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ABOUT THE STORE : NEWSLETTER

DISPATCHES FROM THE BORDER

Events and News from Borderlands Books

January, 2011

Chapter One - Event Information, News, and Special Features

Upcoming Author Events

SF in SF presents authors Diana Paxson and Rudy Rucker at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market St. - Saturday, January 15th at 7:00 pm

Potlatch Gathering at Borderlands Cafe - Sunday, January 16th from 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Katharine Kerr, LICENSE TO ENSORCELL, (DAW, Mass Market, $7.99), Saturday, February 5th at 3:00 pm

Philippa Ballantine, GEIST (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99), Saturday, February 19th at 3:00 pm

Derek Muk, THE OCCULT FILES OF ALBERT TAYLOR (CreateSpace, Trade Paperback, $14.95), Saturday, February 19th at 6:00 pm

(for more information check the end of this section)

News

* Our friends at io9 have put together a list of 55 SF and fantasy films to look out for this year <http://io9.com/5723075/55-science-fictionfantasy-movies-to-watch-out-for-in-2011>.  Based on some of the titles, it looks like the list combines "look out for" as in "avoid like the plague" and "look out for" as in "this is gonna be cool" but anyway you slice it, this year is going to be big for genre film.

* Cory Doctorow has a nice article at Publisher's Weekly about the saga of self-publishing his recent novel.  It's amusing, enlightening, and perhaps a cautionary story for authors considering self-publishing <http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/columns-and-blogs/cory-doctorow/article/45565-zen-and-the-art-of-self-publishing.html>.

From The Office

Hi.  I'm back.

It's been almost a year since I've written anything for this newsletter, which coincides with the opening of Borderlands Cafe.  As I suspect many of you know, 2010 was a very busy year and one that, despite a number of nice things occurring, I'm not sad at all to see the backside of.  During the year I had to cut most of the non-vital frills off of my work and personal life, in some cases with a chainsaw.  One of the casualties was this monthly column.  But, things are better now and, though I'm not promising to have time every month to write here, I'm going to try to do so.  But I make no promises about the quality or cleverness of what I'll produce.

Speaking of 2010, some of the high points, both personally and professionally, were very nice indeed.  In no particular order:

I was asked to serve on the board of the Locus Foundation (which, after the death of Locus' founder, Charles Brown, was created to continue to publish Locus Magazine as well as act as an educational organization within our field).  I was pleased and flattered that they were interested in getting me involved.  I'm very much looking forward to working with such a fine group of people.

Our new business, Borderlands Cafe, has been going for just over a year and is moving along very smoothly for a new business.  Though not profitable yet, I have high hopes that we might turn that corner this year -- which is damn fast for a new business.  Much of the credit for that goes to the phenomenal staff that work there.  They are, in their own way, as hard-working and talented a group of people as the staff at the bookstore, which is high praise indeed.  We've received some very nice coverage from the press, most notably a lovely mention in the travel section of the New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/travel/05SanFran.html?pagewanted=all>.

Business at the bookstore was steady throughout 2010 and we managed to beat the national average for bookstore sales for both the holiday season and the year as a whole.  I'm still looking at the growing popularity of ebooks with great concern but, at least for now, we're doing fine.

One of the worst lows of last year also led to one of the highs.  In the spring Ripley, Borderlands well known store cat, passed away from cancer.  Losing her was extremely painful for everyone at Borderlands as well as many of our customers but it was especially agonizing for Jude and me.

After some of the shock had worn off, Jude and I noticed that Ash, our other cat, was acting a bit strangely.  Since Ash had never been an only cat, we decided to get her some company in the form of Frost, the newest addition to Borderlands.  Frost is also a sphinx (i.e. hairless) and is Ash's niece.  She's also quite the kitten, even though she's heading well towards adulthood now.  Not only has she been a great companion to Ash but having her around has made losing Ripley less acutely painful.

That's about all I have time for in terms of a sketch of last year.  It was a hard one but the seeds planted then are showing all the signs of bearing a good harvest this year.

Regards,
Alan

Top Sellers At Borderlands

Hardcovers
1) Stonewielder by Ian Cameron Esslemont
2) Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks
3) The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip
4) All Clear by Connie Willis
5) Shadowheart by Tad Williams
6) Kraken by China Mieville
7) Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
8) Surrender to the Will of the Night by Glen Cook
9) The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan tie with The Passage by Justin Cronin
10) Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Paperbacks
1) Soulless by Gail Carriger
2) Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
3) Feed by Mira Grant
4) Blameless by Gail Carriger tie with Changeless by Gail Carriger
5) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
6) Steampunk'd edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg
7) Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi
8) Gilded Latten Bones by Glen Cook
9) First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher
10) Geist by Philippa Ballantine

Trade Paperbacks
1) The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
2) Flaming Zeppelins by Joe R. Lansdale
3) Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
4) Wildcards vol. I edited by George R.R. Martin
5) Blackout by Connie Willis

Book Club Info

The QSF&F Book Club will meet on Sunday, January 9th, at 5 pm to discuss THE YEAR'S BEST SCIENCE FICTION VOL. 27, edited by Gardner Dozois.   (The QSF&F Book Club will be reading this book over three months.) Please contact the group leader, Christopher Rodriguez, at cobalt555@earthlink.net, for more information.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club will meet on Sunday, January 16th, at 6 pm to discuss THE EMPRESS OF MARS by Kage Baker.  The book for February is THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING-HEELED JACK by Mark Hodder.  Please contact bookclub@borderlands-books.com for more information.

Upcoming Event Details

SF in SF presents authors Diana Paxson and Rudy Rucker at the Variety Preview Room in the Hobart Building, 582 Market St. - Saturday, January 15th at 7:00 pm - We are very excited to help SF in SF welcome these local authors!  Each author will read a selection from their work, followed by Q&A from the audience moderated by author Terry Bisson.  Authors will schmooze & sign books after in the lounge. Books available for sale courtesy of Borderlands Books.  Seating is limited, so first come, first seated.  Bar proceeds benefit Variety Childrens Charity - learn more at <http://www.varietync.org/>.  We REALLY encourage you to take BART into the City, or use MUNI to get here - parking can be problematic in San Francisco, to say the least.  We are less than one block away from the Montgomery St. station.  Trust us - you don't want to be looking for parking and be late for the event!  Phone (night of event) 415-572-1015.  Questions? Email sfinsfevents@gmail.com.

Potlatch Gathering at Borderlands Cafe, Sunday, January 16th from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Like to talk about science fiction? Potlatch, a West Coast convention for readers and writers of fantasy and science fiction is hosting a gathering at Borderlands Café on Sunday, Jan. 16, from 2 to 4 p.m. Come chat about books and learn more about the upcoming Potlatch convention taking place March 4-6. More info at <http://www.potlatch-sf.org>.

Katharine Kerr, LICENSE TO ENSORCELL, (DAW, Mass Market, $7.99), Saturday, February 5th at 3:00 pm - The beloved author of the Deverry series is back with a whole new kind of story!  This one's an urban fantasy set right here in the City.  From the book description: "Psychic Agent Nola O'Grady isn't sure returning to San Francisco, and living near her unusual family, is a good idea. Her job, with a psychic agency so obscure even the CIA doesn't know it exists, can be perilous, and she's afraid of the relatives getting involved.   Then the Agency saddles her with Israeli secret agent Ari Nathan, and she has a bigger problem on her hands, because tact and compromise are not Ari's strong points.  Their mission is to track down a serial killer obsessed with werewolves. He sees them everywhere and shoots whenever he thinks he has one in his sights. Ari assumes the man's psychotic, but in truth he's murdering actual werewolves.  Nola should know.  Her younger brother Pat, a lycanthrope, was the first victim.  Can Nola's psychic talents and Ari's skill with guns keep them alive long enough to unravel the greater mystery behind the killings? Can they save the werewolves and the world while stopping Nola's family from running headlong into danger?"

Philippa Ballantine, GEIST (Ace, Mass Market, $7.99), Saturday, February 19th at 3:00 pm - We invite you meet Philippa Ballantine and explore her new paranormal fantasy GEIST!  From the book description: "Between the living and the dead is the Order of the Deacons, protectors of the Empire, guardians against possession, sentinels enlisted to ward off the malevolent haunting of the geists . . .  Among the most powerful of the Order is Sorcha, now thrust into partnership with the novice Deacon, Merrick Chambers.  They have been dispatched to the isolated village of Ulrich to aide the Priory with a surge of violent geist activity.  With them is Raed Rossin, Pretender to the throne that Sorcha is sworn to protect, and bearer of a terrible curse.  But what greets them in the strange settlement is something far more predatory and more horrifying than any mere haunting. And as she uncovers a tradition of twisted rituals passed down through the dark reaches of history, Sorcha will be forced to reconsider everything she thinks she knows.  And if she makes it out of Ulrich alive, what in Hell is she returning to?"

Derek Muk, THE OCCULT FILES OF ALBERT TAYLOR (CreateSpace, Trade Paperback, $14.95), Saturday, February 19th at 6:00 pm - Meet local author Derek Muk, and check out his first book!  "THE OCCULT FILES OF ALBERT TAYLOR is a collection of supernatural horror stories featuring paranormal investigator Albert Taylor, as he tackles various cases including ghosts, Jack the Ripper, Bigfoot, ghouls, the boogeyman, UFOs, aliens, cults, vampires and more.  Each story is a 'case file' from Taylor's investigations."  We think you'll enjoy this talented new author.

Borderlands event policy - all events are free of charge.  You are welcome to bring copies of an author's books purchased elsewhere to be autographed (but we do appreciate it if you purchase something while at the event).  For most events you are welcome to bring as many books as you wish for autographs.  If you are unable to attend the event we will be happy to have a copy of any of the author's available books signed or inscribed for you.  We can then either hold it until you can come in to pick it up or we can ship it to you.  Just give us a call or drop us an email.  If you live out of town, you can also ship us books from your collection to be signed.  Call or email for details.


Dispatches from the Border
Editor - Jude Feldman
Assistant Editor - Alan Beatts

All contents unless otherwise noted are the property of

Borderlands Books
866 Valencia St.
San Francisco, CA  94110
415-824-8203
http://www.borderlands-books.com

Comments and suggestions should be directed to editor@borderlands-books.com

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