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robe Beyond Retro (London) / veste Maje (2010 ?) / chassures Topshop / bracelet Charlotte Martyr

merci à mon frère Gaël Rapon pour les photos !!!

Audiobooks

One of my fondest memories of my time in legacy publishing was visiting Brilliance Audio in Michigan and playing a character on my first audiobook, Whiskey Sour.

I love audiobooks. And I've always maintained the belief that their popularity was directly proportional to their price--it isn't unusual for audiobooks for be twice the hardcover price of a book. This high barrier to entry has meant a lot of folks who would enjoy audiobooks (while travelling, commuting, exercising, on vacation, etc.) haven't ever purchased one. For many, audiobooks are a library checkout (or a rental--there used to be audiobook rental stores). That's a shame, because, like paper and ebooks, I think audiobooks are worth owning.

When I began self-publishing, Brilliance bought 13 of my ebook titles--an unprecedented move and a strong show of faith in my brand. These titles have done well, but even though they were less expensive than my previous titles, I felt the prices were a bit prohibitive.

I recently released my second Timecaster novel, Timecaster Supersymmetry, with the help of my agent acting as an estributor (more on that in a future blog post, but in a nutshell they did everything I needed them to and I'm pleased.) One of the things I spoke with Brilliance about was releasing Supersymmetry as a download for under five bucks.

They went one step better.

Right now, on audible.com, every Joe Konrath Brilliance Audiobook title is $4.95. http://www.audible.com/mt/konrath

Want to try an audiobook but thought they were too pricey? Now is the time to buy one.

I also encourage readers to buy the ebook version of Timecaster Supersymmetry for $3.99. This book was a true labor of love for me, written completely from the heart and without keeping anything reigned in. I had no legacy editor to tell me, "You can't do that." The result is a science-fiction thriller that I am 100% positive no publishing house would ever release in its current uncut form. Sex, violence, bad jokes, dinosaurs, talking fruit, the multiverse, robots, tons of inside jokes and parodies, insane plot twists, several major WTF moments, and a future Jack Daniels fighting zombies. It is seriously crazy, and was so much fun to write I had to see a surgeon to remove the smile on my face when I finished it.

Timecaster hasn't found its audience yet. Penguin gave it a crappy cover and priced the ebook too high ($7.99), among other mistakes. Supersymmetry is so unlike anything else anyone has ever written it is almost unclassifiable, which will no doubt limit early sales. But ebooks are forever, and forever is a long time to find an audience. Maybe it will take years, and that's okay. I have years. And hopefully I'll have the rights back to Timecaster by then (I have world rights and am releasing it soon on Amazon.co.uk among other places) so I can price it to sell.

Please spread the word on the audiobooks, and on Supersymmetry. I'd love to see a future where all audiobook downloads are priced comparably to ebooks, and where authors are free to truly unleash their creativity on readers without having to kow-tow to the narrow-minded sales-driven biases of legacy publishers.

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En vous aimant bien.












Sexuali-tee American Apparel / chaussettes American Apparel / chaussures Topshop / bracelet Charlotte Martyr / collier harnais Topshop / bagues Gudule, Corpus Christi, Lotta Djossou et divers

Outdoor Fun

If you follow me on my blog this will look familiar ;)

It's summertime. Time to get outside and get into nature (do I sound like Dr. Scott the paleontologist?). My kids love to play outside and the other day they had just watched Sid the Science Kid who went camping with his dad....so of course they wanted to go camping too. They got their backpacks, filled them with the essentials, like: buzz lightyear, some stuffed animals, extra shoes, slippers, a stethoscope, journals and some other random items. I couldn't find the small tent that we have for them so I decided to bring out the card table and the card table tent that I made for them a long time ago. It was a hit. They played camping all morning!! Here are some photos from their expedition!
 They were journaling about animals they saw.
 Love this moment so much!! Such sweet sisters (most of the time)
Then yesterday I decided it was time to bust out the pool. I wish we had one big enough that I could get in, but that may come soon!! They had fun playing in the water, splashing each other, playing a little wipe out and washing their toys. It was all good clean fun....until...
 ...Hannah discovered the dirt pile had turned to mud. This little girl LOVES to get dirty and could care less if she is dirty (I love that about her). She had fun squishing the mud in her fingers, painting on the pool with it and slipping and sliding all over the mud with her shoes.
 Eventually Naomi decided to join Hannah in the mud painting...but Micah didn't really care to get dirty. Silly boy!
 Apparently it's best to mow the lawn when you're muddy! They had a great time and mud time was quickly followed by bath time...now I just need to go and clean off all the toys!
Hope you're having a great summer so far and enjoying the great outdoors (now I feel the need to rent that movie).

I've been working on CHRISTMAS presents...have you? I've just got the very beginnings of a few things but I cannot wait to share what I've got in mind for those on my list (we draw names on both sides of the family now so we don't have to get something for everyone!). I've been finding some GREAT sales (like Flirty Aprons for under $5) and have been stocking up so it doesn't come to bite me in December! Do you buy ahead/craft ahead...or wait till the last minute?

Our church is going to participate in a few craft fairs this fall so I'm also working on some crafts to sell for that. I'd LOVE it if you'd consider purchasing something from my etsy store...sales from there will help fund the purchase of supplies for the church craft fairs to raise money for our churches budget!

Create and Share | Features Too

Don't forget to grab my Button HERE
Come by every Wednesday to share your "Creative Side" You can link up anything crafty, recipes, room decor, party ideas, gift ideas, kid crafts, science projects, game ideas, ect. You get the idea.
| Linky Party Rules |
  • Follow Trendy Treehouse via Google Friend Connect
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  • Link up only to the post. Not your home page.
  • Please Do Not link up shops or giveaways.
  • Share the Create and Share Button somewhere on your blog or in your post.
  • Visit at least 3 other link ups and leave meaningful comments.
  • Come back next week to see if your link has been featured.
Every week I feature 6 Great Link Ups that I find amazing. If you see yours below, go grab a featured button HERE.

PLEASE DO...If you love the featured projects, make sure you let them know by leaving a great comment in their post. Just click on the photos below to visit them.

| Here are 6 of my favorite links from last week |
Click on photo to read more about these projects
        

The Slippery Slope

If You Eat Hamburgers, You Will Kill Billions of People

1. Hamburgers are made of cow.

2. Cows produce methane.

3. Methane is a greenhouse gas, 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

4. Methane comprises 14% of the world's greenhouse gas. By 2030 that could increase by 60%.

5. Greenhouse gases lead to global warming.

6. Global warming will lead to the sea level rising.

7. The sea level rising will lead to the ecosystem collapsing.

8. The ecosystem collapsing will kill billions.

9. So stop eating burgers, or you will destroy mankind.

This is a slippery slope argument--a logical fallacy that makes sense taken in small steps, but when all the small steps are put together it leads to a silly, baseless conclusion.

But in the case of this particular slippery slope, there is some merit to it. The world's consumption of beef is leading to more cows, which is leading to more methane. While saying that eating a burger will kill billions is stretching the point to ridiculousness, at least each step taken individually seems plausible.

Right?

That hamburgers are made of cow and cows produce methane is irrefutable. So is the fact that methane is a greenhouse gas, and more potent than CO2. 

Then things get fuzzy. I pulled the 60% number of the net, and I'm sure there is some scientific justification behind it, but we truly won't know for sure until it happens.

We can guess. But we don't know. This isn't a scientific experiment with a control group. Saying the earth's methane output will rise 60% may look good on paper, it it isn't the same thing as saying 2 + 2 = 4, or mix oxygen and hydrogen and you'll get water.

Greenhouse gases do lead to global warming. Venus is a pretty decent example of this. But it can be argued that global warming is cyclical and has little to do with humans, or that it is manageable, or that a hundred other things might happen before sea levels start to rise.

The ecosystem collapsing is a pretty big leap. And if the ecosystem does collapse, how can we be sure billions will die?

That's the problem with guesses. They cause fear, but are unproven until they happen.

But you probably looked at the original statement, that eating burgers will kill billions, and realized it was bullshit from without me dissecting it. Other statements, however, aren't as obvious.

Let's look at another slippery slope argument:

The Agency Model Encourages Competition and Is Good

1. Amazon has the lion's share of the ebook market.

2. Amazon has sold ebooks for under the publisher's cover price, and below cost.

3. Other retailers can't sell this low, and will be driven out of business.

4. The only way to save retailers is if publishers set the retail price of books.

5. If Amazon becomes a monopoly, they will harm authors and readers.

6. Publishers had no choice but to stop Amazon from predatory pricing, to protect competition and for the good of everyone.

The first two points are true. Amazon does have the lion's share of the ebook market, and they have sold ebooks at below cost.

But we need a bit more information here. Amazon pretty much single-handedly created the current ebook market. Just like they created online bookselling. As Bob Mayer says, Amazon didn't exist except for in Jeff Bezos's mind back in 1994.

Amazon listened hard to what readers wanted, and it fulfilled those wants. They've kept prices low. I'd guess they do it to attract customers, because customers are drawn to low prices. But I truly don't know Amazon's motivation, other than the fact that they are a company in business to make money. Just like Big Publishing. Except Amazon seems to be doing it by giving people what they want, rather than forcing people to take what is offered.

Then we get to "retailers will be driven out of business."

That can cause an emotional, knee-jerk reaction when someone hears it. We don't want companies to go out of business. We all know companies that have. That leads to people losing their jobs, which is sad. It leads to places we once liked to go to no longer existing. That's sad. As human beings, we don't like to see unemployment, and we don't like to see bullies.

But this statement is no different than stating greenhouse gases lead to global warming. Certainly, they might. But we won't truly know until it happens. Until it does, it's fear mongering.

A lot of bookstores might blame Amazon for putting them out of business, or competing unfairly. Welcome to capitalism, kids. That's like saying, "My girlfriend left me for another guy who is more attractive and treats her better."

Don't blame the guy. Blame your girlfriend for preferring someone over you. And blame yourself for not stepping up your game to win her back.

Nobody owes anyone a living. Just because you did well in the past doesn't mean you deserve to do well in the future, especially in the face of competition. If you want to run your own business, you better pay attention to what the customers want. If you can't give them what they want, you shouldn't be in business.

Then we get to the next giant leap in logic; the only way to save retailers is to let publishers set retail price.

Huh? How can otherwise smart men and women seriously say and believe something so stupid?

If the price of a book is the same everywhere, that leads to less competition, not more competition. Customers are price conscious, and they will shop for the best deal. You can lure them to your store many different ways, but price is one of the biggies.

Taking away a store's ability to set a retail price is fixing the game.

The other side to that coin also needs to be addressed. Not only do stores get harmed by not being able to set prices, but there is nothing illegal, immoral, or unfair when companies do set prices.

Passive Guy says it very well:

In the United States, it is not against the law to sell at low prices. It is not against the law to sell products for less than they cost. It is not against the law for you to price your products so low that you put other retailers out of business. For all intents and purposes, it is virtually impossible to win an antitrust case based upon predatory pricing.

Show me a case where a retailer used predatory pricing to drive competitors out of business. And let's say you find a case or two, what's wrong with that? The customer benefits from lower prices.

But you can't say "Amazon is evil for keeping prices low" because people will think you're an idiot. Show me someone who doesn't want to pay less for something.

So instead, the pinheads use a slippery slope argument, and a damn poor one at that, to instill fear in those who aren't paying close attention.

I also have to ask, is the Agency Model really the only way to save bookstores and publishers? There really are no other ways?

You see how silly that is, right? Especially since I've shown, many times, how bad the Agency Model is for authors and customers.

Which brings us to Amazon's potential monopoly power, and how it will hurt everyone.

Huh?

People love to bash Walmart. Walmart ruins communities. Walmart destroys American Main Streets. Walmart murders malls. Walmart forces poor mom and pop shops out of business.

And then, once Walmart takes over a town and enslaves the populace, it triples all of its prices, holding customers hostage.

Except that it doesn't. The great evil empire that is Walmart keeps its prices low, even after it has killed the competition.

Hmm. Kinda sounds like Amazon, which continues to keep prices low, no matter how many businesses it allegedly destroys.

So what are we afraid of exactly?

Oh, yeah. All the unemployment. All the jobs lost. Except for the 65,000 people Amazon employs. And the tens of thousands of authors who--many for the first time--are making money.

But once Amazon reaches a critical mass and eliminates everyone, certainly it will begin a reign of terror, even though that is the exact opposite of everything Amazon has done thusfar.

It could happen. Just like cows could cause the icecaps to melt. Just wait and see it to get proof.

Except I doubt we'll ever get that proof. Companies have always competed with Amazon, and I'm sure more will come along. Amazon hasn't put Smashwords, or Kobo, or B&N out of business. They didn't put Borders out of business (nor did the raise prices on books once Borders collapsed.) And the Agency Model isn't the reason these other companies have been able to compete. Innovation, location, and customer service are how they've stayed alive. They were around before the Agency Model. Some will be around after it ends. And new companies will enter the game.

That's capitalism for you.

Capitalism is not about allowing the publishing cartel to collude so they can continue screwing readers with high prices and authors with unconscionable contracts.

Capitalism is not about putting businesses on life support when they refuse to innovate or cater to their customers.

Capitalism is not about price-fixing.

And competition doesn't exist for its own sake. The point of business isn't to encourage competition. The point of business is to beat the competition by having more customers. The more businesses in a market, the more a customer will benefit, unless the businesses collude to fix prices.

I'll say it again: No one owes you a living. And I won't weep for any company that whines, lies, or makes bullshit arguments to stay afloat. You shouldn't either.

Chilling.

Hey !
Après ma longue absence, voici une petite première : une petite vidéo look. En espérant que ça vous plaise !



chemise The Kooples / short American Apparel / chaussettes American Apparel / manteau ? / chaussures Topshop / bijoux Corpus Christi pour la majorité


And a little bonus for my english readers : you can find my interview featured on Loverdose website, and a little playlist !


HairBow Bangs ~ 3 Sisters Hair

I really have missed sharing some of my daughters hairstyles and thought I would start up again. Today I am sharing the "HairBow Bangs"hairstyle. You can use the HairBOW in so many different styles, so I am going to share a few in the coming weeks. Don't forget to check back. They will be cute!!!
Get this...you will want to buy some hair pins. They are perfect for this hairstyle and you can get them really cheap at beauty supply store.
NOT this...regular bobby pins can work but make it harder to get a clean looking bow. So I don't recommend it.

1...divide the hair on top, leaving the sides down. I just separated a square on the top of her head and put the rest of the hair out of the way in a pony tail. Part the hair leaving a small section in the back for later use. Make an inside out french braid in the front.
2...next take a small piece of hair from the back and make a loop. (adding pomade to the hair used for the bows helps keep the hair nicely in place)
3...slide your hairpin under one section of your braid and place the loop inside the pin.
4...place your finger back in the loop. Pull the hair pin back through to the other side. Don't take your finger out of the loop yet, you want to pull and slide the hair making a loop. Once your loop is done, remove the hair pin. You have your first bow.
5...you will have a little hair left over if your hair is long like my daughters. Just add that hair into your next loop. Continue loop and bows into each braid or every other braid. I did every other leaving a space but every section would be cute too! When you reach the end you can either work it into a braid or just finish with a pony. Hers is a pony.
6...the finished look. You can leave the hair down or put it into a pony tail. We did both. She wanted it up later.


This hairstyle is so cute. I guarantee you will get lots of oooo's and aaaa's. We do! The other thing I like about these bows is they stay in very well. After a long day of running around, my daughters bows looked the same. Ok, may be a few wispies here and there, but very nice. She has even slept on them before and woke up looking good. 
However, I don't recommend bed head bows, fresh ones are much nicer. LOL
Next week I will be sharing the "Headband HairBows" Hairstyle.
Hope you liked this style and come back to see the next. ;D
If you need help with this hairstyle....please email me at trendytreehouse@me.com I am happy to help.

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