More Toddler Humor

My husband knows two knock-knock jokes. My son just makes his own.

Toddler: "Knock-knock."

Hubby: "Who's there?"

Toddler: "Superman."

Hubby: "Superman who?"

Toddler: .... "Th-That's it. That's his name."

Geez, Dad, keep up. LOL

Dorchester Goes Digital

Dorchester has officially announced a decision to abandon production of mass-market paperbacks, and begin offering only E-books or trade paperback, print-on-demand books. This comes on the heels of a recent decision by RWA to remove Dorcester from its 2010 Nationals roster over billing/contract disputes.

What does this mean for Dorchester? It appears they are hoping to level out their decline in revenue. Their sales have dropped sharply as the popularity of E-readers has risen, and with this move, they are looking to adapt to the changing market. It may also (speculating here) ease those aforementioned troubles with contracts and payouts, once the ball begins rolling favorably again for Dorchester.

What does this mean for readers? For readers, it's simply a question of finding your favorite romances from this publisher in a new format. E-readers are sharper, more versatile, and more adjustable for the avid reader than ever (you can adjust the font size yourself for better readability). Go to your local electronics store, or ask a fellow reader, and you're bound to run into a few examples of this new gadgetry.

And finally, for authors, this is a look at the new face of publishing. More publishers are likely to follow Dorchester's example, because print-on-demand requires that they only produce as many print copies as are ordered, while E-books are popular because they are instantly available and can be stored in a mobile, hand-held library for the consumer's convenience. That increases selling power, as well as profit margin.

This may also level the playing field between old dogs like Dorchester, and relative new kids like The Wild Rose Press, both of whom will now be following a similar model. You may see greater competition between publishers, not only with regard to pricing, but for your most sparkling stories. Buckle down, scribblers, it's a whole new neighborhood out there. Bring your best game to the playground.

Toddler As Comic Relief

One of the best things about being a parent is the way my son makes me laugh. He's a toddler now, and he's developing a sense of humor. Even when he's NOT working on his sense of humor, he's funny.

We took him to his first theater movie, Toy Story 3 (which he almost sat all the way through, and which Mom and Dad enjoyed as much as he did, BTW). After that, he Really, Really Wanted a Buzz Lightyear. So off to the store we went and got him one (which Mom and Dad enjoy as much as he does, BTW). It really is a cool toy. It talks, it knows when the helmet is up or down, and it responds to your voice or noises. Where was this thing when I was a kid?

The first night he has it, he's playing in the kitchen with it while we are making dinner. Buzz comes out with (paraphrasing here), "I'm Buzz Lightyear, from Gamma Something-Something, Sector Something-Something. Who's in charge here?"

My son, without missing a beat, answered, "Me."

Yep. You got it, kiddo. *snort*