Welcome to Biting-Edge, a blog shared by authors and vampire experts, Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. We’ll cover urban fantasy, vampires, pop culture, and all things Joss Whedon. Unlike other fantasy blogs, we don’t insist on body cavity searches (unless you ask politely). Snarkiness is most welcome...though we won't promise not to bite back!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011
  If it's Thursday, it must be Jeanne...
Every author I know would love to do this:




# # # #

The top ten bestselling authors between May 2010 and April 2011:

James Patterson ($84 million)
Danielle Steel ($35 million)
Stephen King ($28 million)
Janet Evanovich ($22 million)
Stephenie Meyer ($21 million)
Rick Riordan ($21 million)
Dean Koontz ($19 million)
John Grisham ($18 million)
Jeff Kinney ($17 million)
Nicholas Sparks ($16 million)
Ken Follett ($14 million)
Suzanne Collins ($10 million)
J.K. Rowling ($5 million)

Every author I know would love to be on this list, too.

# # # #

The newest wrinkle in the e-book world: From Shelf Awareness and the New York Times

In the film versions of “Pride and Prejudice” the music jumps and swells at all the right moments, heightening the tension and romance of that classic Jane Austen novel.

Will it do the same in the e-book edition?

Booktrack, a start-up in New York, is planning to release e-books with soundtracks that play throughout the books, an experimental technology that its founders hope will change the way many novels are read.

Its first book featuring a soundtrack is “The Power of Six,” a young-adult novel published by HarperCollins, soon to be followed by “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Jane Eyre,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Three Musketeers.”


So what do you ebook fans think of this idea? Would you like it or would it be distracting?

# # # #




Ray Bradbury's classic to be adapted for the screen. From Deadline.com

Mike Medavoy and Doug McKay, Vice-President of Production at Phoenix Pictures, have teamed up with legendary writer Ray Bradbury, RGI Productions’ Rodion Nahapetov (who is penning the screenplay), and producer Natasha Shliapnikoff to produce the feature film adaptation of Bradbury’s classic novel “Dandelion Wine.”

Bradbury, who turns 91 on Monday remarked, “This is the best birthday gift I could ask for. Today, I have been reborn! ‘Dandelion Wine’ is my most deeply personal work and brings back memories of sheer joy as well as terror. This is the story of me as a young boy and the magic of an unforgettable summer which still holds a mystical power over me.”

Does this get you Ray Bradbury fans excited? Can't believe he's 91!!!

# # # #

I love pieces like this.

20 Celebrities With Stunning Home Libraries

From Shelf Awareness and Accredited Online Colleges

Celebrities who are also readers have a slight advantage over the rest of us, in that they "often making tens of thousands of dollars for just showing up somewhere, have no such financial restraints and may indulge themselves with those epic home libraries the rest of us can only dream about." Presented as evidence by AccreditedOnlineColleges.com are "20 celebrities with stunning home libraries."





My favorite is Diane Keaton's (above).

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Another bit from Shelf Awareness:


Don't try this with a Kindle. Summer reads will take on a whole new meaning next year when waterproof paperbacks hit the beaches and pools. The Telegraph reported that a "clear wax sealant will prevent running ink and stop pages from becoming soggy and tearing when wet. The tough polymer coating is tear-resistant and promises to increase a title's shelf-life by up to 200%." Alan Cork's The Greater Bad will be the first book to receive the coating, and should be available next May.

Hmmm.. I don't recognize this from a Bond film.

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Another bit of trivia that caught my fancy... The Guardian UK

Agatha Christie may have been one of the U.K.'s first "stand-up" surfers, according to researchers who discovered that the creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple "was something of a pioneering and diehard wave-rider. At a time when many of her contemporaries were chugging cocktails in Blighty, Agatha Christie was paddling out from beaches in Cape Town and Honolulu to earn her surfing stripes," the Guardian reported.

# # # #

I loved Mario's post on Monday. We all try to figure out what we can do to jump that hurdle into NYT's Bestsellerdom but as far as I know, the only one who can make that happen is your publisher. Erin Morgenstern's story is a case in point. There are others, Marie Liu springs to mind, who are being positioned to be the NEXT BIG THING IN YA...but it's always a crap shoot. I look forward to reading both Erin's and Marie's books. I admit it. I'm a sucker for YA and I read them trying to figure out what the magic formula is that tripped that agent or editor's fancy enough to offer the big bucks.

I have to add, though, that I know how lucky I am to be published with seven books out there and a dozen short stories in various anthologies. My hope is to keep building that readership and keep those contracts coming.

# # # #

Two more chances to win books and goodies before the debut of Crossroads:

Dark Fairie Tales on August 27... Anna meets the big bad wolf

Paranormality - August 29 - Lynda Hilburn's blog where we discuss immortality-- the lure of the vampire

Here's what arrived on my doorstep today:


It's beginning to feel real!!!









 
Comments:
Usually when I see a bunch of the same book, I say they're forming an army. But it's scarier this time, because Anna has a big-ass weapon! ;-)
 
Of the big-ass names on that best-seller list, I will only read Rick Riordan and J K Rowling.

I want Diane Keaton's library whimsey!

Love the sight of the container full o' gun-totin' Anna!

Lady K started 3rd grade this week, here's some pics:

http://iyamvixenbooks.blogspot.com/2011/08/lady-k-first-day-of-school-3rd-grade.html
 
You betcha, Tez...not that she needs it! :-)
 
Oh, Vickie, Love the pics...give her a kiss for me!

J.
 
The soundtrack thing! I did that years (and years and years) ago when I was writing fanfiction. I would put a link to a song at the beginning of a chapter and readers would listen to the music while reading. It was pretty neat. It's about time e-readers went there too.

Love Jane Lynch!

At first I thought it was strange that Meyer outsold Rowling until I realized that Rowling hasn't released a new book in several years. $5 mil on old books? Not bad.
 
Hey Vicki-- I can't listen to music when I read or write-- too distracting so it would never work for me.

Yeah, $5 mil on your backlist is pretty sweet!!!!

J
 
I have all the desire to listen to a soundtrack to a book as I do to see a colorized black and white flick. Remember those disasters? Even Ted Turner finally gave up on them.

I like to listen to music and I like to read books, but not at the same time. Like you I find music too disracting when I'm concentrating on something else.
 
eeee!! Your book is my reward for turning in my edits (due the 30th, blarg)

I think Missy and I can hit one of your CA signings. We're aiming for the Redondo one.

Are you going to RT? I'm in charge of *two* socials this year, including a slumber party hosted by YA authors. We are having a slipper contest and junk food. It will be epic.
 
You said it, catfriend!!! My sentiments exactly!!
 
Hey Suzanne-- I am looking forward to Redondo since it's the new store!! And yes, I am going to RT. Your slumber party sounds like fun!!!

J.
 
In should be fun. Pack you're best slippers, we're having a contest. :)
 
Just added Jane Lynch's book to my Recorded Books wishlist. I do hope she is also the narrator. It comes out on 13 Sep on RB.
 
You know her book will be hilarious!!
 
Vickie - I watched a couple of the other Jane Lynch videos too and one is an interview with her in the recording studio. She'd just finished reading/recording the book. I just adore her.

No soundtracks for me. If I can hear anything around me when I'm reading it needs to be able to turn into white noise. I can't do that with music.

As for a surfing Agatha Christie, how cool is that? I love learning things like that about people. Especially about women during a period in time where it just wasn't appropriate for women to take on certain recreational or professional activities.

Well will you look at the lovely box of books.
 
What if you don't read as fast as the person who synched the music? Will it just loop over and over until you finish the chapter? I'm not sure how it'll work, is what I'm saying.
 
Good question, Zita...

And I'm with you, Imzadi-- it painted an entirely different picture of AC for me.
 
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