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This week on Ask Lifehacker we're not talking about the new iPad, but what we'd buy instead. Firefox 11 finally brings add-on sync and March Madness proves that piracy isn't always the best option when you want to watch TV online. Also, we extend a Wi-Fi signal from a house to a barn, figure out a use for OS X's dashboard, and start training for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
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News and Discussion
This week we're not talking about the new iPad, Firefox 11 finally gets add-on sync, Dropbox offers another 3GB of free space to beta testers, and paying to watch March Madness online is actually better than stealing it.
00:34 The new iPad comes to stores (but here's what you can buy instead)
The iPad still dominated the news cycle a week after its announcement, but we're not going to talk about it. Instead, we discussed what we'd buy instead. Pash picked a new Apple TV ($99), Whitson went for the Nook Simple Touch ($99), Dachis opted for home improvements ($?), Melanie picked a fancy new bicycle ($500), and Alan decided it was time for a souped-up home theater PC. (Some of us actually did upgrade to the new iPad, though.)
02:25 Firefox 11
Keeping with its rapid upgrade schedule, Firefox 11 was released and came with a highly-desired feature: add-on sync. Firefox users have been missing this option for quite awhile, as it has been glaringly present in Chrome for over a year, but it has finally arrived.
03:58 Get 3GB free Dropbox space!
Love Dropbox as much as we do? They're offering 3GB of free space if you want to beta test a new version. You get to check out the latest Dropbox app and get free space? That seems like a pretty sweet deal. The only downside is that if you nabbed some free space the last time they offered it to beta testers you won't be able to take advantage this time around.
06:52 Paying for March Madness is better than stealing it!
A shocking surprise: a media company has actually provided a way to consume media online that's a better alternative to piracy. For $4, you can watch all the March Madness games. If you're a cable subscriber, you may not have to pay at all.
Questions and Answers
Each week we answer five questions from readers and listeners. Here's what we tackled this week.
11:51 How can I extend the range of my router through a hill and to a barn?
Not without a repeater! But you can make one out of an old router easily. Also, installing custom firmware DD-WRT will allow you to boost your router's transmit signal a little bit. You can also boost that signal slightly with a cooking strainer, but that's not going to help you get past the hill and to the barn. Your best bet is probably going to be buying an industrial router and using the old one as a repeater, actually extending Ethernet cable to the barn, or getting cellular internet by tethering your phone or just using an independent device.
15:30 How can I get an app made with no coding skills?
You should be careful about trying to make an app when you don't know how. You should at least learn the basics so you understand how programming works and be informed when you're discussing plans with a developer you hire. Since you only have the idea, you want to be able to communicate as effectively as possible with your developer(s) and that involves knowing at least a little bit about programming. If you want to hire a developer, of course, you're going to need some cash. Kickstarter is often a good way to raise it.
You want to avoid hiring just anybody, though. If you seek out a developer simply looking for work you'll end up hiring someone who is pretty much in it just for the money. Ideally you want someone interested in your idea as well. To find someone like that, go where the developers go. Join developer forums online and get to know people. You might just meet the person for your project.
But if you really want to do it yourself and won't learn how to code, tools like AppMakr will create apps with no coding skills required. What you can do with these apps is pretty limited, but it might be better than nothing. Alternatively, if you are just afraid of learning Objective C or Java and want a framework to help, Corona uses a very simple language called Lua to create iOS and Android apps. Alternatively, Adobe Flash can create iOs and Android apps as well, but you're slightly limited by how much you can really do.
18:30 How can I put OS X Lion on my Core Duo MacBook?
Not easily, but it is do-able! Basically, you need to trick your MacBook into thinking that it's a Lion-friendly machine or remove its hard drive and install it via another computer. This OS X Daily Article will walk you through the whole process.
21:08 Are there any OS X widgets that sync well with iOS apps?
While most of us feel the OS X Dashboard is becoming a little obsolete in a world of widget-friendly mobile devices, there definitely are widgets worth adding. DashNote adds Simplenote functionality, which will let you sync notes from your computer to virtually any other machine, mobile device, and (of course) the Simplenote webapp. On top of that, Dachis likes Delivery Status for package tracking and Whitson likes iStat for system monitoring (even though he doesn't use OS X anymore). Also, never underestimate the usefulness of web clips. If you can't find the widget you're looking for, see if you can clip the same functionality from a web site.
24:12 How do I host a website from Dropbox?
Put the files in your public folder and copy the public links. (Details here.) DropPages and Pancake can help make the process a little easier, and Scriptogr.am can turn your Dropbox into a blog.
Downloads of the Week
Each week we talk about our favorite downloads. Here are our picks for this week.
27:17 Social Fixer (Web Browser)
Whitson discovered that Facebook can be a whole lot better with one browser extension called SocialFixer. Last week he detailed all the great things it can do, but he really loves how it fixes the way Facebook hides some of the messages you receive in an inbox buried deep within the user interface. You can also use it to find out who has unfriended you, turn off the chat bar, filter stuff, and much more. It pretty much works with whatever web browser you use, so if you want a better Facebook you should have no trouble using Social Fixer to get just that.
Download SocialFixer (Free)
30:07 Zombies, Run! (iPhone)
Dachis spent this week training for the inevitable zombie apocolypse with a game called Zombies, Run!. It throws you into a story where your helicopter crashes in the small village known as Abel Township. You're then required to run as fast as you can—literally—to escape the zombies that are after your brains. It works by tracking your GPS location as you run to judge distance and pace. You'll pick up items and earn achievements as you go. The farther you run, the farther you'll move along in the story. If fear motivates you, this app is a great way to get off your butt and exercise.
32:38 Sparrow (iPhone)
Pash started using Sparrow for iPhone and found it to be everything you'd want from a mobile email client even though it can't send push notifications. Everyone agreed that push notifications aren't all that necessary, since you can just make the built-in Mail app offer notifications and then just view the message in Sparrow instead. On the other hand, sometimes it's nice to not be notified at all and just check your email when you want to check it. If you do want real push notifications in Sparrow, however, you can use this jailbreak tweak.
Sparrow offers proper Gmail support and plenty of features that make your inbox much more manageable. Check out our review for more information.
Download Sparrow for iPhone ($3)
How Do I Submit a Question?
There are three ways to send in your question:
Record a video, upload it somewhere, and send a link to [email protected]
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Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they'll apply to more people. For example, "how can I breathe new life into my old PDA?" is much better than "what can I do with an old HP iPAQ 210?" Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!
This podcast was edited by Mike Vannelli.
Newspaper, Computer, and Clock (by Brandon Hopkins) provided by the Noun Project.


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AT&T spared no expense in 2011 when it sought government approval of its $39 billion deal to acquire T-Mobile. The merger would have created a duopoly, leaving AT&T and Verizon in control of nearly 80 percent of the wireless market.
AT&T would then have been able to set higher prices, at a cost to people on modest incomes who depend on their cell phones to connect with work, family, and the details of modern life.
The poor and people of color would have been hard-hit. The National Hispanic Media Coalition, for example, said the merger would increase the cost of wireless services for Latinos. And the Center for Media Justice noted that the merger would have resulted in "fewer options and higher prices" for people of color, who disproportionately depend on access to the Internet through mobile devices.
Knowing there would be opposition to this deal, AT&T began doling out money in Washington, D.C. The company spent $16 million on lobbying during the first nine months of 2011 in its drive to pass the merger, dished out $2 million in campaign contributions to both Democratic and Republican members of Congress, and spent $40 million on advertisements promoting the deal.
So it wasn't surprising to see many Wall Street analysts predict that the merger would sail to approval.
But the establishment was wrong. Despite AT&T's massive political influence, the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit in August to block the merger. Days before Thanksgiving, the FCC announced its opposition. By Christmas, the deal was dead.
Amplifying the People's Voices
How did a giant corporation like AT&T fail to win approval of its merger?
Much of it had to do with nonprofit organizations like Free Press, the largest media reform group in the country (and my employer). Despite having only a fraction of AT&T's vast resources, these groups effectively mobilized public opposition to the merger. They took advantage of mistakes AT&T made, and tapped into growing concern about corporate wrongdoing.
"Fortunately, there were public advocates out there who refused to accept that this was a done deal just because AT&T was involved," said Free Press President and CEO Craig Aaron.
A coalition of public interest groups and wireless companies—including Public Knowledge, the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative, the Future of Music Coalition, the Media Access Project, Sprint and Cricket—worked to block the merger.
Several groups pored over confidential filings that AT&T submitted to the FCC and found that AT&T misrepresented the merger's benefits, including the statement that it would create 96,000 new jobs.
AT&T also boasted about its support from well-established nonprofit and civil rights organizations.
But gay journalists and bloggers like John Aravosis and Dan Savage played a key role in exposing AT&T's corporate influence over nonprofit groups supporting the merger, like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which received $50,000 in donations from AT&T.
The GLAAD controversy prompted other journalists to take a closer look at the merger. Editorials in The Boston Globe and The New York Times questioned whether other civil rights groups and nonprofits supported the merger because of their close financial ties to AT&T.
"The embarrassment for AT&T, already seeing its merger beginning to teeter for various other reasons, only helped to escalate the problems, bringing attention to how the company was buying off civil rights groups," wrote journalist Michelangelo Signorile.
AT&T's true motives for pursuing the merger were revealed in August, when the company mistakenly released unredacted confidential documents it filed with the FCC. The information revealed the company had rejected a plan to build out its 4G network to serve 97 percent of the population at a cost of $3.8 billion. It wasn't profitable enough to make that investment. Instead, AT&T decided it was better business to spend $39 billion—10 times as much—to take out a competitor.
This undermined AT&T's main public argument for seeking approval of the merger—that it needed to acquire T-Mobile to build out its 4G network.
These blunders, as well as a growing national dissatisfaction with corporate influence over politics, magnified public support for groups working against the merger. Free Press submitted more than 100,000 signatures from its members, joined by more than 50,000 members of ColorOfChange.org, all calling on the FCC to block the takeover.
Protecting Media Diversity
The government's rejection of the AT&T/T-Mobile deal is an important reminder that the little guy can win in Washington. And the fight for a just cause is possible only with a broad base of public support.
That kind of support, for example, has been critical in pushing back attempts to loosen media ownership rules. Indeed, there are few media policy issues that galvanize as much widespread public opposition as media consolidation.
People understand that greater corporate control over our media system means that big media companies will place maximizing profit over making sure the news and informational needs of local communities are met. It means the public can expect more infotainment in their daily paper or on their local newscast rather than news that informs them about their community and the world they live in.
In 2003, the Bush administration's FCC proposed massive deregulation that would have allowed big media companies to get even bigger. Nearly 3 million people contacted the FCC and Congress with 99 percent of them opposed. The FCC approved relaxing ownership rules anyway, but in 2004 a federal appeals court overturned that decision.
In 2007, the Bush FCC attempted, once again, to relax ownership rules. But last July, the same court that rejected the 2003 rules threw the new ones out, too.
Despite the struggle to prevent further consolidation, the commission still hasn't learned its lesson. Just before Christmas, the Obama FCC introduced essentially the same rule to lift the cross-ownership ban that Democrats—including then-Senator Obama—rejected in 2007 during the Bush Administration. Free Press and other organizations are mobilizing activists to protect—and strengthen—existing ownership limits.
Protecting Net Neutrality
Public interest groups and media justice organizations have also waged a spirited campaign to prevent a corporate takeover of the Internet. Free Press' SavetheInternet.com coalition has more than 2 million net neutrality supporters who have called on the government to protect our right to communicate freely online.
Companies like AT&T and Comcast want the power to interfere with Web traffic so they can decide which sites and applications go fast and which go slow. And the cable and phone companies, along with their trade association, spend about $70 million annually on lobbying to achieve their ambition.
During his 2008 presidential campaign, Obama said he would take a back seat to no one in his support of net neutrality. But his FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, took a back seat to AT&T in December 2010, when he brokered a compromise with the telecom giant to strip most network neutrality protections for wireless users.
The agency's net neutrality rules, which went into effect in November 2011, created two Internets, by providing protection for wired users but omitting most protections for people connecting via wireless devices like smartphones. The rules open the door to discriminatory behavior from internet service providers.
While this compromise was a setback, the passage of net neutrality rules protecting wired Internet users still represents a victory that likely would not have occurred if the public had not demanded Internet freedom.
Yet this partial victory is still under attack. Verizon and MetroPCS are suing the FCC to have the new rules thrown out. Last year, Republican lawmakers passed a measure in the House to overturn the net neutrality rules, but public outcry helped defeat the measure in the Senate.
Better Media, Better Democracy
The public interest community and media justice organizations continue to fight for policies that will create a more democratic media system. We need policies that decentralize control of our media system and allow the voices of ordinary people to be heard rather than giving greater power to corporate gatekeepers.
This is critically important for people of color. We have seen the damage caused to our communities when other people tell our stories—they often get it wrong.
Our victories on AT&T and net neutrality come at a time when the Occupy movement is challenging the conventional wisdom that we can't stand up to corporations. For too long, many people have felt hopeless about the prospect of holding politicians and lawmakers accountable and making them serve the interests of everyday people.
But the structural issues that allowed corporations to run roughshod over our economy and media system won't change unless people organize and work together to fight back and be heard.
Their voices can make a difference.
Just ask AT&T.
We have 5 days to raise $39,000 — we're counting on your support!
For those who care about justice, liberation and even the very survival of our species, we must remember our power to take action.
We won't pretend it's the only thing you can or should do, but one small step is to pitch in to support Truthout — as one of the last remaining truly independent, nonprofit, reader-funded news platforms, your gift will help keep the facts flowing freely.

subset: commoncrawl


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With the holidays quickly approaching I have been pretty busy and because of that I have been looking for some relatively quick and easy meals that do not compromise in flavour. Pastas work really well in these situations and not only is this pasta is absolutely packed with flavour but the recipe is straight forward and it only takes about a half an hour to make. Another plus is that I very often have all of the ingredients on hand, either in the fridge or in the pantry so it really is one of those 'go to' meals. The sauce for this pasta dish is pretty similar to a puttanesca sauce with the addition of tuna to make it a bit heartier. The capers and olives are responsible for a lot of the flavour in this dish and they really carry the day. If you want to simplify things even more you can easily skip the wine or replace it with some chicken broth. You can also omit the anchovies, though they also add a lot of flavour and you won't even see them in finished product. You could easily top this pasta off with some grated cheese but it hardly needs it.
Now that dinner is made, its time to get back to baking! 🙂
Tuna and Caper Tomato Pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes (crushed)
- 2 tablespoons capers (drained)
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives (pitted and diced)
- 2 anchovies (minced, optional)
- 1 can tuna (drained)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 1 handful parsley (chopped)
- Heat the oil in the pan at medium heat.
- Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and chili pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the white wine, deglaze the pan and then simmer until it has almost all evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and capers and simmer until the sauce just starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.
- Add the olives, anchovies and tuna and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed
- Season the tomato sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and mix in the parsley.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce and serve.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
Spaghetti alla Marinara
Maccheroni Calabresei alla Arrabiata
Tilapia Piccata
Chicken Puttanesca
Cod Poached in Arrabbiata Sauce


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Monday, May 03, 2010
And They Say That A Hero Will Save Us
As usual, I drank too much, said many inappropriate things, annoyed a bunch of people, and had a great time.
The conference was very similar to the dozens of others I've attended. Fans and writers interacted. The panels were pretty much same old same old. It was comforting, and familiar.
And yet, if you looked a bit closer, you noticed there was change coming.
I saw over a dozen Kindles. Two Nooks, two Sony Readers, a Kobo, and three iPads, all in the hands of readers anxious to evangelize them.
I heard, from a prominent industry professional, that mass market returns among the top publishers were at almost 80%.
The line for the ebook seminar was about a hundred yards long.
I heard from a librarian that their Overdrive program (lending ebooks) now accounted for 34% of their loans.
F. Paul Wilson is making just as much money on self-pubbed ebook sales as I am.
And four separate people came up to me and called me a hero.
The "hero" thing took me off guard. The first time it happened, I smiled politely and brushed it off, as I do all compliments.
By the fourth time, I began to realize how much this industry was really changing.
When I was a newbie, I was mystified by the publishing industry. I believed getting published meant being invited into some exclusive club. One with gatekeepers who had strange demands, and where control was out of a writer's hands.
But that dynamic is changing. In a big way.
With the Internet, writers are savvier than ever. They aren't nearly as naive as I was when I got started. They go to conventions, and read blogs, and talk to each other. Agents have blogs of their own, and they explain how this business works, and are happy to answer questions.
In other words, today's newbie is much more informed than newbies from even three years ago.
This makes me wonder.
At RT I talked to several name authors. People who sold more than I do. People who are now very anxious to get their backlists up on Kindle so they can start making money.
But I also talked to a lot of newbies. And these folks are gung-ho about completely forsaking traditional print publishing all together.
I'd always assumed that print publishers would begin to lose market dominance once ebooks took off in a big way, and they'd have to either restructure or die.
But now I'm predicting another death for them.
What is going to happen when authors stop sending their books to publishers?
If I know I can make $100,000 on a self-published ebook in five years of sales, and I have the numbers to back up this claim, why would any informed writer--either pro or newbie--ever settle for less?
The dominance of ebooks is coming. I have no doubt. But I always thought it was the readers who would lead the charge, based on cost and convenience.
Now I'm starting to believe that the ones with the real power are the ones who should have had the power since the beginning of publishing. The ones who create the content in the first place.
The authors.
It's a wonderful, dynamic, empowering time to be an author. For the first time, we can command our own ships.
We're the ones who write the books. We can reach readers without any gatekeepers at all. And we can make money doing it.
The print publishing industry's biggest fear shouldn't be the eventual dominance of ebooks over print.
Their biggest fear should be not having any books to publish in any format, because the authors all wised up.
88 comments:
- Ellen Fisher said...
I'm envious. I've always wanted to go to an RT convention *sighs*. Well, maybe some decade when the kids are all grown up...
80%? Really? Those return numbers are insane. They can't possibly continue that for long, surely. - 11:27 AM
- Kristen Painter said...
I'm bummed I didn't get to meet you at RT. I put a book up on Smashwords because of you!
- The Daring Novelist said...
It's definitely a strange new world. I'm wondering if there will be some kind of convergence between agents and publishers - maybe into something manager-like.
Or agents become managers and publishers become publicists. - 11:42 AM
I wonder the same thing about publishers. I have also taken the plunge because of you and published on Smashwords.
Thanks for the inspiration and the mental push to wise up. - 11:45 AM
- Unknown said...
Gonna be interesting times ahead, for sure. I'm loving my Kindle sales on Amazon, and then again, I'm also loving the fact that St. Martin's sent me the catalog copy for my next novel today...glad to be a part of this changing world!
- Laurence MacNaughton said...
And here's a question nobody's been asking: where does this leave literary agents?
Where does this leave literary agents? Leaving snarky comments on Twitter about what nitwits authors are.
- Rex Kusler said...
"Where does this leave literary agents?"
I think there is still a demand for longhaul truckers. - 12:11 PM
Lit agents will do what lit agents do.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/05/fate-of-self-published-works.html - 12:18 PM
- CJ West said...
And you are him! Thanks for being that hero Joe.
I was in a bookstore signing recently and the owner came over to talk. He is terrified of ebooks and it was clear.
I hope you'll be at BCON in October so I can buy you a drink.
- Thomas Brookside said...
Joe, at the convention, did you get any negative feedback from industry professionals who were pissed off at you for your statements about direct publishing of ebooks?
I think we're just about at the point now where Wanted posters of you are going to start going up. - 12:30 PM
- Ellen Fisher said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- Ellen Fisher said...
Heh, Thomas, I guess one person's hero is another's Most Wanted.
But yes, I'm curious about this too, Joe. Any negative feedback? - 12:35 PM
- Spy Scribbler said...
I was so pleased when Amazon upped an author's cut to 70%. I just find it so unpalatable that an author makes the minority of the money from the sale of their work.
I hope bookstores and publishers find a way to survive, but I'm with you on empowering authors. - 12:36 PM
- Claire Farrell said...
It's nice to think that authors have some power now, before we were all at the mercy of agents and publishing houses - now, the changes are coming so rapidly that the publishers seem to be the last ones to see it.
It makes sense if the person creating the content holds the most power and now that it is so easy create professional looking books, the divides are narrowing. It's a good time to be a writer. Writers benefit from higher royalties and more creative control while readers are benefiting from competitive pricing. - 1:04 PM
- JA Konrath said...
did you get any negative feedback from industry professionals who were pissed off at you for your statements about direct publishing of ebooks?
I plead the fifth. :) - 1:20 PM
- Eliza Gayle said...
I wanted to come up to you at RT and thank you for your blog, but I was too distracted by your butterfly wings. :)
I've been attending RT since 2006 and it's the first year I really felt the change. I cannot remember how many readers came up to me and asked if my books were available in ebook instead of print.
This is definitely an exciting time and the information you share here is invaluable. - 1:47 PM
- John Hamilton, author said...
I've been in publishing for almost 30 years, working on both sides of the editorial desk, and I've never seen such a sea change as what's happening now (except maybe PageMaker and the LaserWriter). I'm definitely putting my next novel on Kindle and foregoing the old publishing model, which must have been devised in the Dark Ages. Thanks for lighting the way out, Joe!
- Steve Anderson said...
It's indeed a great time to be an author -- for once. A year ago I had no idea such great things were coming. It's going to get ugly for those in traditional publishing who refuse to adapt. Amazing how fast the shackles come off, once they start coming off.
- Unknown said...
Preach it!
The big publishers will change, or they will die.
I just read an article today -- did you know that Blockbuster was contacted FIRST about creating those "Redbox-type" machines? They ignored him. So now Blockbuster stock is worth 50 cents and Netflix and Redbox have essentially taken the lion's share of Blockbuster's business.
Wake up "traditional" publishers! A lot of us don't need you anymore. Maybe we never did.
The big publishers don't want to change, so they are going to suffer for it. Or die for it. - 2:47 PM
- Rex Kusler said...
Publishers need to diversify. I wonder if they can recycle those returned books and make buckboards out of them.
- Jude Hardin said...
I don't know, Joe. My publisher gets 150 submissions a week, and they're a small press. All the blogging agents say they're consistently swamped with queries...
Seems to me it's as hard as ever to break into print, and I don't think they'll be hurting for material anytime soon. - 3:41 PM
- Ruth Francisco, author said...
I was thinking of going to Bouchercon again this year, but since I'm Kindle publishing now I wondered what I could hand out to fans--you can't sign a Kindle (at least not easily). Maybe postcards of the cover art? 8x10 glossies? Hats? I'm at a loss, but fans love to hold something, love a signature, love that connection to the author. Perhaps a CD of the author reading their book?
- K M Tolan said...
I think a lot of success for those electing to self-publish has to do with whether or not they have already made a name for themselves. If combating obscurity is an issue for e-book authors who are attached to small publishers as I am, then it can only be worse for the self-published crowd fighting to be heard above the flotsam.
I really can't see publishers being endangered in the long run because there still needs to be a way for readers to sift through the huge amount of poor writing out there in the self-pub areas. You may see distributors become publishers themselves, complete with quality control and editors.
Right now, most genre self published authors who arrive new on the market may not see the optimism heard here.
Kerry - 4:13 PM
- David Derrico said...
With the caveat that self-publishing is not a path filled only with puppy dogs and ice cream, I think it's clear that more and more authors are becoming disillusioned with the traditional publishing "dream." I've had only a fraction of the success that you have, but even I, a relative nobody independent author, would no longer sell over the rights to my novels for the typical first-time deal of a $5,000 advance and 8% royalty and zero marketing and publicity support.
That's not to say that tradpubs have nothing to offer, but they seem dreadfully behind the times and authors are flocking to the indie route. Sure, there are many pitfalls, and it takes hard work, and only a tiny percentage will be successful ... but the odds still seem to be better than traditional publishing, which has all those same risks and then some. - 4:42 PM
- Mark Terry said...
"And four separate people came up to me and called me a hero."
It was the tights, Joe. And the cape.
Okay. I've been giving this a lot of thought and of course, nobody knows. But you say that in 6 years print will be dead. Neil Nyren and many others in publishing say it never will, that e-books will become about half the market. Who's right?
I suspect you might be, but time will tell.
Here's why I think so. It has to do with costs. There's going to be too much money in e-books for publishers (assuming authors continue to deal with publishers, which I think is quite up in the air). If publishers had 50% of their books (and I don't know if Nyren meant 50% of revenue or 50% of books published) that were published were in paper, and they found themselves selling less and less paper books, but still paying warehousing, print costs, paper, returns, etc., it's not going to be long before the major print houses simply look at their bottom line and decide they can't afford to continue wasting money on paper printing, whether there's readers for them or not, unless they jack up the price of their books to accommodate the drop in sales volume... which will result in fewer sales, which will...
Yeah, I suspect you're right, whether we want it to be or not.
There was a recent article in The New Yorker about e-books (Publish or Perish) and two things struck me about it. One was that he never seemed to seriously consider that authors, perhaps especially authors who are already being published in paper, might decide they've had enough of 10% royalties, having some of their manuscripts turned down and their backlists being buried and might go it on their own; and the other was how so many of the heads of major publishing firms seemed to be in a defensive crouch waiting for someone like Steve Jobs to come along and save them instead of doing something proactive to save their own asses. - 4:52 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
The snottiness and contempt shown to writers by many agents and editors who blog and tweet isn't helping matters either.
When there are alternatives, fewer people stand in line for the opportunity to be verbally abused by people who, if they could write, would be doing so. - 5:39 PM
- Amanda Borenstadt said...
Great post. For some reason it caused the Kinks song "Money-Go-Round" to run through my head.
- Gareth-Michael Skarka said...
I've been doing ePublishing (games industry stuff -- tabletop RPGs) for 6 1/2 years now, and I'm pleased to see the wider market starting to shift as well...
But the thing that I find amazing is the friends that I have in mainstream publishing who are not only very quick to dismiss any experiences like yours, but when they're presented with hard numbers (like in your blog posts, or when I lay out my numbers for them), they deny even harder.
It's kinda sad, really. Real head-in-the-sand stuff. - 6:39 PM
- JA Konrath said...
My publisher gets 150 submissions a week, and they're a small press. All the blogging agents say they're consistently swamped with queries...
Give it 18 months.
I was thinking of going to Bouchercon again this year, but since I'm Kindle publishing now I wondered what I could hand out to fans--
I didn't give out anything. I had only two panels. I was active on the dance floor, and with mingling, but I didn't do any self-promotion at all.
And yet, in the last four days, I've been earning $150 a day on Kindle, when before the convention I was earning $125.
Is that because of being at Romantic Times? I dunno. But maybe there is still something to making in-person appearances.
As for signing, I signed two Kindle covers.
I really can't see publishers being endangered in the long run because there still needs to be a way for readers to sift through the huge amount of poor writing out there in the self-pub areas.
And yet, readers manage to sift through bookstores which carry 150,000 titles, and Amazon which carries several million titles.
Vetting is fun. It's called "shopping."
it's not going to be long before the major print houses simply look at their bottom line and decide they can't afford to continue wasting money on paper printing
Exactly, Mark. Once ebooks reach a larger percentage of the market, they will cut into print sales. That means smaller print runs and higher costs. Which means fewer titles published.
Then, what will bookstores sell? Publishers will need cash, so they'll ask stores to pay for the credit that has been extended. Stores will start returning books because they have no cash. The house of cards collapses.
The snottiness and contempt shown to writers by many agents and editors who blog and tweet isn't helping matters either.
The only agents I've seen have been very supportive of writers, and very open about demystifying publishing. Are there some snotty ones? - 6:41 PM
- Robert W. Walker said...
You have always been my HERO, Joe...and always will be. I love yu, man--and that's not just a movie title.
As to Original to Kindle titles, I put up Children of Salem, my life's work, my passion, rejected by every publisher on the planet, but also my How-To, turned down by every publisher on the planet, Dead On Writing and both are selling more briskly than any paper books published by me in the last three years. I put up Cuba Blue and Deja Blue as well along with an antholgoy - Thrice Told Tales all orginal to kindle titles.
Recently while working on my work in progress, I began wondering to whom I should send a proposal and start begging when a light hit me and aha! It goes straight to Kindle my Curse of the Titanic just as soon as I get it vetted and edited and ready for my dashboard.
Pricing, cover art, titles I control; what a sense of freedom and power. When a paper book fails after everyone in the publishing house has had a decision in all the marketing elements it is STILL the author's fault when the bottom falls out. When all the returns come in and your paltry royalty is cut in half or by two thirds. No remainders or returns to speak of in ebooks.
U R my hero, Joe and I like your tights and cape. Wear that Giant J on your chest proudly, man.
Rob - 6:54 PM
No idea why, but one of your books showed up on my screen at Amazon. THE LIST. Never read you before. You're good. I'll read some more. Kindle for Mac---rudimentary, but Amazon swears improvements are coming. Thanks, fella.
- Mary Stella said...
You're not only heroic, after Friday's performance, you're hareoic. Except when you criticize my choice of drink. But thanks anyway! :-)
Reading your blog and talking to you more about all of this in person really has me thinking and planning. Thanks, Joe! - 7:47 PM
- Barb said...
A couple weeks ago, I wrote to "my" publisher and told them I was withdrawing my second novel from their consideration. They were so shocked. If I could get the first book back, I'd be thrilled but it's already on the schedule altho they've forgotten about paying me even though I've mentioned it every month. Of course every month there's a new editor, so you start at zero every six weeks. The money they're paying me doesn't make this hassle worth it--and I told them that. Do you think I made an enemy? Do you think I care?
- J.A. Marlow said...
The 80% rate of returns is mind-blowing. Just....wow.
So true about the publishers having problems when the authors decide to do it themselves and take most of the profit. For both publishers and agents, well, someone here mentioned long-haul truck driving. Hehe.
I've already decided I'm not going to play the games. If my book is going to fail, it will be because of me, not a publishers decisions that I had no say in. If I'm going to have to promote and market my book, then I darn well better be getting a much bigger slice of the pie. If something doesn't work, I'll change it without someone telling me 'no'. I will write the books I want without someone telling me it isn't mainstream enough.
Why put up with their nonsense? Who needs the hassle? Life is too short, and the market has changed to where I don't have to. Ahhhh, the power. It was about time the power came to the content producers! - 8:32 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
Joe, I got a really bad taste in my mouth from watching some of the crap going on on twitter in #queryfail. I realize there are some great agents out there. Hell, I'd throw 15% of my money at Nathan Bransford on sheer principle of his awesomeness. But a lot of them really like to mock writers. It comes across as very distasteful and unprofessional to me and I can't imagine why any writer would want to enter into business arrangements with such people.
I've got a couple of "agents behaving badly" in mind as I type this. Anyone who has seen #queryfail on Twitter probably could take three guesses and pick them out of a crowd.
I also came across this blog post one day from an editor and I was like... um excuse me?
http://www.caroclarke.com/iamyoureditor.html - 9:12 PM
The first adopters of Kindle (and other ebook devices) were the heaviest readers -- the 3% that make up 30% of the brick and mortar store business. These are the reading addicts (many read 3-5 books a week or more) who found digital to be an absolute godsend -- fewer books to haul around and store, better prices, and books available on demand, from the comfort of home, 24/7.
Losing the hardcore reader/consumer dealt a mortal blow to the book industry, and it happened very quickly. - 9:19 PM
- Debbi said...
I think we may finally be on the same page, Joe.
I've been saying for a while now that authors were eventually going to get sick of the publishers' games and bypass them altogether.
Authors create the content. Without the content, publishers have nothing.
Thus, content = power in a time when self-publishing is a totally viable option. - 9:45 PM
- Jude Hardin said...
I think Caro Clarke's article should be required reading for all aspiring authors. I especially liked her addition at the end:
All those beginner writers who said 'gosh, this is tough and mean, but I really need to learn from it' have tended to be writers who were serious about their craft. Those who said 'what a stuck-up know-it-all creep; who does she think she is?' have usually been those who'll never get anywhere. Why do I know this? Because I've often read their work, and it correlates nicely. I also know because real writers accept that they have to get published in the real world, and that world is full of unpalatable truths, while wannabe writers prefer a fantasy world where their dreams come true without their having to make an effort. - 10:26 PM
- Unknown said...
Jude, I agree with you - I thought Caro's blog post was great. Still, it'll be interesting times ahead!
- Modest Treasure said...
For some reason, the #queryfail isn't pulling up on my twitter. However, reading over the link you posted...I'm not quite sure about her intelligence to be honest.
I stopped reading after she wrote that she rejected feminist books written by men. First of all, two of the most educated--and unbiased--feminist scholars I know are men. Second, rejecting a feminist manuscript b/c it was written by a guy is sexist. Unless it was a "woman's only" publishing company and not a feminist publishing company then I could understand. Oh, and I am a woman and very much into equality.
Joe, that is so cool that you got to go to RT :). I agree that publishers need to realize the potential for eBooks before the competition becomes too much for them. I can see how some writers may want literary agents b/c they don't know how to market or sell, but authors who know how to market may be able to sell their own books soon for more earnings.
I read somewhere that agents might be rough on authors, but the reality is that the agent becomes the employee of the author. It is their job to sell the manuscripts and make the author money so they can earn money as well. If this is true, then agents themselves may want to consider brushing up on new media marketing trends.
I'm still working on my first novel, but I'm also earning a degree in marketing communications. I didn't know what I was going to do with it at first, but if I am accepted by a traditional publishing press and decide to publish other works online, then I think I might know what to do with my upcoming degree :). - 10:55 PM
- Modest Treasure said...
* When I say her intelligence, she may be skillful as an editor, but anyone who thinks that a man cannot write a good feminism book needs to do some research.
- Karen McQuestion said...
"It's a wonderful, dynamic, empowering time to be an author. For the first time, we can command our own ships."
Well put! The balance of power has definitely shifted in favor of the writer, thank goodness. I don't want to be made to feel lucky to be "chosen," I want to be an equal partner, or else do it myself. And between self-publishing on Kindle and my AmazonEncore title coming out in August, that's just the way it's worked out for me.
And Joe, you are a hero to many of us, me included. Thanks again for sharing your insights and leading the way. - 11:02 PM
- P. M. Hollott said...
I think the sea-change is taking place in the mid-level, writers who don't have the name recognition (yet), but who are also avid readers and evangelists, who share the love around, edit each others work, and like you say, blog and tweet about their successes. The most agile will always be the ones who are empowered yet unencumbered.
I've never felt I was at the mercy of "the business". I've enjoyed a successful ebook career and am enjoying my NY print career which is exceeding my expectations. My philosophy has always been that writing is my business. And like any business, it is wise to maximize as many revenue streams as possible. I chose to start in ebooks because I needed to create a demand for my genre. Moving to NY was part of my 5 year plan. Leaving the ebook market never was. I held back two series to keep my options open for new revenue potential. I think the market created by e-devices is it. I'm happy for new market opportunities, and since I've positioned myself so I can take advantage of them I don't see "good guys" and Bad guys". Just different markets with their own pluses and minuses and different potentials that can benefit my business. I believe the most important thing for authors to do right now is to keep their options open within their contracts so they can make the most of opportunities existing now and in the future because it is very much a changing world.
- Renee Pace said...
What a great blog. I've been an e-pub for years and am now considering launching my YA on my own as self-pub because yes, I do all my marketing myself, love my monthly royalities but like you said it, am feeling more in charge of my destiny as a writer. Thanks again for talking about this.
- Stacey Cochran said...
Now if you really want to be ahead of the curve... the DIY Direct-to-Video and Direct-TV-Download market for indie film producers are going to be the place to make a killing in the next 5-10 years.
If I could make a short film on my own and get it into NetFlix's Instant Download Database... then the film industry will be doing the same thing as Kindle and eBooks have done for writers.
Only, people spend a lot more money on movies then they do on books.
Stacey Cochran
Publisher of Stacey Cochran Books
and Bestselling author of The Colorado Sequence
and CLAWS - 9:45 AM
- Author Scott Nicholson said...
That's what Amazon's 70-percent royalty is all about--major defections by major authors, publicity for Kindle and ebooks, more digital sales.
But I don't think the sub pile will slip for quite a while, and for most book slots, one sub is as good as another. Seriously.
Scott - 10:26 AM
- The Daring Novelist said...
I don't care about any "snottiness and contempt" on the part of publishing professionals (I just don't see it myself, but if it's there it doesn't matter).
What concerns me is the raw sweaty-palmed fear I sense emanating from publishers right now. The irrational high prices, etc.
I'm afraid to seek a contract until they get their act in gear. As a new writer, I don't believe they would let me keep my erights, and I don't see them as understanding or using them properly yet. - 10:36 AM
- Helen Hanson said...
Under the print paradigm of publishing, the publisher takes an enormous financial risk to launch an unknown writer's work into the marketplace. I think it's fair for the risk-taker to reap the lion's share of the monetary carcass. To my way of thinking, the advance seems a rather generous notion.
Given the limited print resources, literary gatekeepers were necessary to cull the "best" from the herd. The best for their imprint, the best for their editor, the best for their company's vision. If nothing else, they needed to keep the slush piles from becoming a fire risk.
The print houses were the buyers. My money—I get to make the rules. I'm a capitalist at heart. To me, this is logical.
But, regardless of the marketing budget splashed on some books, they still failed, because the work didn't resonate with readers. And e-book math no longer requires a patron to keep you in corn flakes (or Jack Daniels) while you write.
E-books allow us to take our work directly to the reader, where it breathes or chokes on its own merits. Thus the admonitions by agent/editor/critique group to groom your work still applies. Quality always matters.
But the e-book paradigm removes the coach from the field. You wanna play? Get out there and dazzle us. The readers now decide who sits on the bench. - 10:46 AM
- Rex Kusler said...
"I think it's fair for the risk-taker to reap the lion's share of the monetary carcass."
The publishing buzzards have never shown any interest in my carcass. It's nice to be able to peddle it myself before it rots. - 11:27 AM
- JA Konrath said...
But, regardless of the marketing budget splashed on some books, they still failed, because the work didn't resonate with readers.
I don't believe that's the case, Helen.
If all books had equal print runs, marketing campaigns, and exposure, then it would come down to the writing.
But a lot of good books don't find their audience because the audience is unaware they exists, rather than the book not resonating.
And a lot of mediocre work sells like crazy simply because it is universally available.
Writing a good book is important. But a good book will sit on the shelf if the readers can't find it. And that's the fault of the publishers. - 11:31 AM
- Linda Pendleton said...
I agree that it is the authors who will, and are, changing the dynamics of NY publishing...
- Kait Nolan said...
Frankly, I've been puzzled by how little power authors seemed to have in the traditional publishing structure--because, as you have pointed out, if they don't have authors they have no product. If we don't send them our work, they fold. Publishers seem to think of authors as livestock in a stable. And if they dare to act up, they send them to the slaughter house. I say it's high time the farm fought back.
- Zoe Winters said...
I felt that last part of the article was an attempt to cover her ass. She behaved in a way that is not befitting a professional expecting to enter into a working relationship with a writer and then justified her snide BS with that at the end. I'm not buying it.
It's one thing to say: "Here is my process, here are the things I look for and don't look for."
It's a completely other thing to be that openly hostile toward writers. The level of contempt she showed writers makes me wonder why she'd enter or remain in the editing profession at all. - 3:50 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
Also her implication that people who don't tolerate verbal abuse from her are unprofessional and somehow "not a real writer," is laughably stupid. - 3:51 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
A.M. I know! That feminist thing was something that irritated me too. Someone who is that big of a misandrist doesn't need to be involved with the issue of gender equality at all let alone editing for a publication that is supposed to be all about gender equality.
That kind of attitude long ago convinced me that most of what passes for feminism these days is about being "anti-men" not "pro-gender equality"
I'm sure the irony of judging someone and their possible contribution based on their gender, was lost on her.
I agree with you that whoever takes the biggest risk in a work deserves the most of the financial pie. To me the indie thing is about not ASKING someone else to take that risk. I'm not interested in someone else taking a bigger risk than me to profit larger than me. I'd rather take all my own risk and reap all the reward. - 3:59 PM
What Kait Nolan said. When authors are afraid to complain about covers that are downright racist because they are worried their agent and/or publisher will label them difficult or drop them, when they have to write entirely to the market or start over because they "missed the boat" -- and agents say this to querying writers all of the time, to write another book "because I already represent someone who writes vampires" -- why bother?
Weren't agents supposed to work for US? Since when should I feel "honored" that I'm first in line to receive royalty checks and lose control of my work? I'm doing this because I *want* to, not because I expect to get rich.
I am a control freak. I don't want a shitty cover on my book or have to rewrite to suit someone's tastes. I will happily edit twenty times to fix problems and typos and canon inconsistency, but I'm not going to sacrifice 20,000 words if the story needs to be 120,000 and not 100,000. Hell, no. Screw that and the boat it came in on. - 4:02 PM
- Jack H H King said...
WHISKEY SOUR was your first novel that sold, and you wrote it because the big publishers rejected your previous works, correct?
If you were a newbie author self-publishing your first book on Kindle today, do you think you still would have written your Jack Daniels series?
Or would you be writing different kinds of books? Would you still write PG-13 content, or would you go full R-Rated or even NC-17?
Would you self-publish your 5th draft at 80,000 words, or your 9th draft at 60,000 words?
Would you still be getting blurbs from famous genre authors if you self-published all your ebooks?
Would you release your books on POD paperback if 5% of your audience wanted to own dead-tree copies?
You're 40, you have a big backlist, and you're an example of success. You're a hell of a writer, and a hell of a guy.
What would you be doing today if you were 25 and you had just written ORIGIN?
- Jack - 6:01 PM
- JA Konrath said...
WHISKEY SOUR was your first novel that sold, and you wrote it because the big publishers rejected your previous works, correct?
I wrote it because I love the genre. But I did pay special attention to what was currently selling, and tried to make sure I had a ready-made audience.
If you were a newbie author self-publishing your first book on Kindle today, do you think you still would have written your Jack Daniels series?
Maybe. Hard to say. I love writing the JD books, but they aren't the only genre I love. I've written horror, medical thriller, sci-fi, thriller, and technothriller novels. Some humorous, some not.
Would you still write PG-13 content, or would you go full R-Rated or even NC-17?
The JD books are R rated. I'd call Afraid NC-17.
Would you self-publish your 5th draft at 80,000 words, or your 9th draft at 60,000 words?
I'd publish the book when I felt it was ready, regardless of word count or draft number. But I've pretty much always done that, with both print and ebooks.
Would you still be getting blurbs from famous genre authors if you self-published all your ebooks?
At least a few, yes. I'd try to.
Would you release your books on POD paperback if 5% of your audience wanted to own dead-tree copies?
I am releasing my ebooks on POD this month.
What would you be doing today if you were 25 and you had just written ORIGIN?
Knowing what I know now? I'd self-publish it on Kindle and Smashwords, self-promote on the web, attend conferences to meet other writers, become part of the burgeoning ebook community, and cross my fingers.
I'd also write my ass off, to get as much content on Kindle as possible. One huge advantage self-pubbing has over p-pubbing is timeframe. A print book takes 18 months to get released. A self-pub book can go live in less than a week. The more good ebooks you upload, the better your chances of success... - 6:49 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
Congrats on the POD releases! Which POD printer did you decide to go with?
- Stella MacLean said...
This is all so thought provoking! It begs the question of who will remain standing after the ebook takes over? And what about self-publishing? Will the author need only an editor and a kick ass marketing plan?
Stella MacLean - 7:44 AM
- John F. Blair, Publisher said...
This is all fascinating stuff, Joe. I do have one question:
If you were in charge of creating and marketing ebooks for a small, dynamic publisher (like Blair), what would you do? - 11:02 AM
- Jack H H King said...
(I started it two nights ago and have almost finished. It's badass. I can feel the love of genre in your prose.)
I thought I read in your 'Newbie's Guide' that your agent sold it, but the publisher wanted edits.
You sent it out when you thought it was 100% complete. You made some of the changes that they wanted. You shortened the book, softened some of the language, added more polish. The normal back-and-forth.
Do you think the published version is a better book? Or, if you were self-publishing it on Kindle, would you release the version you first sent them, the version that you first thought was 100% complete?
I'm wondering if you feel that working a novel through the Big Publisher editing process helps to give it an overall higher quality?
You seem to have the engineering of a one-man novel publishing machine. I can understand why the ebook revolution excites you. You're a professional, with god-like powers.
But what about authors that need help? Do they take all the risk? Do they spend $3000-$5000 and hire editors and proofreaders and cover artists and layout designers and PR professionals, and eat the cost if the book doesn't profit?
I think of Big Publishers like insurance. The healthy books support the sick books. And the system, while imperfect, helps a lot of writers and readers. The best part is that participation is optional.
It's good to hear you're going POD.
- Jack - 11:46 AM
- Jack H H King said...
My small press uses LSI for POD. My editor loves them. She says it costs about $100 to release a paperback, they can price to the market and make about $7 profit per book sold.
50% of lifetime sales have come from Amazon, 25% from B&N Online, 25% from readers who walk into bookstores and order the books.
They've been using LSI for 5 years, and have not had a single complaint.
- Jack - 11:59 AM
- JA Konrath said...
I'm wondering if you feel that working a novel through the Big Publisher editing process helps to give it an overall higher quality?
That's a good question. It's also non-specific, because some editors help some books, but not all editors help all books.
On average, I think editing helps. Getting a learned opinion and suggestions, with rational reasons to back up the points, is always helpful.
That said, I have been asked to do edits I didn't agree with. Sometimes I did them, other times I didn't.
I wouldn't ever pay for editing. My peers help me vet my books, and I have people who help me proofread.
If I were a newbie starting out, an editor could definitely help make a book better. But it's still a case- by-case basis. - 12:04 PM
- JA Konrath said...
If you were in charge of creating and marketing ebooks for a small, dynamic publisher (like Blair), what would you do?
Keep the prices low, under $2.99. Take a small percentage, say 15% of the net of every sale. Try to grab as many authors as I could before they realize they can do it themselves. - 12:07 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
Hey Jack,
Yep, I'm about to do my first print release with LSI. They are probably one of the best kept secrets of publishing. Otherwise I can't understand the "serious self-publishing authors" out there who, in the age of the Internet, are still equating POD with author services companies and encouraging offset print runs. That's epic fail right there!
Thanks also for giving me your percentages on B&N sales through LSI. Also interesting about people walking into bookstores and ordering the books. What discount do you offer through LSI? Do you use the short discount option?
There is a bit of a learning curve to working with LSI but anyone with any kind of profit motive as an indie would be wise to jump the hurdle. They're the best option out there.
I'm a little bit of a nerd in that I can recognize the print hallmark of an LSI book and all the POD books that actually look good as far as construction, cover stock, paper, and actual printing, is LSI.
I'm not sure if CreateSpace and Booksurge use the same printers since they are both Amazon-run but when I originally got samples, Booksurge had ugly yellow glue (book binding glue should not stick out like a sore thumb) and way too shiny covers. - 4:21 PM
- Jay Hudson said...
Love it Joe!
I've always said self-publishing is the best way for the average writer to go.Going to share your link with my writer friends at email@example.com
Jay Hudson - 4:26 PM
- Victorine said...
Great post today, and I have been thinking along these same lines the past few weeks. I think you've hit the nail on the head. You're absolutely right. Thanks for such a great blog. I'm now self-published because of you.
- Jack H H King said...
All my LSI books are at the 25% "short" discount, with no returns.
Amazon seems to change their discount at random, but most of the time they take off an extra 10%.
For example, my all-sex diet book.
$2.99 Kindle. My small press lists the POD paperback at $13.95.
Amazon buys it from LSI for $10.50.
Amazon sells it to the reader for $12.55. Free shipping.
LSI take $3.
My small press collects $7.50.
My editor keeps $.50 per book. She's a one-woman machine.
I earn $7 per paperback sold and get paid every month.
My new thriller is coming out in fall 2010 on Kindle and paperback.
I met my editor in college. We both studied playwriting. We both intend to be doing the indie fiction thing for the next 50 years.
I don't want New York Publishing to fail. I just will never need them. - 5:33 PM
- Unknown said...
Hey Joe,
I guess you could say you're MY hero! You're the only reason I bought a nook. (Well, not the nook specifically... I can't blame you for that)
I still send folks to your post about odering a pizza from your e-reader in the pool. I think the idea of a paper book with the ebook on a micro SD is brilliant and I'm SHOCKED that I heven't seen it yet.
Keep it up, and I'll keep reading, regardless of the form. I found you at the library, but I'll follow ya in any form. - 8:36 PM
- Mary Anna Evans said...
You've convinced me, Joe. I just downloaded your Newbie's Guide.
I relate to your tagline about the writer who never gives up. I wrote and submitted for seventeen years before I sold that first novel. Some of that early work deserves to remain in my file drawer, but some of it is now available in ebook form.
After I sold Artifacts, I did a lot of the things you've done. I've made appearances in 23 states. I've gotten press coverage--print, radio, and TV--in major markets including NYC. I sent library mailings and independent bookstore mailings. The result is that I sell very well for a small publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, with a backlist that my agent tells me sells well for any publisher. Yet I don't make a living.
So I've epublished the work to which I own rights, and I'm tackling the vagaries of internet promotion of those works, as well as my printed books. This is my year to assert some control over my destiny. Thanks for the roadmap.
Mary Anna Evans
Blogging at "It's like making sausage," http://www.maryannaevans.blogspot.com - 12:29 PM
Where do you think literary fiction writers are going to end up over the next few years? Hard to get trad pubbed, of course, but perhaps harder to go the self-pubbing route and find your audience?? Are we just fu%&ed? - 12:56 PM
I got offered an 'e-book only' contract at the end of last year. After reading this, I'm even more glad I accepted.
Thanks for sharing :) - 2:59 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
Jack, that's great! I was considering doing short discount and no returns as well.
I don't *want* NY to fail, but I think they will unless they change how they do things significantly. Too many factors IMO are coming together. Though a world in which NY and indies happily coexist without so much nastiness would be nice too. - 9:59 PM
- Zoe Winters said...
Oh and I wasn't implying that you thought I wanted NY to fail. Rereading that, that's how it sounded. I meant that I don't want them to either. But the wording sounded off. *head desk* - 10:01 PM
- A.P. Fuchs said...
Your last bit about the authors being in control because they are ones with the content was similar to what I said in my recent interview with The Horror Fiction Review.
It's in the following link for those interested. I also give my prediction of the future of publishing since the stuff I've been talking about for the past 5 or so years has all come to pass.
In the end, the standard commercialization of fiction as we know it won't exist. I foresee the future of publishing to be kind of like the movie biz: a bunch of small independent outfits turning out stuff that sometimes gets picked up by those with longer reaches distribution-wise.
I also foresee cult-following-type of books outnumbering mass-following-type of books in the years to come. i.e. fans of an author's blog being his/her main fanbase rather than Joe and Jane Reader off the street, or something similar. - 12:27 AM
Congrats Joe
Your an inspiration - 2:12 AM
- bowerbird said...
> I'd always assumed that
> print publishers would begin
> to lose market dominance
> once ebooks took off
> in a big way, and they'd have to
> either restructure or die.
> But now I'm predicting
> another death for them.
the corporate publishers have to
cover huge overhead on each book.
it's been clear for a while that
they can't compete against the
writer who delivers product at
a significantly lower pricepoint.
-bowerbird - 3:41 AM
- Karen Carr said...
Wired Magazine calls iPhone Apps the indie developer's dream and I think the kindle is the indie writer's dream. There are many iPhone app millionaires because they can develop and sell apps cheaply. For instance:
The iPHone game app TRISM made 250,000 in the first two months.
Tap Tap Revenge, a music rhythm game has sold over 1 million.
and the iPhone FART app pulls in $10,000 a day!
Now, if a FART app can pull in that much money on the iPhone, surely a well written book on Kindle will do the same!
KFran - 9:33 AM
- JHHK said...
WHISKEY SOUR had a badass climax. The entire story had a tight structure. I've been breaking it into chapters and beats in a notebook to study the pacing, progression, and general craftsmanship. Your plotting is elegant. And you know how to bring the funny.
I like reading first works. Stephen King's debut was Carrie. David Mamet's debut was Lakeboat. Whiskey Sour was better than both. You have earned the moneybomb.
Jack H.H. King
Author of 'Midget DeathSport' - 5:11 PM
- Donna Ball said...
First, terrific post! My thoughts exactly. I've followed your blog for some time and I've decided to give this a shot. I've been publishing steadily for 25 years, have a back list of almost 100 titles, have 4-5 well-reviewed books in print with two new books scheduled in the next 12 months, sooooo.... I think I'm a pretty good candidate to see if your results with e-book sales can be replicated. Over the next few months I will be publishing updated e-versions of some of my reverted titles,with a goal of 20 books by the end of the summer,and will let you know how it goes if I may. So far I have 4 titles on Kindle and my observation has been that if you do absolutely nothing at all in the way of promotion, they sell at a rate of about one copy per day. (I think it has something to do with chaos theory:)) Now we'll see what happens as I make some attempt to get the word out. Thanks for the encouragement to all working writers who are ready to take control of their careers!
- J.A. Marlow said...
I'll be interested to hear how it goes for you. That's an impressive number of books on your backlist! I hope it works out well for you.
It is so exciting to hear more and more people trying this. - 9:09 PM
- Rex Kusler said...
Robert Randisi has written more than 540 books. Imagine if he put all of those on kindle, and each book sold 1 per day at $2.99. That would be $412,530 per year.
- Go tell it on the mountain said...
Dear KM TOLAN:
You said, "there still needs to be a way for readers to sift through the huge amount of poor writing out there in the self-pub areas..."
My response is : The same way people sift through material they don't want in a bookstore (those that are left open anyway).
Readers aren't as dumb as you think. They don't NEED someone to lead by the hand like children for them to find a book they want to read. If that were the case then EVERY single book on bookstore shelves would be bestsellers...and they're not. Why? Because despite publishers taking them by the hand & saying "This is a good book. You should buy this book", people don't. - 1:03 PM
- Unknown said...
I'm reading this kind of late, given when it was written, but my response is a 15-minute standing ovation! Hurrah!!!


text:
It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.
STEVE INSKEEP. HOST: And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning. Let's take a close read now of some of the lines from President Obama's convention speech last night.
MONTAGNE: We're checking meanings behind some of those phrases, as we did with Mitt Romney's speech one week ago. Three NPR correspondents will help us out.
HOST: NPR's Julie Rovner covers healthcare policy, Yuki Noguchi covers business, and Scott Horsley has been covering President Obama's campaign. Good morning to you all.
JULIE ROVNER, BYLINE: Good morning.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Good morning.
ROVNER: Good morning.
HOST: And they're all over the place. Go ahead, Renee.
MONTAGNE: Right. And this line appeared to - this line that we're going to hear right now appeared to answer Republican charges that Democrats are all about government.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We don't think government can solve all our problems. But we don't think that government is the source of all our problems - any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles.
MONTAGNE: And Scott Horsley, let's start with you. How is the president trying to define his party there?
HORSLEY: Well, as you mentioned, Renée, he starts with a little disclaimer - government can't solve all of our problems, pushing back against the notion that he or the Democratic Party is about big government liberalism. This is something that Barack Obama said many times in the past. But then he immediately pivots and says government itself is not the problem, as many Republicans would have you believe.
After all, as he and many others at this convention pointed out, had it not been for government intervention we would've seen the collapse of the financial industry. We would have seen the collapse of Chrysler, General Motors, maybe other auto makers. And then he rather economically nods to several important Democratic constituencies - unions, immigrants, gays, all of whom the Republican Party has alienated.
And he also says welfare recipients are not to blame for our problems. That's a rebuttal to Mitt Romney's discredited talking point that Mr. Obama is trying to weaken the work requirement in welfare reform.
HOST: Scott Horsley, I'm glad you mentioned the economic nods, as you said, economically nodding to Democratic constituencies; because last week Julie Rovner spoke to us about Mitt Romney base touching, making quick references to issues of passionate interest to conservatives. And with that in mind, let's listen to this speech, or this it of the speech from the president.
OBAMA: If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, than other voices will fill the void. The lobbyists and special interests, the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election, and those who are trying to make it harder for you to vote, Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry or control health care choices that women should be making for themselves.
HOST: Julie Rovner, what do you hear in there?
ROVNER: Well, the exact mirror image of what Mitt Romney did last week, which is this, you know, quick tangential reference to these issues after a convention that was full of them. And, you know, not only did the Democrats celebrate gay marriage, that the president has changed his position, but also this was a convention full of abortion rights.
Where the Democrats have been shying away from that the last few conventions, trying to say that they've got a big tent and they really welcome, you know, Democrats who are anti-abortion.
MONTAGNE: And let's move on to this election's central issue. The president spoke of a range of goals, and those definitely included economic goals.
OBAMA: Goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit - real, achievable plans that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation.
MONTAGNE: Now, the president spoke of creating one million manufacturing jobs in the course of the next four years if he's reelected. Yuki, is that realistic?
YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Well, it sounds like a lot but you have to keep in mind manufacturing may be on the mend now, but that sector lost a lot of jobs during the recession. And so, you know, assuming that the economy continues to recover, and Europe doesn't pose an even bigger problem, then, yes, it's possible.
But the thing is, manufacturing, when it comes back, isn't going to be the same kind of sector that it was before. That is, those jobs are going to require more technical know-how, require more training. And so in a lot of ways, the question is whether those one million jobs are of a different quality - that is to say, higher quality jobs - and whether the workers that were laid off in recent years can qualify for those jobs.
HOST: Does this dig into a difference, at least rhetorically, maybe in reality, between the parties as a deep difference? Because the president wants to promote manufacturing. He's even spoken of specific kinds of manufacturing like solar and wind energy. And to Republicans, they call that picking winners.
NOGUCHI: Right. Green jobs is something that the Republicans like to talk about as sort of indicative of Democratic overreach into the business sector. And, you know, it is sort of a similar point that Mitt Romney was trying to make when he talked about, you know, not intervening with the auto industry's troubles.
But of course, you've heard the Democrats, you know, come back and say, you know, we saved those jobs and without that we would've been in a much, much deeper hole.
MONTAGNE: And let's listen to another clip of last night's speech where the president claimed this achievement.
OBAMA: In the last year alone, we cut oil imports by one million barrels a day, more than any administration in recent history.
And today the United States of America is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in the last two decades.
MONTAGNE: He then promised to cut oil import in half by 2020. Scott, what is his record here, and is that goal he spoke of last night achievable?
HORSLEY: Well, U.S. dependence on foreign oil was falling even before Mr. Obama came into office, going back to 2005. Certainly that trend accelerated on his watch. Last year we imported about 45 percent of our oil. That was a 16-year low. Some of this has nothing to do with the White House. The recession cut overall demand for oil, and nobody thinks that's a great thing, and we have seen a big jump in domestic production which the oil industry says happened despite Mr. Obama, not because of him.
Certainly he can claim credit for encouraging more greater fuel efficiency in the years to come, and that will help reduce our reliance on imported fuel. And the president does make the distinction, though, with that manufacturing goal of adding a million new jobs, he's starting counting now. With the cut in oil imports, they want to use as a starting line when Mr. Obama came into office.
Scott Horsley, don't go anywhere. I've got one more clip to play for you here.
OBAMA: You can choose a future where we reduce our deficit without sticking it to the middle class.
Independent experts say that my plan would cut our deficit by $4 trillion.
INSKEEP: Okay. Does the president have a plan that according to independent experts would cut the deficit by $4 trillion. Sounds like a lot of money.
HORSLEY: Well, the president has probably exaggerated the size of his own deficit-cutting plan. That plan includes some favorable assumptions about what's your starting point, that's always important, and he includes for example, war savings, that was probably money that was never going to be spent. But he did also echo Bill Clinton's line about arithmetic in challenging Mitt Romney's proposal, saying that if your goal is to fill the deficit hole, a big tax cut that digs the hole deeper, is a tough way to start.
MONTAGNE: And let's listen to another bit of tape from the speech last night, different subject.
OBAMA: You're the reason there is a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who'll get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can't limit her coverage. You did that.
MONTAGNE: And Julie Rovner, what exactly is he referring to there?
ROVNER: Well, this, of course, is a reference to the Affordable Care Act, which even the Democrats at this convention have taken to calling Obamacare. This issue was, of course, a big loser for the Democrats two years ago, but they seem to think that it's going to help them this time around. The Supreme Court upheld the law, or most of it, in June. And the Democrats seem emboldened about talking about how it's already helping people, and more to the point, how it would hurt millions of people of Republicans are elected and repeal the first comprehensive overhaul of the nation's health system in a century, but it's a pretty risky strategy.
Polls show the law still isn't that popular, and lots of people still don't understand what it does and doesn't do. But they've decided that they want to answer the relentless Republican attacks with something, and that would be better than nothing, and after all, this is something the president promised to do, and he did, when so many presidents before him, Democrats and Republicans, couldn't.
INSKEEP: And maybe a different sort of base touching there as you put it earlier, Julie Rovner. Let me ask about one last thing very briefly on the health care subject - Medicare. The president and other Democrats were perfectly happy to say that Republicans want to turn that into a voucher program.
ROVNER: That's right. Medicare has been a favorite political punching bag for several elections now. Usually Democrats have used it against Republicans. Two years ago Republicans pointed out that the health law reduced spending for Medicare to help pay for the health law and turn the tables on the Democrats. Democrats are hoping to turn that around again. They point out that Paul Ryan's...
INSKEEP: Mm-hmm.
ROVNER: ...proposed plan for Medicare would cap government spending for the program.
INSKEEP: Right.
ROVNER: Leave it to private insurance companies to figure out...
INSKEEP: Okay.
ROVNER: ...how to provide benefits. It's a hard concept, and it's not clear that the seniors are really going to get it.
INSKEEP: Got to stop you there.
ROVNER: There you go.
INSKEEP: Got to stop you there. Julie Rovner, Yuki Noguchi, and Scott Horsley on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Pumpkin Apple Bread
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the problems with large cans of pumpkin is that most recipes don't need the quantity they contain and you are left with puree that must be used in other recipes or trashed. Buying smaller cans was not an option for many of us last year. I live in an area where there was a problem obtaining pumpkin and we bought what we could get. Only the large cans were available. I had pumpkin left after making the yeast rolls we featured yesterday and this wonderful recipe from a 1993 issue of Gourmet Magazine was an ideal place in which to use it. The recipe comes from Rebecca's Gourmet Bakery in Cary, North Carolina, and it makes two lovely spice scented loaves of harvest bread. Since fall is rapidly approaching, I thought I'd push the season a bit and share it with you now, rather than wait for the season to officially begin. There are no tricks to making these delicious loaves as long as you don't cut the apples in too large a dice. The cake-like bread keeps extraordinarily well and is perfect for toting to meetings or other functions when you are responsible for providing cake or cookies. I know you'll like this simple spicy bread. Here's the recipe.
Pumpkin Apple Bread...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Gourmet Magazine
For topping
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
For bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (15-oz) can solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups)
1) To make the topping: Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside.
2) To make the bread: Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans. Set aside. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice into a medium bowl. Whisk together pumpkin oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, stirring until well combined. Fold in apples. Divide batter between buttered loaf pans. Sprinkle half of topping evenly over each loaf. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool loaves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour. Yield: two loaves.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - Mom's Cooking Club
Pumpkin Bread - My Kitchen Snippets
Pumpkin Bread with Dried Cranberries - No Fear Entertaining
Pumpkin Bread with Crumb Topping - The Hungry Housewife
Toasted Pumpkin Bread Pudding - Culinary Cory
Toasted Hazelnut Streusel Pumpkin Bread - Sugar Plum
78 comments :
- Baking is my Zen...sweet nibbles for the soul said...
Will be giving this a try...
Carmen - August 17, 2010 at 1:03 AM
- MaryMoh said...
Love the topping. This bread must be soft and very flavourful....mmmm. I like it. Hope you have a lovely day.
- August 17, 2010 at 1:06 AM
- Jeannie said...
Scrumptious looking bread..looks so moist! Bet it tasted delicious!
- August 17, 2010 at 1:48 AM
- Lucie said...
The weather here is reminding me of cinnamon and pumpkin...your last two recipes are perfect! Can't wait to try them. Thanks, Mary!
- August 17, 2010 at 1:56 AM
- Houdini said...
And another pumpkin baking exercise is waiting for our pumpkin harvest!!
- August 17, 2010 at 2:54 AM
- Diane said...
I have a lot of pumpkins in the garden this year and also some granny smiths...... Diane
- August 17, 2010 at 2:59 AM
- My Little Space said...
Mary, the bread looks so moist and soft. All I need just some butter & jam! Yummm... Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your day.
Cheers, kristy - August 17, 2010 at 3:06 AM
- GLENDA CHILDERS said...
I threw away a half can of pumpkin this week, after making pumpkin muffins for houseguests. . . I was wondering if I could have frozen it? Have you ever tried that?
Thanks for your sweet comments. You are a busy lady, and I appreciate the time you take to keep up with your followers.
Glenda - August 17, 2010 at 3:15 AM
- tata | bonitafood said...
So miss to peep in your kitchen Mary :D. Ah yes, may I take those bread? :D
- August 17, 2010 at 3:16 AM
- Ana Powell said...
And today Pumpkin apple bread, my god this is a dream.
A must try.
Have a great week ♥ - August 17, 2010 at 3:21 AM
- Bakericious said...
Mary, the bread looks so delicious
- August 17, 2010 at 3:28 AM
- 3 hungry tummies said...
I am very curious about the pairing of pumpkin and apple. Perfectly baked bread!
- August 17, 2010 at 3:28 AM
- Priya Suresh said...
Gorgeous looking bread..
- August 17, 2010 at 3:58 AM
- cocoa and coconut said...
I've NEVER heard of canned pumpkin!! How bizarre! But your bread looks delicious :D I like the add in of apple...something I've not considered paired with pumpkin before.
- August 17, 2010 at 4:32 AM
- Sanjeeta kk said...
We get sliced pumpkin here, shall try it with the fresh one. Lovely texture of your bread, Mary!
Take care - August 17, 2010 at 4:47 AM
- Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...
I seem to always have leftover canned pumpkin too. This would be a delicious way to use it Mary.
- August 17, 2010 at 5:06 AM
- Martha said...
I love the apples in this and I love any tea bread that makes TWO loaves!
- August 17, 2010 at 7:18 AM
- What's next said...
I love all things pumpkin! I'll be trying this!
- August 17, 2010 at 7:42 AM
- Rachana said...
The bread looks so soft and moist!
- August 17, 2010 at 8:06 AM
- Kat said...
How funny, my daughter was just saying that she wanted to find a good pumpkin bread recipe. This sounds delicious, I'll definitely be trying it.
- August 17, 2010 at 8:07 AM
- Allie and Pattie said...
Lovely! We also had trouble last year finding pumpkin- there was NONE to be had here. I actually bought some while up north and brought it home
xoxo Pattie - August 17, 2010 at 8:18 AM
- Sabrina said...
We love pumpkin at our house and we will for sure be making this one!
YUM! - August 17, 2010 at 8:32 AM
- Dee said...
I love pumpkin bread & always start craving all things Fall this time of year (trying to will the heat away as summer is lingering...) This looks wonderful with apples.
- August 17, 2010 at 9:32 AM
- From the Kitchen said...
I have a solitary can of pumpkin sitting in the pantry. I suppose I've left it to remind me of fall. This bread will be a better reminder!! There are some apples in the fruit bowl. It's just meant to be!
Hope you are still enjoying the family and Thanksgiving.
Bonnie - August 17, 2010 at 9:36 AM
- Deana Sidney said...
apples and pumpkins... never thought of that combination but I do hate waste... when I buy a pumpkin, I bake it and puree it and freeze the rest in 1 c bags... so perfect for your recipe!!!
- August 17, 2010 at 9:48 AM
- Kim said...
This bread looks fabulous!!!! I'd like to have some...
- August 17, 2010 at 10:03 AM
- Susi's Kochen und Backen said...
I'm so bookmarking this bread for when things cool down a bit here. I love the apple/pumpkin combination and know this bread would be a big hit with the family. Thanks for sharing :o)
- August 17, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Hi Mary! Another one for my recipe box. I wish fall would get here already... another 100 degree day here. Have a wonderful day. ~Karen
- August 17, 2010 at 10:21 AM
- Chef E said...
This actually makes it feel cool outside...like fall has arrived :)
I love Pumpkin bread, and thanks to my mother-in-law, I get it twice a year, and I do not have to bake it! - August 17, 2010 at 10:53 AM
- Claudia said...
I do love this simple, spicy bread. My husband and Kids and company are camping this weekend - this would be the perfect treat to send with them!
- August 17, 2010 at 10:55 AM
- Bethany-Ashley N. Crespin said...
Will definitely be trying this recipe! Looks Scrumdiddlyumptious!!!:)
- August 17, 2010 at 11:16 AM
- Jennifer said...
Wow that looks yummy with the little hunks of apple nestled in there! When our heat wave dissapates I will be making this!
- August 17, 2010 at 12:11 PM
- Pam said...
What a tasty and flavorful bread. I love pumpkin anything!
- August 17, 2010 at 12:18 PM
- SMITH BITES said...
And this is the first pumpkin recipe I've come across to kick off the fall season - hooray for large cans of pumpkin!
- August 17, 2010 at 12:26 PM
- Monet said...
This is making me long for fall! I have a whole bag of apples I just picked up at the market over the weekend, and this looks like a great way to use them!
- August 17, 2010 at 12:28 PM
- Unknown said...
This is a very good use of leftover pumpkin. The smell coming out of your oven must had been wonderful. If only I were there :)
Have a great day Mary. Michael - August 17, 2010 at 12:55 PM
- Sushma Mallya said...
Unique combo and you have done it really so well...
- August 17, 2010 at 1:07 PM
- Unknown said...
very innovative...loved the dish...bookmarking it...
- August 17, 2010 at 1:14 PM
- Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...
I usually get the large cans of puree because my pumpkin loaf recipe calls for it- But my monkeys love apples to so I will give this one a try- thanks for sharing.
- August 17, 2010 at 1:56 PM
- Juliana said...
Wow Mary...this bread looks delicious...pumpkin and apples...love it!
- August 17, 2010 at 2:25 PM
- pigpigscorner said...
Would love to cook more with pumpkin but it's so hard to get hold of pumpkin puree here. I only know of one store that sells it.
- August 17, 2010 at 2:28 PM
- Ginny Hartzler said...
Oh, this looks so easy, and no kneading!! I can smell it now.
- August 17, 2010 at 2:35 PM
- Magdalena said...
I can see that season for delicious pumpkin started on your blog - that's great, I like a lot this vegetable. ... appealing bread - my daugter would love that !
- August 17, 2010 at 2:43 PM
- Suman Singh said...
bread looks so soft and flavourful..never baked with pumkin..mm..looks delicious..thanks for sharing!
- August 17, 2010 at 3:25 PM
- La Bella Cooks said...
You must have been reading my mine with his recipe as I have been craving anything and everything with pumpkin. This sounds fabulous.
- August 17, 2010 at 4:23 PM
- The Blonde Duck said...
I love pumpkin. I can't wait for fall now!
- August 17, 2010 at 4:59 PM
- Faith said...
What a delicious bread! I am absolutely ready for the flavors (and cooler weather!) of fall!
- August 17, 2010 at 5:22 PM
- The Words Crafter said...
Mmmmm, I can't wait to try this one!!! Thanks very much!
- August 17, 2010 at 5:44 PM
- Katerina said...
You had such a wonderful idea to give us this pumpkin bread recipe a little bit before season. I will keep that for when pumpkins arrive in our local market.
- August 17, 2010 at 5:52 PM
- redmenace said...
That is exactly the problem. Too much pumpkin mush and it sits in the fridge forever. I love this solution, however. Yum!
- August 17, 2010 at 6:01 PM
- redmenace said...
That is exactly the problem. Too much pumpkin mush and it sits in the fridge forever. I love this solution, however. Yum!
- August 17, 2010 at 6:01 PM
- Rachel (Two Healthy Plates) said...
I love all thing pumpkin. I'm so ready for fall so I can put good pumpkin recipes to the test! Looks great!
- August 17, 2010 at 6:12 PM
- Tina said...
So delectable and moist. You are ona pumpkin roll "-)
- August 17, 2010 at 6:24 PM
Yum, I love pumpkin bread. It is hard to find the pumpkin in the stores where I am, because it seems to be a seasonal thing. I wonder if you could freeze leftover pumpkin in ice cube trays?
I'd love to try this recipe in the fall when I start seeing pumpkin puree. :)
Also, I wanted to thank you for voting for me last month! I won!
I appreciate your support. :)
https://usscpromotions.com/cookinglight/clurrc_voter/ - August 17, 2010 at 6:40 PM
- Linda Starr said...
I could eat pumpkin every day of my life.
- August 17, 2010 at 6:51 PM
- Cooking Creation said...
Oh, this is right up my alley! I will save this to my "to cook" list and try it out once the weather cools. Thanks for the great recipe! :)
- August 17, 2010 at 7:05 PM
- Unknown said...
I am ready for pumpkin and apples, so this recipe is talking to me! Thanks for all of your pumpkin recipes, they look delicious:-)
- August 17, 2010 at 7:47 PM
- Joanne said...
I heard about this outage and hoarded canned pumpkin like there was no tomorrow. And I still have some of it sitting on my shelves. Have to try this!
- August 17, 2010 at 8:15 PM
- Jen_from_NJ said...
My daughter Ashley is a fall baby and loves pumpkin and apple. I definitely want to make this for her. Thank you Mary!
- August 17, 2010 at 9:04 PM
- Samantha @ The Savvy Soybean said...
Ooh this looks great! Definitely hanging on to this recipe. To make it even more apple-y, you could replace each egg with 1/4 cup applesauce =)
- August 17, 2010 at 9:05 PM
- sweetlife said...
perfect loaf of yumminess, I love the topping..
sweetlife - August 17, 2010 at 10:25 PM
- scrambledhenfruit said...
I'll bet that this loaf smells delicious while it's baking! It's definitely not too early for this. Thanks!
- August 17, 2010 at 10:45 PM
- faith said...
Its getting to be that time of year again isnt it?!
- August 18, 2010 at 1:03 AM
- Chats the Comfy Cook said...
This is one for next month. I have to check the stores for canned pumpkin.
My husband loves these flavors. I do too but this one is for him. I get the chocolate.
Just to let you know, I have heard from the company and I believe they have sent it out. - August 18, 2010 at 3:15 AM
- Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...
this is looking good Mary!
- August 18, 2010 at 5:57 AM
Pumpkin already... i can tell you are ready for autumn! ( Same here)
Bookmarking this one for fall. - August 18, 2010 at 2:02 PM
- Cara said...
I'm loving the onslaught of pumpkin recipes so soon! I can never seem to get enough pumpkin.
- August 18, 2010 at 9:48 PM
- Rue said...
Thank you for this! Pumpkin anything is just bliss!
- August 18, 2010 at 10:32 PM
- Carolyn said...
Ah yes, the great pumpkin shortage of 2009! Glad you found a use for all your puree. That bread looks divine.
- August 19, 2010 at 6:23 AM
- Eliana said...
I could easily start every day with a hefty slice of this beauty.
- August 19, 2010 at 11:31 AM
- Salsa Verde said...
Must be delicious. I love pumpkin but when not in season, it's very difficult to find it!
Lia. - August 23, 2010 at 7:15 AM
- CaSaundraLeigh said...
It's never too early to start enjoying the flavors of fall--pumpkin being my favorite! I bet this makes your house smell so delicios!
- August 25, 2010 at 8:26 AM
So I found this recipe for the exact same reason you posted it! Had too much pumpkin left over after making pies, can't let 'em go to waste! Looking forward to trying it! Happpy Thanksgiving!
- November 24, 2010 at 12:02 PM
- Brunetta said...
I found this recipe several years ago in Gourmet or Bon Appetit in the section where people requested recipes so I knew it was a winner. I make it every fall. Someone asked me for the recipe so I searched online to make it easier to copy-and-paste to send to her. Glad to see others appreciate this wonderful bread!
- September 2, 2011 at 9:34 PM
- abuzek said...
I came across this recipe and had to try it. I decided to make one loaf of the bread and use the rest for mini muffins for my munchkins.
Oh. My. Heaven.
These are amaaaaaaaaaazing. I haven't tried the bread as it's still cooling...but these muffins are amaaaaaaaaaaazing. - December 1, 2011 at 4:04 PM
- Lyndsey said...
Baked two loaves of this as gifts for friends. They LOVED it!
- April 16, 2012 at 6:36 PM
- Simple cake recipes said...
I just tried my second pumpkin recipe from your blog. It's perfect. I highly recommend this cake. Manny thanks, Mary!
- December 16, 2014 at 2:50 PM
- Unknown said...
This is my favorite pumpkin bread! Always a hit.
- November 30, 2018 at 6:18 PM


text:
Dallas Cowboys Backup QB Jon Kitna to Donate $53,000 Game Check in Awesome Gesture
Well, there's at least one Dallas Cowboys quarterback who we can all agree to love.
Jon Kitna, who was summoned out of retirement to serve as a backup QB for the Cowboys for their season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, plans to donate his entire game check to the high school where he currently teaches math.
That's right -- Kitna will give the whole $53,000 check to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington.
Kitna, who retired after playing with the Cowboys following the 2011 season, texted coach Jason Garrett after hearing starting quarterback Tony Romo was battling back problems to say he would be interested in suiting up.
I told Jason if he wants me or somebody to come in and call a play and be able to pull a play off if a bad situation happened, I would be willing to do that."
Kitna will back up Kyle Orton, who will start if Romo can't play.
The Cowboys and Eagles play Sunday in a winner-take-all game for the NFL East title. The loser will not make the postseason.
Kitna has started 124 NFL games for four teams in a career that began in 1996.