A month after my last link list, Snippets is (finally) back!

Yeah. It’s a long list. Had to dig deep into my RSS feed, social media feeds and Pocket list to find the ones I found interesting and share-worthy. Then I had to review everything and trim the list down, which called for a few more hours of work. 😛 The links included here kept me reading, writing, WANTing, organizing, and planning during the holidays and in recent weeks; hope they do the same for you. Enjoy!

Oldies but goodies

• They do break the shackles of time. Carl Sagan on Books, Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, May 8, 2012
• Everyone who has ever bought digital content should read this article. Do you own your digital content?, Hilary Osborne, The Guardian UK, September 3, 2012
• You want a list of book lists? You got it. 😀 Online “Best of 2012” Book Lists, Largeheartedboy.com, November 5, 2012
• Unearthed. Imagination Illustrated: Muppets Creator Jim Henson’s Never-Before-Seen Journals and Sketches, Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, November 26, 2012
• There was a Twitter Fiction Festival? *scratches head* First Official Twitter Fiction Festival Begins, Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times, November 28, 2012

December 2012

• Books and portraits. Lookit! UNYPL IN 2012: PORTRAITS, Ourit Ben-Haim, Underground New York Public Library on Tumblr, December 2012
• You should read this if your dream is to write a book that would be adapted for the small and big screens. Ten Things Hollywood Wants in Source Material and Screenplays, John Robert Marlow, The Huffington Post, December 11, 2012
• Did you ever wonder what happens at the printing press? Go behind the scenes with Tor Books. A Memory of Light Being Printed, Step By Step, Irene Gallo, Tor.com, December 13, 2012
• Handy resources for when you’re struggling with words, or in need of inspiration and guidance. (Saw lots of titles I need to pick up soon, too.) Staff Picks: Books About Writing That Changed Our Lives, Writer’s Relief, December 14, 2012
• Love art? Or, as a friend likes to say, aaaahrt? Choose from these 50 art books. Best Art Books Of 2012: Our List Of The Year’s 50 Greatest Creative Publications, The Huffington Post, December 17, 2012
• A new beer brand spun off from a TV show that’s an adaptation of a super-awesome book series. OK, I had a hard time typing the rest of that sentence. My mind stopped at “beer”. Game Of Thrones Beer Slated For Production By Brewery Ommegang, Ryan Grenoble, The Huffington Post, December 17, 2012
• Case closed… but the story will continue. Keep tabs on it. Justice Department Reaches Settlement With Penguin On E-books, Jesse J. Holland, Associated Press, read on The Huffington Post, December 18, 2012
• It’s Hachette vs. Cramer! Richard Ben Cramer Sued Over No-Show Book About Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees, The Huffington Post, December 19, 2012
• Gorgeous covers! Favorite Book Cover Designs of 2012, The New York Times, December 19, 2012
• Mine would probably be cheesy and boring. Love Numbers 4 and 7! Seven Great Book Dedications, Johann Thorsson, Book Riot, December 20, 2012
• Wanna know how a book store has adapted to (and now thrives in) the digital era? Listen to this awesome interview. NOW. The Man With 18 Miles of Books: An interview with Fred Bass, owner of New York’s Strand bookstore, June Thomas, Slate, December 20, 2012
• Steamy. Yessir. Longform’s Best Sex Stories of 2012, Slate, December 20, 2012
• Remember: You will always be their first example. Of anything. It’s best to get them hooked on reading early! The Importance Of Reading With Children, Zoë Triska, The Huffington Post, December 19, 2012
• Living. Yes. That should always, always be the priority. In Defense of the Fluid Self: Why Anaïs Nin Turned Down a Harper’s Bazaar Profile, Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, December 19, 2012
• Seriously gnarly. I love it! Make Your E-Reader Look Imposing With This Necronomicon Cover, Amy Ratcliffe, Nerd Approved, December 19, 2012
• The staff writers behind this year’s list reveal their own personal picks. PW Staff: Our Favorite Books We Read in 2012, PWxyz, December 20, 2012
• Free e-book for tech-heads! (And now I know how many great reads I missed last year!) Happy Holidays! Here’s a Free Ebook of Our Best Stories From 2012, Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, December 20, 2012
• Read what he reads! George RR Martin’s 3 Favorite Books Of 2012, The Huffington Post, December 20, 2012
• Usually I prefer the book over the movie. Maybe these adaptations will change my mind! From ‘Life of Pi’ to ‘Lincoln’: The Best Literary Adaptations of 2012, Christine Spines, Word & Film, December 20, 2012
• Learn from the master of the “new school” way of publishing. Guy Kawasaki On Self-Publishing In The 21st Century, Fredric Paul, ReadWrite, December 21, 2012
• A sad moment for the print industry… but I believe it will live on. Stop saying it’s dying or already dead, people! Damn. Final Newsweek Cover a Poetic Farewell to Print, Amanda Wills, Mashable, December 23, 2012
• Did you cast your vote? Rappler Social Media Awards 2012 – #Top12for2012: Best Book, Rappler.com Facebook page, December 23, 2012
• What does 2013 hold for the publishing world? One man takes a crack at fortune telling. 21 Book Publishing Predictions for 2013: Indie Ebook Authors Take Charge, Mark Coker*, The Huffington Post, December 23, 2012
• Must start watching Doctor Who so I can relate. But… where to begin? Doctor Who TARDIS Bookshelf Lights Up And Plays Music [DIY], Nicole Wakelin, Nerd Approved, December 24, 2012
• Another free e-book, this time from Le Huff! Huffington Post Books 2012: Free eBook Of Our Favorite Stories Of The Year, Andrew Losowsky/Zoë Triska/Annemarie Dooling, The Huffington Post, December 26, 2012
• What would you want yours to be? Best of Book Riot: The Epitaphs of Nine Famous Writers, Wallace Yovetich, Book Riot, December 28, 2012
• A logical letter from a wise father to his daughter. Richard Dawkins on Evidence in Science, Life and Love: A Letter to His 10-Year-Old Daughter, Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, December 28, 2012
• Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na! BATMAN! Bat Logo Bookshelves, Amy Ratcliffe, Nerd Approved, December 28, 2012
• Haven’t written any microfiction/fast fiction/flash fiction in a long time. He did it in 12 days. Superb! (And yes, it’s another free e-book!) Twelve Days of Fast Fiction, the ebook, Lee Barnett, Budgie’s Perch, December 28, 2012
• This is depressing. Unlucky ’13: 10 Predictions of How It’s Gonna Get Worse for New York Publishers in the Coming Year, Michael Levin, The Huffington Post, December 31, 2012
• She also has her own “Best Of” list – that you can download as a free e-book! (Third one on this list, folks.) The Best of Brain Pickings 2012, Maria Popova, Brain Pickings, December 31, 2012

January 2013

• Cover ’em up! Out of Print Ebook Jackets, Imraan Asif, Well Done Stuff!, January 1, 2013
• On to Japan! Apple’s iBookstore Headed to Japan This Year, John Paczkowski, All Things Digital, January 2, 2013
• New Gaiman book in May! *headbang* Have a Happy Neil (Gaiman) Year!, HarperCollins Publishers on Tumblr, January 1, 2013
• It’s January. Time for your home to get a new look! 10 on Design: e-Books to Inspire, Chris Perez, Apartment Therapy, January 2, 2013
• He’s had enough. The tour for his upcoming book (see second bullet point) would be his last. Neil Gaiman Quits Book Signing Tours, The Huffington Post, January 2, 2013
• It’s all starting to get confusing. I thought print book sales are down (see two bullet points down). What’s the real story? Ebook Sales Growth Slows; Is There A Plateau Ahead?, Tom Chandler, The Writer Underground, January 2, 2013
• Not too sure if this is the way I want to discover new titles. But hey, it might work. BookRx Recommends Books According To Your Twitter Feed, The Huffington Post, January 3, 2013
• It’ll bounce back up. Just watch. *crosses fingers* Print Units Fell 9 Percent in 2012, Publishers Weekly, January 4, 2013
• New book marketing concept: treat it as a startup. Is This The Smartest Way Yet To Market A Book?, Haydn Shaughnessy, Forbes, January 4, 2013
• See? Self-publishers and libraries can get along. No drama at all! Digital Lending, In Agreement, Peter Brantley, Publishers Weekly, January 6, 2013
• They gave bad books their best shot(s). Book Reviews Vie For Dreaded Hatchet Job Award, Jill Lawless, Associated Press, The Huffington Post, January 8, 2013
• It’s out! Man Asian literary prize unveils 2012 shortlist, David Watkins, Agence France-Presse, ABS-CBN News, January 9, 2013
• Take note, budding novelists. The Top 5 Writing Lessons of Fifty Shades of Grey, Em & Lo, January 9, 2013
• Print it and follow it when you’re ready to pitch your work! Anatomy Of A Query Letter: A Step-By-Step Guide, The Huffington Post, January 9, 2013
• How (comic book) heroes are made. A Pixar Animator’s Epic Quest To Create 365 Superheroes, Cliff Kuang, Fast.CoDESIGN, January 9, 2013
• Done deal. Thai e-publishing firm Ookbee continues regional expansion with Singapore Press Holdings deal, Jon Russell, The Next Web, January 10, 2013
• New bling! Kindle Touch updated with new UI, Whispersync for Voice and comic book navigation, Sean Buckley, Engadget, January 10, 2013
• I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. But hey, admit it, the cover does have a huge influence. The Best Book Covers of 2012, As Chosen by Our Favorite Book Cover Designers, Emily Temple, Flavorwire, January 10, 2013
• Say what? The U.K.’s Biggest Distributor of Children’s Books Is About to Be … McDonald’s, Megan Garber, The Atlantic, January 11, 2013
• Looks bad ass, but I’m (still) all for the old-school look. Is This the Most Amazing Library in the World?, Emily Temple, Flavorwire, January 12, 2013
• A new way to teach and tell stories. Reading a Story, Taking a Trip, Peter Brantley, PWxyz, January 14, 2013
• Oh, you shouldn’t have done that. Rewrite for National Book Awards, Hillel Italie, Associated Press/Yahoo! News, January 15, 2013
• Hey, Tom Hanks! Are you ready? ‘Inferno’, New Dan Brown Book About Dante, Out On May 14th, Zoë Triska, The Huffington Post, January 15, 2013
• Times are a-changin’. Why Traditionally Published Authors Are Going Indie, Sabrina Ricci, IndieReader, January 16, 2013

Undated

• Can’t quite remember how I got to his website. Love, love, LOVE his work! Wayne White – Word Paintings
• The perfect gift for those who are disorganized and/or looking to get back into reading for 2013. 2013 Calendars by Julie Joliat
• Ka-ching! AbeBooks’ Most Expensive Sales in 2012, AbeBooks.com
• Your beautiful books deserve to be displayed in an equally beautiful manner. Creative & Beautiful Book Displays: Best of 2012, Apartment Therapy
• These notebooks shall be used for work, simply because shit has to fucking get done. Shit I Gotta Fucking Get Done Notebooks, Cool Material
• I have a writing routine. Do you have one? You should. 8 Strange Rituals of Productive Writers, Kelton Reid, Copyblogger
• So how was 2012 over at Goodreads? This infographic will tell you. Goodreads 2012 By the Numbers: An Infographic, Goodreads
• A teaser for the latest installment, The Winds of Winter! Too bad I didn’t see the sample he scrapped. “Arianne”, George R.R. Martin – GRRM
• More bad book covers: Lousy Book Covers on Tumblr
• Not really into the free e-book selection… but the concept’s nice. Congratulations, and I hope it takes off! Story Cartel
• Peter Pan goes back in time, and to war. Peter Panzerfaust by Image Comics

One last thing

A good hour of mucking around on Tumblr led me to this site: TUEBL. Hello, more e-books! Y’all have two options: download e-books for free, or buy them through an online service. I like free things, but it’s also good to point out that writers should be supported by their audiences, and that their work should be bought through legal means. Yes, that means paying for them.

Notes

• • Smashwords founder.

Also, this edition of Snippets is not a sponsored post. The same goes for the blog entries that came before it.