Seriously, that's the name of a blog entry by web designer Jeffery Zeldman.
Welcome to the party Zeldman, but there's nothing left but little chip crumbs at the bottom of the bowl. You should have come earlier--Seth Friedman was doing cannonballs into the pool and Darby Romeo was passing out jello shots.
From Punk Planet 80
When the Independent Press Association went under, the independent publishing community lost more than a distribution arm.
Late in December 2006, while most offices were closed for the holidays, the Independent Press Association (IPA) quietly sent an e-mail to its member publications announcing that the organization was closing its doors. Despite previous optimism expressed by the IPA's board of directors, for many of the publishers whose titles the organization distributed, it came as little surprise. For them, the IPA's sudden announcement was endemic to a total communications breakdown between the organization and its client publications that began in early 2005. Publications represented by the IPA continue to contend with the likelihood that thousands of dollars they are owed will never be seen. For some, such as Kitchen Sink (and Punk Planet itself), this comes as the IPA's final, and fatal, blow. The fallout has been profound-the independent publishing community has experienced an unprecedented bloodletting in recent months, as magazines run on a shoestring have been unable to overcome huge losses in operating income.
Pete Jordan's schedule for the Letterman show again, this time to hype his NewsCorp book. I'm thinking he'll probably go, but wouldn't it be great if he didn't? I think I would love that.
I recently joined the writing staff of Wonka Vision magazine and have been given the chance to help them expand upon their bi-monthly music news section by writing 1000 words on the things that I thought they were missing (especially in light of Punk Planet and Clamor closing their doors) and that I find interesting - DIY culture, progressive politics, and independent artists of all stripes - film, zines, etc.
So, if you any thoughts or ideas here you think I should take a look at, please let me know. I don't know what this will look like or what will get in there, but if this is of interest to you, let's see what shakes out. And if you are open to my giving you a shout again in a couple of months let me know. If not, that's cool too, though ideas in general are/will always be welcome.
get a hanky, and prepare for a good half of my personal home telephone number: It's Anne and Dan on Chicago Public Radio!
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/CityRoom_Story.aspx?storyID=11554
p.s. I'm going to blog a lot today.
I'm just going to consolidate the list here. Please add your own or any you come across:
Idolator
Omnicrisis
Jonathan Messenger's Blog
Indie HQ
Gapers Block
Time Out Chicago
So venerable SF publisher McSweeneys (of Dave Eggers fame), has put out a call on their website and to their various lists asking for fans of the publisher, and of independent publishers in general, to buy stuff from them to help them recover from the $130,000 loss they took when their distributor, PGW, declared bankruptcy in December:
Due to the intricacies of the settlement, the real hurt didn't hit right away, but it's hitting now. Like most small publishers, our business is basically a break-even proposition in the best of times, so there's really no way to absorb a loss that big.
My publisher Steve Lafler and I recently had the chance to sit down and talk about writing novels. Our conversation went something like this:
Steve Lafler: Ben, in your debut novel Lucky Man, you take a unique approach—the story is told from the point of view of four friends. Gabe, Jake, Louie and Sammy each get a crack at the narrative from their own point of view. In part four of the book, Sammy’s version of the story brings a crescendo and a sort of denouement to the book. I’d like to know what inspired you to structure Lucky Man this way?
Ben Tanzer: Steve, I was thinking about how friends of a certain age or circumstance can become so close that their thoughts and experiences begin to merge, like they have one brain, and I really wanted to run with that. I also wanted the characters to be somewhat distinctive though and so they not only get to tell the same story from their perspective, but the novel is divided into four sections, with each section highlighting one of the characters and their struggles. I always knew the fourth section would be focused on Sammy and so I crafted his story to come to some bit of closure at the same time as the overall story. What I would like to know is what inspired you to tackle your new graphic novel in partnership with someone else? I could see where that might be an experience that’s both more creative and more frustrating.
The little publishing house that could, apparently, just couldn't anymore: the smart, talented, and well-accented Richard Nash will stay on as editor, tho:
http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6442527.html?nid=2286
out now