Digital Boxed Sets

There's been this ongoing trend with ebooks that I had been hoping would die away, but, alas, it looks like it's going as strong as ever. I'm talking about ebook boxed sets.

You've seen these, no doubt. They try to create a three-dimensional boxed set look. Do they succeed, or do they just look ridiculous?

Well, personally, I think they look stupid.

Here are a few, just to give you an idea. Please note that I'm not disparaging these authors and their books, but simply using their boxed sets as an example of, well, how stupid this trend looks.

And they get even sillier the more books you add:

This trend has become so popular that even major publishers have gotten in on the action:

Not all, thank God. Here's a major publisher that, despite selling its soul for all the money in the world, at least has the sense to make a reasonable ebook cover.

See, that makes sense to me. It doesn't look at all ridiculous. I actually like the idea of bundling several ebooks together. I mean, why not? I did it with my ebook Two Shot, which combines The Serial Killer's Wife and No Shelter. If you can put three novels together and mark a few bucks off the retail price of all three combined, it's a win for everyone involved. But that disgusting boxed set look? No thanks.

Here are several other ebook covers -- more straight up covers -- that bundle several ebooks together that make a lot more sense to me.

So, which kind -- the boxed set or straight up -- do you prefer?

WALK THE SKY Paperback Pre-Order

Walk The Sky POD

Next month Walk the Sky will be released in both ebook and paperback. Originally, the plan was to offer pre-orders for readers who wanted copies signed by me and Dave. Obviously that now isn't going to happen. But if you'd still like to pre-order a paperback copy signed by me, let me know. The retail will be $9.95 USD, so for U.S. readers the cost would be $12 USD, for everyone else $20 USD. I hate to charge that much but international shipping is insane. You can send payments via PayPal to robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com. Readers who purchase a paperback are also entitled to the ebook, which will be emailed just before the book is released.

In Which Nick Mamatas And I Discuss AWP And Literary vs. Genre

If you're a genre writer (or, hell, even a literary writer), there's a pretty good chance you've heard the name Nick Mamatas. Besides having published a score shitload of short stories, he's the author of the novels Move Under Ground, Sensation, Damned Highway: Fear and Loathing in Arkham (with Brian Keene), Bullettime, and Under My Roof, as well as the nonfiction Starve Better: Surviving the Endless Horror of the Writing Life and Insults Every Man Should Know. In addition he edits The Big Click, an online crime magazine, and works for Haikasoru when he's not also teaching. Oh, and he blogs quite frequently. He's also quite active on Facebook and Twitter. Okay, let's see, am I forgetting anything else??? Nick took time out of his busy schedule to talk with me about his recent trip to AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) and the different panels he attended and, among other things, we discussed the ongoing conflict between literary and genre. Enjoy.

In Which Nick Mamatas And I Discuss AWP And Literary vs. Genre

The Dead Is 99 Cents

This weekend my post-apocalyptic thriller The Dishonored Dead is on sale for 99 cents on Kindle US, Kindle UK, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes. It also contains an excerpt of Walk the Sky, which should hopefully see release in ebook and paperback late next month.

Why call it a post-apocalyptic thriller? Well, because it is. I used to call it a zombie novel, and in many ways it is a zombie novel, but it's also not a zombie novel. It's confusing, and while zombies are still popular, it's the traditional kind that sells. And if asked what's currently my favorite book of mine, I would probably have to go with this one. Not that I think it's a great introduction to my work -- after all, it's not that easily accessible to the average reader -- but it's definitely my most unique novel to date.

Anyway, the book's 99 cents until Monday. Grab a copy!

Literary Perfection

Random House, in a feat of marketing genius, is making the digital edition of The Da Vinci Code free for the next week -- since, um, everyone's already read it anyway. The main reason they're doing it, of course, is to include an excerpt of Dan Brown's new novel Inferno. Well, friends, I was as curious as the next person, so I downloaded the book and clicked to the excerpt, which includes a prologue and first chapter. Skimming over the prologue, I came to chapter one, and this magnificent first line:

The memories materialized slowly ... like bubbles surfacing from the darkness of a bottomless well.

To all you writers out there struggling with perfecting your prose, look upon those words and weep. WEEP, I SAY!