Talisman

Southern Counties, Smooth FM and Radio 2. Sometimes LBC.

I google my own name regularly to see if anyone has written about me, and also check on amazon (both sites) for reviews. Maybe I am lucky in that I am yet to receive a really bad one. When I find myself mentioned on other blog sites etc I always take the time to write to the owners and say thanks, and reply to every email as well that I receive from readers (not that I get that many).

A nice veggie curry - I am meeting my ex colleagues in an hour for a slightly belated leaving do.

Homemade mushroom strogranoff with made freshly picked wild parasol mushrooms, in a rich white wine and cream sauce with loads of dill, brown rice and seasonal vegetables, followed by chocolate profiteroles. My mouth is watering already

The ads I hate are the the ones for the store that I work in ! If I ever start talking like that I will shoot myself !

veggie burger and chips followed by brownies with cream and ice cream.

No offence taken Charm, I was just wanting to get back to the spirit of the thread, that's all - you didn't offend me in any way - I am way past that! It is good to discuss these things anyway and get them out in the open. As for the legal issues re downloading - it depends on the copyright conditions and the type of license used. If the book is issued under the creative commons license (there are several types) then no problem, as it means that it can be downloaded free of charge and quoted freely in other books for example, or used as course material for universities etc. The creative commons license is though a fairly new thing, and not many books as yet have it. Mine doesn't and there are only one or two other authors I know that use this. Personally I have no issue with someone quoting my work anyway - several have asked, as long as they credit the source and if it is a large amount of text, send me a free copy of their work so I can check what they have done. This is what the big publishers do, so if it's good enough (and works) for them, then it's good enough for me ! At the end of the day it is about honouring the work that has gone into creating that book - this is not just for books I hasten to add, but anything creative.

I have nothing against libraries at all Charm - in fact I would much rather people do borrow my book that way than from a friend, as at least I get paid - twice in fact, once when the library buys the book, and again (the princely sum of 5pence) every time someone borrows it ! I understand what you are saying about not everyone being able to afford books, but if writers are not adequately compensated, then we can't afford to write them either - we have to live on something and personally I couldn't imagine a world without books ! We have had this discussion before on here anyway, and it went round in circles then, so perhaps we should get back to discussing E-readers. It is one of those things that everyone is bound to have different opinions of to keep going round gets us nowhere ...

I avoid Amazon wherever possible - they are not an ethical company to deal with. Play.com and the aforementioned Book Depository are my preferred choices - or if I know the author, buying direct from them.

There are some valid points there Charm, I have to admit - unfortuantely knowing the publishing industry like I do though most books are not printed on recycled paper (although more are than used to be), and neither are they printed locally. They are printed, like the E-reader in the Far East, using chemical laden inks. It is also common place to print far too many of them - so vast amounts end up being pulped. I realise it is difficult to know how many should be printed, but there are alternatives to lithographic printing, which are similarly priced - print on demand for one. There are many advantages to this method, for both author and publisher - ease of making changes, faster turnaround - no warehousing fees to worry about either. Cynic as I am, I still think that this is the main reason for hostility towards POD - and E-books by the industry - they fear (and quite rightly so) that it will lead to job losses - for the middle men will no longer be needed. That though is a few years down the line. Although I find the idea of helping charity appealing by giving old books to charity shops etc, authors also have to live. I would love to be able to write full time, but it is very hard to live on that, so I have to work elsewhere. Personally then I quite like the idea of people not being able to pass my books around - if they want one, let them buy it - it is good to help charity, but authors are not charities themselves ... It is very easy after all to lend books to friends, but would you lend them your E-reader? The industry needs to put safeguards in place to make sure that authors are adequately compensated for their work when it is downloaded and formatted as E-books. If they don't then we may see a repeat of the Writers Guilds strike, not by Hollywood, but by authors.

It is not about ramming it down our throats Beef, just about raising awareness that's all. Thousands of books are pulped in this country every year, and we all need to do our bit !

The environmental benefits are ones which imo are seriously underplayed, and which both Sony and the publishing industry in general should definately be plugging more.

The scene where he sliced the top of her head off really gave me the creeps !

Welcome to the forum Polly, I have always loved Scotland, or anywhere wild and remote - probably because I'm like that ! Which island are you from ?

I do that as well - only I tell them that I used to work for their company and that is why I would never buy from them ! I am usually greeted by silence, and no return calls ... I also like eating chocolate spread from the jar, kids playgrounds and tickling my partner.

Will have to make sure I buy one (using my staff discount of course) before I leave - a new laptop might have to be priority though.

Must have hit the post button by mistake there - not sure what happened there. Have PMd to explain.

I was told this on good authority by the local Police Officers that I come into contact with as Editor of my village newsletter. Customers at work who buy these things have also backed this up.

Personally I think sat navs are a menace - everyone is nervous about map reading when they first start to drive and finding their way around, but you just have to get used to it and you never learn how to by relying on 'things'. Most of the people who cut across lanes etc on the motorway and cause accidents are relying on sat navs instead of using their eyes and more to the point, brains ! Back to e-readers though, there is an interesting article on the Sony e-reader in Waterstones magazine by author Toby Young. He says that that the real reason why the industry is so adverse to them and new technology in general (I also find this with print on demand) is that if e-books catch on then authors will be able to bypass the middle men, and this includes publishers, as well as book shops, and sell direct to the public. I suspect that he is right, and feel another blog post coming on !

Essential Stevie Wonder was the last CD I got - from E-bay.

Sounds good - one to add to my 'to buy' (or maybe to borrow) list