The Bitter Quill

Whew! This new blogging gig is taking more time than I thought it would. This is the first week, though, and I think it’ll get easier once I get into the swing of things and the site officially launches.

In the meantime, if things are a little slow around here — maybe four posts a week instead of six — blame it on my new boss. Don’t worry, we’ll get things back to normal before too long.

I was caught up in Beantown for an extra day, so we’re a little behind, but tonight we should return to our regular irregular posting schedule!

In the comments to a recent post, we have none other than a representative from Alibris attempting to convince me (and you!) that Alibris is more valuable, from a value standpoint, than Abebooks is.

Since my main concern is what’s more valuable to you, the Bitter Quill faithful, I’d encourage you to check out the discussion over there and contribute your own two cents. I’d like to hear what you have to say!

TwoThree notes:

I’ve added a privacy policy, of sorts, available from the links to the right on the homepage under “About the Bitter Quill”.

I’ve signed us up to be an affilliate of Abebooks.com. Most people use Amazon, it’s true, and Abebooks doesn’t pay nearly as much as Amazon, commission-wise, but then I didn’t start this site to turn a profit. As a book collector I find Abebooks to be of much greater use. So if you see a review that you like or something, and you feel like you need to own the book, I’ll be sure to include a handy-dandy link that you can click on, guaranteed to earn The Bitter Quill dozens of cents, if we’re really lucky! For example, Lud-In-The-Mist!

If by some strange miracle this site ever does enter the black — unlikely, but theoretically possible — I’ll be sure to start giving the contributors and our web designer guy something other than grief. ;)

Well, this is exciting news! The incomparable Catherynne M. Valente, author and poet, whose beauty and talent are rivalled only by each other, has graciously allowed The Bitter Quill to syndicate* the content of her new writing blog, Goblin Market. The technical details are still being worked out, but what it amounts to is that (relatively) soon after something goes up over there, you’ll see it go up over here. Isn’t that fantastic? If I were a Muppet, I’d be waving my arms spastically over my head and making high-pitched hooting noises.

It may or may not be important to note that not everything that appears on Goblin Market will necessarily appear on The Bitter Quill. I don’t see the value in reproducing any administrivia or the like, as we’ve got plenty enough of our own, thank you. But any posts of substance and interest — and I haven’t seen Ms. Valente write much that wasn’t both — will be faithfully reproduced.

*Very much like stealing, only with permission.