STUPEFYING STORIES: The Update

For those of you who have been wondering but are too polite to ask, after a long series of fiddly but really aggravating little technical problems, STUPEFYING STORIES is finally in production. The printer assures me that we should have a proof copy ready to review and sign-off on in the next two days or so, and assuming no more ugly surprises leap out and bite us, we should have finished copies ready to ship sometime in the week of the 23rd. At that time both the paper and Kindle editions will go up for sale on Amazon—there are good business reasons for releasing both simultaneously—and we can take a well-earned moment to step back and sigh in relief...

And then get started on the October issue.

In the process of getting this thing out the door I have unfortunately learned far more about the ways in which PDF files interact with Windows that I'd ever really wanted to, and consequently developed a great affection for Kindle files. They're so bluddy simple, in comparison. However, it still seems as if the smart thing to do is to release new books in two simultaneous editions: a short run of printed books, for thems as still wants dead trees, and a Kindle edition for the rest of the world.

As for you few who are whining about there not being an iBook version—yes, I can hear you, all the way over here—my answer is, "There's an app for that." Specifically, there is the free Kindle Reader app, in versions available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android, and Windows PC. Yes, I know, this is not exactly the most user-friendly and seamless solution possible, but from the publisher's point of view, it's far better than trying to deal with a certain computer and media company that pays a lot of lip-service to working with indies but doesn't actually want to, not really.

Your thoughts, comments, and observations?