#There was a buy-one-get-one sale at Barnes & Noble

[britneyshakespeare]

you know i don't use amazon but something i often think about. several years ago my mom ordered me some books for my birthday on amazon and one of them i asked for was the oxford world's classics edition of the rover and other plays by aphra behn edited and with an introduction by jane spencer. it was supposedly new but when it got to me, the cover (paperback) was folded at an angle and the edges of the pages were dirty like they were left somewhere contaminated. and you see i don't mind like a not-pristine book at all; most of my books are used. but what the fuck was that.

[cerddom]

Donna: "Wait, how exactly do you get 'Dick' from 'Richard'?"

Roy: "I'm glad you asked!"

Dick, interrupting: "You take him to dinner and buy him nice jewellery."

Wally: "Yeah, that's probably the best way...unless you don't have a gag reflex either."

Dick was a normal name in the 1950’s, but it’s 2022 now, so here’s how I immagine all of the batkids (+ some extras) reacting to Dick introducing himself.

BABS (10 years old)

Dick: My name’s dick

Babs: That’s a bad word.

Dick: No? It’s my name?

Babs: Daddy says it’s naughty to say bad words.

Dick: But it’s my name?

Babs: I’m gonna go ask daddy *runs up to commissioner Gordon* daddy, that kid says his name is Dick, can I say it when I’m talking about him?

Dick: *the son of immigrant parents, grown up speaking an amalgamation of Easter European dialects and was names after Dick Tracy still confused as to why his name is a bad word*

***

Jason

Dick: Hey buddy, I know this is all very new but my name is Dick and I—

Jason: hold up, hold up. Dick?

Dick: yeah, I know, I know but —

Jason: Damn and I thought my parents were assholes.

***

Tim

This little stalker already knew Dick’s entire biography, so there wasn’t a reaction, bless him.

***

Damian

He was brought up by assassins, also no particular reaction.

***

Steph

Dick: nice to meet you Stephanie, my name’s Dick.

Steph: you said Dick?

Dick: short for Richard, yes.

Steph: Nice. *nods*

***

Cass (Cass uses sign language because I said so)

Dick: *finger spells D I C K*

Cass: *there’s a sign for that*

Dick: yeah but we ain’t gonna use it, kiddo.

***

Wally (13 years old)

Dick: it’s so cool to meet other sidekicks! I’m Dick.

Wally: as in your name is Dick?

Dick: Yes *blushing because now he knows why everyone is reacting like it’s strange*

Wally: Ok from now on I’m gonna be the one to introduce you to anyone we meet, deal? Oh you’ll see man it’ll be so much fun *proceeds to list out all of the ways they could sneak dick jokes into conversations*

***

Roy

Wally: Roy, I have the pressure to introduce you to my Dick.

Roy: what the fuck do you mean now!?

Dick: *quadruple flips over Wally and lands in between them* ta-da!!!

Roy: who’s the kid?

Wally *placing an hand on Dick’s shoulder*: this, is my Dick

Roy: that’s your actual name?

Dick: it is.

Roy *looking between the other two*: ok I want in on your plans to introduce him to the others

————

This is all I could come up with but feel free to add more!!

[felassan]

Snippets.  🐺💜

The DA:TV release date reveal trailer is considered to contain only mild story spoilers [source]

In the week of August 19th (week of the High-Level Combat & PC Spotlight), specifically the gameplay will be "high-level warrior combat gameplay" [source]. The Rook shown will be a Warrior Elf [source]

User: "Morrigan 😍" / Dragon Age on Threads: "She 💜" [source]

User: "Will there be any other editions of the game or just the Standard and Deluxe?" / Dragon Age on Threads: "We have a collector's edition too! [link]" [source]

User: "Everyone greatly approves 💜✨" / Dragon Age on Threads: "Rook's feeling especially approved-of today 💜" [source]

BioWare: "We can't wait for you to jump into the role of Rook and embark on your journey to save Thedas." [source]

BioWare describe the physical merch/bonus items that come with Rook's Coffer as Rook's personal effects, and the tools of their resistance [source]

User: "Id love to preorder if the bloody website worked!" / BioWare on Twitter: "Sorry about that, the page is working now! [link]" [source]

User: "WHERE IS THE COLLECTOR EDITION????? 😭😭" / BioWare on Twitter: "Right here! [link]" [source]

User: "Will there be a physical version purchasable in stores ? My internet is slow lol I would need almost a week to download the game via internet" / BioWare on Twitter: "Yes, retailers will have physical copies available :)" [source]

User: "Thank the whole team from the bottom of my heart… Dreams come true… Trailer is amazing 💜" / BioWare on Twitter: "Thanks for being a fan, we appreciate you too!" [source]

User: "Is it just digital or will there be physical copies (I'm fine with either, but if a physical is going to be available, would want that)?" / BioWare on Twitter: "Physical copies will be available for PO through retailers :)" [source]

User: "where can we preorder a physical copy for consoles?" / BioWare on Twitter: "Retailers will be offering physical copies for PO, the Game Stop page is already up!" [source]

User: "It’s also being released on my birthday!!!!! 🥳🥳" / BioWare on Twitter: "🎶Happy birthday to you!" [source]

User: "Omygoddess….!!! I am so happy…. This was even better than I could have imagined. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥" / BioWare on Twitter: "You are so welcome!" [source]

User: "Pre-ordered!" / BioWare on Twitter: "Can't wait for you to play it! Is it October yet!?" [source]

User: "Can't wait!! Bought my copy. I am so psyched!!" / BioWare on Twitter: "We can't wait for you to play it!" [source]

User: "Asdfghh finally😩 [image of Mass Effect Space Hamster bursting out of their cage]" / BioWare on Twitter: "Please return the space hamster to the Normandy before it gets lost!" [source]

Also, some recent snippets from the official BioWare Discord server:

Platform-specific pre-order links: PlayStation Store, XBox Store, Steam, Epic Games storefront Standard edition, Epic Games storefront Deluxe edition. Also [this] is the GameStop pre-order link. The GameStop one is physical

User: "Will [Rook's Coffer] be for sale by Canada retailers?" / Community Manager: "Please check in with your local retailers as I do not have this information, sorry!"

User: "When are the physical edition preorders going up?" / CM: "this is retailer dependent so you'll need to check in with your local retailer! there will be physical discs available for consoles."

EA's own buy page for DA:TV was broken (led to 404) but is now working for both digital standard and digital deluxe pre-orders

User: "What’s the Vyrantium pack? Is that the steelcase version?" / CM: "you'll need to check in with local retailers on that one!"

CM: "There will be a physical edition for consoles. I've seen the preorders go up on Game Stop, but please check in with your local retailers!"

CM: "Some retailers haven't stood up their buy pages yet (Barnes and Noble, Amazon) so keep checking back!"

CM: "I am working in the background on just more emotes [for the Discord] in general"

User: "just to be sure i dont buy the wrong thing. thers no collectors edition with the game. deluxe is the highest and then the coffer is extra but no game right?" / CM: "thats correct, everything is pretty laid out here [link]"

User: "For "Rooks Coffee Edition" it says the game isn't included. Does that mean I need to buy this edition and the game separately?" / CM: "correct"

For a while Steam said that the game's release date was October 10th. This was incorrect and a CM let them know, it has since been amended to the real October 31st date

User: "What would be the storage size for the game for consoles and PC?" / CM: "100gb approx"

User: "So the roadmap said release date trailer and announcement, do we know what the announcement is?" / CM: "release date announcement" / User: "Is the “announcement” from roadmap just that we’re getting blood dragon armor? Or am I missing something" / CM: "release date trailer + release date announcement"

User: "do we know when preorder date ends? i might have to wait until october 1st paycheck" / CM: "When the game comes out! (the Rook's Coffer is limited amount, but the digital game should be available until Oct 31)"

Violet: "Whoever wants to know - this is my first blog at EA that I have authored - [link] (thats my fun tidbit)"

User: "Will the rooks coffer edition be available after release or is it only preorder?" / CM: "its limited run, so itll be available until it sells out"

User: "is the artbook on the bioware store the same one as the one on dark horse?" / CM: "there's 3 editions, but its all the same book"

User: "not sure if you can talk about this (either because Bioware isn't ready or because you personally don't know), how will the cosmetics be delievered in game? IIRC, there is no online connection" / CM: "wdym? Its just there when you start it up or it isnt (like if you dont preorder)" / User: "In DAI it was stored in a chest in Haven and later at Skyhold (the armors)" / CM: "It's just in your inventory I think? I don't remember like "picking it up" or anything."

[character limit text break!]

User: "One last question about the specs! Does anyone know if GeForce GTX™ 1660 Ti will be good enough for Veilguard? I feel like it's a lot worse than required" / CM: "Obv I can't really say much yet but let me quell your fears a touch - it looks NICE. game is BEAUTIFUL"

User: "If you guys win [Game of the Year at TGA] we demand an award speech in here 😆" Violet: "I'll be at TGAs in person this year, so wont be here in the discord"

CM: "Retailers like gamestop are selling physical editions. Think you'll just have to find a retailer in your area that has some ordered (I dont have links for that)''

CM: ''all pre-orders should receive the Blood Dragon cosmetic armors''

CM: "Still a LOT more info coming before launch 👀"

User: "i always played dragon age on pc... looks like this one is meant for console. anyone knows if its more controller oriented or stick to pc" / CM: "we have a whole PC spotlight coming if you want to wait for that to decide."

[source: the official BioWare Discord server]

[l-crimson-l]

If you can help it don’t buy gunpla from Amazon. It’ll almost always be at an inflated price if it’s not a brand new batch release.

Here’s some US based shops that I’ve found/used to help you avoid using Amazon:

-Newtype

-USA Gundam Store

-Mecha Warehouse

-Gundam Planet

-Gundam Place Store

-The Gunpla Hermits Shop

-Premium Bandai US

Extra! Lose/broke a part? Check out Plamo Kitbash to order individual parts from runners (I had to do this for my Kyrios)

I’ve ordered from all of these shops so I can confirm they’re all legit

Important thing to note here tho is that shipping for some of these shops is $10 flat rate shipping without another option. So save up a little and then make a bigger cart to make it worth it more. They also have frequent sales (USAGS has one like every week on something) so keep an eye out for that as well!

Now Physical stores is kind of a mixed bag. Barnes and Noble started carrying a few kits, so did Target and Hobby Lobby (I know how we feel about HL but they also put those kits on sale every other week 40% off). But if you’re lucky enough to live close to one Hobbytown USA always has a pretty great selection and you might even seen a Grandpa statue in there too. But of course always do some searching around you and see what local hobby shops are there. Always nice to not have to pay shipping and get it straight in your hands

[sarahreesbrennan]

Also also: is there any way, or will there be any way, for readers without whichever special edition (?) it’s in to read “Letters to My Lady from the Abyss…”? Reading your Reddit AMA in a desire to know more about this wonderful book and the idea of a tiny bit extra has me 👀

Thank you for wishing to know more! FairyLoot special edition is the special edition with bonus content. I will explain more. FairyLoot is a wonderful UK-based group who make fancy special editions for their monthly boxes. People sign up for FairyLoot and get books picked for them. You can get Young Adult, Adult Fantasy, or Romantasy, or a combination thereof - Long Live Evil was the August Adult Fantasy pick - and you can buy other special editions from their website. So the FairyLoot folks are Tastemakers as well as makers of beautiful objects. (ISN’T IT BEAUTIFUL? Pictures stolen. Interior art by Bon Orthwick who got Marius’s hair PERFECT.)

But you can’t buy the monthly boxes, unless they have extras! If they do have extra Evils to buy, I will put up a link.

There are many boxes now, but FairyLoot and Illumicrate are the two biggest and have made a lot more people embrace reading and see books as a special treat. Waterstones and Barnes & Noble have started making special editions of books because of them. A while back I knew none of this, because I was staying away from publishing, working with IP books (very different branch of publishing) and training for a different job. But then I did a catch-up call with my frien. She talked about FairyLoot. I did not understand her and thought maybe the deadlines had got on top of her and she believed fairies had looted her manuscript.

Holly: So these FairyLoot editions have (She holds up a copy of… I think… the Coldest Girl In Coldtown?) been amazing for UK sales.

Sarah: Sorry but why are these books so beautiful?

Holly: Because I just explained to you why, girl. Sarah: Can I have this.

Holly: No they’re limited!

So then I knew FairyLoot was a Giant Deal and they were offered Long Live Evil but I was sure they wouldn’t pick me.

My lovely editor Jenni: great news, the FairyLoot people picked you! Sarah: are you. are you quite sure.

Jenni: … yes? Could you write them some bonus content? Sarah: YES! A thing I can do for them? Oh yes! Here’s three things I can do. Tell them they can pick which one they would like!

I wrote a letter for them as well, to be bound in with the book. But the bonus content is an extra adventure or point of view you didn’t get to see in the main book. FairyLoot picks what they think their readers might like most.

I really like epistolary novels, where the action is told though letters, such as Jane Austen’s Lady Susan and Amal El Mohtar and Max Gladstone’s This Is How You Lose The Time War. So I thought it would be fun to do a story through letters!

Obviously I then had a moment of dark self-doubt.

Sarah: O my god why did they pick this nobody’s going to like him what shall I do! Holly: When I was writing Cardan’s letters you said ‘epistolary is so fun, you said, this is a piece of cake, you said, get in loser we’re writing romantically sinister letters, you said…’

Sarah: my Vision is a romantic The Screwtape Letters. Holly: … oh dear. Okay. Get in loser we’re writing romantically sinister letters.

And so with a lil help from my kind frien, I wrote Letters to My Lady From the Abyss, which is an epistolary short story with a POV we don’t get in book 1 and an adventure we don’t get to see. But I did write it, as you see, for FairyLoot so it belongs to them and it’s up to them. I think I might get it back in a year and then I’ll put it up on my website. I will let you know!

I am so sorry for this very long explanation, I just wanted to let you know what was up.

Should you read it, I hope you enjoy. And I will write more bonus content, I promise!

Also speaking of FairyLoot, they’re doing a readalong of Long Live Evil right now if anyone might like to chat about the book. Here’s a link to people talking about chapters 1-7 - they will do a different chunk every day! I like that people are choosing favourite characters, so far the Cobra, Key and Emer have the votes!

[tamapalace]

Barnes & Noble has a Great In Store Tamagotchi Uni Deal

Listen to this deal. Discovered by mad_sa on Reddit, Barnes & Noble in store has the Tamagotchi Uni for 50% off bringing it down to $29.99, but that’s not it! On top of that its part of their buy one get one for $1 sale. Meaning if you purchase two Tamagotchi Uni’s, you can get them for a total of $30.99. Thats a little over $15 each! How incredible is this deal? Don’t miss it!

[ofmdrecaps]

07/12/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; Samba Schutte; Vico Ortiz; Rachel House; Nathan Foad; Kristian Nairn; Minnie Driver; Gypsy Taylor; Nathan Foad; You Bear Fine Thing Well; Articles; Non Binary Awareness Week; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

== Rhys Darby ==

A LIVE Cryptid Factor show has been announced at ther Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023! August 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th! Unfortunately it looks like they sold out within the first few hours. Hopefully we'll see some more lives soon! Grats boys on the quick sellout!

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram

Rhys also posted multiple tiktok videos today regarding a new character I assume? "Brief Moments of Genius: The Doug Thandwich Pamphlet"

Source: Rhys Darby's Tiktok

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba made it safely to Florida Supercon! Annnnd apparently the hotel didn't think about his height when getting him set up in the deluxe rainfall shower!

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

== Vico Ortiz ==

Vico also made it to Florida Supercon safely (with Jack!)! Are you going to be seeing them this weekend?

Source: Vico's Instagram Stories

ALSO -- more OFMD S2 BTS (as well as exclusive other BTS from their other shows, etc) from Vico on their Patreon! Check out the new video here!

Source: Vico Ortiz' Patreon

== Rachel House ==

Rachel was out at a showing of &Juliet getting to meet one of her heroes, Keala Settle!

Source: Rachel House's Instagram

== Kristian Nairn ==

As mentioned before - Signed copies of Kristian's book are on pre-sale now! Apparently some of the signing is happening now because Kristian posted a video of some signatures happening! They've also hit the Barnes & Nobles Best Sellers list!

Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram

REMINDER: Adopt Our Crew was kind enough to put together his list of where you can buy Kristian's Book! Reminder-- bookshop is great if you want to support your local bookstores!

Barnes & Noble

Amazon US

Amazon UK 

Bookshop.com

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Nathan Foad ==

Nathan once again out with friends <3. I'm so happy we're getting to see him have so much fun this summer!

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram

== Minnie Driver ==

Our fabulous Anne Bonny, Minnie Driver is playing Elizabeth I in Serpent Queen Season 2! Which just so happens to premier today on Starz!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Min. (@driverminnie)

Source: Minnie Driver's Instagram

== Gypsy Taylor ==

Our darling costume designer for s2 - Gypsy Taylor has received a special gift from one of our fan crews-- Our Flag Means Daddy! She received a special jacket with the name Sea Gypsy embroidered on it! Congrats Gypsy and thank you Our Flag Means Daddy crew for continuing to bring joy and recognition to our dear OFMD Cast & Crew!

Source: Gypsy Taylor's Instagram

== You Bear Fine Things Well ==

Today was the final day for #YouBearFineThingsWell! @adoptourcrew asked fans to share their favorite bear puns Rhys came up with for the Hungry Games! I have to say mine was "We asked Cassanova if he had any types... he said brunettes".

Source: @adoptourcrew's Twitter

== Articles ==

A few more mentions of OFMD this week!

Source: Collider Article

And thank you to @adoptourcrew for bringing this screenrant article to our attention!

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Non Binary Awareness Week ==

Another article from Pink News -- this time recommending 11 Must Watch Films/TV Shows Starring Non-Binary Actors! I already know several I'll be seeing once they're available. Check them out!

Source: Pink News Article

== Love Notes ==

Hey there lovelies! Happy start to the weekend! I truly hope you've had fun this week in some capacity. There's been something for everyone and hopefully we continue to see some hype coming up in the up coming weeks.

Today I wanted to remind you of something that I know you've heard before, but like anything in this life, repetition helps to solidify things so I'm gonna say some of it again. You don't need to prove to anyone your worth. You don't need to beg for anyone to love you and you certainly don't need to be someone you're not for someone else's sake. We all have demands from outside forces every day-- work, school, etc, and a lot of those demands are things we have to cope with in order to function in and be a part of society. Those demands aren't always in our best interest, but for the most part they're at least somewhat reasonable. However, there are going to be times that others have demands on you that are completely unreasonable. Maybe someone expects you to fall into a pretty little category. Maybe someone expects you to understand them when they aren't being clear. Maybe someone expects you to bend over backwards and change for their benefit, but not provide you with the same courtesy.

Whatever unreasonable demands you're dealing with, I just want to send you a reminder that you are allowed to say no. You are allowed to set up boundaries to help minimise that kind of behavior. You are allowed to just be you, and to continue to shine being you. Nothing is black and white, so it may not be easy, and may not be viable, or safe for some people-- I absolutely get that, and you should always keep your safety and security top of mind. But if you have the wiggle room, and you can set up those boundaries, remember there's nothing wrong with wanting to continue to be you, the way you are and defending that you.

You are wonderful lovelies, and we all have things in life we can improve on, but you being your beautiful, unique, authentic self is a right, and you have every right to protect the parts of you you hold dear. You don't have to prove to anyone that you are worthy of love just being yourself-- because you already ARE worthy of love, and light, and good things.

You don't have to fit into a neat little box to be loved, or valid. You are already both of those things, and sometimes it's hard to see it in ourselves-- so this reminder is from me to you, from the crew, to you, that you are wonderful just the way you are. Rest well and be kind to yourselves lovelies, you deserve it.

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Tonight's theme is shades on a couple of cool dudes! Gifs courtesy of two of the most fabulous and talented gif makers on the internet - @ofmd-ann and @bizarrelittlemew!

[traegorn]

With self publishing is it a thing to get the book into physical stores like Target or B&N? How hard is that?

So if you publish through IngramSpark, it is technically possible for that to happen, but in truth... nah. It won't. Your book won't show up in a chain store.

But people will be able to order your book through them, and it will show up online. Like, you can find my books on Barnes & Noble's website, but you'll likely never buy one in a physical one of their stores unless you ask the clerk to order you a copy.

Now, you might be able to convince an independent bookstore to stock copies, but you're acting as your own publisher and promotion -- so you'll have to do the legwork and try to convince them to do that. And they'll probably say no, but there's a shot.

Honestly, a great way to support indie authors and indie bookstores is to order the independently published books you buy through your area's locally owned stores. Those small businesses makes some money and the author gets a sale.

[spinningalbinoturtle]

Where they like to shop-LOTR

Frodo- the bookstore obviously. He especially likes to support indie bookstores but if need be he will resort to Barnes and Noble. Always tells himself he will only get one book and walks out with ten (he always gets at least one for Sam) He likes artisan markets and boutiques and loves a vintage fashion store. He also can spend several hours in any yarn store.

Sam- the nursery! He goes through the entire store and every greenhouse very thoroughly. Usually comes out with a dozen new plants. Similarly enjoys the hardware store. Always has some landscaping project going on. Loves a good open air food market or little family run delis. Loves a good spice selection. Cannot go into a cookware store without buying something.

Merry- Merry of course loves the weed store. He also likes to shop for fancy wine. I get the sense that he would like shopping for nice suits too. He’s got a good sense of style. Loves to go to touristy shops and get the weirdest thing there. He does collect city mugs. He also collects the weird paintings at Goodwill which he will hang up in his parents house without telling them.

Pippin- Pippin is kind of an impulse buyer. Pretty much any store he enters he will buy something in. He spends way too much money at Target (“they have everything Merry!”). Is big on seasonal decorations and will always buy like the giant Halloween things that jump out at you and massive amounts of Christmas lights. Also has an absurd amount of ugly Christmas sweaters.

Gandalf- like Merry does spend quite a bit at the dispensary. Likes a good woodworking shop. Likes to buy unique carved pipes. And of course spends over a thousand dollars at the fireworks stand.

Aragorn- his main shopping destination is the feed store. Buys all kinds of shit for his horse. Is a loyal REI customer. He always buys the really good quality stuff for backcountry camping. He knows more than the employees there about what is a good brand to get and will happily assist other customers who assume he works there. He also likes to go shopping for Arwen and will usually get her some beautiful piece of jewelry or a really really nice handknit sweater.

Gimli- man loves the hardware store, loves his power tools. Likes to hang out in the lumber yard much to Legolas’s distress. Comes home with a bunch of rocks and woods that he builds stuff with. Also likes to jewelry shop and admire all the nice gemstones- he has an excellent eye and will often go with Aragorn when he is shopping for Arwen. He likes handcrafted stuff from wood, stone, and ceramic and likes to support local artists. Always on the lookout for a good bargain at the hardware store but willing to dish out quite a lot for something unique and handmade. Knows good craftsmanship when he sees it and likes to support other craftspeople.

Legolas- accompanies Gimli and Aragorn to the jewelry store and always manages to convince Gimli to get him something despite having plenty of his own money. Loves the plant store and samples all the edible and some non edible plants. He can legitimately spend a couple of hours at the wine store. Will go to fancy wine tasting events with Gimli. Fashionista man will happily spend an afternoon walking through the high fashion district where all the attendants know him. Similarly an expert Sephora shopper.

Boromir- like Gimli loves the hardware store they run into each other there and end up chatting for like an hour. Loves a good appliance store. Chats with the Best Buy people while picking out a new fridge. Is very particular about getting good quality shoes so he goes to like really nice shoe stores. Absolutely loves a furniture store-will always be on the lookout for a good sale there.

Bilbo- antique store expert! Wanders around until he sees something he likes. Buys a lot of nice antique furniture. An expert clothes shopper-he usually takes Frodo with him who doesn’t mind cause Bilbo pays. Bilbo will exclusively go to second hand bookshops and buy the super rare things behind the locked glass. Also likes to go look for nice rugs, blankets, and linens. Does love the cooking store and usually offers to pay for Sam there (Sam always declined when he worked for Bilbo but once he and Frodo got married he let Bilbo buy him stuff).

Eowyn- shopping for weapons. This woman has a massive sword collection its honestly kind of scary. Also likes the hardware store and the home improvement. Generally she’s not really a big shopper - she really only buys something unless she needs it or as a present for someone else.

Faramir- Faramir loves the pet store. Totally an animal person and has like four cats and two dogs and like a couple guinea pigs and maybe a turtle. Buys so many pet accessories. Eowyn thinks it is cute but ridiculous. She has to remind Faramir that no they do not have room for any more animals-yes not even that gecko- every time they go into the pet store.

Arwen- loves going high end fashion shopping with Legolas. Is really into nice fabrics and weaves so likes to shop for things like fancy tablecloths. Loves a good shoe store. Also a big fan of hat shops. Gondor is a lot brighter than Rivendell so she wears lots of hats to keep her eyes shaded. Starts quite a few fashion trends this way. She also likes to shop for art-especially paintings and statues. She often attends art gallery events and almost always buys something that will be priceless in a few years-she has the money she’s a queen!

[yeahiwasintheshit]

the criterion 50% off barnes and noble sale is going on now until the end of july!

if i get an amazon wish list account would you people drop down $20 to get me a very undeserving, very unnecessary gift?

like i said, and to be very very honest and clear, im not financially destitute or cant buy them my own, but this would be a way to get a lot of them sooner than i could get them on my own. i know... i know... very selfish, but it is my birthday next week!! and im still in the throes of collecting these fuckin movies. its so stupid

i dont know if this is even worth all the trouble?

let me know if you have an amazon wish list account and how to make it secure so no one knows who the fuck i am. they gotta be secure right? i see them all the time, im assuming if someone buys something for me on their amazone wish list they cant find out my address, correct? let me know

[syntax6]

Some Truest Truths about Publishing

Being a published author is a lifelong dream of mine, and many aspects of it are indeed awesome. I love telling stories and sharing them with the world. Seeing my books in a bookstore or a library will always be thrilling! Meeting new readers from all over the globe is huge fun. But there have been a bunch of “being a published author is bad for your mental health” threads lately, and I think part of why this is true is that people don’t understand how the industry works before they get into it. So, here are some things about how publishing functions that I did not know before I became part of the machine:

1. You can know your book’s likely trajectory at the time you sign the contract. The publisher decides how well your book will sell. Large publishers sell more books than mid-sized publishers, which sell more books than small- or micro-publishers. A large publisher doing minimal publicity for your book will probably still sell more copies of it than a small publisher, simply because they already have the machinery in place. But, if your large publisher does not offer you a large advance at the time of signing, they are not going to do much more than their basic-level publicity for your book. They are going to focus their efforts on books they paid a lot of money to acquire because they want to get that money back. So, if your large publisher is not offering you at least a quarter of a million dollars to acquire your book, they aren’t going to be gunning to make it a NY Times Bestseller.

2. Books are a hit-driven industry. Most books lose money so everyone is counting on the few bestsellers to finance the whole industry. This is why big names like Stephen King or Danielle Steele suck up huge amounts of the publicity budget. Publishers need their books to sell sell sell, which means reaching fans who only buy Stephen King and Danielle Steele books. These fans aren’t paying a lot of attention, so publishers need to get that “GO BUY NOW” bat signal into the sky to wake up these fans. They pull out all the advertising stops. This is why big-name authors eat up so much of the publicity budget despite being household names. Publishers need to reach those fans for each new book to ensure the book makes the $$$$ that the publishers are counting on.

3. Everyone who is in the industry is riding the same train. So when the large publishers decide which books to push (because they have paid a lot to acquire them and/or the author is already a household name), booksellers and librarians have to get on board too. Yes, librarians and independent booksellers can also promote smaller titles that they really love, and that’s GREAT, but they mostly have to march to the tune set by the large publishers. Bookstores are usually operating at razor-thin margins. They need to sell the books that people want to read. Which books do people want to read? The ones they have heard of! How did they hear about them? The big publishers spent the $ to advertise! See how it’s all connected? Libraries, too. They need to stock the titles that will rotate well; books people want to check out and read. Which ones will they stock? The ones that the large publishers are pushing, because these are the titles that people will ask for.

4. Almost nothing good happens to your book without your publisher paying for it. Often, even things that look like awards or editorial decisions involve money changing hands.

5. Because of points 1-4, the author can do very little to influence the sale of their book. Giants like Amazon or Barnes and Noble already know which books are going to be the lead titles because the publishers told them so. Outlets like the NYT know too. Libraries, indie bookstores...they all know the signs of big publisher investment. For example, if the publisher says they are going to print 250,000 copies of your book, then everyone knows the title is going to be pushed HARD. If they say they are publishing 10,000 copies, then the author has no hope of competing with the lead title. So, the author can’t, on their own, do anything to change the fate of their book. However, the author is held accountable when their book doesn’t sell, despite the fact that everyone in the industry does understand that publishers sell books, not authors.

6. Because of points 1-4, how well a book is written or how talented the author is has not much to do with how many copies the book sells. Often bestsellers are really great and the authors are extremely hardworking...but not always. And there are zillions of hugely talented, diligent authors whose books don’t sell well at all because a large publisher has never shone that kind of spotlight on them. To exist in an industry where talent and hard work don’t influence the results is maddening, and a big part of why authors go a little insane.

[after-witch]

so I went to the bookstore today (dressed up extremely cute in my Metamorphose temps de fille apple print dress, as you do!!) to pick up the Jujutsu Kaisen light novels because I didn't know there was a Mahito chapter until someone mentioned it

and I was debating about whether or not to pick up the first few volumes of the manga as well, because Barnes & Noble is having a double points on their reward count sale for Labor Day

and the store only had one copy of each volume

and I was hemming and hawwing so I went down the aisle to think about it and also look at some Japanese novels they had on a small display

and when I did a girl, young teen maybe 13 or so came up with her mom, all jumping and excited to see they had JJK, telling her it's exactly what she'd been talking about and she grabbed the first 3 volumes to buy

and I'm so glad I didn't get them!!! 'cause now she gets to read them.

[vixvaporub]

Barnes and noble is having a buy one get one 50% off sale for manga so please take advantage and support your favorite mangaka!

[a-d-nox]

hypothesis of monetary efforts: your spending habits, what you like to buy, and how you can budget/save money

yall know i'm a fan of persona charts - the same applies here. we are going to look at the 2h ruler's persona chart.

but first!

my 2h in aries - my mars is in the 7h in virgo so already i can tell you a lot of my money goes towards food, health, books, and craft supplies... i'm not someone who overspends like the typical 2h in aries stereotype tend to lead people to believe (I don't have the impulse control of a child lol).

but that makes sense because looking at my mars persona chart (the ruler of my 2h). my 1h is ruled by virgo - my monetary mindset tends to be to save or budget; virgos are like natural bookkeepers. mercury (the ruler of my monetary mindset (a.k.a. the asc of my mars persona (the ruler of my natal 2h's ruler))) is in the 2h! which emphasizes that i am someone who is conscious of my spending habits.

the 2h can tell me what i spend a majority of my money on and what i see are essentials - its virgo ruled with moon and mercury positioned in it. so again: food, health, books, and craft supplies. the moon tells me its comfort food (when i have a bad day i want a good meal - lobster risotto balls AND crab mac and cheese are my go to when its a really bad day), but also it emphasizes that i could be spending marital/familial money (lol my husband is going to give in to my spending habits - my mother and grandfather too loves to help me out monetarily). the moon also shows that i tend to buy objects the are comforting to me (a weighted pink dinosaur - lol I should do a dinosaur post on here, I love dinosaurs), things from family ran / woman owned shops, one of a kind shops, etc... i am tend to buy habitually - if i’m in a barnes and noble - i am buying a book, if i’m at the grocery store - i'm getting eggs, butter, nutella, etc every trip, etc. mercury here tells me that i am aware of the price of everything i buy (sign me up for the price is right). i like to buy books, car stuff, shopping bargains and sales (I will purposely bulk buy if the unit price is less than the unit price of the size I was originally going to get or if I have a coupon I will make sure I use it), and plants.

the 8h of this chart can tell me how i can save money that i typically would spend (so can saturn - its the long game of saving). it's empty but in pisces - 5h neptune and 11h jupiter. i could benefit from change bottles, an emergency fund account, cryptocurrency, and envelope stuffing based on neptune. having objectives, having a group/friend savings challenges, bullet journal icons to fill in, monetizing hobbies, and entering the lottery / raffles are all to my benefit to gain and receive passive money worth saving given the 5h and 11h placements of these lords.

that's all for now!

a.d.

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© a-d-nox 2023 all rights reserved

[macrolit]

Forbes article: "How Struggling College Bookstores Found A Way To Beat Amazon"

Oct 20, 2023,06:30am EDT

A new sales model adopted by hundreds of universities limits students’ ability to shop around for textbooks.

By Lauren Debter, Forbes Staff

As fall semester dawned at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, senior Olivia McFall turned to Amazon to shop for books — not only because its prices were better for certain titles, but so she could get her course materials quickly. The campus bookstore could sometimes take a week or two. Unacceptable.

“Teachers will start assigning reading on the first day,” McFall, a 22-year-old fashion-merchandising major, told Forbes. “You get behind if you don’t have that textbook. If I buy it on [Amazon], it’s usually because I can get it faster than the bookstore.”

For decades, Amazon’s lower prices and speedier delivery have blown a crater in the college bookstore business. Given the option to shop around, students only buy about one-third of their course materials at the campus store.

Now the bookstores are fighting back. They say they’ve hit on a plan that would, almost magically, quash competition from online rivals like Amazon. T.C.U. is among the colleges considering a model that would automatically charge students for textbooks on their tuition bills, which can be covered by financial aid, and get them to students by the time classes begin. Books are typically discounted 30% or more, said the bookstores, who negotiate volume discounts. Students must return materials at the end of the semester.

Despite reservations from education advocates who worry it limits purchasing options for students, the plan, dubbed Inclusive Access, is spreading like kudzu. It rose out of a 2015 rule from the U.S. Department of Education that permitted universities to include the cost of textbooks with tuition, as long as prices were under competitive market rates and students could opt out.

Bookstores latched onto the idea during the pandemic. They were looking to boost sales at a time when they were hamstrung by closures, declining enrollment numbers and the seismic shift to digital textbooks — and still are.

In the 2022-23 academic year, Inclusive Access already captured the business of 44% of students, worth an estimated $1.4 billion annually, according to the National Association of College Stores.

Illinois-based Follett Corp., a privately held company (annual sales: $1.6 billion) that operates roughly one-third of college bookstores, said the number of its campuses that have adopted the Inclusive Access model has tripled to 450 since 2019. New Jersey-based Barnes & Noble Education (annual sales: $1.5 billion), which spun out of the bookseller chain in 2015 and also runs a third of campus bookstores, said it has over 150 schools signed up for Inclusive Access, up from just four in 2019. (The colleges themselves operate the other one-third of campus bookstores.)

Overnight, schools that switched to Inclusive Access brought guaranteed revenue to booksellers. Sell-through rates, which measure the percentage of course materials students purchase at the campus bookstore, skyrocketed from about 30% before Inclusive Access to north of 80 or 90%, according to Follett and Barnes & Noble Education. Few students opt out, the companies said, because they like the prices and convenience.

It’s a clever way to beat Amazon. Unable to compete, Follett and Barnes & Noble Education separated their customers from the open marketplace and bundled their products with something Amazon couldn’t sell — college tuition. The bookstore gets the customer without ever having to go up against the online behemoth, which is currently being sued by the Federal Trade Commission for its own alleged anti-competitive practices. (Amazon has said it disagrees with the allegations, and will contest the lawsuit.)

“It’s a significant volume increase because you’re capturing all of the course material market share in an institution,” Jonathan Shar, who oversees campus stores operated by Barnes & Noble Education, told Forbes. “Plus, it’s much more predictable.”

Amazon Prices

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the impact Inclusive Access is having on its textbook sales. Amazon said it may offer discounts to schools that buy books in bulk, but it’s been winding down certain aspects of its textbook business. In April, it stopped renting physical textbooks to students and in 2020 it stopped buying textbooks back from students.

Last year, 37% of students purchased books from Amazon. That’s down from 46% in 2019, according to the National Association of College Stores.

Selling textbooks isn’t the business it used to be. A decade ago, students spent $4.8 billion a year on textbooks, according to research firm Words Rated. Today, it’s about $3.2 billion. During the 2022-23 school year, students spent an average of $285 on course materials, the lowest figure since the National Association of College Stores began tracking spending 16 years ago.

That’s partly the result of a rapid shift to lower-cost digital textbooks, with 55% of course materials now digital, up sharply from 15% prior to the pandemic, according to Emmanuel Kolady, Follett’s CEO. More textbooks are being made available online for free from sites like OpenStax, too. Nearly three-quarters of students say they were assigned at least one free course material in the latest academic year, according to the National Association of College Stores.

Company’s ‘Cornerstone’

Barnes & Noble Education, a publicly traded company that runs 800 campus bookstores, has described Inclusive Access to investors as a “cornerstone” of its plan to return to profitable growth, noting that course-material revenue rises more than 80% and gross profit nearly doubles after schools switch to the new model.

The company has lost a cumulative $600 million since 2018. Last year’s sales were 23% below pre-pandemic levels. This summer, it had to negotiate an extension on its loan payments because it couldn’t come up with enough cash. As part of the deal, it gave up two board seats and said it would explore selling the company. Its stock price has lost 90% of its value in the last two years, tumbling to less than $1 a share.

“It feels like this is their first, second and third priority,” said Ryan MacDonald, an analyst at Needham who covers Barnes & Noble Education, referring to Inclusive Access, which the company calls “First Day Complete.”

Benefits For Students

The booksellers claim the program saves students money. Follett said that students spend an average of 30% less than if they were to buy new books and are better equipped for classes as Inclusive Access gets them their materials before the semester begins.

At New York University, for instance, where Follett runs bookselling, students are automatically billed for books unless they opt out. Most are digital rentals. A textbook for an introductory biology class is priced at $36.75, which gives students access to a digital copy for the semester. That’s 20% less than if they went directly to the publisher’s website and rented it for the term. It’s 40% less than on Amazon, which only offers the option to buy the digital version, not rent it.

The math, however, is not always transparent. According to a report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund, which analyzed 52 book-buying contracts, it’s “hard, if not impossible” to figure out how deep the discounts are because schools don’t make it clear what the discount is based on.

Savings can be less meaningful for students who would have otherwise bought used books or borrowed books, said Nicole Allen, director of open education at SPARC, a nonprofit that advocates for more course materials to be free. The one-quarter of students who intentionally skip buying certain books each semester, usually because they don’t think they need it, are also charged, she said. As more schools migrate to Inclusive Access, Allen questions whether discounts will disappear since publishers have a long history of raising prices.

“This is already a captive market because students are told what to buy,” Allen told Forbes. “Inclusive Access makes it an even more captive market by telling students how they’re going to buy it.”

Even without Inclusive Access, students can be limited in their comparison shopping. More and more professors are assigning books with single-use access codes, available for an additional fee, which students use to access quizzes, homework and other materials online. Promoted by publishers who benefit from the new revenue stream, they’re often sold exclusively by the campus bookstore and cannot be resold.

Follett’s president Ryan Petersen predicts that a newer variant of the model called Equitable Access, where students pay a flat fee for their materials regardless of the courses they’re taking, will be adopted by most schools in the next five years.

“We’re having this conversation with every campus we can,” Petersen told Forbes, “potentially even to campuses who are sick of hearing about it.”

[three--rings]

ALERT!

Barnes and Noble is having it's apparently regular Buy one Get 1 50% off all Manga sale. And that's extra relevant to my life because danmei editions count as manga!

It's only through October 15th though, so hurry!