Tor Books Enters the 21st Century: Step I
This threatens to be, in the words of Jo "Authoress of the Damnedest Versions of Both the Tale of Sir Lancelot and Jane Austen (Actually Anthony Trollope) I Have Ever Read" Walton:
more fun than a barrel of Arcturan spider-puppies!
From Patrick Nielsen Hayden:
Making Light: Phase one: collect underpants: Yes, we're building a new web site, separate from our perfectly good corporate site.... [A]s I told at least one web reporter, if we knew exactly how it's going to work, we'd be done. We don't, entirely, so we're not, entirely.
But we know several things. We know that the site will use a blog-like architecture to present an ongoing stream of news, opinion, and observation from various Tor people, myself included, about the SF and fantasy events of the day--and about perhaps less-current things that are nonetheless of interest to SF and fantasy readers, such as medieval siege engines, the Van Allen Belt, hoisin sauce, XKCD, and the novels of Georgette Heyer. We know that there will be non-Tor bloggers.... We know that the site will also feature new original fiction... free of DRM... lightweight "social networking."... Most of all, we know that the real point of the exercise isn't to create yet another blog, but rather, a place and a context for the lively, ongoing, wide-ranging, and profoundly self-organizing discussions that have characterized the science fiction subculture since its earliest days. In other words, it'll be a lot like Making Light, except with original fiction and art, more front-page bloggers, a more direct connection to SF and fantasy, and run out of the middle of Tor Books.
THE PLAIN PEOPLE OF FANDOM: So this is, like, a big Tor promotional exercise, right?
PNH: Only in the sense that Tor is a pretty good brand to put on something associated with science fiction....
THE PLAIN PEOPLE OF FANDOM: So what about the free e-books?
PNH: I'm glad I made you up so that you could ask that question! As you know, Bob... we are, For A Limited Time, sending... links through which they can download free, un-DRMed digital editions of various recent Tor books in a variety of formats.... However, the munificence of this offer (Slashdotted twice on its first weekend), combined with our vagueness in describing the actual site for which the offer is merely a build-up, has caused a lot of people to jump to the conclusion that the new site will be all about selling and/or giving away digital books. This isn't the case....
THE PLAIN PEOPLE OF FANDOM: Is to be a Focal Point Fanzine, meyer.
PNH: So very busted.
THE PLAIN PEOPLE OF FANDOM: We thought so. We recognized the signs. The sensitive fannish faces. The faint but unmistakable aroma of mimeo ink. Exactly whose idea was this?
PNH: Well, er, Fritz Foy, former Holtzbrinck CTO and incorrigible ubergeek... and the aforementioned Irene Gallo...and, er, well yes, both Nielsen Haydens. Not long after the project's initial phase, Teresa was promoted to the Vingean Beyond, from whence she sends occasional messages of encouragement to those of us back in the Slow Zone where FTL and true AI are impossible.... And of course we'd be nowhere without the energy, enthusiasm, focus, and endless Outlook-calendar meeting notices of professional Web producer Larry Hewitt, hired by our corporate management to turn our gauzy ideas into a properly flowcharted plan. (Look! He has a plan! We must eat his brain!) We cope.
THE PLAIN PEOPLE OF FANDOM: So when do you launch? Do you have a beta phase? Are you looking for early volunteers?
PNH: Again you anticipate me with the slan-like acuteness of your fine minds!... Act now! Act without thinking! WORK LIKE YOU WERE LIVING IN THE EARLY DAYS OF A BETTER NATION. Anyway, that's our plan.
What, not got the Flann O'Brien reference? (Well, Myles Na Gopaleen actually but still)
Posted by: Tim Worstall | March 12, 2008 at 04:14 AM
Work like you were living in the early days of a better nation? Another Oyster Band fan? Saw them in Chicago in 1993. Great show but don't think they have or intend to come back to the US. Too bad. Wonderful band. Or did I miss the reference?
Posted by: Wayne Wasserman | March 31, 2008 at 01:33 PM