Author Archives: Michael Sauers

Thanks to the generosity of our Kickstarter backers, Unshelved is allowing libraries to circulate DRM-free ebooks of its first eleven collections to their patrons absolutely free.

We’ve offered to make these books available for circulation by all library ebook vendors.

The first vendor who has taken us up on this is Mackin. Go Mackin! Information on how to access the ebooks can be found on this page. Anyone with questions about how to access the ebooks can contact Mackin directly at eservices@mackin.com or 800-245-9540.

We’ll update this page as others take us up on this offer. If your ebooks vendor isn’t listed here, please let them know you’d like them to carry the Unshelved ebooks (they can contact Gene for more information). That may be the push they need!

Meanwhile you are also welcome to circulate our ebooks to your patrons directly. Read the following license, then sign up and we’ll send you download instructions.

In addition to the free books, our cataloger Emily has made MARC records available for these titles, all ready for you to download and import into your OPAC.

The Willa Cather Foundation has launched a new website in celebration of its 60th year.

At the new WillaCather.org, users will find a streamlined interface where they can purchase products, register for events, buy tickets and make donations. There are also virtual tours, a newsletter library and educational content.

The site was designed and developed by UNANIMOUS, a Lincoln-based marketing agency.

The Willa Cather Foundation was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Red Cloud, Nebraska. The foundation will hold a number of events to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Cather’s “The Song of the Lark.” Upcoming events include the Willa Cather Spring Conference and the International Cather Seminar. For more info, go to WillaCather.org or call 866-731-7304.

SF author, and recent entry in the Commission’s Friday Reads, Jack McDevitt is being honored this year.

Jack McDevitt, science fiction author is the 2015 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award. The award is bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space. This award is in recognition of Mr. McDevitt’s body of work including over 21 novels and 81 short stories.

The award will be presented on Friday, May 22, 2015 at opening ceremonies during Balticon 49, the Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. Balticon and the Robert A. Heinlein Award are both managed and sponsored by The Baltimore Science Fiction Society. A grant from the Heinlein Society funds a quarter of the costs associated with the award.

Read the full article @ SF Signal.

The Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premier organization of writers and publishers of horror and dark fantasy and home of the iconic Bram Stoker Awards®, today announced Jack Ketchum and Tanith Lee as the 2015 recipients of the Bram Stoker Award® for Lifetime Achievement. The HWA presents the award annually to individuals whose work has substantially influenced the horror genre. While the award is often presented to a writer, it may also be given for influential accomplishments in other creative fields.

“We had a wealth of very worthy candidates for this award,” said John R. Little, jury chairperson of the Lifetime Achievement Award (LAA) committee. “After much discussion, we believe we agreed on two exceptional winners this year.”

Jack Ketchum has been one of the premiere authors in the horror field for many years. His novel The Girl Next Door is considered a classic, but he’s written many other equally deeply moving works. Ketchum has won the Bram Stoker Award® four times and been nominated an additional three times, showing the broad appeal to his audience. He was named the Grandmaster at the 2011 World Horror Convention.

Tanith Lee has written more than ninety novels in various fields, including horror, fantasy, and science fiction. She is very popular regardless of the genre she chooses to write in. She has won several World Fantasy and British Fantasy Awards, and in 2013 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Convention.

“Jack and Tanith remain extremely popular authors today,” said HWA President Lisa Morton, “and the Horror Writers Association is proud to bestow the Lifetime Achievement Award on them.”

Ketchum will be on-hand to accept the award (Lee will accept via video), on the evening of Saturday, May 9, 2015 as part of a gala banquet and the presentation of the Bram Stoker Awards during the World Horror Convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets to the banquet and the convention are on sale to the public at http://www.whc2015.org. The awards presentation will also be live-streamed online for those who cannot attend in person.

The 2015 Lifetime Achievement Committee was chaired by John R Little, and included Maria Alexander, Patrick Freivald, Aaron Sterns and Heather Graham. For more information on the Bram Stoker Awards presentation and the 2015 World Horror Convention, please visit http://www.whc2015.org.

THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION is a nonprofit organization of writers and publishing professionals around the world, dedicated to promoting dark literature and the interests of those who write it. The HWA formed in 1985 with the help of many of the field’s greats, including Dean Koontz, Robert McCammon, and Joe Lansdale. Today, with over 1250 members around the globe, it is the oldest and most respected professional organization for the much-loved writers who have brought you the most enjoyable sleepless nights of your life.

One of HWA’s missions is to encourage public interest in and foster an appreciation of good Horror and Dark Fantasy literature. The organization offers public areas of its site, www.horror.org; sponsors or takes part in public readings and lectures; publishes a monthly newsletter for members; maintains outreach to booksellers, librarians, fans and readers; facilitates readings and signings by horror writers; offers scholarships; and maintains an official presence at the major fan-based horror and fantasy conventions, such as the World Horror Convention, and literary festivals.

For more information on the HWA, please visit www.Horror.org

Two Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries are given annually – the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grant will provide support to a library that would like to expand its existing graphic novel services and programs and the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant will provides support to a library for the initiation of a graphic novel service, program or initiative. These Grants will support two categorical grants that will encourage public awareness on the rise and importance of graphic literature, sequential art, and comics as a literary medium.  The objective of the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries is to facilitate library-generated programs and services that will promote graphic novels to library patrons and to the local community.

Will Eisner (1917-2005) was an acclaimed American comics writer, artist, teacher, and entrepreneur.  He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of sequential art (a term he coined) and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential comic series, The Spirit; for his use of comics as an instructional medium; for his leading role in establishing the graphic novel as a form of literature with his 1978 groundbreaking graphic novel, A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories; for his 20 years of teaching at the School of Visual Arts, leading to his three textbooks. In a career that spanned nearly seven decades—from the dawn of the comic book to the advent of digital comics—Will Eisner was truly the “Father of the Graphic Novel.”

Each winning library will receive a grant award of $4,000 to support initiatives that align with the objective of the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries.  The grant award will consist of the following:

• $2,000 grant to purchase graphic novels from the distributor-partner (current partner is The Brodart company.  Purchase to include cataloging and shipping),
• $1,000 grant to host a graphic novel-themed event at a library or another community location, and
• $1,000 grant to attend the ALA Annual Conference to receive their grant money.  This grant can be used towards any of the following: conference registration, transportation, lodging and food.

In addition, from the book publishers and the Eisner Foundation, the winning libraries will also receive the following graphic novels, valued at approximately $3,000:

• The Will Eisner Library: A graphic novel collection of Will Eisner’s work and biographies about Will Eisner comprising approximately 75 books and;
• Graphic novels nominated for the current year’s Will Eisner Awards at Comic-Con International comprising approximately 100 books.

Chosen Grant applicant must agree to take responsibility for organizing a recognition ceremony of their grant in their library.

Further details and application information @ ALA.org.