Caleb J. Ross, author of novels and surfer of internets

“As a Machine and Parts: LOVING IT! So sharp, so sharp…”

January 14, 2012

As a Machine and Parts is getting some love: "As a Machine and Parts: LOVING IT! So sharp, so sharp..." -Mr. Sean P. Ferguson "Fucking insane" -Mr. Chester Pane "This book is fantastic. I think you guys are going to love it. Very inventive but it doesn't crumble under its own weight and devolve into merely clever." -Mr. Nik Korpon So, if you are easily swayed by the words of people you might not know, then rush out to get your copy of As a Machine and Parts now. While you are at it, this guy I know says that Cheez-Its are good. So, I guess you should buy those.

99 cents, now through January 17th, Charactered Pieces and Murmurs.

January 9, 2012

All eBook versions of either Charactered Pieces or Murmurs: Gathered Stories Vol. One are only $0.99 from now through January 17th. Why January 17th? Because that is the official release date for my newest novel, I Didn't Mean to be Kevin. Just click a link below to go either directly to the Amazon Kindle store or to the Smashwords pages where other formats can be purchased (including NOOK, Sony, Kobo, iBooks, etc.) Please, spread the word if you are willing and able. This is a damn fine deal, I must say, and is a great opportunity to whet your appetite for the upcoming I Didn't Mean to be Kevin.

Bookstores can get ebook readers into their stores. Here’s how:

January 8, 2012

The slow eBook adoption of many publishers, and especially of bookstores, is not surprising. For the publishers, monetizing an eBook, with the lack of overhead and reduced production costs, makes justifying print book sticker prices tough. For bookstores, well, it's pretty obvious why they wouldn't jump on the eBook wagon. But there has to be a way to keep bookstores alive, right? Bookstores aren't like traditional commerce storefronts, in that they represent a mindset, a way of life, and the best ones promote a sense of community. People don't just buy books there. People feel at home there. Which makes me believe that book shoppers haven't stopped shopping in brick and mortar stores because eBooks are so much more convienent and so much cheaper. I think book shoppers have stopped simply because bookstores aren't offering a "bookstore experience" for shoppers. If bookstores sold eBooks, I think readers who enjoy the bookstore experience…

Why I Write What I Write When I Write it: The Cymbal Analogy

January 7, 2012

Picture a drum cymbal, delicately balanced upon a point, say, a pencil tip. This represents my general mental stability. Without any external force, the cymbal remains unmoving. This is me in a vacuum, a sensory deprivation chamber of sorts, without anything to shift my head in any way. But of course, I don’t live in a vacuum. Instead, I live in a world constantly shifting and changing, and with those shifts, my head shifts. Writing is a way to help maintain equilibrium. Not in a padded room sort of way. Simply, in the way that other people may watch TV or exercise or read a book to maintain that equilibrium. But when I write something, despite the intentions to establish a stasis, the writing itself throws the cymbal off balance. Every word, every realized concept and idea, moves the cymbal. The more I write, the more the cymbal teeters further…

UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com. Exchange Print for eBooks. It could work.

December 29, 2011

[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/calebjross/status/152575481391230976"] It could work. An online used book selling site, that also manufactures an eReader device, such as Barnes and Noble or the Amazon Marketplace, partners with publishers to provide kickbacks on used book sales in exchange for distribution rights of eBooks. Let’s call it UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com. It would work like this: Here’s an example: Let’s say Bookseller_675 has a print copy of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. But he’d like to read it on his Kindle. It’s not in this reader’s best interest to purchase the book again. The publisher gets no new money. The book sales site gets no new money. The reader gets no eBook. What do to do? Bookseller_675 decides to sell the book on the Amazon Marketplace using the UpgradeToEbook.Amazon.com platform for $6. Amazon takes its cut (15%; $0.90), but for this transaction the seller agreed to kick an extra 35% to Amazon…

Christmas is almost over, but Christmas hookers work late.

December 25, 2011

[media url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12qBoy2rhVw"]

As a Machine and Parts is the official January 2012 Book Club pick at LitReactor

December 23, 2011

For those of you not in the know, LitReactor is a writer-focus site spawned by the minds behind ChuckPalahniuk.net, the official Chuck Palahniuk site. The site has received some high-praise not only from the writers who've come together to make up the blood of the community, but even Huffington Post has come out to offer a few kind words. Having my new novella, As a Machine and Parts, as the January Book Club pick for LitReactor feels a bit like a legacy of sorts, as my novel Stranger Will was the ChuckPalahniuk.net pick back in May 2011. So, head over to Amazon.com or directly to the Aqueous Books (the publisher) to purchase a copy and get ready for some elitist discussion on the finer points of snobbery.