Hi everyone!
I know it's been a while since my last newsletter, I've
been busy trying to finalize different projects, but I had nothing to report.
The Nancy Collins project, Absalom's Wake
is underway, but it will be some time before I can release a publication date.
George Walker won an award for Snow, Glass,
Apples!!!!
He won best of show in the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit. Very
prestigious considering the competition. We have some pictures, and
will be posting them shortly.
We're working on a number of things for the site, Kenn
the web genie has been desperately trying to put it together in time for Hallowe'en.
We'll be posting a story by Nancy Collins that's a creepy ghost story
of sorts that will fit in nicely with Hallowe'en. We're also toying
with the idea of having a sellers corner on the site, a place where you can
post for sale something rare or new that you would like to trade or sell. There
would be no charge and it would be an easy way to display your collectables.....
Biting Dog Press has offered to sponsor the SESFA Awards (South Eastern Scifi Fantasy Horror Writers).
George will be designing the awards as well as the logo. We would like to see the awards take place for the 2002 calendar year but we need more voting members. It costs $15 to join, is open to anyone, and membership gives you nomination and voting rights! This gives you a chance to nominate your favourite authors! Go to www.scifidimensions.com and click on the SESFA link to sign up
( We only need 25 more members to make it work so please come and join!).
We had an overwhelming response to the HWA Auction held by Matt Schwartz from Shocklines.com. Biting Dog had donated a presentation copy of Snow,Glass,Apples. The bidding was fast and fierce! The final bid on the presentaion copy was $177.50! It made me realize that some of the people on the Biting Dog mailing list would like to have one of these copies ( I saw your names on the bid list). After talking it over with George, we decided to release a few of the presentation copies. So here's the scoop: I've got 10 presentation copies that come in the wooden laser engraved box! These books are bound in blood red, slipcased with black on black foil. These books were intended for the author and artist only, for them to present to friends and family. The cost is $250 plus $6 shipping....once the 10 are gone, that's it.
For any horror fans out there, I have to tell you about a new author that has just come on to the scene. His name is John Paul Allen, and the name of his book is Gifted Trust. I was comepletely overwhelmed by this book. Rather than ramble on about him or his book, I'm going to include the review that I wrote for the November issue of scifidimensions.com Please check out John site at: www.giftedtrust.com. If you order a book from John, he'll autograph and or personalize it for you!
John Paul Allen
Gifted Trust
ISBN# 0759677549
(From The Jacket Notes)
Texas 1931, Max Belote hears the voice inside his head. It wants him to kill and do unspeakable acts to innocent people....
Jeffry in Huntsville texas 1977,just before he is given a lethal injection for the brutal murder of a woman and her child, gives a brief statement and says "My only regret is that I didn't get to know them better"...
Spanning seven decades, a literary agent, a convicted murderer, and a school teacher are forever connected through an indestructable entity that has manifested itself inside them. Even death may only delay the inevitable...
John Paul Allen breaks all the rules with this intense thriller, he grabs you by the hair and shoves your face down into the grisly carnage and makes you look... Just when you think it's safe, he shows you some more...Moves the reader beyond what defines horror.
Dave Dinsmore
Biting Dog Press
July 31, 2002
Hi everyone!
Just a quick note to tell you that all the orders have been sent
out, and you should get your books soon.
We had a lot of books damaged in shipping so we'll be sending them back to be repaired. I do have some undamaged
numbered copies left in stock.... The lettered boxed edition is sold
out!
I've been getting some overwhelming feedback from people who got
their books already, and I'm glad that everyone so far is happy with their
purchase. Please leave a message on the board so you can tell others what you
think of the book!
George is now working on the Nancy Collins "Absalom's
Wake" illustrations, and we're hoping to have proofs for the end of
September...for those of you not familiar with Nancy, she had a story called
"Catfish Gal Blues" in "999" or you can check out her work by clicking on her
link at the Biting Dog site. Nancy has been called a prolific writer and has many
great novels out there!
We know that we have at least one more Neil
Gaiman project to go, but nothing has been finalized as of yet...more info when
I get it.
Kenn Bannerman is back making changes at the site (his exact
words were "it's boring, let's change it" ) so if Kenn has a bee up his butt, I'm
sure we'll see some cool stuff there soon.
We have a new broadside that
will be available shortly, it's called "Curse Of The Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle. These are artist proofs and feature woodcuts by George Walker and
are signed. They look fantastic framed, and they are only $30 plus shipping. There
is only a handful of them and they will go fast!
Thanks again everyone for making Snow,Glass,Apples and Biting Dog Press a success!!!
Dave Dinsmore
Biting Dog Press
June 17, 2002
Hi everyone!
Just a quick note to let you know what's going on with Snow, Glass, Apples. I met up with Neil on Thursday in Atlanta, and he signed all the signing pages. Then I had to Fedex them off to Paris, France to get them signed by Jack Zipes. They will be signed and returned to me by the weekend, then off to be bound. We're getting closer and closer to the deadline and it seems to be coming together.
The pre-sale prices are going to end at the end of this week, so if you haven't ordered a copy, or if you haven't contacted me about payment, please confirm with me so I can get you on the list. Remember the copies jump to $100 after the pre-sale!
I have about 75 copies of the numbered and 5 of the boxed sets left.
We have signed a deal with Nancy Collins to do a great story (novella) called "Absalom's Wake" we're really excited about this and can't wait for the story to come to life with George Walker's artwork! You can read the blurb by clicking on the icon on the main page of the Biting Dog site - and don't forget to check out Nancy's site by clicking on the links page. We haven't set a price yet but we are starting a list, so sign up if you are interested - you can always remove your name later. Interesting tidbit: If you e-mail Nancy from her site, she will answer you personally!
Kenn Bannerman (our Web Designer, chief cook and bottle washer) had been away from his post for a few weeks, but is now back and making changes to the site. He's got some great screensavers from Snow, Glass, Apples that you can download for free! There's going to be a lot of updates and changes to the site in the next little while, so keep checking back.
Biting Dog and CBLDF have formed an alliance to help promote each other. We have promised the CBLDF some very rare items for their auctions, for example: The original proof of Snow, Glass, Apples corrected by Neil in his own handwriting, bound and signed by all; Two versions of "A WRITERS PRAYER" framed with the original woodblock engravings; and I also have the original draft of Snow, Glass, Apples that Neil sent to me and signed this week in Atlanta. Also we will be donating books and some complete artwork sets (a boxed version) and any other odds and ends I can find lying around. Watch the CBLDF website for more info as the auctions come up.
Thanks again everyone for all you support!!!
Dave Dinsmore
Biting Dog Press
May 4, 2002
Hi everyone!
I've got a lot of things to report and I don't know where to start!, so if I start to ramble, please forgive me....
We've added some things to the site, first we have the photos from the Atlanta Comicon (pictures of George and me looking goofy).
There are some images from the Snow, Glass, Apples book. (seen first here, folks!)
We've posted part one of the interview with Jack Zipes, who wrote the foreword to Snow, Glass, Apples (wow, this guy knows his stuff!).
There are some more photos of George from the 2002 Wayzgoose show on the main page.
There are some new links scattered around the site so look around and check them out.
This month I found out that the poem "A WRITERS PRAYER" did in fact sell for $850 at auction with CBLDF and that one sold unsigned but nicely framed in Ontario for $900.....I'm still in awe....but, hey, that's what happens when the collectors and dealers start fighting over them.....I'll bet no one that has one is complaining.....
For the Joe R Lansdale fans, we have reached an agreement to do an original short story sometime in the fall - we have to wait for Joe's schedule to clear before we can start. This project should also include a short story from Nancy A Collins. Nancy and Joe have also asked the man himself, Stephen King, to contribute a story... Keep your fingers crossed for this one!
Snow, Glass, Apples has gone to print so I'll be asking for money later in the week. If you want a copy before the price goes up, now is the time to order!
George Walker called this morning to go over the details for the hotstamp for the cover and slipcase for Snow, Glass, Apples and I think this is going to be a great book!!!!! I hate to say it, but I think that Murder Mysteries will pale in comparison.
Last but not least, on the Biting Dog site under Merchandise / Books, there is a book called "The Amateur And The Eye Tooth" you can read the story by clicking on the thumbnail. It's a great short story written by George's father John. It's one of my personal favourites and it is truly one of the best books that we've done so far. If you get around to reading it, drop me a line and let me know what you think.
Don't forget to leave us a comment on the message board!
Best,
Dave Dinsmore
Biting Dog Press
April 7, 2002
Hi Everyone!!
Thought I'd let you know what's happening with Snow,Glass,Apples.
George Walker is flying in to Atlanta this Friday and we'll be looking over the final layout and choosing the artwork that will be included in the book. After that it will be sent off to the elves to be printed and sewn by hand.
We have sold about half of the numbered and half of the lettered editions but I expect to be sold out by publication, so if there are any collectors out there sitting on the fence, you better hurry before e-bay or dealers are the only place left to get a copy.
Murder Mysteries is almost gone - I have about 10 copies left. Dreamhaven may have some copies in stock, but after that it's back to e-bay. Don't forget, the copies that are left are signed by Neil Gaiman, George Walker, and Brian Smith (who wrote the foreword). None of the original books were signed by Brian Smith.
"A Writers Prayer" continues to baffle me! I have two confirmed reports of the broadside selling for large amounts of money; One in Ontario sold UNSIGNED for $900 and one sold at auction to benefit Comic Book Legal Defense Fund for $850 - both were the version approved by Neil. Imagine what the two unsolicited versions would fetch at auction!!!! (Which reminds me,if you buy something from me, it's yours!! you can sell it where ever and to whom ever you like...)
If you can get a gazillion dollars for something like a book or a poem on e-bay, that's free enterprise and good luck. If you do get a whopping big sale, let me know so I can keep tabs on the escalating prices.
George Walker and myself will be attending the Atlanta Comicon April 12th-14th. If you happen to be in Atlanta, stop in and see us. You can check out the comicon website at www.atlantacomicon.com
I've added a list of previously unavailable Biting Dog book titles to the website. All are hand made with artwork by George Walker. Paypal is also available on the site, but it's new so bear with us if you run into any glitches.
I just finished reading "LAMB" by Christopher Moore. It's the gospel of Jesus's childhood friend Biff. If you liked Good Omens, you would love LAMB.You can read an excerpt of LAMB by clicking on the Chris Moore link on the Biting Dog link page (take the time it is well worth it!!!) And tell Chris I sent you.
Thanks for all the great comments on the message board!!!!
Dave Dinsmore
Biting Dog Press
www.bitingdogpress.com
March 13, 2002
Hi Everyone!
Well I've got a few tidbits to share about Snow, Glass, Apples. With any luck, we should have the proofs back from Neil this week. If all goes well there, we should be able to print it in the next couple of weeks. But that's the easy part. Once it's printed it needs to be collated and then bound. Once we get to the binding it seems that things move along at a much faster pace. You do have to remember that all the work is done by hand. The book is being printed in two colours (the Queen's Voice is printed in red).
Neil chose Jack Zipes to do the introduction and I must say it was a wise choice. Jack is a fairy tale professor from Minn and he is extremely knowledgeable in his field. You can find out more about Jack by plugging his name into your browser ( take the time to do it, it's worth it ).
I've been working on the lettered edition for the last couple of months and I came up with about 10 prototypes for presentation boxes. After getting them all in one place and looking them over I couldn't decide which one I liked best......and then it hit me!: Each one is different and unique, why not use them all! So this is the deal....I've got oak with laser engraving, stained glass 3D type boxes ( really hard to explain - and they just won't photograph ) as well as a few maple boxes with laser engraving. I'll try to get some kind of representation of the boxes on the site. What I'm going to do is, if you order a box and if for any reason you don't like it, or it's not your cup of tea, just let me know and I'll refund your money!!!! You can't beat that.
The boxes are only available with the lettered set and all the lettered sets will be signed by Neil Gaiman, George Walker, Jack Zipes, and it will be special! The regular edition of 250 will also be signed by all and slipcased just like Murder Mysteries.
The lettered, boxed set pre-publication price is $200 (25 Only)
The numbered set limited to 250 copies is $70 (this will go up to $100 after publication)
Now is the time to reserve your copy, I'm not looking for money, just a commitment so I can try to organise before the book is ready to ship. Just e-mail me from the website with your name, your screen name and your full address and I'll get you on the list.
We've made a lot of changes at the site so look around while you're there and leave a message on the message board.
Dave Dinsmore
Biting Dog Press
www.bitingdogpress.com
