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#I’ve got copies up for sale in my local bookstore
featureenvyproductions · 10 months
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OK I THINK I GOT IT DONE
Ok digital/pdf version of Eyan Eternal Volume 1.
This is basically everything in the volume 1 print version, including the bonus content (and I’ve also included the promo image that you’d get with the print version, at the end of the pdf content). But in pdf form. And as for the chapters themselves, well at 300 dpi, they’ll be a much higher resolution than the tumblr images or the images on my website, and that makes a lot of stuff clearer to read I’m sure. They also aren’t subject to whatever the heck weird image conversion happens when you put an image on tumblr (I would experiment with converting everything to srgb but like, the cat’s outta the bag at this point).
I have tried my best also to add alt text to these pages describing what’s going on over all. I gotta admit, I don’t know what processing gets done to these files when I upload them into the void, but I downloaded everything and it seems to still work, so I’ll just cross my fingers and hope for the best. (this is what was taking me so fucking long)
Anyway I got two offerings for you pals.
The difference between them is mainly that one is one big pdf, and the other is 5 small pdfs. We’ll get to why.
But anyway, you will find the single big pdf here at lulu.com:
https://www.lulu.com/shop/ej-gravis/eyan-eternal/ebook/product-9yqvd9.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Here’s the thing, I’ve had like a non-trivial amount of people tell me the digital downloads fuck up here sometimes. I haven’t gotten a complaint for a while but it DOES happen. I was paranoid about it happening. (Their tech support has gotten better though so let them know if it DOES. or if they really don’t resolve it you can let me know. I’ll try to figure something out)
So that’s why, if you don’t want to take the risk, I have another listing up on Etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/FeatureEnvy/listing/1500364015/eyan-eternal-volume-1-digital-edition?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1686376620579
This had to be put up as 5 pdfs because of Etsy’s file size limit, but other than that, it’s exactly the same content, just split up. As far as I know etsy doesn't do any weird shit to PDF files though so it's more likely to work.
I mean either way, I’m charging you 2.99 USD and both sites will eat me alive with the cut they take, so it’s really just like “do you want 1 file for the price of Uncertainty or many for the price of Inconvenient” (Actually I think I will get SLIGHTLY more from etsy sales and they show up in my sale count for my shop which is nice too. Because right now most of my sales come from in-person shows and local bookstores so if you’re going by my etsy sale count it looks like i’ve barely sold a damn thing and you have no reason to trust me)
Anyway like I’ve said before. I will ALWAYS have free versions of things, as long as I can afford to do things that way. But if you want to support me and help me pay my webhosting bill and supply costs, this does help offset those :)
regardless of how you read my things though i appreciate you reading thanks a bunch to anyone who does :):):):):)
Oh also, this SHOULD be available everywhere (unlike the print edition which is US only right now) at least on etsy.
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the-nerdy-fangirl · 2 years
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Holy shit that internet archive post just made me have a revelation.
When you buy a physical book you can lend it to whoever you want. Physically. You can read it aloud to 50 people or ship it to your friend in another country. You can do that with DVDs too. Have a sleepover, a watch party, send it abroad. As long as it’s not on a large enough scale for the companies to find out. Showing Hamilton on a sheet as a block party with ~ 20 people who knew vs showing it at the local movie theater.
But when it comes to digital versions, do you even own your book? Your movie? If they can revoke access, or sue for sharing or uploading… What makes an email with a zip file different than me lending a book? I guess the fact that there is now another copy out there that wasn’t paid for.
But if digital lending works like rental instead of a copy…
So the lawsuit started with the National Emergency Library, which from what I understand removed the limit to the number of people that could borrow any one book at once to help combat the loss of resources for thousands of students. Four publishing houses took issue with this and opened a lawsuit, maintaining it even after the NEL was closed just a few months later in June of 2020. They want every single book taken down, and a chunk of change each. They don’t like that IA is scanning physical books then putting the whole thing on a public website, while simultaneously in the document saying they have no problem with libraries who follow similar procedures. And the licensing of ebooks essentially makes them function like Netflix. Spotify. Microsoft office. Heated seats. On a pay as you want it basis instead of owning what you buy. Someone from IA made the point that if the lawsuit succeeds it undermines the ability of libraries everywhere to preserve their collections.
(The above paragraph is a summary of a 2020 Nation article with my own thoughts interspersed here and there)
Angery bite bite rage
Not that I really bought ebooks at all recently except as textbook rentals, but I’m going to be avoiding “buying” digital copies of anything from now on. Heads up y’all, CDs are sometimes cheaper than mp3 albums. There are second hand book shops on ebay that do sales often. I live in a small town rn without a bookstore, and I cannot tell you how many books I’ve gotten for less than $5 a piece. If anybody has alternative let me know but Amazon often sells box sets of movies on the cheap. I got all three Kung fu panda movies for maybe $15 bucks, they have the httyd series for 12.
It’s slow going on the movie and music front for me, the amount I want to buy vastly outprices my monthly netflix, hulu, and spotify payments. But I’m more determined than ever to chip away at it.
Libraries should be more heavily protected and supported and internet archive is a library. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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briankeene · 1 year
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Another End of the Road
My last two signings of the year occurred this past weekend — one at a Barnes & Noble in Pikesville, MD and another at a bar in Mechanicsburg, PA.
I almost never book signings or appearances for the time period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve if I can help it, because that is one of my most productive times of the year, writing-wise. That’s when Los Angeles and New York City and Portland go quiet, and the publishing, comic book and movie industries go dark (or at least on minimal systems life support), and as a result, there are less emails and phone calls and other things to handle. My peers get quieter, too, which means even less emails and phone calls and text messages and people popping by during writing hours.
Thanks to everyone who showed up at a signing o an appearance this year. I genuinely appreciate it, and I hope the experience was worth it for you. If we took a picture or a selfie together, here’s a thread on my message board where I’d love you to share it.
My Patreon subscribers know that I’ve been secretly working on a half-intended follow-up to END OF THE ROAD this past year. As a result, I’ve got a Moleskine notebook with some random notes and observations I made while I was out there. Most of those notes will remain hidden for now, because they deal with the subject matter of the book, which will remain shrouded in secrecy for now. But here are some other observations I can share:
Excerpted from Project: The Last Mile notebook…
*Without a doubt, the peers I signed with the most times this past year were my pals Richard Chizmar and Ronald Malfi, both of whom have been doing this as long as I have, and both of whom subscribe to the same path to success that I do — write book, go on road and sign nd sell book, repeat process all over again. In comparing notes, all three of us saw a marked increase in sales this year as a result of those efforts, versus the pandemic years when we had to stay home.
*The era of signing at multiple conventions is at a wane. The reader-centric cons — Boskone, Scares That Care AuthorCon, StokerCon, KillerCon, Camp Necon, and Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival — are still lucrative due to high attendance numbers and turnout, but the smaller regional conventions, and the big multimedia conventions just aren’t worth it anymore. For the smaller cons, it’s a numbers game. Unless you’ve been invited as a guest and the organizers are paying your way, by the time you’ve paid for your travel, hotel room, table and food, you’ll have a hard time breaking even, particularly as inflation pushes the costs for all of those things higher and higher. And the bigger multimedia cons that have actors and other celebrities as well as authors? The actors’ prices have increased significantly, and by the time an attendee purchases a few autographed pictures and a selfie, they must then divide what little money they have left between a meal, a Funko Pop, a t-shirt, and perhaps one of your books. For authors — the way forward is conventions focused solely on readers (as listed above) and bookstores and libraries.
*Barnes & Noble is/are back, baby. Most of them have horror sections again, and most of the managers have much more leeway in what they can order for their store. “But Brian, my local B&N manager said they can’t order my book because it’s not returnable.” Well, that’s only a problem if they have unsold copies, Sparky. Work with the manager. Order a realistic number of copies to sell. Bust your ass promoting the signing. Don’t sit there like a lump when customers walk by your table — engage with them. And work out a deal with the manager to help them liquidate any remaining overstock. Leave two or three signed copies for the shelves, and purchase the rest so that their regional manager doesn’t yell at them for ordering non-returnable books. Then, speak at a library the next weekend, and gift the library with a copy and sell the rest to the folks who show up to hear you talk.
*The popularity of horror fiction runs in cycles. This is provable, demonstrable science (and I’ll refer you to END OF THE ROAD for more on that). Currently, the popularity of horror fiction is at a level not seen since the height of Leisure’s popularity. Indeed, I would argue it is higher. I suspect we’ll hit the peak next year. When will the descent begin? I don’t know. It will come, eventually. It always does. That’s inevitable. But we may ride this wave for a good long while yet. So much of it will depend on the economy and global events. Right now, there’s a glut of books if you tabulate everything from both the mainstream and indie presses and self-published works. But booksellers see a matching demand. This is evidenced not only from people I’ve talked to at the chain stores and online retailers like Amazon, but on anecdotal evidence such as the continuing popularity of alternative sellers like Godless and direct sales via publishers.
Excerpt ends…
So… those are some of the things I’ve jotted down in my Moleskine.
Instead of a honeymoon, Mary and I are opting to do a cross-country Honeymoon Tour next year. At first, we were going to go to Easter Island for our honeymoon, but then some assholes set the island on fire and damaged a bunch of the statues. (A news story that didn’t get much play in the media because it didn’t involve Donald Trump or Kanye West). Then we were going to go to Alaska. But Mary has a new novel dropping next February — ALIEN: ENEMY OF MY ENEMY — and she wants to give it a big push. And me? I live on the road. So instead of gong to Alaska we’re going to go to all of the continental United States, or at least as many as we can possibly manage. We’ll have the details for you early next year.
And until then, I’m looking forward to hunkering down against the cold, and getting some work done in the brief time when the din becomes a murmur.
Thanks again for your support this past year. See you next year.
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crownedcryptid · 3 years
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@ Previous Reblog
A demand for adult cartoons will likely come sometime soon, because of Tik Tok.
Tik Tok is making SO MANY people interested in darker, adult oriented anime. The sales of manga are absolutely skyrocketing among kids, teens, and adults. (…and Netflix views are up too, I’m sure anime piracy is way bigger rn than anime dvd sales tho lol.) Many of these people are finding that art form for the first time because of Tik Tok culture promoting it so much with memes, trivia videos, AMVs, and cosplay. For real it’s almost scary how much VERY OBVIOUS DIRECT Barnes and Nobles bookstore propaganda I’ve been seeing from employees and customers making TT videos about why they love (or even hate) going there.
I should know because my older sister, who always had a passing interest in anime and animation, is now suddenly super interested in watching many anime and just when out to buy a ton of manga yesterday and now wants a bookshelf for them. She does genuinely love them it’s not like a fad to her or many other people, but seeing other collectors on Tik Tok share their favorite shows and manga is totally making people who would otherwise never try out so many things go out and seek them! My local comic store just added two whole shelves of manga and has like 4 different anime merchandise displays now. I think my younger sister isn’t too far from getting interested herself because I think her friends are, if they ever make a MCU anime my youger sister (AND TONS OF OTHER PEOPLE) would jump into the anime art form for sure. There is a Star Wars anime coming, but I’m guessing teens in general. like MCU much more than Star Wars. Anyways…
Plus many creators in the cartoon industry now grew up in the “tumblr environment” we’re all so familiar with and also love anime with darker sides and stronger themes. I think this will be the push to some day create more adult focused cartoons, because once there is ONE REALLY GOOD ADULT CARTOON that does numbers all studios will copy it.
Like Rick & Morty got massively popular, so now instead of looking like Family Guy adult shows try to look like R&M! BoJack was the closest thing but that didn’t make a cultural print like R&M, like I’ve never seen BoJack merch before. Someday a massively popular serious adult show will happen and others from other channels and sources will try to look like it I’m sure.
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publiccollectors · 3 years
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From the discussion “Towards A Self Sustaining Publishing Model” hosted by Printed Matter.
Some things I have learned in over 30 years of publishing since my teenage days as a zine maker, administrating my project Public Collectors, and from working in the group Temporary Services and our publishing imprint Half Letter Press.
I have just ten minutes to speak. If only one or two things that I share are useful, that’s plenty! It took me decades to understand some of this stuff.
Use every exhibition invitation with a budget to print something. Use the whole budget to print something. Make something in a large enough print run so that you have something to give away and surplus that you can sell. Your publication can be a folded sheet of paper, a booklet, a newspaper, a poster, a book, or anything in between.
Be able to print at least something at home. Buy a cheap laser printer or inkjet printer, find a used copy machine, buy a RISO or some other duplicator, carve something into a potato or a piece of foam and print it. Being able to do at least some of the printing and production at home—even if it’s on a tiny scale—will compel you to print things that you might have convinced yourself not to send out or bring to a professional printer. Hopefully the ability to print impulsively and compulsively will result in good work. Figure out how to keep making things on every scale. Look for cheap used printing equipment on Craigslist. Team up with friends and buy equipment together that you can share. Start a printing collective in your basement.
Ideally your publication should cost 1/5th or 1/6th of the retail price to make. If you sell a $10.00 publication through a store, you are probably only going to make $6.00 or less after the store takes its cut. So ideally your $10.00 book costs $2.00 or less to make. Don’t aim to just break even. Aim to make a profit so you can keep making more publications and pay for your life. Publishing will probably never be your sole income but don’t lose money on purpose. Make things that are priced fairly and look like they justify what they cost to buy. The fact that you didn’t find a more affordable way to print something is not an excuse to sell something that feels cheap and shitty for a ridiculous sum of money. Good cheap printing is easier to find than ever before. Do your homework.
Figure out the cheapest and least wasteful ways to do everything. Ask other publishers where they get their work printed. Look for local printers so you can avoid shipping fees. Ask local printers if you can pay in cash for a discount. Ask printers if there is a cheaper way to do what you want to do by adjusting the size of your paper or the paper stock or some other small shift in form. If you print things yourself, buy the paper that is on sale. Design a publication around the paper that you found for cheap. Discount warehouses sometimes have good paper. Even dollar stores sometimes have good paper. I’ve even bought paper at flea markets. Costco sells an 800 sheet ream of 24 lb paper for $6.99. I use it all the time. It rules. I also recommend getting your jugs of organic olive oil there, but you can’t print with that.
Free printing is good printing. If you have access to free printing, use it. Free printing is like free food at art openings and conference receptions. It is one of those pleasures in life that never gets old. Come up with an idea that is based around the aesthetics of whatever free printing you have access to and make the publication that way. Eat the cheese and bread. Drink the wine. Make the copies at work.
Buy bulk shipping mailers on eBay. Find bubble wrap and other packing materials in the trash. Look out for neighbors who just bought new furniture—it’s usually wrapped in miles of packing material you can use for shipping books. Boycott terrible right wing fuckers like ULINE. Seriously, they give money to everyone horrible. Trump? Check. Ted Cruz? Check. Scott Walker? Check. ROY FUCKING MOORE? CHECK FUCKING CHECK! Tear up their catalogs and use them as packing material to protect your books. Make publications that have a consistent size so you can purchase cardboard mailers in bulk and get a discount on them. Buy packing tape in bulk. Buy everything in bulk. You can store your extra reams of paper under your bed or on top of your kitchen cabinets if necessary. Be like a wacko survivalist prepper, but for office supplies. Go to estate sales and look for the home office in the house. Buy the dead person’s extra tape and staples and rulers and scissors. I’ve been using some random dead person’s staples for years because I bought their staple hoard. Staples aren’t like meat and milk. They don’t expire.
I’m against competition. Try to avoid competing with other artists for resources. If you don’t truly need the money, don’t ask for it. Artists should have a section on their CV where they list grants they could have easily gotten but didn’t apply for because they are privileged enough that they don’t need the money as much as someone else. I almost never apply for anything but the one thing I do apply for and get every year is a part-time faculty development grant from Columbia College Chicago where I teach. It pays adjuncts up to $2,500 a year to fund their projects and seems to be completely non-competitive. My union negotiated to get us more money. I have used that grant to make over a dozen publications. The value of the publications I make and sell with each grant is about three or four times the value of the grant itself. Some years I make more from the grant than I do from the limited number of classes I teach. But I don’t depend on this grant to be a publisher and I’d still be able to make things without it.
Make things in different price ranges so everyone can afford your work, but also so that you can sustain your practice. Make a publication that costs $2.00, that costs $6.00, that costs $20.00, and make something special for the fancy ass institutional libraries that have a lot of money to spare and can buy something that costs $300.00. Likewise, make things in all different size print runs. Is there something you can print 1,000 of that you can keep selling and giving away for years, to enjoy that quantity discount that comes with offset printing a large number of publications?
Collaborate with people and pay them with publications (if they are cool with that) that they can sell on their own. Sometimes this ends up being better pay and more useful than an honorarium, and it helps justify a larger print run. But see what they need—don’t assume. Barter with other publishers and sell each other’s work and let each other keep the money. This helps with distribution. Sometimes it’s easier to sell their work than it is to sell your own. Help others expand the audience for their publications.
Fund your publishing practice by asking your friends who teach to invite you to talk to their college classes about your work. Use those guest speaker fees to print something. I sometimes tell people on social media: If three or four people will invite me to speak to their class, it could fund the entire next issue of X booklet series that you like so much. This has often worked. Also, sometimes their students end up ordering publications. Sometimes lectures about publications generate more income than the publications themselves.
Have an emailing list and write newsletters to announce new publications. Stay in touch with people who like what you do. Expect to spend a ton of time corresponding with people. Have some cheap things and cool ephemera on hand that you can send people for free when they mail order your publications. Reward people who support you directly with something nice that they didn’t expect. People like handwritten notes. It’s okay if they are very short but sign the packing slip and at least write “Thank you!”
Above all, know that publishing is a life journey and not a get rich quick scheme, or even a make very much money scheme. Enjoy the experience of meeting and working with others, trade your publications with other publishers and build up an amazing library of small press, hard to find artist books. Get vaccinated and travel and sleep on each other’s couches. Be generous with your time, knowledge, resources, and work. Tell Jeff Bezos to fuck off by never selling anything you make through Amazon. Find the bookstores that you love and work with them forever. It’s nicer to have deeper relationships with fewer bookstores than surface level interactions with dozens of shops run by people you don’t know.
Think about your publishing family. Bookstore people are your family. People that organize book fairs and zine fests are your publishing family. Other publishers are your family. People who follow your work for years on end are your family. Printers and binderies are your family. The postal workers that know you by name and that you know by name are your family. The person who doesn’t care if you make the free copies at work is your family. Over thirty years later, I’m still in contact with people I exchanged zines with through the mail when I was a teenager. In some cases I still haven’t met them in person. It’s fine! They are my family. Your students are your family—particularly once they graduate or drop out, as long as they continue making books and zines. Your family is your family, particularly if they value and support your publishing practice. And for this reason, this talk is dedicated to my late father Bruce Fischer, who let me use the company copier and postage meter when I was in high school, and to my mom who sat on the floor with me and helped me hand collate and staple my zines.
That’s what I’ve got for now. Stay in touch and with luck, and enough vaccines and masks and hand sanitizer, maybe I’ll see you at a book fair. – Marc Fischer • Thank you to Be Oakley of GenderFail for the invitation to present, to the other presenters Vivian Sming, Yuri Ogita, and Devin Troy Strother, and to the wonderful people at Printed Matter for hosting this! You should be able to find the video archived on Printed Matter’s YouTube Channel.  Presented on April 2, 2021
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jostenlovesminyard · 4 years
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Fox and Friends
Chapter 1
Chapter 2    Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5    Chapter 6 Chapter 7     Chapter 8
Andrew Minyard never expected a normal life. When he was a child, scared and alone, he wished for his real Mommy and Daddy to sweep him up and save him from the endless foster homes he was constantly thrown into. When he became a teenager he realised how dangerous it was to want something. He didn’t want a family and he certainly didn’t need rescuing. Families were sick and twisted things, taking what they wanted and leaving Andrew in the wake of their destruction, still alone but refusing to be scared. He gave up wanting, hoping, caring, feeling.
Then Nicky Hemmick walked into his life with hopes, promises and another person who was a copy and paste of Andrew himself. They claimed they were his family and Andrew couldn’t deny it when his mirror image was staring back at him.  Aaron Minyard was damaged too as was his apparent cousin Nicky, he could tell by the nervous smiles, stuttering eye contact and the hesitancy to reach out and touch; but together they promised Andrew a fresh start, a new beginning, hope which was dangerous in of itself.
Nicky was 20 and after being kicked out his home by his homophobic parents, had used the money saved up for college and future travels with his boyfriend in Germany, to purchase an extremely run down bookstore with an apartment on top. He worked long days at the local coffee shop Sweetie’s in order to slowly renovate the bookshop in his spare time. A few months into his new life he received a call from his parents saying his Aunt Tilda had died from an overdose and left Aaron in their care. They begged Nicky to take the 17 year old off them; they agreed they would give him a small amount of money each month until Aaron turned 18 in 6 months time. Nicky would have accepted either way. The financial aid helped Nicky speed up the bookstore restoration, he quit his job at Sweetie’s and soon he and Aaron were looking for second hand books to sell in their store.
When a nice lady called Betsy walked in to make a book donation around 5 months into their store opening, she took one look at Aaron and almost fainted.  She insisted on taking them to the local orphanage she volunteered at to meet a boy called Andrew. She told them he would be kicked out of the care system soon after turning 18 and apparently he also looked identical to Aaron. When Nicky called his parents to tell them the unbelievable news they said they’d known of a twin but thought perhaps Tilda had simply been too high to know what was going on. Nicky was so angry that they hadn’t thought to look into it that he went on a twenty minute rant about how they were the worst people he’d ever met and promptly hung up on them.
When Nicky relayed this story to Andrew, sat in the cold meeting room of the care home, he felt a spark of hope prickle his chest like rays of sun. Aaron looked over to him, a smile ghosting his lips and said “We can finally have a family Andrew.” Nicky nodded excitedly next to him and Andrew said yes, he would stay with them. Betsy gasped, exclaiming how happy she was he finally had a good home to go to, Nicky looked like he was about to cry and Aaron had a small smile on his face, eyes soft. Perhaps this was finally the life he deserved.
3 weeks later, Andrew was fully moved into the small apartment above the bookstore. The store itself was simply called “Second-Hand Books”. Nicky said they were trying to come up with an appropriate name for it.
“Andrew, I’ll give you a quick tour if you want?” Nicky said to him and Andrew shrugged. They walked to the front desk first where Nicky assured him he wouldn’t have to work at the counter just yet. They met Aaron, stacking shelves in the Non-fiction area and after a quick description of the different sections of books; Nicky led them to the storage/break room and up an open staircase to the upstairs living area. The apartment was small but cosy, the staircase led to a sitting room area with a small couch and armchair facing a TV, a small kitchen and dining area further back and 4 rooms off the centre living area. Nicky’s room was the biggest, next to his room was the only bathroom in the apartment, on the opposite side were two more slightly smaller bedrooms, one Aaron’s and one that now belonged to Andrew. He stood in the doorway taking in the bright walls, clean, comfy bed sheets and no padlocks on the cabinets, windows or doors. This room was entirely Andrew’s. This is the first time something actually belongs to me his traitorous brain thought. Nicky had bought him new clothes and Aaron had donated some of his so the closet and drawers were half full already, Andrew only had a couple more outfits to add to that. Books covered shelves on the walls and there was even a stuffed black cat toy on his bed. When Andrew looked over at Nicky, he looked nervous.
“I really hope you like it, I’m sorry we had to go shopping without you, I tried to pick typical 18 year old clothes. Feel free to grab any books that take your fancy of course as long as you put them back in the store once you’ve finished. Other than that, dinner is usually around 6pm, we’ll leave you to get settled!” and suddenly Andrew stood in his new room alone. His room. He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of fresh linen and washing powder. Letting the breath out was like pushing the past away, breathing in a fresh start and breathing out his clouded background. He let himself collapse on the unfairly comfortable mattress and imagined finally wanting to stay in bed. Wanting to sleep in and not get up. After a few seconds, his brain flashed back to 10 years ago and he shot off the bed and out the door.
He decided to head downstairs and get started giving his new family a hand. Aaron was back to stacking shelves, trying to carry multiple books at once, the stack towering way over his head. Nicky was at the counter talking to Betsy from the Care home. He’d only been there a few months but she was a volunteer offering therapy to some of the kids if they wanted or needed it. Andrew liked her. She saw him approach and her smile became wider.
“Oh Andrew, we were just talking about you!” Andrew raised an eyebrow and she continued, “I was saying how great it is that you’re finally together as a family. How are you settling in?”
“I’ll tell you when I try Nicky’s cooking for the first time, Aaron has warned me about It.” he replied. Nicky looked shocked at the long answer he’d given for a second and then schooled his features before pouting.
“Hey! It’s not my fault he’s fussy! He likes some of my cooking I swear!” he defended; Andrew just raised his eyebrows and put his hands out in front of him to claim his innocence. He walked over to annoy his brother under the pretence of learning how to stack shelves.
“Andrew, for the last time, we organise them by putting the Authors last names in Alphabetical order, got it?” Aaron said for the third time, voice strained and fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know you’re doing it on purpose because you have a fucking eidetic memory for fuck sake!” Andrew bit back a smirk.
“You misheard, they said ‘idiotic’ not ‘eidetic’.”
“They did not you little bitch!”
“I know they did because you have one too, we’re twins remember.”
“I’m ignoring you for the rest of my existence.”
Andrew turned away with a smirk dusting his lips and continued to reorganise the books that Aaron had already done, this time by putting the second to last letter of the authors last names in Alphabetical order.
A month into Andrew’s new life, Nicky decided they were earning enough to start ordering new books as well as the second hand books they had been selling. Nicky wanted to have a predominantly LGBTQ+ book collection on sale and the twins decided that would give the bookstore  more of an identity.
“What the hell are we going to call this place?” Aaron sighed, looking up at the old sign that hung above the store.
“Let’s just keep it as ‘Second-Hand Books’ for now, it’s technically still true and we can brainstorm new names once we become more popular!” Nicky said happily and Andrew nodded in agreement. Nicky made the first order of new books that night and they waited in anticipation for the boxes to arrive. When they did, just a couple days later, Andrew was the first to open them. He inhaled the new book smell and marvelled the perfect condition they were in. The cover was…well it was very gay and Andrew loved it. The title read ‘Carry On’ and featured two guys wielding wands. He was intrigued to say the least.
“Hey Nicky, can I take one of these? Take it out of my pay cheque.” Andrew asked but Nicky shook his head.
“Just have it Andrew, you do enough around here to warrant a free book from time to time. Aaron, you want one?” Aaron walked over to look into the box and study the cover.
“Nah I’ll pass on that.”
“Suit yourself kid!“
 The book and its sequel were put on display in the front windows of the store and sure enough a few more customers trickled in than usual. A girl with a rainbow of pastel coloured hair, cut just above her shoulders was amongst the new influx of customers. She spotted Andrew reading the book in one of the Armchairs.
“Pardon the intrusion but I’m thinking of getting the book you’re reading, is it any good so far?” she questioned him, smiling. Andrew shrugged and put his finger between the pages he was reading so he wouldn’t lose his place.
“I’ve only read a bit so far.”
“But…?” She prompted him. He sighed.
“I’m…enjoying it I think.” She smiled at him.
“Awesome! I’ll get it then, Thank you…”
“Andrew.”
“Andrew. I’m Renee” Andrew nodded slightly in acknowledgement. “If I like it I’ll come back and buy the sequel. Perhaps we could discuss it? If you’re interested of course.” Andrew considered it for a second and nodded. He had always enjoyed talking about books in school when he was younger. He had just graduated from his last year at High School but he could still remember taking books back from school to read. He must have been engrossed in thinking about his school days because by the time he looked up again, Renee had already paid and was walking out the door. She gave him a small wave goodbye. He was looking forward to her return.
Betsy came in a couple hours later. Andrew had taken to calling her Bee since she’d started reading a lot of books on beekeeping recently, something about a future retirement plan. She came through to the back of the store and asked if he’d like some tea whilst on his lunch break. Of course he said yes. They sat on the beaten up couch in the break room chatting for a while. It was raining outside so most shoppers were taking shelter in Sweetie’s down the street.
“It’s so cosy don’t you think? Listening to the rain, curled up on the couch with a hot drink.” Bee said to him. He tucked his legs into himself more and nodded. The chair was super comfy because of how worn it was. It was his favourite reading chair, out of sight, quiet, comfy. “How are you doing Andrew? You seem to have settled really well here.”
“I like it here. Sometimes I can’t believe I get to have this.” Bee looked sad for a second before smiling at him.
“You deserve it Andrew after everything you’ve been through.” Andrew had told her some of the horrors he’d endured in his many foster homes when he first started with her voluntary therapy sessions. He still had nightmares but the flashbacks he sometimes got were getting much better thanks to their continued contact. She walked over, sat on the arm of his chair and slowly took his hand in hers. “You can always talk to me Andrew, no matter what ok?” she said and he nodded up at her.
“I…feel lonely I think. Which may sound strange considering I live with Nicky and Aaron but it’s not that kind of lonely. I don’t know, I’m 18 and I feel like I know no-one other than my two family members. Don’t get me wrong, I would do anything for them but, I kind of want other people to talk to sometimes.” He said, sighing and putting his head in his hands. “I must sound so stupid because Aaron and Nicky make me feel less lonely but-“
“Andrew it’s ok to want a different kind of relationship. Perhaps making a few friends would be a really good thing for you and your family too I’m sure.” Andrew nodded. She squeezed his hand and sat back in her own chair. “What about organising a book club? Nicky said you spoke to Renee earlier? I’m friends with her foster mother Stephanie, she’s a lovely girl. Why don’t you see if she knows anybody who would be interested in attending the club?” Andrew thought back to the times he enjoyed getting lost in books and decided Bee was right.
“Ok, that could work.”
“Great! I’ll get Stephanie to text me Renee’s number for you if you’d like?”
“Sure.” He said and a tiny smile graced his lips.
He texted Renee telling her about the book club idea as soon as Bee had given him the number. Renee replied straight away, enthusiastic and eager to start. She said she already knew a few people who would love to join and Andrew said the maximum he could handle would probably be a group of ten. She began spreading the word about the new club. The first meeting would be in a week’s time, on Tuesday at 7pm and would last an hour. People who were interested were asked to come into the store to sign up, which also gave them the opportunity to pick up the book if they hadn’t already got it. They’d decided to go with ‘Carry On’.
The list filled up quickly, Andrew scanned the list of names. Nicky had taken most of the sign up’s due to him being the main person at the counter so Andrew hadn’t seen a single one of them apart from Renee. He tried to put faces to the names that were written down. He felt the beginning bubbles of excitement rising within him.
-Kevin Day
-Betsy Dobson
-Matt Boyd
-Danielle Wilds
-Renee Walker
-Allison Reynolds
-Neil Josten
Of course, Andrew, would be there too and they’d left a few spots open until the first meeting to make sure it all ran smoothly first. Betsy had asked her best friend Abby, who apparently owned Sweetie’s with her husband David, to supply tea, coffee and homemade cookies for them all, so they would also be there. For now, Andrew thought this might just work. He was getting used to hope and it was slowly becoming a familiar weight in his chest. A weight he found to be quite comforting after so many years without it. He looked at this list of names again and thought for the first time in a long time, I want this to work .
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thekeeperofscrolls · 5 years
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How to get cheaper or free books!
Here’s a quick list of places to get books for cheaper and free. If anyone has tried any of these options or has other suggestions send me a message!
1. Library- Of course, this is top of the list. Books can be expensive and not everyone can afford to buy them or at least buy them every time they want a new read. The great thing about borrowing books from the library is that if you don’t end up liking the book or don’t want to purchase it after all, you don’t waste money on something you don’t like.
-Libby and Overdrive- These two apps give you the ability to hook up your library card and access ebooks and audiobooks from your local library as well as the library's in surrounding areas! Audiobooks can be really expensive, so I use these apps for them.
2. Used bookstores- can have some great used books, some can look new while others have a little bit more character to them! If you don’t have access to a physical store near you but have the ability to order things online there’s some great online used bookstores.
-Better World Books (betterworldbooks.com) is a great place to find books some as low as $3. Some of these books come from libraries, schools, or just people who passes there books to the next person. You can also look at the quality of those books to pick for your liking. I typically go for “new practically used, or used very good”.
-Thrift books (thriftbooks.com). I personally haven’t bought books from this website yet however I’ve watched tons of videos and read reviews on the site and it seems to be a good option for books. Someday, I’ll order some books to have my own personal experience. Side note: you can also find textbooks for school on these super cheap. I bought one from Better World Books recently and it looks practically new apart from the library stamp on the side of it, but I got it for around 6 dollars so who can beat it!
-Amazon used books section. (If you need help finding it let me know!)
-Goodwill
3. Book sales-This can be kind of a mashup of the two first options. I know my local libraries do a book sale. Tons of people along with the libraries themselves bring books and have really cheap sales on the books. I recently went to my local library’s book sale and on the last day of the sale they have $5 bags. On this day, we were given giant paper bags (like you’d get from the grocery store) and you feel it full of books, divides, audibles, and whatever else was on sale. The cool thing was that you could get as many items as you could fit in the bag and it was only 5 dollars?!?!! Plus, you could get as many bags as you wanted
4. E-books & audibles- Ebooks are often cheaper and sometimes even free. If you don’t have the ability to take a physical book with you, or you forget it but you have a phone that can access your digital library it’s pretty convenient. I tend to see audibles more expensive but I did want to put it on the list. 1. Because sometimes you can get them on sale or get a free credit on audible so you can listen. Libby/ Overdrive gives you the option to listen to ebooks as well. 2. I wanted to hook these two types of books on the list because sometimes I think they can get overlooked or seen as being “not real book” but they most definitely are. A book is a book whether you own it, have a physical copy, or listen to it.
5. Barnes and Noble (and other bookstores)-B&N has a membership, you pay $25 a year and get 10% off your purchase but the really great thing is that you often get sent coupons (that you can stack with the membership). Plus, when they do a book hauls you get early access! Also free shipping (book depository offer that as well worldwide).B&N also has a bargain section/outlet were you can find books for as cheap as $5 or 2 books for under $10.
6. Book depository -Free shipping internationally.
7. Bookbub- let you know when books you may like go on sale.
8.Target- often has there books on sale for 20% off.
9. Amazon- also tends to be cheaper than some bookstores and they have used section.
10. Books a million.- great book deals!
11. Entering giveaways -Sometimes authors or other people in the world of book social media will do giveaways that you can enter. Goodreads does this and they usually send you notifications when a book you have marked that you want to read gets added for a giveaway. Obviously, just like with any of these options you want to make sure you’re being safe with any information you’re giving out over the internet.
12. Authors-Not only will authors do giveaways from time to time of their own books. They will also give free books from other authors they may be friends with or just books they enjoyed. If you follow them on social media you’ll see them post about it. Some authors have weekly or monthly news articles that they send through emails were they have attachments for an ebook download. BB Easton, is an author who does this and she sends out two free ebooks a month, there adult novels.
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cabaretcal · 5 years
Text
tell me your favorite songs // c.h.
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Hello! This is the second piece in my 9to5!sos series! In case you aren’t aware, my 9 to 5 series is the boys in like, normal jobs. I have already posted the Luke one where he is a waiter. Ashton will be a barista and Michael will work in a bookstore. Hope you guys like this fic in the series! I made a playlist to go with this fic in particular with every song I mentioned!
Word count: 2.9k
Pairing: record shop!calum x reader
Content: smut, praise kink, brief choking, a lot of fluff, and good songs
You parked your car in the mostly empty parking lot of the local record store. You just bought an apartment in your hometown after finishing college, and it was great to be back to what you knew. You were a frequent customer at this particular record shop before you left for college, so when you came back, you knew you had to stop by again. You walked in and were greeted by the sound of Rebel Rebel by David Bowie playing over the speakers and monotone voice coming out of nowhere, “Welcome to Josey Records, how's it going?”
You turned to the counter to see a boy with dark curly hair and brown eyes. He had a round face and strong brows, and he sported a Guns N Roses tee and plaid trousers. If looks could kill, you’d be dead on arrival. He looked bored to death as he sorted through some boxes of records. He looked oddly familiar, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on why.
“Oh, just potentially buying a new record. Not sure which, though.” The records were sorted alphabetically, and you looked through the J’s. Janis Joplin, Jimmy Eat World, Elton John, and even the Jonas Brothers were there. There was a good mix of every genre, and you were eager to check the whole place out after 4 years of being away.
“Looking for any artist in particular? I don’t know what music you like, but I also don’t know if you only buy vinyl to display or your wall and never play. Most girls are that type.”
You were taken aback at his comment for sure. If he was planning on getting any sales, that wasn’t any way to talk to a customer. “Pardon me?Most girls?”
He shrugged his shoulders, “Well, you just seem like the type of girl to buy a vinyl of The Neighbourhood or Ariana Grande to display on a shelf and collect dust rather than any good music is all.”
Oh, he was one of THOSE types of record store employees. A music snob. He probably worships The Rolling Stones or U2 just because they aren’t mainstream. But this is the only record store in town, and you weren’t going to just stop coming here. You walked up to the counter, and looked straight into his eyes, “Listen, uh, what is it,” you looked down at his name tag and back up at him, “Calum. Wait a minute,” Everything made sense. You did know him. 11 AM until 2 PM every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday you had music theory with him your junior year of highschool. He was a music snob back then, and obviously nothing had changed, “We had music theory together, Calum Hood. Obviously you’re still an arrogant prick.”
He scoffed, “Well, sweetheart, at least I have taste, because you obviously don’t.”
You rolled your eyes, going back to the J’s and picking up To Be Continued by Elton John and setting it on the counter, “I’ve been looking for this one for a while, so how about you ring me up so I can leave.”
He chuckled, ringing it up and telling you the total with a cocky grin, obviously glad he got under your skin.
You gave him exact change and grabbed the record, leaving without a word. You got back into your car and drove to your apartment, walking up the endless flight of stairs and going inside. You took your shoes off and went to the bedroom to change into comfier clothes. You then turned on the TV and picked a show on Hulu to watch and drift asleep to.
You awoke to the buildings fire alarm going off. You cursed quietly, quickly slipping on the nearest pair of shoes and running downstairs and outside. Everyone was also slowly exiting the building one by one, extremely groggy and tired. You looked at your phone to check the time, and it was 3 in the morning. You looked down at your attire— a crop top with extremely short sleep shorts. God, you’d do anything to not be seen in your sleep clothes. A tall figure stood near you and crossed their arms, complaining about the fire alarm going off at such an hour. You looked over and to your unpleasant surprise, it was Calum. Oh, great, he happened to live in your apartment building. Absolutely splendid.
“Oh, hey, Y/N, looks like you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He smirked and you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms to cover your exposed stomach.
“Unfortunately, Cal, I really fucking can’t get rid of you.” You were obviously annoyed. You thought you’d only have to see him when you went to the record store, but now here he was living in the same building.
He looked you up and down, liking what he saw. You crossed your arms around you tighter, despite the fact that it hid nothing. He chuckled, shaking his head, “Make sure you come back to the shop, if you wanna prove you actually have taste. You got lucky after buying that Elton John album, you gained respect from me, darling.”
You scoffed, shaking your head. The alarm turned out to be a fluke and everyone was told they could go back to their apartments. You silently went back up the stairs, trying to stop thinking about Calum’s request. Was he taunting, or did he actually want to see you? You got back into bed, not being able to think of anything else.
You decided to go back to the record store and prove to Calum you had good taste in music. You parked your car and made your way inside the shop, this time greeted by the sound of Lola by The Kinks and a cheerful greeting from none other than Calum.
“Hey there, neighbor! What are you looking for this time?”
Your mind thought of any album that might possibly impress Calum. Abbey Road? No, too basic. Slippery When Wet? You already owned two copies. You sighed, saying the next thing to come to your head, “Tell Me I’m Pretty?”
He went to the computer, typing it in and shaking his head, “By Cage the Elephant? Sold the last one a month ago and never restocked. Sorry, darling. Good choice, though. Even if they’re a little mainstream.”
You leaned on the counter, resting your cheek on your hand, “Why don’t you recommend me something? Since you apparently have great taste.”
He excitedly came out from behind the counter and led me to the G’s in the indie/alternative section. He pulled out a record with a boy with candle sticks on each of his fingers on the cover. He handed it to me, smiling with pride, “This album is called This Is It by The Greeting Committee. They aren’t very popular here. They’re from Kansas City, but they’re amazing. I think you’d like them. You’ve Got Me is my favorite song on there, also Don’t Go.”
You took a look at the track list, counting the number of songs. You nodded, “Okay, I’ll listen, but only if you let me recommend you something.”
He leaned against a display, “Alright, fine. Go get something and I’ll take it home tonight and listen. It better be good.”
You grinned, handing him his choice for you and also looking through the G’s. You pulled out How To Be A Human Being by Glass Animals and handed it to him, “Youth is my favorite track, but they’re all good. Pork Soda is great, too.”
He took a look at the cover and the track list, nodding, intrigued to hear your recommendation, “How about you give me another one just for the hell of it and I give you another one?”
You nodded, and you both parted ways to go find another. You went to the T’s and picked out Tame Impala’s album Currents. Take Impala was slightly mainstream, but they were your favorite, so you took the chance of giving it to him. You met him at the counter, second guessing your choice, “I chose Currents by Tame Impala, and I recommend you listen to Let It Happen, but you might not like it because they’re sort of mainstream, so if you want I can look for another-“
He interrupted you, smiling, “I’ll listen to whatever you want me to, regardless of popularity. I got you Fleetwood Mac’s wonderful album, Rumors! I remember you mentioning you’ve never listened to them before, and I think it’s a necessity in your collection. Listen to Dreams and Gold Dust Woman.”
“You were listening? When I walked into Mr Meyer’s classroom and I asked what song he was playing? Senior year?”
He chuckled, shaking his head, “Well, of course, I can’t go on with my life knowing you’ve never listened to Fleetwood Mac! That’s a sin.”
You smiled, nodding and handing him your recommendation, “Okay, I’ll listen tonight then.”
He grinned, ringing you up, “$16.12.”
You furrowed your eyebrows, slightly confused, “Did you forget to ring up the second one? That’s really cheap for two vinyls.”
“Second one is on me. For my favorite customer.” He put it in a bag, smiling at you sincerely.
You couldn’t help but blush before uttering out a thank you and leaving to your car.
I lose all control whenever you're around
Darling, don't you know
Now I must admit
I wouldn't last a single day
Without you in it
You sat on your living room couch, listening to every word of every song on the first album he recommended. The song playing was his favorite on the album, You’ve Got Me, and you couldn’t blame him for calling it his favorite. It was a good song, and it was beautifully written.
Meanwhile, Calum was listening to your first recommendation. He would usually not listen to music that had this sound, but he really enjoyed it. And the fact that it came from you made him like it even more. He wasn’t confused about what he was feeling in the slightest— he made a point when he gave you that recommendation. That album has tons of love songs. He was enchanted by you. He couldn’t stop thinking about you. There was something about you he just loved. Maybe it was your feisty attitude, or the fact that you made a point to prove yourself to him, but he would go into a trance when he saw you. He needed to see you now. He knew which room number was yours— you were only a few floors down. He decided to swallow his pride and go down to your room. He stood in front of your door and knocked; There was no going back now.
You answered the door, surprised to see Calum there, “Oh, hey. What’s up?”
He took a deep breath, thinking of what the hell he could say, “I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner at my place? I’m ordering takeout, and it’s no fun to have alone.” Nailed it. But now he had to pretend he didn’t just eat leftovers already.
“Um, sure, I’d like that.” You smile, slipping on your shoes that were by the door and quickly running to take the needle off of the record and put it back in the case. You then come back and close the door behind you as you exit your apartment.
He led you to his apartment, praying it wasn’t too messy. He unlocked the door and let you go in first, following behind and closing the door.
“I’m gonna order the food. If you want, you can choose a vinyl to put on.” He smiled at you, walking to the other room to talk on the phone. You looked through his collection, and it was impressive. He had every album by Joy Division on the shelf, and he also a few rare records displayed on the wall. You looked through the ones on the shelf, surprised to see a few Mac Demarco album. Calum walked back into the living room, sitting on the couch and waiting for you to choose an album.
“So, you’re a big Mac Demarco fan?”
He sat up, seeing his copy of 2 in your hands and blushing, “Uh, it’s a guilty pleasure.”
You put it on the player, moving the needle onto it and smiling at him, “I love this album.”
He smiled, patting the spot next to him, inviting you to sit beside him. You got up, taking his request and sitting beside him.
“Listen, I’m sorry for being kind of a dick that first day you came to the shop. I feel really bad.”
You shook your head, chuckling a bit, “It’s okay, Cal. Obviously you teased me because you like me.”
He blushed, “What? Where would you get that idea, I’ve never even looked at a girl!” He laughed, looking away from you and then back. He did like you. You were both silent as the sound of The Stars Keep On Calling My Name faded into My Kind of Woman. He wanted to kiss you. He needed to kiss you. His eyes flicked down to your lips and back up to your eyes, and he moved a piece of your hair out of your eyes, “Can I kiss you?”
You nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck. He leaned in and planted a kiss on your lips. At first, he was just gonna kiss you sweetly. Just to get the point across he liked you. That was all. But he wanted more than one little kiss. He kissed you again, harder this time. He pulled you into his lap, resting his hands on your hips as he moved his lips down to your neck. He paused, mumbling against your skin, “Is this alright, darling?”
You nodded, desperate for his touch. He then continued the action, peppering kisses here and there.
He came back up to look at you, singing the words of the song to you dramatically, “You’re making me crazy, really driving me mad!”
You giggled, blushing as he took your face in his hand, kissing you deeply.
He fiddled with the button on your jeans, looking up at you for permission. You nodded, and he pulled them off of you. You sat up, pulling your shirt off and throwing it across the room. He looked at you in awe, undoing his belt. His knee made its way between your legs, spreading them apart. He smiled, twirling a piece of your hair around his finger, “You’re so pretty, baby. The prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”
You blushed, shaking your head and looking away, “No no, not the prettiest.”
He frowned, putting his lips to your ear, “Let me make you feel like the prettiest girl in the world, yeah? Can you let me do that?”
You nodded, and he hooked his fingers onto your panties and pulled them off. He slowly pushed into you, allowing you to adjust to him. Your breath got quicker and heavier, and you gripped his shoulder, digging your nails into his skin. You couldn’t get any real words out, only moans.
He buried his face into your shoulder, gripping your waist with one hand to keep you in place, “You’re doing so good, darling. Taking me so well, aren’t you?” His lips met yours once more, kissing you sweetly and pulling back away.
You took his free hand by his wrist, placing his hand on your collarbones, hinting at something you wanted.
It took no time for him to understand, and he applied slight pressure to your neck. Finally, someone who actually knew how to choke. You gripped his wrist tighter, whimpering as he began to move faster inside of you.
“Are you gonna cum for me, princess? Are you ready?”
You nodded, feeling a pit in your stomach. Your walls clenched around him, and before you knew it, you came undone. You opened your eyes slowly, trying to catch your breath.
“You alright, darling? You did so good for me.” He ran his thumb over the marks on your neck, taking pride in what he left on your skin.
The doorbell rang, and Calum quickly put his jeans back on and throwing a blanket over top of you. He opened the door, and it was the takeout delivery. He quickly paid, telling the young guy to keep the change and closed the door.
He placed the bag on the coffee table, sitting beside you on the couch and handing you your clothes, “So… do you want the egg rolls or the dumplings?”
You were glad you fell for the dork from the record store.
Taglist!
@i-calumhood
@angelbabylu
@blahehblah
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keeroo92 · 5 years
Note
Commissioned fic request: V & feisty fem reader, friends to lovers w/lots of sexual tension leading to lots of spice. V being awkward; reader finds it charming. Maybe he roasts her for being a shorty. He loves teasing her but she gives him a run for his money because she loves messing with him too, a lot. Little does she know she’s asking for it. Prompts "The skirt is supposed to be this short","Who gave you that black eye?"(reader gets black eye XD), "I just like proving you wrong"(reader to V)
Thank you so much for the commission! You are officially the first person to do so. Since you gave me so much to work with, this will be split into a few posts. I couldn’t resist writing a nice, long story for ya! Enjoy!
(Takes place after the events of DMC5, in an AU where V survived even though Vergil still returned)
Word count - 2,999
True North Part 1
__________________
In a dark room somewhere in Red Grave City, a man tossed and turned as he did every night. The chilled autumn wind caressed his clammy skin and he grunted, his face strained in the moonlight spilling from his open bedroom window. His tattooed fingers clenched and a tear leaked from his closed eye, spilling into his already sweat-dampened obsidian hair. There was no one beside him; the tormented man slept alone.
V bolted upright with a gasp, eyes shooting open as if he’d been struck by lightning. The pounding of his heart refused to slow until he checked every corner of the room, despite how sure he was of his own safety. His nightmares often robbed him of his senses.
As was his ritual, he reached out through the shredded remains of his bond with his familiars, mourning them as if their sacrifice was only yesterday. He still found it difficult to believe; the three demons he’d fought to gain as allies ended up giving the last of their lives to preserve him. Trading what little power they had to anchor his soul.
As a consequence, he no longer had the means to fight demons alongside his friends. He had become ordinary, and while his friends still cared, they were busy saving the world. They didn’t have time to support him or help him heal, for reasons he understood despite the ache in his heart. So, while he survived the showdown, V still felt as if he’d lost everything.
In a way, he had.
V sighed and threw aside the blankets, airing out the portion of the sheets now soaked with his sweat. He shuffled to the small bathroom and splashed water on his face, taking comfort in the sting the cold fluid brought. He stared into the mirror, assessing the worth of the person he saw.
There’s still so much to atone for.
His hands clenched on the porcelain, remembering the many sins of his past. Every day he strived to make amends, but it wasn’t easy. Most of his crimes proved too terrible to counterbalance.
Mass murder. Conspiracy. Matricide. Theft.
Theft. He could fix that, couldn’t he? His emerald eyes shifted to gaze at the dresser where his now useless cane lied, remembering the day he stole it. To be fair, his circumstances at the time were… complicated.
Still, perhaps he could find that shop in the morning, pay for the broken case and for his thievery. It was better than nothing. He sighed again and returned to bed, lying on the side where the sheets remained somewhat dry.
 __________________
Retracing his footsteps from the day of his birth turned out to be more of a challenge than he’d expected. The city had changed so much, many buildings damaged or destroyed entirely during the crisis. In some neighborhoods, the carcasses of the Qlipoth roots stood vigil as a reminder to the citizens. V clicked his tongue as he stepped over one particularly large root, disdain written on his every feature.
What a fool I was.
He walked two more blocks before he saw it – the paned glass door, the carved columns framing it. V swallowed heavily as he remembered breaking the glass and unlocking the doors, dragging Griffon inside by his feet. Desperate to stay hidden from the pathetic Empusa. He was weaker now than he’d ever been.
He shook his head. This wasn’t a trip down memory lane, there was no point revisiting the past. No point dwelling on pain. He pushed the heavy door inward and entered the scene of his crime.
It had changed little. A display of porcelain dolls to his left, a case of jewelry to his right. Ahead, a shelf stuffed with baubles and accouterments waiting for a new home. He would’ve liked to browse, but he was here for a reason. His gaze swept the room, passing over the paraphernalia to find a tiny figure carrying a stack of books, a nametag barely visible past the bindings.
I thought child labor was illegal?
He approached curiously and watched as you shelved the myriad of tomes. Eventually he got a look at your face and he chuckled to himself, realizing you were most definitely not a child. He cleared his throat. You spun to face him with an obviously false smile.
“Hi, can I help you find anything?”
He shuffled his feet and sighed. This may end with him in handcuffs.
“I need to pay for something…” he began. You stared up at him, waiting for him to elaborate. He held out the silver cane and gave you a sheepish smirk.
“I stole this a few months ago during the crisis. I’ve come to purchase it properly.”
Your eyes flicked from his face to the cane, then back again. A more authentic grin spread across your features and you snickered, holding a hand over your lips to hide it. V lowered his arms; by the time the cane clicked against the tile, your guffaws had reached a state of frenzy. He shuffled his feet in embarrassment and waited for you to calm.
“Are you for real? Dude, everything damaged during that bullshit got written off as a loss. You could’ve taken Elvis’ jacket and literally nobody would have noticed,” you said eventually. V clicked his tongue, unable to withhold his annoyance at being teased. Especially since he was trying to do something right!
“Regardless. I also broke in through the door and shattered the case that contained it. I may have damaged several other items during my encounter with a demon.”
You looked him over with a sly gleam of amusement and led him to a counter with a shrug.
“If you really want to pay for it, the owner won’t complain. I can get the cane sorted out, but the damage might take a while. Are you sure you want to do this?”
V grimaced. His job at a local bookstore didn’t pay well, and his work experience didn’t merit a raise. He’d have to take on extra shifts to cover the expense. More hours spent helping idiots find something to read on the plane, mindlessly stocking the shelves and pretending to have any deference for his boss.
I must make amends.
“I’m sure.”
You smiled and gestured at the cane, indicating you needed to see it again. He handed it over and you hummed.
“Well, you have my respect, then. Not many people would fess up to that.”
V didn’t respond. He locked his eyes on the floor, remembering how black it looked as Griffon dissolved right before he’d bonded with the mouthy demonic bird. It surprised him how much he missed the snide commentary and barbed insults.
No one left to insult me except myself.
“I think seventy-five would be a fair price,” you said, handing back the cane. V pulled his wallet from his rear pocket, finally having made use of the chain from so long ago. He handed you a few bills with a smile. The register opened with a sharp click and you counted out his change, even printing a receipt. The tiny scrap of paper in his hand lifted a fraction of the guilt from his shoulders and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ll need your contact info for the glass,” you said, holding out a pen and notepad. He scrawled his name and cell, adding a note explaining his request. You peered at his writing curiously.
“Anyone ever tell you your handwriting looks like you’re five years old?”
V chuckled. He knew better than to mention how young he was, but it was tempting.
“Ah, I must be improving then,” he replied instead. You snickered and shook your head.
“Good one! I guess I’ll talk to you soon,” you glanced back at the pad, “V…”
  __________________
As much as he loved literature, working in a bookstore left V extremely unsatisfied. Most customers were after whatever new young adult fiction was big this week, or the latest self-help book. Not a soul asked him about poetry or classics, and the lack of stimulating conversation gave him far too much time to think.
He spent a significant portion of time trying to figure out other ways he could repay his misdeeds. Rarely did he stumble onto any new ideas or insights, and the repetitive cycle left him melancholy. Not a good mindset for customer service.
And according to Michael, we just sold out of that drivel the kids like. This will be a long day.
Still, he plastered as much of a smile as he could muster on his lips and pinned his nametag on, striding out onto the sales floor like it was a battleground infested with Hell Caina’s.
If only…
“Hey, you work here, right?”
He turned to face a youthful blonde, knowing from the tone of her voice alone what she wanted. Why she couldn’t have bothered Cassie instead was a mystery, the two would’ve likely been best friends within ten minutes. The idea twitched his lips into a faint smile as he nodded.
“Cool, you have that new one by Cyril McNabb, yeah?”
His jaw clenched in irritation. The girl didn’t even pronounce the author’s name correctly, let alone know the title. He took a deep breath and responded.
“I’m afraid we’re sold out. Can I recommend something else?”
The girl sneered at him, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a scoff.
“What, you don’t have like, one more copy in the back?”
V hid his hands behind his back and clenched them, keeping the pleasant smile on his face even as he seethed in annoyance.
“No.”
She pouted, puffing her lower lip out so theatrically he wondered how it remained attacked to her chin.
“Can’t you, like, go check? Cuz I didn’t come all this way for nothing.”
Her words echoed in his mind, harkening to that day in the Qlipoth. Nero had used the exact same phrase.
The shelves surrounding him vanished, replaced by falling chunks of rock and bloody vines. He was dragging the rash young warrior away from where Dante held Urizen in a stalemate, even as the boy screamed for him to let go. V’s rage had howled through him, lending him the strength to get Nero out even as he wanted to charge into the fray and finish it.
“Uhhh, hello? So, like, can you go check for me?” the young woman’s grating voice said, shattering the memory like glass.
He didn’t think, responding on sheer impulse.
“I suppose I could, but I will not. I happen to know we sold the last copy this morning, and your insistence on special treatment will not cause another copy to magically materialize just for you. I’d recommend an alternative, but truthfully the best use of your time would be a grammar textbook or a collection of poetry, and I doubt someone of your limited intelligence would make it past the first page.”
Gods, that felt good to say.
Even as he enjoyed a surge of self-satisfaction, he knew he’d fucked up. The girl’s jaw hung open in shock as she blinked back tears. Her lower lip trembled as the first few drops slipped through her false lashes. To make matters worse, Michael stomped out from behind the mystery novels with a scowl, having overheard every word.
“V, go wait in my office. Miss, please come with me and I’ll have another associate check for you,” the pudgy manager said.
Damn.
Barely ten minutes later, V turned in his nametag and walked out the door. He brushed his hair out of his face and crossed the tree-lined intersection. Where could he work, with his lack of expertise in anything besides hell and demons? Life was so much easier when he didn’t expect to live longer than a month. Now, there were bills and rent to worry about, not to mention his car payment.
Granted, V had a respectable amount saved. He lived a modest life and made it a point of pride to set aside what he could. It may cost a great deal to atone, and it never hurt to have a safety net.
A buzz in his pocket stopped him in his tracks; his phone. He pulled it from his pocket to find an unfamiliar local number on the screen. His shoulders tensed and he braced himself for more bad news as he tapped the green dot.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this V?”
“Yes, what can I do for you?”
He stepped off the sidewalk to lean on a brick wall, allowing an old couple holding hands to pass.
“It’s Y/N, from the antique shop on first street?”
He smirked, adopting a teasing tone as he replied. “I believe so, are you lost?”
“Ha-ha, hilarious. The owner passed me the receipts today, total comes out to $3,274.55, including all damaged property. She wanted to say thank you and that you can make as many payments as you need.”
“Ah. I suppose I’m lucky Elvis’ jacket wasn’t damaged.”
You snorted in mirth. “Nah, just his wig. When can you drop by?”
V clicked his tongue. He needed to find work quickly, but if he didn’t have a minimum amount he wanted to make the first payment as soon as possible. Begin the process.
“I’m on my way,” he said.
—Reader—
You chuckled as you hung up, still stuck on his crack about Elvis. The man had a talent for one liners, you had to give him that much. Part of you hoped he’d make his payment in person, so you could exchange jokes with him, but in this era the chances were slim. You sighed and turned back to the thick stack of papers, re-reading the top sheet for what felt like the hundredth time.
Ugh, lame. I wish someone else could work on this.
Still, it needed to get done. You forced yourself to focus and muddled through a third of the stack before a soft voice interrupted.
“There’s a guy here to see you, should I show him back?” Peter asked from the doorway. You nodded and he vanished, silent as a mouse only to reappear seconds later with the tattooed man in tow.
A ruler marked where you left off in the accursed pile as you waved V inside with a smile.  He looked strange in khaki pants and an olive shirt, the look so different from the dark jeans and layered tees he wore when you first met. He sat in the only other chair in the room, a mere three feet away from you.
“So! V! Ready to meet the owner?”
He nodded, making a move to stand once again. You cackled internally as you reached out to shake his hand.
“Surprise! It’s me.”
His lips twitched into a smirk and he let out a single syllable of amusement, eyes scanning the cramped room. Cluttered cork boards lined the walls, various notices and a few choice comic strips pinned up. Shelves lined the walls all the way to the ceiling in the few areas left over, packed with detritus and binders you hadn’t opened in years. Your desk was the cleanest surface in the room, littered with the stack of papers you needed to finish reading, a few pens and office supplies.
“So this is your office?”
“Yup! Though I let a few people use it sometimes.”
He nodded knowingly, as if something became clear to him with your words. You stared at him quizzically until he broke the silence to answer your unasked question.
“I was wondering why you had shelves so high when you’re so small,” he explained. “Which begs the question, how do you stock the higher displays?”
You restrained the urge to roll your eyes. It was inevitable, especially considering he was so damn tall. How could he not notice how short you were when he had to look down to make eye contact? You’d heard it all before.
“Witchcraft. And a few piggy back rides,” you deadpanned.
“Also known as a stool, I assume,” he replied with a smirk, not missing a beat.
Damn, he’s good. But so am I.
“Stewart, actually. Though we had to let him go when he started hiding my pens on the top shelf.”
The two of you stared at each other for a moment before you couldn’t keep a straight face anymore, breaking down into laughter as V released a few quiet sniggers.  You couldn’t remember the last person you met who appreciated your sense of humor. Wit was a dying skill, in your experience. How nice to find someone who enjoyed it as much as you did.
You fought your lips into a neutral expression, folding your hands professionally on your desk. V’s sparkling emerald eyes nearly sent you over the edge again, but somehow you kept your focus. Business first, jokes later.
Hopefully.
“So, how do you want to do this?” you asked, lips still twitching in rebellion.
He clenched his jaw, irritation radiating off him in waves. The change in mood wiped out the last of your amusement and you wondered if you’d offended him.
“I can do one hundred today, after that I’m not sure. I’ve just been fired,” he said tersely.
Oh my gosh, that’s perfect!
Wait. Slow your roll. Why was he fired?
You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why?”
He shifted his weight, matching your suspicion with plenty of his own. “What does it matter to you?”
You uncrossed your arms and smiled.
“Because I’m hiring.”
Part 2
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jellybeanbeing · 4 years
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History of My Bookshelf Challenge
Created by the amazing Emmmabooks!
1. The oldest book on your shelf - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir 
This is the first physical book I’ve ever gotten and still have. Yes, I only purchased it in 2018 but it’s been about two years so it counts because the other books I have, I got after.
2. A book you read in 2013 (adjust for however many years you like!) - Divergent by Veronica Roth  
I’m like, 85% sure I read this in 2013. I think I read it because the movie was coming out and I wanted to read the book first so I could judge the movie, but it’s been like five years and I still haven’t seen it.
3. A book you read in 2014 - Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
I only remember reading this book during this year because I was sitting at a teacher’s desk when someone came up to me and asked me why I was reading the book when it was going to be required reading in the near future. Other than that, I remember liking the book, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t today.
4. A book you read in 2015 - Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy 
Again, this is one I’m 85% sure I read in 2015. This whole book was a fever dream to me and I kind of want to read it again. 
5. A book you read in 2016 - The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West 
The one thing that makes me sure I read this in 2016 was because I had made a new friend that year and the characters in the book had the same names as her brothers and I messaged her about it. 
6. A book you read in 2017 - A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 
2017 was a good reading year for me. Before 2017, I read a lot of YA romantic contemporaries and I wasn’t going to change that until my friend lent me ACOTAR. I was reluctant at first because fantasy isn’t my favorite genre but I gave it a try and I really liked it. I ended up finishing the series and moving to other popular fantasy and otherworldly books.
7. A book you read in 2018 - The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White 
This is the year I finally started tracking the books I read. I read about 52 books this year and I’m choosing this one because my experience with it is a semi-interesting one. So I read Frankenstein in class that year and hated it. Found out this book was coming out and showed it to my English teacher who preceded to buy the book, read it, and lent it to me. Said I would probably like it better than the original (because I was open about my feelings of hatred towards the book in class) and turns out, I did! I loved what Kiersten White did with the story and the characters. I was engaged and actually really cared about the characters. 
8. A book you read in 2019 - On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta 
I’m obviously going to talk about this one so here it goes: I honestly don’t know what made me put this book on my TBR but it ended up there somehow (I think Goodreads recommended it to me???? But I’m not too sure). Anyways, I was watching a video from Jessethereader where he deciphers emojis into book titles and one of them was “On the Jellicoe Road” so I took that as a sign to read the book. I read it, was confused for a bit, but then fell head over heels for the story and the characters and everything about it. It’s one of my all-time favorite books now and I’m going to reread it again soon. I’ll try to make a review for it.
9. A book you’ve read more than once - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stievater 
Is this a surprise? No. Well, kind of. I’ve only read this book (and series) twice but I’m already planning on rereading it soon and every year after that. It’s my all-time favorite book series and that’s not gonna change for a while. I love the books, I love the characters, I love the story, I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. And it’s funny because it took me so long just to read The Raven Boys because I kept DNFing it. I picked it up in 2016, read the first three chapters, put it down, and forgot about it. A couple months after that, I picked it up again, read the first three chapters, and decided this book wasn’t for me. Around 2018, I got the sudden urge to read the books and thought “fuck it, I’m reading it and I’m gonna finish the book.” I finished the series and mildly liked it. I got another sudden urge to read the series again this 2019 year and IT BLEW MY FREAKING MIND WITH HOW GOOD IT WAS. I just have so much appreciation for this book and Maggie Stiefvater now, and I love it.
10. A book you waited over a year to be published - A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir 
This is honestly the only book I’ve waited over a year to come out. I finished Torch in 2016 and I had to wait until 2018 to read Reaper. It was torture. And it’s still torture because we’re all waiting for Ember 4.
11. A book you read on vacation/away from home - Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
I read this for school and I remember going to California for a dance competition and not having a phone or something to entertain me so I took the book with me. For about a week, I read bits and pieces of it before going to bed. One moment I remember so vividly is reading the book on the plane ride back and it being dark and someone telling me to turn off my light because they were trying to sleep. I then proceeded to turn off my light and stare into the darkness because I wasn’t tired and I couldn't read my book. And if you’re wondering, it was one of those planes that didn’t have a TV at every seat.
12. A book you got from someplace special (anything that’s not your local bookstore/online retailer) - Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 
My English teacher was retiring and giving away some of his books, and so I decided to rummage through his book and found a special edition of Madame Bovary with gold spray painted edges. It was gorgeous, but I gave it away.
13. A book that made you cry - Mosquitoland by David Arnold
I didn’t cry while reading this book at first, but I went back to read a few passages before giving it away and I don’t know what struck a chord in me but I was crying my eyes out over the book. The passage I had read just resonated with me in that moment and I couldn't help but cry. I read the book before some problems in my life occurred so I guess when I went to read the few parts of the book again, it all hit me real hard.
14. A book you read in one sitting - My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
This one is a fun one (my experience with the book, not the book itself). So, I was, I think 12 or 13 or 14 years old when I read this. At this particular age, I was a firecracker when reading books. I would finish a book, A FULL 300 PAGE BOOK, in one night. I did this a lot. I’m not exaggerating. I think it’s about more than 20 books that this “finishing in one night” happened. This one though, was crazy. I started this book one night at around 7/8pm and finished it around maybe 12am? I then proceeded to pick up another 300 page book right after AND FINISH IT THAT VERY NIGHT, or morning, whatever you think. My reading energy was off the fucking charts at that age. I can’t do this anymore, by the way. It will literally take me a whole month to finish a 200 page book.
15. A book that was a gift - A Conjuring of Light by V.E Schwab 
I had already gotten the book for myself but a friend of mine bought me the book and I couldn’t say no so I took the book and now I have two paperback copies of ACOL, and I’m not mad about it.
16. A book you read before owning (library, borrowed from a friend) - Sula by Toni Morrison
I read for school, and let me tell you, it’s the only book I’ve read for school that I liked and was memorable for a good reason. Right from the first page, it captured my attention and kept it through out the book. I’m planning on rereading it and hopefully I’ll still like it as much as I first did.
17. A book you lent to someone else - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows is a popular YA series but do you know how hard it was to make one of my friends read this and actually finish it? I gave it to like three of my friends and they all ended up telling me they couldn't get past the first couple of chapters. But I finally got one of my friends to read the duology and finish it and love it as much as I did. I finally have a friend I can talk to about the books.
18. A book that has been damaged - The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater
I tend to keep my books in pretty good condition, but I also have butter fingers, so that’s something. Anyways, the amount of times that I have dropped this book and bent the covers is truly astonishing. And it’s bizarre, because whenever I dropped TRB or TDT or BLLB, the covers didn’t bend but when I drop TRK, the cover ALWAYS bends and it’s a whole mess but I still love it. I almost forgot to mention that I got it already fucked up so maybe it’s meant to be.
19. A book you got on sale/discounted - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Yes, I’m using this book again because, why not? Anyways, I got this at a thrift store and I was so psyched. I saw this book on the shelf and was so appalled because who would thrift such a good book? (If you didn’t like the book, great. That’s your opinion.) So I decided that this was my chance to finally own a book after years of not owning one, and have it be one of my favorite books.
20. A book you read with someone else (buddy read/read with a book club) - The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen
I take this question to also include books I have read as required reading in class because technically, I did read it with my class. I had such a fun time picking at this book. It was not my favorite book, though I really liked the first story. My English teacher had us write commentary and I loved it. There was no literary analysis whatsoever in my notes, and I think that’s what I loved the most. I reread my notes for that book recently and they are gems.
21. A book you associate with a song - A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
When the Party’s Over by Billie Eilish is just a song that I associated with Charlotte Holmes, and that’s never gonna change.
22. A book you associate with a food - Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
It’s not a specific food but more of school lunch for me. I just remember that QOAAD had come out and I was carrying that hunk of a book around and it didn’t fit in my backpack so I carried it in my arms. I was reading the book while my friend was eating her lunch beside me. After she finished eating, I had told her that there were pictures in the book and I wanted to be surprise but she wasn’t gonna read it so she flipped through the book and looked at the pictures. 
23. A book you got years ago that you probably wouldn’t buy now - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
I got this book in Chicago this 2019 year around May only so it’ s not years ago, but I was a different person in May 2019, alright? I honestly wouldn’t get this book now because I’ve learned that I’m not a big history fan. 
24. A book you associate with a specific time in your life - Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
I was first introduced to this book a long time ago, around the age of 9, I think? My sister had a stack of books from school and I decided to look through it. I read a book called Hushi(?) and I literally, for the life of me, cannot remember who the author was but I really liked that book. Anyways, after reading that, I read bits and pieces of Speak and I vividly remember the day being a bright and sunny day, and reading the attack scene and being so shocked by it. I didn’t really understand it at the time, but every time I read that book or see it, it brings me back to when I was nine.
25. A book you used to like, but don’t anymore - The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter
I talked about this book in another post of mine but it reiterate what I said: this book was a favorite of mine in 2018 but then I reread it again and didn't love it as much. It wasn’t a book that fully captured my attention or kept me intrigued. 
26. The newest book on your shelf - Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater
LAST QUESTION! Call Down the Hawk came out recently and you know I had to buy it. I’m currently reading it right now, and I’m already loving it. I’m so excited for what’s in store for the characters. I am, however, feeling a little bit sad because we won’t get to see the whole Gangsey together again (or for a while). Reading CDTH is also making me realize that those who haven’t read The Raven Cycle aren’t going to know the Ronan and Adam and Gansey and Blue that those who have read TRC know them. I don’t say this to be offensive or “you’re not a true fan because you didn’t read TRC”. No, I’m not trying to say that. It’s just like you meeting someone when you’re both 30 as opposed to 14. People are different people at different ages, and Ronan and Adam are different characters in CDTH than TRC and so some people who haven't read TRC series won’t know that version of them. And also, I mean different as in they’ve grown and certain aspects of them have changed.
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jorammiireads · 4 years
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tagged! Shelf History!
❀ This tag is for those books that came to you in an unusual, interesting, funny, or sweet way. Pick 5 (or more if you want) books from your shelf and tell us the story of how you came to own that book. If you’re a public library user and don’t really own any books, you can still participate. Just tell us the most interesting/funny/sweet ways you came to find a particular library book.
Tag your posts #ShelfHistory so I can see them all!
When you’re finished, tag 5 (or more) readers whose Shelf-History you’d like to know about! This one can easily be done on any blogging/vlogging platform so feel free to tag cross-platform if you really want to. ❀
I was tagged by @feywildfiction --Thanks :) :)
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Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer in Spanish
Okay, honestly, I’ve still never read this book in it’s entirety (the Spanish version, I’ve read the English version). But I absolutely love it because it’s got a note in the back from when one of my best friends gave it to me in high school. And I love reading the note when I get sad or nostalgic because it’s what he wrote to me instead of signing my yearbook.
The Sonnets of William Shakespeare
@katiekat917 sent me this in a beautiful care package last year and I love it and her friendship and it’s got lots of warm memories even though it was actually the middle of snow storm when I first got the package.
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
I first read this as an eArc from Netgalley the summer before it came out. Then later Scott Reintgen did a reading at a local bookstore and so I went up to him and asked if he could sign a bookmark because I didn’t own a copy of the book and as a grad student didn’t really have the budget to buy any new books. And someone from the signing overheard me and bought me a copy which was soooo sweet and honestly I cried because it was so sweet. And so now I have a signed copy!
A Book of Enchantments and Curses (that’s partially the book but also a journal)
I will always have really fond memories of this book. My ex-boyfriend gave this to me and wrote a really really nice note that always makes me cry. I know it’s partially a journal but I haven’t been able to write in it and at this point probably never will. 
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (arc)
I met Tomi Adeyemi at Yallfest a couple years ago and she was absolutely so sweet. We had a really nice (albeit short) conversation and I told her how excited I was for it and she put me in touch with her publisher and sent me an arc in the mail and I cried then too because it was amazingly sweet. And then I cried while reading it because it was a good book.
Harry Potter Complete Box-Set
I got this as compensation for working a Scholastic warehouse sale! Basically, Scholastic warehouses near you have two book sales every year and they always ask for volunteers but they pay you in book credits! So i used my volunteer money to buy a brand new set of the Harry Potter books. I only recently took the plastic wrapping off but I still have only read my old set. Which actually, I have a story about...
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
I found out about the books in third grade when the movie came out over the winter holidays. I remember seeing the movie trailers and really wanting to watch the movie, but back then my parents never took us to the movies and I was too young to go with friends. So if I found out movies were based on books I always read the book since I couldn’t watch the movie. So my third grade teacher had a few copies of the book and I borrowed one. The problem was that she had asked everyone to return the books before winter break because she was going to inventory her books and redo her “check out” worksheets. But I loved the book so much that I didn’t give it back before leaving for the holidays and so I kept it because then I was too embarrassed to give it back afterwards. So I still have it on my shelves. I feel guilty but not really because the teacher was also not very nice. 
Hmm okay that was a lot more than 5 books but here are 5 booklrs I’d love to hear more about!
@katiekat917, @bookwormofbeauty, @the-forest-library, @tsfennec, @bookcub
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ninja-muse · 4 years
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Shelf History Tag
❀ This tag is for those books that came to you in an unusual, interesting, funny, or sweet way. Pick 5 (or more if you want) books from your shelf and tell us the story of how you came to own that book. If you’re a public library user and don’t really own any books, you can still participate. Just tell us the most interesting/funny/sweet ways you came to find a particular library book.
Tag your posts #ShelfHistory so I can see them all!
When you’re finished, tag 5 (or more) readers whose Shelf-History you’d like to know about! This one can easily be done on any blogging/vlogging platform so feel free to tag cross-platform if you really want to. ❀
Tagged by @books-are-portals and @quillbit-reads. Thank you!
The Riverside Chaucer - This was gifted to me by the high school English teacher I always thought liked me the least, but years later while he was unhauling for a move.
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell - I was on holiday in the UK when I got an email from work that David Mitchell was doing a bookseller meet and greet in my city like two days after I got home, to promote this (then new) book. Since going to that was a no-brainer and the UK edition is objectively prettier, I made a special trip to Waterstones to get a copy my last day there.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare - I’m not sure exactly which used bookstore I got this in, but it was the summer after Grade 8, which was the year a teacher took pity on me and introduced me to Shakespeare. So, when I ended up in a bookstore, as you do, and I saw this for not a whole lot of money, really, well, the horrifying 1970s colour scheme didn’t matter.
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - After Grade 9, my “I’m Going to Read All The Classics” phase was going strong, largely thanks to lugging the aforementioned Shakespeare around school for a year, so I asked for “classics, any classics” for my birthday that year. I got about 10? Many of which are still unread on my shelves, because the phase didn’t last, but this is my favourite of the ones I’ve read.
Deutsches Wörterbuch - Gifted to me by my German correspondence teacher, who saw me through four years of courses, when I finished German 12.
Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable - One of several books from Dad’s library unhauls. (Don’t worry, he gets my unhauls too.)
The Wild Cards series, #2 and continuing, edited by George R.R. Martin - the used bookstore with the really good SFF collection was closing its doors and had a massive sale on everything, so naturally I went. I was in the middle of a superhero phase at the time and when I saw they had about 80% of the series to date, I grabbed it all.
Ringworld by Larry Niven - A few years ago, I was visiting my grandfather for a family do when he said, “Hey, so there’s this box of vintage sci-fi in the garage, help yourself”. It turned out when I got back upstairs with my stack (this included) that they’d belonged to my uncle in his teens.
Longbourn by Jo Baker - Acquired on the same trip as The Bone Clocks. I had a 12-hour layover in Zürich on my way home, and like a clever person, had only kept one book in my carry-on, which I’d finished on the plane. This was bought for me in pity at an airport bookshop by a first cousin.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie - I would have been about 5 or 6 when my parents took me into what was then the local bookstore. I no longer remember the exact sequence of events, but I know I needed a copy of this book and that the owner climbed up to a half-floor above the shop itself, where he had a new delivery, and unpacked this book just for me.
Tagging @lizziethereader @youngneemleaves @bookcub @accidentalspaceexplorer @thelivebookproject​ @doughtahturns​ and anyone else who wants to do this!
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thepiecesofcait · 3 years
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Hello! just wanted to say, I got my link to the PDF of your Miserable Month and it looks fantastic! I'm so glad I got the preorder, there are definitely illos I missed and they are all so wonderful! Thanks for making them available this way!
Hello!
Thank you! I have been hoarding this ask for weeks because it brings me such joy to read - this little zine project has consumed so much of my life these past few months, and there’s definitely been moments I’ve wanted to walk away from it completely, BUT! I DIDN’T! And I am so so so proud of how everything has turned out!
Also - as of today all of the preorders are officially on their way! (Technically they have been for a fortnight, but I called in some help with posting to take the edge off of shipping rates between Australia and the US, and that leg of the shipping took a hot minute)
Everyone that ordered a copy should have received an email through Etsy with their tracking number by now, and they should be arriving within the next week or so! I am so excited for people to finally be getting their copies, and I am so so thankful for everyone that supported this project!
Once all the zines arrive at their new homes I’ll be listing my leftover copies on my Etsy store, so if anyone wanted one but missed out on the preorder window keep an eye out for that :)
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wongcombs00-blog · 5 years
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The way to Sell Books to Private Bookstores
Numerous experts in this book publishing business enterprise, including John Kremer, Dan Poynter, and numerous other people, register to the belief the fact that bookstores are the worst place to sell your guide. They have many legitimate factors behind making that will statement, including: The ledge life of a typically published book is concerning about three weeks in some sort of bookstore. Your audience may well not include folks who move to bookstores. Your e book will not stand outside among a great number of other books on the bookstore cabinets. You can make more cash selling your e book by yourself at author situations. These kind of points are almost all logical. Nevertheless that isn't going to mean an author should never give time to constructing robust relationships with bookstores no matter, and good interactions, especially with your local and independent bookstores, can certainly result in significant sales and publicity. Most individuals who love books plus go through lots of publications still take a look at bookstores. I've viewed Jack Canfield point out that only one throughout seven people visit bookstores. Nonetheless if you accomplish the math, one in seven Americans is a besides of a lot-about forty five million people. That's one particular major potential audience. Certainly, folks might see your own personal book consist of places, including gift stores, craft displays, and the Net, although if 45 million individuals are visiting bookstores, I consider will be certainly a good good opportunity you are going to sell some guides at this time there Authors should try to work with chain/big box and independent bookstores, but most authors, if usually or maybe independently posted, will see independent bookstores a lot more sensitive to working along with them. Home improvement stores are likely to have a wide range of red tape and commercial policies that make them relentless to self-published and nearby authors. Even if the particular local branch of some sort of big chain store would like to work with the author, it is often helpless to do so that on account of corporate guidelines of which oversee return policies or perhaps refuse to carry self-published ebooks. Additionally , chain stores tend to have bigger staff members and greater turnover the fact that make it more difficult for budding writers to develop relationships with retail outlet employees. And yes, your ebooks stand a good possibility of being buried on typically the shelves in a big box chain store. Self-employed bookstores, by comparison, may be a delight to work along with. People that work in impartial bookstores enjoy books. These people are big audience, plus if you acquire a new relationship with those people, they are going to remember you and even your book together with highly recommend it to people. When you build a partnership having an separate bookstore's employees, they will reciprocate by means of acting as intermediary throughout building a marriage between you and your reader. Here will be just a few of the gains authors My partner and i know have received by working with independent bookstores: Individual bookstores advertise throughout nearby newspapers, on native tv set, and in various other stores to acquire customers in to their stores. If was first the last time a person saw an advertisement on TV or in the newspapers to get Amazon or even Barnes as well as Noble? Although a lot of people go on the internet to buy books, right now there remains to be a huge inhabitants of seniors who are avid audience and have the lot of time on their hands to study, but they have opposed being online. They will be more prone to find out concerning your book by way of TELEVISION and newspapers, therefore bookstores that advertise your reserve signings and books will certainly reach this audience along with local readers in common. Older persons are likewise a great deal more likely to store found in brick-and-mortar local bookstores. Nearby independent bookstore workers find out you so they usually are more likely to host a book signing intended for you. And because you dwell nearby, if they have got a good cancelling by a further publisher for an celebration, they may possibly even contact you around come and even get involved. Whenever customers request for suggestions, staff with the bookstore you include a relationship with are usually more likely to have read your book and even highly recommend it to clients. The money from income from independent bookstores remains inside the community-you're definitely not sending that money away from to another express. russian books provides jobs in your own group and supports the particular bookstore's local staff. The idea creates money into the neighborhood and to the persons who are likely to help buy your books. Independent bookstores may go on consignment or even may buy directly by the author. In any case, once the books are offered, it can rare for a author to have to wait three months days for transaction, which in turn is the normal wait around when dealing with large box outlets, book suppliers, or regular web publishers. Libraries love to take care of private bookstores because they will be additional versatile than huge dining establishments on giving libraries exclusive rates. If your own books are near independent bookstores, your local library may well be more likely to help buy them. Independent bookstores will often sponsor activities while using local library, seeing as well as be involved in native celebrations. Big box merchants are much less probably to participate in community activities. As a result, authors associated with independent bookstores can certainly build their links in order to key organizers of local community events. An author associated with a local independent bookstore can create larger community awareness of his / her books and build up a community notion that will he is "one of them, " thus becoming a new regional celeb. Because associated with their close connection together with libraries, independent book store masters and administrators happen to be identified to sit on library boards and participate around better statewide book situations, such as choosing a "community read" and even which in turn books the state library will promote as significant. A relationship with the particular book store can help your own personal book to have noticed to get these reading courses. Authors who have relationships using independent bookstores are extra likely to have their courses be given better product or service placement in those stores, which includes in the front window, on the first stand shopping, and on this front counter-in different words and phrases, it's not true your book will be lost among the list of thousands of different books. Indie bookstores frequently work with one another. Due to the fact they care about the particular area and keeping income in the neighborhood area, My partner and i have recognized bookstore administrators who, when they don't have a title looking some sort of buyer wants without delay, will call up another retailer in the same or perhaps closeby town to see a copy for the client so the buyer won't go to The amazon online marketplace. In the event creators build relationships along with all the bookstores within a hundred kilometer radius or so, they will likely never have to consider dropping sales because the local retailer-store ran out involving their books.
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kittenshift-17 · 5 years
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I was wondering what your process of choosing to self publish was?
I’m not really sure what you mean by “my process of choosing to self publish”…. If you’re asking why I went the indie publishing route rather than the traditional route, the answer is three-fold.
First, I submitted my manuscript to several publishing agents within my own country, and a few abroad. I heard back from two of them, both based in London, both offering me a contributory contract. What that means is, they print my book, they market my book, but I have to fork out an inordinate amount of money for the privilege. Both companies I heard back from wanted me to pay, upfront, in a lump sum of 5000 pounds each before they would “take the risk” of investing in a novel that “sounds very enticing, but has no guarantee of selling.”
Which leads to my second point. The publishing market is flooded with authors all trying to push their work in front of a publisher and in front of a reader. The competition alone is tough. What’s worse is that in the past publishing houses have too often bet on the wrong horse, so to speak. They receive millions of stories every year, and go through them, select novels they think they can effectively market, and more than about half of those they bet on, flop. You walk into your local ‘popular’ or big-chain bookstore and you’ll see what I mean. There are books on those shelves that no one is reading, no one is buying, no one is interested it. Meaning the publishing company loses money. As a result, after years and years of this, most publishers refuse to accept manuscripts from new, or even established authors unless they can prove their book will sell. Why invest money just to lose again when there are tools allowing authors to prove their worth within the market?  Every publishing house I submitted my work to (excluding those that wanted me to pay for it) had listed in their fine print that unless you had a book agent, you wouldn’t even be considered. Book agents are expensive. Half the time, I struggle to pay the bills to keep the bloody lights on. Most authors do. Hell, most people do. 
Which leads into my third point. IF by some miracle, you come into some money to pay an agent to shove your work at a publisher, you get contracted. And when you get contracted you have to sign a very long document that strips the author of all creative rights to their work. Meaning that you get no say in cover design. No say in bits of content that are ripped out. No say in how it’s marketed, who it’s marketed to, what price they put on it. Nothing. You get a settlement cheque from the company because they purchase your manuscript - and unless you’re a big name like Rowling, you get a pittance. Typically you might be given between 5-15k dollars for the manuscript and you get a royalty on sales. A very small royalty. Usually between 20-40% depending on how well the book does, the company you sign with, and what genre it is.
Now, for a book like mine…. They’re a dime a dozen. A werewolf romance novel? One of the most easily accessible things on the market if you know where to look. Unfortunately, the places to look are not the big chain bookstores. They don’t stock a whole lot of smutty werewolf romance on their shelves (because gods forbid the average reader have access to interesting and diverse reading options). You might find a few werewolf novels amongst the Young Adult section if you rip out all the smut; and if you include adventure and war and other rubbish, you might land on the Sci-Fi/Fantasy shelves, but it’s unlikely. There’s an enormous market for it. I’ve spent years collecting novels like the ones I enjoy writing. In fact, I started writing them because initially, I searched the big book stores, couldn’t find anything like it, and wanted to read it, so I wrote it my dang self. 
But the publishers and the bookstores don’t want to take a chance on the genre as a whole, from what I can see. Everyone jumped on Vampires following the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Sookie Stackhouse books, and even the Twilight Saga, and if you look hard, you might still find a few of those types dotting the shelves, but again, not that many. I don’t know what the book companies do with all the books they do take a chance on that don’t sell. Maybe they have a monthly bonfire or something and lament the dollars wasted before demanding another, better book from their contracted authors, but I sure as hell haven’t been buying them. Excluding buying gifts for my partner from the Sci-Fi section to the tune of Brandon Sanderson and Patrick Rothfuss, I haven’t actually purchased a book from a book store in a long while because when they hit on an idea, they flood the market with crappy b-grade choices that mimic the initial spark. I mean, you look at the shelves for teen fiction. Sarah J Maas is killing it with her fairie novels, but now the market is full of fairy writers and none of them hold a candle to the Maas novels. And if you’re unfortunate enough to pick the b-grade choice first, you turn your nose up at the rest and nothing gets bought. 
Maybe the same happened with werewolves. Who knows? I don’t remember it. I remember a few in the teen section when I was scouring it every other day, and I picked up a couple that were addictive and delicious. But for the adult section? Nope. You get the “Woman goes on holiday, has fling, yaaay” and the “This terrible thing befell a career woman. Now she’s pregnant” and all that other rubbish. I know Anne Rice tried her hand at werewolf fiction after her success with the vamps, and it flopped hard. I was gifted a copy when I turned 18 and I still haven’t read the whole thing. *shrugs* Unfortunately, the publishing houses know her for her novels, and they think that if she can’t do it, no one else will succeed, either. It’s painful.
In any case, I chose to Indie publish my novel because I can’t afford to fork out thousands of dollars for a literary agent, or a contributory contract. And because through Amazon, I retain creative freedom. I designed the cover, I polished the book and decided what got ripped out, what was re-written, and what was kept. I get to set the price on the book, and I can unpublish it, release a new edition with a different cover, I can do anything. When you Indie publish, you’re in control. Complete control. It does mean having to push your own wagon, and that’s some damn hard work trying to break into the market, garner a reader following, get some hype going about it, and keep people interested in it. When the big companies are producing Book Trailers for their novels, it’s pretty damn hard to hold up an Indie novel and lure readers to give it a go. But I’m trying my hand at it. If it garners enough attention, a company might contact me. I know my fellow author, Gerilyn Marin, had that happen with her first novel. She indie published it, and when it did well, a publishing company contacted her.
That being said, many authors who have contracts with publishing houses have been pulling out of them to go it alone. It’s more cost effective. You can publish on Amazon.com for free. All you need is a cover, a manuscript, and a KDP account. You can set your royalties to 35% or 70% and keep a larger portion of your profits depending on what your target market is, and what kind of pricing you want to put on your works. You’re in charge. 
So I guess my process was one of elimination. If at first you don’t succeed, try; try again, and all that. Maybe I’ll hit it big. Maybe I won’t. I’ll keep writing. I’ve got plenty more Original Fiction works up my sleeve. If this first series I’m releasing doesn’t shoot me to the moon, maybe the next one will. *shrugs* right now, I’m just happy that some people are giving it a go. It’s nice, after so long writing and sharing fanfiction, to be making some money off the time and effort put in to perfecting my writing. 
Anyone interested can find my debut novel here:
Paranormal Division: Awakening by Ellie J Duck
xx-Kitten. 
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myxmentrashblog · 6 years
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How do you recommend reading the comics? Also where can I find them?
Hi! I’ve gotten this question a few times! I don’t mind, and it’s very flattering, but it HAS inspired me to tag all of the posts I’ve answered or reblogged.  
how to read the x-men comics(catchy name, me. And I’m sure it will be more helpful once I figure out how to put tag links in my description)
I’ll be sure to look for helpful posts to add to this list in the future. Considering I always seem to do things the most complicated way, if anyone else would like to add to this list or correct me on anything, that would be appreciated!
As for where you can find them: there are a few places to go. As a general rule: it’s more economical (and less of a headache) to get collected trades of comics whenever you can.Also, I’m all about saving money, but if possible, please consider purchasing the current runs new from the store or from Marvel.com and associated sites/services directly. The best way to keep series and creators we love around is to affect the sales. Companies love things that make them money!Anyway:
Physical copies: I like books I can hold, so I occasionally try to track down certain books for my shelf. Generally, I do digital though because I’m already a packrat, but here’s how I’ve found physically copies, if you’re interested:
The Library: For just reading-and-not-keeping purposes, you’d be surprised what you can find at the local library. Mine has a decently-sized comic and graphic novel section. It’s a good option for those casually-interested in trying out the comics, -especially since they often carry trade collections so you should be able to get a whole arc or two of continuous story.
Second-Hand Shops: A lot of used bookstores and thrift stores sell cheap comics. If you’re really lucky, thrift store employees will sometimes place comic books and manga in the children’s books section for a fraction of their value. I haven’t had any luck with X-Men comics, but I may have acquired the Death Note manga series for 25 cents a book this way.. .Book Stores: Most book stores in general will have a comic book section. I currently have 70 or 80 single issues of Excalibur* that I got while digging through the stacks at a new and used book store. And because I never got a box for them, they’re all stacked in my dresser drawer like I’m a 12-year-old from the 90s hiding dirty magazines.Amazon/Ebay: I’ve had some luck getting trades off of Amazon. If you don’t mind a little wear, you can find good deals every now and then. Book stores love selling extra stock this way and you can often find “used” books that have never been opened! Having a Prime account has saved me on shipping (for some books) when it comes to buying trades or graphic novels. I have also gone to Ebay and had a bit of luck getting whole sets of used issues for pretty cheap. I got the four issue set of X-Men Liberators from an Ebay seller.
Digital copies: This is probably not the limit for where to legally read online, but it’s the best of my knowledge (and probably also the best deals).
Comixology: If you want to own digital copies Comixology is a good service. I like both owning and hoarding the books I read, so this is a good option for me. -It leaves more space in my dresser for clothing. The Comixology app is through Amazon and you can access it with your Amazon login, which is nice.
Marvel Unlimited: Marvel has a subscription-based service called Marvel Unlimited. It’s $10 USD a month, but you get access to a huge library of Marvel comics. Do you know how many comics I can read in a month? Hahaha… my boyfriend misses me. It’s fantastic if you just want to read as many as possible and especially helpful when you’re a completionist who wants to read as many issues as possible, but certain issues/runs are also slightly-painful to get through and you’d rather not have to buy and/or own them.  The downside is that the company purposely keeps it a few months behind current issues, but honestly, you have a few decades to catch up on anyway, so it’s worth the price.You can also buy digital comics from Marvel directly.
Thank you for the ask and sorry it took me so long! I’m very long-winded when I respond to things and always try to be thorough, but always end up putting things off because of that and then I forget about them-
*this was before I went and bought digital copies of the series of Comixology. So now my ‘dirty little secret’ is also redundant. Oh well. Now I can lend them to RL friends and family that are interested.
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