short stories — News & Notions

Near + Far, a science fiction short story collection by the author Cat Rambo, is being released tomorrow (or, if you didn't read this the moment it was posted, September 19th). Get this book! You won't regret it. Plus, Cat and I are all in the same family. Lots of talent round these parts, yunno. *wink, wink*The description:

Whether set in terrestrial oceans or on far-off space stations, Cat Rambo's masterfully told stories explore themes of gender, despair, tragedy, and the triumph of both human and non-human alike. Cats talk, fur wraps itself around you, aliens overstay their welcome, and superheroes deal with everyday problems. Rambo has been published in Asimov's, Weird Tales, and Tor.com among many others. She was an editor for Fantasy Magazine, has written numerous nonfiction articles and interviews, and has volunteered time with Broad Universe and Clarion West. She has been shortlisted for the Endeavour Award, the Million Writers Award, the Locus Awards, and most recently a World Fantasy Award.

And because Cat has been in this game longer than I have, I'm just going to share her blurb on the best way to join this super scifi collection experience. From Cat:

Dear friends, family, and fans:

You’re getting this mail because you have some connection to me or I am laboring under the delusion such a connection exists*. The mail’s to say - Yay! I’ve got a third collection, Near + Far, coming out this Wednesday, September 19, from Hydra House Books (http://hydrahousebooks.com/).

Here’s some reasons I’m really stoked about Near + Far:

Unlike the other two books, this collection is pure science fiction. I wanted to show I don’t just write fantasy and I was pleased to find out that I had more than enough published SF to justify a collection.
The book grew out of my belief that for physical books to survive as a medium they need to become more than just a mechanism for delivering text. They need to be objects of art in and of themselves. This collection does that in spades.
An amazing team helped put the book together, from book layout to copyediting to cover design and interior art.

As you know, publishing is changing and increasingly authors are part of the promotion process. I’m doing what I can with this letter and asking -- if you should feel so inclined -- for your help if getting the buzz out.

So what can you do?

Well, sure, buy the book is top of the list. But we don’t all have the budget. Here’s some other ways that you can assist in getting the word out about Near + Far:

1. Request it through your library. Most will even let you do this online.

2. Request it at your local bookstore. It’s available through Ingram, a major book distributor, so they should be able to get it.

3. Write an Amazon review or tag the book on Amazon. Amazon reviews are great! But if you don’t have the time to write one up, you can still help. One way that often gets overlooked is tagging. Scroll to the bottom of the Amazon page for the book until you see “Tags Customers Associate with This Product.” Add tags that you think might help someone find the book, if you notice anything missing, or just go through and check the boxes next to the tags you think are relevant (which is hopefully all of them.)

4. Review it or add it to your to-read list on book sites. Reviews on Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/near-far-hydra-house/1112139962?ean=9780984830145), Goodreads (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15940746-near-far), LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/work/13024203/book/89765198), Shelfari (http://www.shelfari.com/books/31477318/Near-%2b-Far) and Smashwords are great!

5. Blog about the book. Any mention of the book, particularly one that explains why you liked it, is awesome. There’s actually some cool little things about the book:

The tête-bêche format, also known as the Ace Double. Flip the Near side of the book over, and you’ll find Far on the other side.
The interior artwork is by long-time friend Mark W. Tripp. Mark and I have been putting together jewelry based on it and if you’d be interested in hosting a giveaway on your blog, I’d be glad to send a necklace for that use.
If you’re one of the people who’s already received a necklace, take a picture of it with yourself to send me for the Near + Far page. Or alternately, the necklace with someone/something/draped across a rotting log/in a bookstore/whatever?
Stories range from very early to very recent, spanning markets from Asimov’s and Lightspeed to small and somewhat obscure anthologies. I’ve included some of my favorite stories, such as “The Mermaids Singing Each to Each,” “Surrogates,” and “Bus Ride to Mars.”

6. Share news of it on social networks. Sharing links on Facebook and other social networks is great. I’ll be posting links to blog entries about the book on the main networks I use: Facebook, Google +, and Twitter. Just favoriting, plusing or liking posts helps give them a little Google juice. Even going to the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/nearplusfar and clicking “Like” helps.

7. Share news of it on mailing lists and other groups. Pass the news along to your fellows on writing or SF-related discussion boards, BBSes, mailing lists, and other forums.

8. Share links on bookmarking sites. If you use bookmarking sites like Delicious, Reddit, or Stumbleupon, please think about bookmarking pages about the book. Here’s some pages that might be worth bookmarking:

http://hydrahousebooks.com/bookstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=7 (Hydra House page for the book)
http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/2012/09/11/10-reasons-im-so-happy-with-the-way-near-far-turned-out/ (overview of the book)
http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/2012/09/12/folly-blaine-reads-zeppelin-follies-from-near-far/ (audio version of one of the stories)

9. Participate in the giveaway on my blog. At http://www.kittywumpus.net you’ll find a post for the giveaway. Drop a comment on there and you’ll be entered to win one of the three pieces of Near + Far jewelry I’m giving away! Spread the word. :)

10. Pass this mail along to other interested readers. And let me know if I’ve overlooked something! Many of you are writers and creative types who also often have something to promote. Please feel free to send me your notices, and if you like the idea of this email, feel free to use what you can from it.

Resources for Sharing:

Here’s a link to the book on the Hydra House Books page.

Here is the Amazon listing.

Barnes & Noble listing.

Here it is on other networks:

Delicious - http://delicious.com/catrambo/hydra-house

FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/nearplusfar

GoodReads - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15940746-near-far

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/pin/51932201924331901/

Shelfari - http://www.shelfari.com/books/31477318/Near-%2b-Far