trevormcpherson.info

In Defense of the Used Book Store

trev — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 21:19:16 +0000

What sets the used bookstore apart is it’s respect for browsing. Proprietors and curators of abandoned and previously loved books understand that used books are like cookies – you can’t have just one. Staff have never asked me if I was looking for the best sellers, or recommended the latest self help book. No, the curators of abandoned books offer a gracious “Hello, how are you? Let me know if you need help,” and return to stocking shelves.

While chain store and mega-mart bookstores make their dollars on a limited selection of best sellers, and count on hit and run buyers to fill the till, the used bookstore makes money buy the armful. The armful of books purchased by people like me, that is. “Oh, this one was only three bucks. Might as well grab this one, and look – all the words in the title of that one start with the letter ‘G’….wonder if it’s any good? Oh, what the hell.”

I spend $30-$50 a month at the used bookstore near my office, and I’m not the only one wandering around with my arms full. Do I buy new books? Yes, but not before I test drive the author at the library or a used book store. Some publishers and authors may cry foul that they lose sales and royalties through used bookstores. Do they understand they are also gaining readers? If I was a publisher, I would consider financing my own used bookstores. Without the opportunity to gamble three bucks in a used bookstore, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, J.G. Ballard, John Scalzi, or Robert J. Sawyer would not have sold me new books.

The used bookstore is a much needed antidote to marketing hype, ingrained purchase habits, and stalker like salesmanship. Plus, any business model that enables whimsy, curiousity, a heart browse, and recycling is OK by me.

eBook or eLibrary?

trev — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:48:37 +0000

I recently had a chance to get my hands on the Kobo eReader reader. It was definitely a basic device, residing at the lower end of the price range, it seems poised to tempt the traditional reader to enter the digital book domain. Judging by the number of fingerprints on the screen, I wasn’t the first to assume it was a touch screen. Fools, the lot of us. Spoiled by iPhone and Android handsets, we just assumed. Once I adjusted to a button mindset, it was easy enough to figure out. If you can work a cell phone, you should have no problem with the Kobo eReader.

It got me thinking, though. This, the Nook, the Kindle, The Sony ebook – they’re more like electronic libraries than electronic books. And who uses libraries? Students. And geeks like me. Academic and non-fiction reading is a different beast. A heavier, underlining, multiple bookmarks and notes-in-the-margins kinda beast.

How about adding these features?

The ability to highlight sections of text and store them. The ability to organize these with tags, as well as by book & author would be great. Add cloud synchronization, and you can have my money.
To tie in with the above, an auto-bibliography function, also exportable.

Make those university backpacks lighter. Memory is cheaper than dirt these days, so throw in some cloud storage. Anyone who ever lost an essay to the blue screen of death will see the value added proposition in your product.

Thinking beyond the student market, what about book clubs? A plain-jane ebook reader is simply another device for consumption that ignores the potential for interaction, discussion and sharing that the digital format offers.

I would definitely use a dedicated ebook reader, but it will be on my terms. I’m holding out, waiting to see what the next generation of the product cycle brings.

The Space In Between #fridayflash

trev — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 23:45:24 +0000

My hands are hot. Really hot like accidentally touching an iron, or an element on the stove. The sting as the flesh of my cheek is grated away makes my eyes water, and the vibrations of the asphalt against my cheekbone is conducted through every bone in my skull. It cracks like thunder in my ears.

The back of my neck pinches as my torso pushes up into it. I know what the wishbone feels like just before it snaps. It’s difficult to breathe and I panic, but not so much I miss the nutcracker sensation of my pelvis folding, arching my spine towards my head and the heel of my right foot grazing my shoulder before my leg snaps back and down, flat and hard against the road.

That light, effervescent feeling people call butterflies in the stomach? I feel it all over. Stomach, the roof of my mouth, nostrils, behind my eyes, earlobes, the bottom of my feet and behind my knees. It feels great. The feeling lifts me up, up above the sirens and the sobs.

Somersaults! I can do somersaults now. Just tuck my chin and roll, like they said in gym class, except it works now. While the paramedics do their thing and the driver cries and pukes, I tumble flawlessly up and down the street. Cartwheels, even.

So, this is what it’s like. I thought it would be colder, and sadder. Truth be told, I feel pretty good. I’m like the footprints left in the sand when the walker has walked away. I feel better without all those atoms. I’m just the space that existed in between them, and that suits me just fine.

My Alter Ego Presents: The Dream

trev — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:01:42 +0000

Is a picture worth 1000 words? How about 3 of them masquerading as a comic strip?

In lieu of the traditional Friday Flash, I present a li’l something from my alter ego, McFooley.

Shakespeare Redux #fridayflash

trev — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:01:30 +0000

romeromeo Hey @the_juliet – Swell party last night. If we don’t hook up soon, I’ll kill myself.
the_juliet @romeoromeo Dude, ur 2 emo. Chill. The fam’s not happy.
romeoromeo @the_juliet No prob, I have a plan.
the_juliet @romeoromeo OMG. Just saw nurse – you so crazy. Don’t do anything stupid.
romeoromeo @the_juliet Umm, too late. FWIW, R U & @CousinTy like, y’know…tight? afk/brb #onthelam
the_juliet @romeoromeo WTF?!? Come 2 me – mama needs a li’l sugah.
romeoromeo @the_juliet Booty call? Fo’ real? C U at window – again. LOL.
the_juliet Sweet! @FriarL hooked me up. S’all good. At least I think it is. #whatever.
romeoromeo Shit. Another body. Oh well. #suckstobeme
the_juliet OMFG! OMFG! I see dead people. #relationshipfail

The Off Season #fridayflash

trev — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:48:22 +0000

More wars, or fewer? The same number, but less violent? Niven preferred to consider the music of the stars in the form of questions like these. What would it be like if everyone could hear it? Tonight’s symphony of rumbles and whistles seemed appropriate to battle.
This was no Roger Whittaker whistling. It was low and undulating, like the wind that passes between two closely spaced houses ricocheting off the faded vinyl siding, syncopated by protruding electrical meters, abandoned garden tools, and a wheelbarrow full of soil bound for a garden that will forever go wanting. The North Star large but dull, a tarnished steel sonata, sat idle while neighboring constellations ignited in high operatic style. The last throes of a desperate movement capitulating to a soft plum dawn, the musicians in need of rosin and an intermission.

Perched on his rock, he zipped up the the high collar of his sweater, protecting his neck and the humble beginnings of a beard from the night. He twisted off the thermos lid and poured the remaining half cup of tea into the lid, savouring the warmth on his hands. Soon, it would be too cold to come listen like this. The rock, wide and flat and accommodating as it was no longer received enough sun during the day to radiate comfort in the wee hours. In a matter of weeks, if not days, clouds and snowfall will quiet the stars, and Niven and his kind will endure the white silence.

Every rock, hill, island, and each city roof top yields a different arrangement of the score as ancient frequencies Doppler past. In the long shadows of winter, they will complete their transcriptions. In basements, in libraries, and out of the way coffee shops, they’ll meet to compare the longitudinal pitch shifts and latitudes of rhythmic variation. Ink stained hands will dance in proclamation of genius, piety, doom, and the sanctity of night. The papers annotated, filed and eventually archived so other generations may know the subjective and second hand beauty of the stars.

The last notes fade into the ripening morning light and the stars take a bow. As near as Niven could tell, the performance suggested war is destined to exist in one form or another for all eternity. He finished his tea, shook the straggling drops out of the lid-slash-cup, and threaded it back onto the thermos.

Like the others, he will wait patiently for spring, sleepless blankets pulled high and windows shuttered against the snowy glare. The rock will be there in May. The stars, too. He will have a new season of questions, a warmer sweater, and a bigger thermos.

Hash it out – My next great Twitter adventure

trev — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:03:02 +0000

When I started 3S stories on Nov 17,2008, my goal was to tweet a short-short-short story five days a week for a year. With the exception of a couple weeks holidays, I pulled it off. I learned a lot about editing, about impact, and more importantly, about the social value of Twitter.

I wanted to keep 3S_stories a pure fiction venue. But the social nature of Twitter wouldn’t allow it. I found myself getting LOL replies, and laudatory DMs, and retweets that increased my followers by ten or 15 people a week. I replied with thank yous, responded in kind by retweeting my faves. Before I knew it, I was part of a community; sharing jokes, having conversations, doling out support and advice and receiving the same in return. I don’t have the most followers but the ones I have, I like.

Which brings me to my Twitter meme/goal/conspiracy for 2010: The Hashtag.

The hashtag functions as a sort of collective bookmark on Twitter. It’s that addendum to a tweet marked with an ‘#’. They allow tweets on a theme or topic to be archived and easily searched. You can see examples under Trending Topics on the right hand side of your Twitter page.

Here’s some example I contributed to the Dec 31st #BadDoctorWhoSynopsis:

Dr Who is the guy Buckaroo Bonzai wants to be when he grows up. #BadDrWhoSynopsis

Dr Who is like ‘Are You Being Served?’ with less double entendre and more spaceships. #BadDrWhoSynopsis

Dr Who: Come Mister Timelord, tally me bananas/Dalek come, and me wanna go home. #BadDrWhoSynopsis

Dr Who is like my life, only with better acting, good scripts, cute co-stars and a bigger budget. #BadDrWhoSynopsis

Other examples from November:

3S_stories@JodiMacArthur Captain Ahab’s Seafood Palace? Christine’s Drive-In ? Fried and Freshly Juiced? The Crepes of Plath? #literaryrestaurants

JodiMacArthur@3S_stories: That’s ridiculous. How about. Lord Of The Fries?

Chris Farley was my Sensei, David Spade my sparring partner. #iamabadninja

Uniform accidentally bleached, I am limited to missions in the Arctic.#iamabadninja

Fleeing pursuer I forward roll over parked car, get hit by passing city bus.#iamabadninja

Get the idea?

Hash tags provide context. They leverage the social aspect of Twitter and invite participation, which is a direction I want to go with 3S_stories.

Will you join me in creating random acts of creativity? All that’s required is that you be brief, be relevant, and interesting. You can do that, can’t you?

Things I Forgot in 2009

trev — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:27:01 +0000

No obligatory year in review post this year. Nope. Not gonna do it.
It’s been a good year, but a busy year. I had a lot of things I’d made notes to share that wound up missed, ignored, left for dead, or flat-out forgotten. Here are a few of them.

Prom King and Queen of My Twitter Stream

One of the people I started following on Twitter was JC Hutchins. This was for a couple of reasons. First, he’s funny. Second, the way he uses twitter as marketing and promo tool is genius. He includes judicious doses of humour, humility, pride, and a certain non-annoying business savvy that I wish more people (including me) had.

Mighty Mur, of the I Should Be Writing podcast was another early find. An artful purveyor of promotion, her balance of personal anecdote and information is served up in a very human and humane style. In particular, I’ve grown fond of her use of hashtags. So much so, in fact, it has inspired a new creative direction for 3S_stories in 2010 (more info next post).

Nov 17 – My First Year of Online Socializing

Yup, one year. Prior to November 2008, I used the web pretty much like my own personal library. Lots of information, and very little interaction. My work schedule changed and I found myself on a compressed shift, working my 40 hours from 6am to 7:30pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Well, this had some impact on the ol’ social life. Who’s at work when I’m off? Everybody, that’s who. Who’s hitting the town when I’m putting my PJs on? Everybody. I started with the Six Sentences community on Ning, hooked up with the 13 Stitches crowd, and started tweeting my Short-short-short stories under the 3S_stories moniker. Twitter became my fave hang, and #fridayflash became my writing vice.

My online experience became more satisfying as it became more specific. Slowly, I got to the point where I was following and being followed by interesting, benevolent, intelligent, funny people. Yay, internet!

Conspiracy Theory #13 a-1: The Google Quest for World Domination.

OK, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but not much.
If you jump to the most interesting, least provable conclusion, all circumspect and hearsay evidence points to Google upsetting the existing Telco infrastructure and business models in the coming years. The purchase of Gizmo5 & rolling it into Google Voice, patents for sea-going data centres, white space lobbying, and the emergence of Google Wave all point to traditional phone lines & services becoming redundant. In the 21st century, all businesses are data businesses, whether they understand it or not. Google does.

Technorati Tags: google, Social Network, Writing

The eBook Adventure

trev — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:31:22 +0000

On a cold, lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to publish an eBook using Smashwords.

In the days following, my Google reader was spewing forth post after post after post on the subject of ebooks, e-readers, the perils of self publishing, the possibilities of self publishing, the perils of traditional publishing, and the significance of the pickle (those of you finding that last bit to be an artless and confusing non sequitur rather than a clever-but-dated cultural reference are advised to pick up an Arlo Guthrie album or two).

The proliferation of differing opinions points to a world of opportunity. I don’t think anyone knows, or can predict what happens next in this fledgling market. Well, perhaps one certainty: People with these shiny new devices will be looking for something to read on them. The challenge will be in connecting with these consumer.

I’m still taking it all in. I’ll likely publish another e-book, and when I do, I’ll use everything I learned from this little experiment.
One thing I feel certain about is that the quest for us writer types will be getting noticed. How will we become the easiest to find needle in the haystack?
Had I not uploaded my files and clicked the big ol’ PUBLISH button on Sunday, I probably wouldn’t have, given what I read on Monday and Tuesday. Was the internet watching, waiting for me to publish so as to righteously confuse, confound, and frighten me with it’s news and opinions on the matter? Maybe. I’m almost paranoid enough to buy that line. The truth is, I don’t know or care.

I did what I did for the following reasons:

I Believe in Technology. More specifically, I believe in participating in, messing about with, and coming to terms with new technology. Whether we like it or loathe it, we need to be familiar enough with technology to articulate our preferences. Innovation is not going to stop. In the years to come, we will be inundated with change, often much faster than we would like.

I wanted to take responsibility for my own work. I’m not afraid of rejection, but I don’t go looking for it, either.
It could be months of not knowing, not being able to re-submit. Why let an editor in some far-flung locale decide if people will or won’t like my story? Tools exist to take them out of the equation, and go directly to the readers in the form of websites, twitter, blog posts, and self published eBooks. The feedback loop is shorter, more responsive, and more varied. Is that better than being vetted and edited by traditional means? Don’t know, don’t care.

I like to learn. Yeah, that makes me sound like a big geek. But you know what? I AM a big geek.
One of the most important things I’ve figured out as an adult (and I use that term loosely), is that if you stop learning, you’re fucked. The less you know and understand, the greater the opportunity for others to take advantage of your naivete, and sell you a time share, an Amway franchise, or three cheeseburgers for a dollar. If you want a degree, you need to go to University. If you want to learn, all you need is a library card and some bandwidth. Get your hands dirty. Take chances. Remember what works and what doesn’t.

It looked like it might be fun: This goes back to being a geek, I suppose. I come from a long line of tinkerers. Where my father and grandfathers had wood lathes, band saws, and a never ending assortment of chisels, I have SQL databases, Java IDEs, and an irresponsible and under-used cavalcade of Google APIs. Making stuff, and making stuff up is fun. My workshop is digital, and sawdust free. Music, comic strips, short stories - it’s all fun and games to me.

If you want to publish an eBook, I say go for it. Just have a clear idea of why you’re doing it, and what you hope to get out of it.

Technorati Tags: eBook, e-reader, DIY

Something’s Not Right #ebook #free

trev — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:59:26 +0000

What I love most about the internet is that it makes it easy to do things that you didn’t even know you wanted to do.

For example, I just published an ebook.

Oh, did I mention I also made a promo film for it? Enjoy the short film, then head over to my publications page to find out how to get a copy for free.

Yup, free. I like you guys so much that I’m giving it away until December 21, 2009.