematics), and were that ticket to win, one of the things I would definitely do would be to found and run a small press dedicated to printing ridiculously high quality limited editions of books I want to own in ridiculously high quality formats, but which would also publish a line of reasonably priced trade hardcovers of books I think should be in print and available. In all of my pipe dreams I have never considered this as an operation that would make money. Well, Gavin Grant, who runs Small Beer Press has confirmed that impression with his article How to Start a Small Press. However, Gavin does point out that you don’t have to win a lottery to run a small press–you need dedication, hard work, and lots of friends. Those first two things kind of rule me out (barring that whole lottery thing), but obviously they work for Gavin. Hell, Small Beer is even putting out a series of those high quality limited editions…
Finally, not really directly about books, but of interest to anyone with hundreds of linear feet of bookshelves: The Haunted Bookshelf.
