A (Super) Brief History of Publishing

I was asked, several years ago, to be one of the guest speakers at The Writers of the Future for the 30th Annual Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles, California. The topic they wanted me to cover was the future of publishing.

You can't, of course, consider the future of publishing without first taking a quick look at the history of publishing.

And that's exactly what I did, in this talk that begins with the thought that publishing was derived from human-kind's innate desire to share stories.

Writers of the Future

I just got back from five days in Los Angeles at the annual Writers of the Future celebration.

Being a writer of speculative fiction, I have long known about the awards and have even entered a couple of stories there (before I had made enough pro sales to disqualify me from entering again) - and that's one of the great things about WOTF. It is designed to provide a platform (and launching pad) for beginning writers.

WOTF Vol 30 - Kobo Link

Created in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard as a way of discovering and nurturing new talent in science fiction, fantasy and horror, the competition has no entry fee and winners who are published received pro rates and a chance to win the grand prize of $5000. Past winners of the contest have gone on to win every major science fiction award (the Hugo, the Nebula, the John W. Campbell, the Bram Stoker, and the Locus Award) some have also gone on to win mainstream literary awards such as the National Book Award, the Newbery and the Pushcart Prize.

The stories are read blind by a panel of distinguished judges who are a veritable who's-who of the biggest most influential people in speculative fiction.

But beyond winning, what I learned more about this past week was the intensive five day master-class workshops lead by several of the biggest names in sci-fi. These workshops teach them so many of the skills that are important to a writer's success and were held in the Author Services office which is located on Hollywood Boulevard just down the street from where all the big glamour Hollywood action happens.

Me getting out of the limo-van at the red carpet

I was most impressed at the afternoon where Galaxy Press publisher John Goodwin spent four hours working with the students on their PR and self-promotion skills, helping them refine their "story pitch" when speaking with media and providing them all with professional, high quality media kits (which included pictures and video of them on the red carpet and on stage receiving their prestigious awards - similar packages were sent out to each author and illustrator's respective local media).

The buzz and business of the red carpet

I mean, my non-fiction publisher, Dundurn, is great and has a fantastic author-relations program, newsletter and digital eduction program and wonderful publicists - but wow, I've never seen a publisher do so much for beginning writers, and doubt I will ever see an anthology give such an amazing promotional platform for its contributors.

But let's get back to the red carpet, shall we.

A long-shot of when I first walked onto the stage for my talk

Yes, the awards ceremony, which were held on Sunday April 13, were held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, had all the glamour and ritz of a major Hollywood movie premiere. (The book nerd in me was, admittedly, overwhelmed with excitement and a special thrill - THIS is the type of buzz that should exist more for books)

There was a fantastic dinner followed by a red carpet entrance with buzz and media and a 3 hour gala event with musical and dance performances and black tie celebrations.

I was delighted to be invited to be a guest speaker at the event and was asked to talk about the future of publishing. I surprised the winners (13 writers and 12 illustrators) with Kobo Aura HD's preloaded with their newly published anthology.

Cool to see my name spelled correctly - and my tie is even straight!

(I have to pause to say that, though I have done speaking engagements in four different countries and on all types of stages, this was the first time I had the pleasure of being able to read my speech from a teleprompter - pretty darned cool!)

I was delighted to speak alongside people like Nancy Kress (who presented the Writer's Digest Award), Keynote Speaker Leland Melvin (Aerospace Engineer and NASA Astronaut) as well as so many amazing NYT Bestselling authors: Kevin J. Anderson, Doug Beason, Eric Flint, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Todd McCaffrey, Rebecca Moesta, Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Mike Resnick, Robert J. Sawyer and Dave Wolverton.  WOW! (Yes, I geeked out just a little, several times that evening and throughout the week when I got to hang out with many of these wonderful folks)

Here is the full video of the WOTF 2014 Awards - (I appear a little after 42:00 minutes and speak for about 5 minutes) - [EDIT: The video of just my speech - a little over 5 minutes, is here]

Below is just my talk about the Future of Publishing

Because I was set to go on stage right after Orson Scott Card received his Lifetime Achievement Award (which starts at 36 minutes), I got to watch his acceptance speech from the side of the stage.

Oh yeah, and right after the awards, I met Nancy Cartwright, the actor who does the voice for Bart Simpson. Ay Carumba! That was pretty darned cool.

Though she did the voice, which was cool, Nancy didn't have a cow when I asked for a picture

The Wilshire Ebell Theatre, which apparently was standing-room only, holds about 1200 people. And afterwards, most of the folks from the theatre gathered in the ballrooms, art galleries and courtyard of the Ebell. At this gala reception, all the writers and illustrators signed copies of the book. It was amazing to see such a gigantic lineup of people waiting to get autographs. It took me a full hour to made the circuit and get everyone's signatures. What an amazing experience for these author (for several this was their very first book signing experience - pretty awesome!)

The whole Writers of the Future was an amazing experience and the good folks from Author Services (the agency representing the literary, theatrical and musical works of L. Ron Hubbard) and Galaxy Press (publisher of Hubbard's fiction) were exceptional hosts and were so incredibly gracious and supportive of not just the winning authors and illustrators, but of all their guests.  (I was quite impressed with the amazing collection in their library of all of the books from past winners and esteemed judges).  The judges and past winners themselves were, in that same spirit, particularly generous of their time, wisdom and knowledge -- I have to say the "pay it forward" sentiment that was continually at the forefront was quite spectacular.

These folks certainly know how to promote and encourage great writing and creative achievement and it was an honour and a pleasure getting to spend time helping celebrate the amazing new talent that will help continue to shape the field of speculative fiction.

Finalist for 20th Annual Hamilton Literary Awards

I was quite pleased to learn that my book Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle & Other Steeltown Shivers is a finalist for the 20th Annual Hamilton Literary Awards in the category of non-fiction.

I was also quite happy to see a new award being announced that celebrates Hamilton author Kerry Schooley. Kerry was a friend, a writer, a poet, and a central figure in the Hamilton literary community, someone who welcomed me to the local scene with open arms and always had time to assist and prop up other writers. Kerry taught and mentored many writers, wrote under the pen names John Swan (mystery) and Slim Volumes (poetry) and supported the local arts scene incredibly. Hamilton lost this literary treasure in 2010. He is, of course, still quite missed. Thus, the Kerry Schooley Award is a delightful and wonderful addition to make the 20th annual awards that much finer.

The incredibly entertaining Kerry Schooley doing a poetry reading as Slim Volumes

Also nominated in the category of Non-Fiction are Hamilton Illustrated by David Collier (Wolsak and Wynn) and Empty Cradle by Diana Walsh (Dundurn)

The winners will be announced on November 12, 2013 in the Norman and Louise Haac Studio Theatre at Theatre Aquarius (190 King William St, Hamilton, ON)

Here is the press release for the awards . . .

The awards are, as one must suspect based on the name. put on by the Hamilton Arts Council.  Here's a bit more information about them.

Connecting Artists, Creating Opportunity, Inspiring Change

Mission Statement: To communicate, advocate and mediate for the arts and the role of the arts in the community of Hamilton.

Vision Statement: The Hamilton Arts Council exists to strengthen the role of the arts and culture in the City of Hamilton by making the arts accessible and relevant to the entire community.

Values:

1. We value all members of Hamilton’s diverse creative communities.
2. We believe that the arts in Hamilton are made stronger through collaboration.
3. We hold that our Artists provide a critical creative dialogue essential to the ongoing social and economic
health of the community.

Week It Was, What A Week It Was, It Was

Wow.  Between last Sunday and today I have certainly packed a heck of a lot of special moments in.

The challenge, in all honesty, would be ensuring I capture each highlight, from beginning to end.

Here goes.

On Saturday June 2nd I flew out to New York to prepare for UPublishU, a pre-BEA event focused on self-publishing authors.

Sunday June 2nd, I sat on a panel with Hamilton's Bob Young (Hamilton TiCat owner and CEO of Lulu.com) and got to share some tips for authors looking at self-publishing.  Immediately after our panel, I caught a taxi back to LGA to fly back to Toronto to introduce the brilliant and talented Terry Fallis as MC of the CBA Libris Awards dinner and reception.  Because of a delay coming through customs, I was just arriving as Terry was onstage pretending to be me and kicking off the evening.  I commented, after dinner, when I officially "introduced" Terry as the evening's host, that I'd never looked so handsome)

On that same evening, I not only got to present Michael Ondaatje with his Author of the Year CBA Libris Award (quite the honour, since I've long been a fan of his writing), but I also got to present that evening's special honoured guest, Margaret Atwood with the CBA Libris Lifetime Achievement Award.

Twitter pic from @RandomhouseCA of me presenting award to @MargaretAtwood

It was a special honour to get to share the stage with Terry Fallis and present awards to literary icons such as Ondaatje and Atwood (And what a fantastic way to end off my term as CBA President!)

I was back in New York the following day to meet with Kevin J. Anderson, explore some fantastic craft brews at The Pony Cafe and discuss self-publishing, writing, the thrill of being a writer during this time of dramatic digital change, and, of course, the new Clockwork Angels novel that he wrote with Neil Peart of Rush and will be released as the band begins touring for the new album.

On the morning of Tuesday June 5th, Kevin J. Anderson and Bella Andre joined Michael Tamblyn (EVP of Content, Sales & Merchandising at Kobo) and I with media representatives that included folks from Time, Oprah Magazine and Publishers Weekly to announce Kobo Writing Life, the new self-publishing portal for authors at a breakfast and open discussion about eBooks and self-publishing.

It was fantastic to finally share something that I have been working on since I joined Kobo back in the fall of 2011 as Director of Self-Publishing & Author Relations.  KWL is the result of 6 months of really fun and exhausting requirements gathering by listening to the self-pub and author communities on all the elements needed for successful indie author publishing of eBooks.

There is a video of me talking to Mercy Pilkington of Good eReader that took place immediately after the media breakfast . . .



Of course, there's an even better and longer video of Michael Tamblyn sharing the KWL and general Kobo love . . .



I spent the next several days talking to hundreds of small publishers and authors about Kobo Writing Life; do back to back media interviews with a variety of wonderful folks, and got to meet some fantastic authors and bookish folks who I had only previously known through social media.  (And despite not pausing to do more than gobble down a quick cereal bar for lunch each day, I still didn't get a chance to meet with everyone I had been hoping to touch base with . . . I DID manage to get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep each night, though, so one might think that perhaps if I had skipped that "lost time" I might have gotten more productivity in to each day -- that, or drop dead of exhaustion at the end of the week)

On Wednesday June 6th I had an opportunity to sit down in the Kobo booth with Michael Connelly and talk with him about writing, what it's like having published his first novel (the one that introduced Harry Bosch to the world) 20 years ago with the publication of The Black Echo and various aspects of the universe he has created featuring Bosch, Mickey Haller (portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer) and other wonderful characters.  Part of our discussion was captured on video and will likely be shared with aspiring thriller/mystery writers via the Kobo Writing Life portal Learning Centre.

Because so much was packed in to the past week, I'll likely be putting up separate blog posts regarding some of the specific details mentioned above in the next few days.

HNT - Luck Maker

Yesterday, the top 5 selections from Canada Reads 2011 were revealed. Originally a list of the Top 40, then culled down to the Top 10, and now the Top 5 finalists, the process this year has been different than before, because it has involved voting from readers.

The top 5 novels are:  The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou, The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, Essex County by Jeff Lemire, The Birth House by Amy McKay, and Unless by Carol Shields

A great top 5 list, and, as someone suggested via Twitter yesterday, it was nice to see a selection that didn't include "the usual suspects" --I myself am intrigued to see a wonderfully diverse and inclusive list.  But even going back to the Top 10 and Top 40 lists, what you have are some VERY intriguing reads from across the Canadian literary landscape that are all definitely worth checking out. Kudos to CBC, the CBC Book Club and readers from across our country for helping create such a fascinating group of shortlists.

I was amused to read Terry Fallis' blog post yesterday about making it to the Top Five. Subtitled "I'm a basket case" this has been the kind of reaction Terry has had whenever his writing has been selected as a nominee, a prize winner, etc. It's hilarious to see his humble reaction to having people praise his writing, and Terry continues to suggest that he has been lucky.

I'm thinking that perhaps luck has something to do with his success, but strongly believe that often people make their own luck -- and Terry is the perfect example of this.

After spending years crafting a satirical novel about a decidedly different kind of MP, when Terry was faced with a brick wall in terms of getting anyone, publisher, agent or editor to look at his novel, he didn't give up. He kept working at it.

He decided if the traditional publishing world was going to ignore him, he was going to boldly work at getting his novel out there, getting it into the hands of readers. So he podcast the novel, then self-published it. And despite the hard work involved in flogging your own book, Terry did just that -- he hit the street, spoke to booksellers, talked people (like myself) into carrying his self-published book.

(Admittedly, I was leary of Terry when he first contacted me -- I've been a bookseller long enough to have seen more than my fair share of self-published books that were more for a tiny niche market with a limited readership rather than something that might sell to the general public in a bookstore -- but after I checked out the free online samples of his novel, and I was no less than a couple of pages into his book, I was immediately hooked, loved his prose. The subject matter of politics has never done anything for me, but Terry's approach and writing style won me over immediately.  I called Terry back and practically begged him to come to the bookstore at McMaster to do his book launch)

And once the book was out, Terry never stopped working. He kept hitting the street, kept working at promoting it and attracting readers. He took a chance by submitting it for considering to the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. Against strong odds (and a great short-list of nominated books), he won.  That led to a publishing contract with M&S. But Terry never stopped working at marketing his novel, at spreading the word, at connecting with booksellers and readers in person at events and online.

Sometimes luck, good luck, is the result of hard work, persistence and taking chances. Terry never stopped working hard, never stopped trying something new, never stopped taking chances, and never gave up. It wasn't an easy path. Sure, we can all look at him now with a glean of jealousy and say "Yeah, sure, look where he is now, lucky guy."

But let's not forget just how hard he worked to make his own luck.

So, for HNT this week, I'm posting a picture of me reading Terry's novel -- yes, the book in my hands is the original self-published version.  To quote from an old series of cigarette ads, Terry, "you've come a long way, baby!"

For The Price Of A Good Meal In This Town

The Scotiabank Giller Prize was handed out in Toronto yesterday to Johanna Skibscrub for her novel The Sentimentalists at a gala reception, dinner and awards ceremony.

It was an amazing event. I felt like a child at my first Santa Claus parade. I got to sit at a table with Nino Ricci, M.G. Vassanji and Vincent Lam. Just one of the many marvelous "book nerd fanboy" things that delighted me to no end. (And I think I did a semi-okay job of looking somewhat composed and didn't skip around like I wanted to)

Of course, speaking with other booksellers who were there last night, there's a bit of a conundrum in that, we ALL want to do nice front and centre displays of Johanna's book in our stores, but there's not a lot of stock to be had.  The core philosophy of Gaspereau Press is a commitment to making books that reinstate the importance of books as physical objects -- most of their books are hand-made and thus take a long time to produce. In today's world of mass-produced products, one has to admire that commitment and how the publisher has stuck to their guns, despite a lot of pressure.

However, ever since the shortlist was announced, The Sentimentalists has been a bit hard to get ahold of. And now that it has won, it'll be a little harder to get ahold of, at least in physical format.  The ebook of
The Sentimentalists, though, is available, through KoboBooks, which means that customers can either buy the harder to find, hand-crafted trade paperback version, or an ebook. Two interesting extremes.

Ebooks, of course, while popular and rising, still represent such a tiny amount of sales in our industry. Will the book's limited availability in printed form prevent it from getting onto and staying on the various bestseller lists? Will the limited availability mean people aren't able to purchase it?

Throughout the evening and at the closing of the event, founder Jack Rabinovich reiterated his statement:  "For the price of a good meal in this town, you can purchase all the shortlisted books. Therefore, buy the books and eat at home." Beautiful statement, worth repeating.  CTV host Seamus O'Regan repeatedly stated one should read all 5 of these great books.

Of course, today, booksellers across the country will be scrambling to put up displays, but many of them won't be able to display Johanna Skibsrud's book.  Perhaps the displays will be of all the 5 books instead, with a congratulatory note to the winner, whose book is, unfortunately out of stock.  Perhaps the Giller Effect this year, might be instead of the 712% increse in sales for a single title (seen last year on Linden MacIntyre's The Bishop's Man), will be split across all 5 books. Good for all publishers, good for all 5 authors, good for all bookstores.

But back to the hand-crafted concept and the, interestingly, opposite of that, the ebook. (This isn't a slight against ebooks because I buy and read them.) But isn't it funny that there are the two extremes? A hand-crafted, carefully produced product, then, on the flip side, a simple, non-elegant, digital file?

Given that this great compromise has been made in an effort to help get the novel into more reader's hands, why shouldn't Gaspereau make a POD version available so that booksellers such as Titles Bookstore McMaster University who have an Espresso Book Machine right in the store can quickly print and bind a book to keep up with customer demand?

Why not have a hand-crafted, beautifully produced hard copy, a simple, POD perfect bound trade paperback version, and an ebook.  Yes, the hand-crafted version is the true unique, rare and collectible artifact that many many readers will still seek out. And there are those who will prefer the convenience and portability and availability of the ebook version. But what about the lost sales to those who WANT to buy a print copy of the book, but just can't get it?

Interesting conundrum Gaspereau faces. I'm curious to see how this pans out.

Giller Thrill

I'm currently President of Canadian Booksellers Association, so I'm supposed to be somewhat composed and dignified and represent my colleagues across Canada by speaking up on their behalf, by talking with media about issues and challenges that are pertinent to their day to day lives and by working on various projects designed to assist them in being successful as they serve communities and enrich the culture across our great nation.

I think that on most days I do okay and maintain at least some semblance of composure. 

Even last summer when there was a bit of a media frenzy related to Amazon vs Indies and I had to debate Michael Geist on Jian Ghomeshi's Q on CBC radio, appeared on various radio programs across Canada and also appeared on CBC and CTV speaking up on behalf of independent booksellers, I managed to remain at least relatively composed.

But on days like today it's really hard to keep the book nerd fanboy inside of me in check.

Because on days like today, I have the honour of attending the seventeenth annual dinner and award ceremony for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.

Tonight, in my role with CBA, I'm honoured to have been invited to attend the black tie reception, dinner and awards ceremony in Toronto in announcing the winner and honouring the distinguished finalists of the Scotiabank Giller Prize:  David Bergen, Alexander MacLeod, Sarah Selecky, Johanna Skibsrud and Kathleen Winter.

Five great novels by five great Canadian authors. I'm delighted and thrilled that I get to attend an event that honours them, as well as just be part of what has been a groundbreaking campaign by a television station to support a literary event.  CTV has been covering the awards and highlighting the authors for the past several weeks, launching such programs as the "One Country 5 Books" pledge, and will be broadcasting the event live tonight on Bravo! BookTelevision and Giller.CTV.ca.

I remember meeting CBC legend Peter Gzowski at a literary award event more than a decade ago and being practically speechless as I shook his hand and thanked him for his wonderful Morningside program which brought our nation together every weekday morning. This past summer I managed not to embarass myself (at least not too much), when I got to hang out with and introduce Shelagh Rogers at the CBA Libris Awards. (Okay, I gushed a little bit, but can you blame a guy who relishes in her fantastic The Next Chapter program?)

So tonight I'll be there, trying to maintain my composure as I hang out in a room filled with beautiful book nerds, authors, publishers and many other people from our literary and entertainment industry and just soaking in the excitement and thrill of getting to be part of it all.

But, inside, I'll be busting at the seams, trying not to act like an overwhelmed fan at an Elvis, Beatles or Justin Bieber concert.  God, some days it's just so hard to keep the gigantic book nerd inside of me under control.

CBA National Conference / Libris Awards

Wow - what a phenomenal three days.

Getting a book signed by Phyllis Smallman

I've always felt that one of the fringe benefits of working in the industry I do is about the people. Interacting with customers, other booksellers, publishers and authors is something I find endlessly inspiring.

Michael Neil's BookManager session

So getting to spend several days at the Canadian Booksellers Association National Conference hanging out with the bookish drives me forward and motivates me. Bringing together fantastic people from across our industry for an intimate and dynamic three days of discussion, learning, sharing and networking is pure gold to this book nerd.And while the entire three days of this past bookish "long weekend" was great, I think that the Libris Awards ceremony, which took place Saturday night, was the perfect example of an industry coming together. Because after all we've been through, taking the time to celebrate all of the people in our industry: from those who write them, illustrate them, edit them, produce and promote them, to those who sell them -- virtually everyone who has a role in seeing great Canadian books connect meaningfully with readers.

John Torella's inspiring keynote presentation

The Libris Awards pay tribute to authors, editors, sales reps, distributors, publishers and booksellers -- and in doing so, underscore the extremely collaborative nature of the book industry and allow us to celebrate that together.

Yes digital is here, yes publishing and bookselling is undergoing a dramatic shift. But books still matter. A lot. Nomatter what format it is produced in, nomatter how it is consumed by the reader, across our industry the passion and excitement for what books bring people makes it much more than a simple commodity. Books, the stories they tell, the way they are told and the information they provide have the power to transform lives.

Shelagh Rogers, Master of Ceremonies for the CBA Libris Awards

I had the distinct pleasure and honour of getting to kick off the Libris Awards this year, as well as introducing Shelagh Rogers, host of The Next Chapter on CBC Radio One. Being the book nerd fan boy that I am, I was also thrilled for the opportunity to sit with her and CBA radio producer Jacqueline Kirk -- they were both charming, down to earth and filled with passion and a youthful enthusiasm.

Shortly after we discussed digital books and media, and Shelagh and I compared her Blackberry to my iPhone, when we couldn't remember a particular fact related to the history of bookselling in Canada that we'd been discussing, Shelagh challenged me to a "Google" search dual on our smart phone devices. We drew our "weapons" and searched.

Shelagh demonstrating her lightning-quick Blackberry fingers

Shelagh, of course, being a pro, beat me by about a second and a half. But the cool thing was, that name which was on the tip of the tongues of everyone at our table was discovered quickly and efficiently due to a small electronic device that didn't exist a decade ago. It was just one of those moments of the past, present and future coming together.

The fun at our table during dinner felt like a family reunion even though very few of the people at the table had actually met one another prior to that evening.

Based on what I saw at so many other tables the same thing was happening. Because in my mind, the awards weren't just about celebrating the nominees and the winners, but a celebration of our industry, and about folks coming together.

A shot from the stage at the CBA Libris Awards

As Shelagh and so many of my colleagues helped usher in this year's CBA Libris Award winners, I felt myself beaming a huge smile and delighted for all those who were being recognized. I was particularly excited to see the inaugural Chase Paymentech Young Bookseller of the Year Award -- considering the fine calibre of the winner and the short-listed nominees in this category gave this bookseller hope that when the older generation is ready to retire, the industry is in phenomenal hands.

Many dialogues and discussions were opened this past weekend that give me more hope, more inspiration and more drive as a bookseller than ever before. We face huge challenges, a digital tipping point and a brave new world.

Given the explosion of choice for customers, both within the reading spectrum and outside of it, high and strong competition for a person's leisure time, the roll of publishers and booksellers as curators becomes more, not less important. Focusing on the added value that are brought when you consider the important that roll allows in saving a customer precious and valuable time rather than simply on the commodity of "selling" a book, we become more important, more critical, more relevant than ever before.

Radio Nowhere

Douglas Smith recently posted the full story "Radio Nowhere" online on his website. It's an incredible speculative tale.

Of course, I might be a bit biased since Doug wrote the tale for me when I was editing Campus Chills, an anthology of horror stories set on campuses across Canada.

Doug's story "Radio Nowhere" (yes, the title is borrowed from a Bruce Springsteen song) takes place at Doug's Alma Mater, University of Waterloo and is a very fine and moving tale.

Part science-fiction, part Twilight Zone, this story is a wonderful example of what good horror can be -- quiet, slightly disturbing and about true human foibles and frailties. The "horror" in the tale is more about the internal feelings of loss and despair, the tail-spin a person can find themselves in when unable to move on after the loss of a dear loved-one, and the depths a person might go to in order to reclaim that loved-one. (IE, the true horror in Stephen King's Pet Semetary wasn't the cat or child coming back after having been buried in the special "resurrecting" earth of an ancient Micmac burial ground, but in the decisions Louis Creed makes in the depths of his overwhelming loss and grief) The same thing is true in Doug's very fine and moving tale.

The story opens with the following text. Hopefully this teaser will make you want to read the full story.

"On the anniversary of the worst night of his life, Liam stood outside the darkened control room of the campus radio station. Over the speakers, the Tragically Hip's "Boots and Hearts" was just winding down. Behind the glass in the studio, Ziggy's small triangular face glowed like some night angel, lit from below by her laptop screen. She looked up, her eyes finding Liam's in the darkness. Smiling, she wrinkled her nose at him. His own smile slid away, falling into the dark place inside him, the place that was always darker on this night.

Ziggy turned back to the mike as the song ended. "I'm closing with a request from an old friend, to an old friend. This one's for Jackie, from Liam. A hurtin' song, cuz he's still hurtin'. Fifteen years ago tonight . . ." She looked at him through the glass.

Fifteen years. He closed his eyes. Fifteen years and it still hurt this much."

- Excerpt from "Radio Nowhere" copyright 2009 by Douglas Smith. Originally appeared in Campus Chills (October 2009)

Should you read the full story, (and how could you not after that incredible opening?) feel free to nominate Doug's tale for an Aurora Award for Best Short-Form Work. The ballot for nomination is online and anyone who is a Canadian citizen can nominate a work for the Auroras. (Also feel free to nominate Campus Chills in the category of Other Works)

And just a quick note about Campus Chills, since I can't resist a chance to talk about cool projects I was recently a part of) -- Campus Chills was an anthology put together by University of Waterloo, University of Alberta and McMaster bookstores. The three stores pooled funding together to produce an anthology on the Espresso Book Machines that each of these three stores own and they paid professional rates to 13 contributors for original stories of horror set on campuses across Canada. The book features fantastic fiction from some of Canada's top authors of speculative fiction. I had the very fine honour of selecting and editing the work of these fine writers.

The book was launched simultaneously on October 22, 2009 at McMaster, University of Waterloo, University of Alberta and Dalhousie University bookstores as well as at the Algonquin College Bookstore. (Within a week all 13 contributors appeared at 5 different bookstores in 3 different provinces)

Below are a couple of shots of Doug from the Waterloo launch, hosted by the University of Waterloo bookstore.