What Does It Mean to Be Published?

Back before Kindle, before print-on-demand even, the public derided self-publishing as vanity publishing. Vanity books were not real books. Vanity authors were not real authors.

To be published -- to be truly published -- required more than having a book in print. It required that an objective third party had invested in printing your book. A commercial publisher believed that your book was entertaining or interesting enough to find favor with the paying public.

Commercial publishers are motivated not by vanity, but by an objective calculation of how much a book is worth on the market. Self-publishers call these people "traditional publishers," as though self-publishing is new and ground-breaking. It's not. Self-publishing is not ground-breaking. And "commercial publisher" better describes non-vanity publishers than the term "traditional publisher."

If your book was printed by a commercial publisher -- an objective third party who risked his own money to publish your book -- then you, the commercially published author, derived prestige and status. The public admired you for overcoming the hurdle of an objective third party.

By contrast, if an author self-published, that meant the book was printed solely because of the author's faith (i.e., his vanity) in the book's merits. And because every mother believes her child to be beautiful and gifted, however ugly and stupid a child may be, the public was rightfully skeptical of self-published books. Which the public called "vanity books."

Vanity were not real books. Vanity books weren't published, they were printed. They sat stacked in cardboard boxes, unsold, in the author's basement or garage.

Read the rest of the article.

The Celestine Prophecy: Old Socialism for a New Age

I'm not a big admirer of the New Age. My Hollywood Witches satirizes, among other targets, La La Land flakes and their silly infatuations with New Age make-believe.

The New Age movement is a blend of self-obsession, self-delusion, squishy-Left politics, greedy scam artists, second-hand cafeteria spirituality, and pseudoscience -- with many practitioners embodying all of those seemingly contradictory traits.

The dreadful Celestine Prophecy -- a huge bestseller in the 1990s -- is a good example of New Age nonsense. I reviewed the book in 1995. That review is now reprinted at the Weekly Universe.

Jonathan Frid, RIP

I just learned that Dark Shadows actor Jonathan Frid has died at age 87. The Chicago Tribune reports:

"Jonathan Frid, star of the original 'Dark Shadows,' died of natural causes in Canada last Friday (April 13) at the Juravinski Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.

"Frid was best known for playing Barnabas Collins on gothic soap opera 'Dark Shadows,' which aired on ABC from June 1966 to April 1971. The character of Barnabas appeared a year into its run on TV and catapulted the show's popularity.

"Frid did not do much acting other than in 'Dark Shadows' and did not have an acting credit since the 1974 film 'Seizure' until he filmed a cameo for the 2012 release 'Dark Shadows,' which features Johnny Depp as Barnabas."

Well, that's not true. Jonathan was a seasoned stage actor long before being cast as Barnabas in Dark Shadows. He went on to do much stage work after Dark Shadows, notably his one-man-shows.

I interviewed Jonathan in 1986. He was gracious and kind, even buying me lunch and inviting me into his home. At that time he lived in an apartment in New York City.

I returned a week later to see Jonathan's one-man-show, which he performed in his apartment for select fans. He normally changed his show's contents every few months, pre-testing new material before his fans.

Much of Jonathan's show consisted of him reading short-shorts, so I lent him a copy of Fredric Brown's Nightmares and Geezenstacks, which is filled with excellent short-shorts. Jonathan liked some of Brown's tales, and would have liked to incorporate them into his show. But due to copyright considerations, he couldn't do so without permission.

I was honored to have met and interviewed Jonathan Frid, and will continue to admire the body of work he left behind.

The Myth of True Communism

When my anti-Communist satire, Vampire Nation, was first published some dozen years ago, I began receiving complaints from self-identified Communists.

A common theme arose among their emails and postings. They said that I had misrepresented Communism, because Communism as historically practiced was not True Communism.

They claimed that True Communism was beautiful and wonderful and full of warmth and peace and love for all humanity.

I replied to their arguments with an article (which has now been reprinted) that I called: The Myth of True Communism.

I Am to Sit on a Horror Film Festivals Panel

I have been invited to sit on a panel about Horror Film Festivals at the 2012 World Horror Convention, to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 29, 2012, at 4 p.m.

Actually, I pitched this panel idea last December, so it was only natural that I be included once the panel was approved. Also, I did write Horror Film Festivals and Awards, so (hopefully) I do have some knowledge about the subject.

The other panelists are Blake Casselman, Stephen Graham Jones, filmmaker Jonathan Martin, and Mario DeAngelis.

I'd suggested Casselman and Martin for the panel. Their presence too seemed only natural. Casselman is running the WHC's film festival this year. Martin is a Salt Lake City native whose An Evening With My Comatose Mother played at many horror film festivals last year, including my own Tabloid Witch Awards.

It was through the Tabloid Witch that I learned about Martin, his film work, and his home town, though I've yet to meet him in person. I'm looking forward to that, since, it turns out, Martin and I share a strong interest in Romania. (It being the locale of his documentary, I Am from Nowhere: The People History Ignored, and of my novel, Vampire Nation.)

I Am Nominated for a Rondo Award

My newest book, Horror Film Festivals and Awards, has been nominated for the 2012 Rondo Hatton Horror Classic Awards.

The nomination is for their "Book of the Year" category.

The Rondos are a fan award. Anyone can vote for the winners online.

My previous book, Horror Film Aesthetics, was likewise nominated for a Rondo last year. It didn't win, and I don't expect to win this year. But as they say about every award, "It's just an honor to be nominated!"

Don't Hate on Christmas

Here's my letter to the editor, which appeared in the December 10, 2011 Santa Monica Daily Press:

Editor:

Mr. Jorg Aadahl ("Different take on Christmas," Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5) is apparently offended that Christmas doesn't have a "neutral name." He prefers that we say Yuletide because it is "all inclusive, for everyone."

But no holiday is "all inclusive." Not everyone chooses to celebrate Chanukah, Halloween, Thanksgiving — or even Yuletide. Nor is there any reason that 100 percent compliance should be a requirement. If one were offended because someone wished them a "Happy Chanukah" or "Happy Thanksgiving," that person would be regarded as a bigot, or just plain weird.

Christmas alone is deemed offensive because not everyone celebrates it. You needn't belong to a religion or ethnicity to appreciate its culture.

Non-Chinese people visit Chinatowns all over the U.S. to enjoy Chinese New Year parades. Non-Latinos visit Olvera Street for Cinco de Mayo and Dia De Los Muertos celebrations. People of many religions visit Native American reservations to admire their religious dances.

Likewise, there's no reason that non-Christians can't look at (and even enjoy) a Christmas lights display. It's not a forced conversion.

Mr. Aadahl also tries to invalidate Christmas for its pagan roots. But many holiday customs are rooted in archaic or discarded practices. Trick-or-treating is no longer about bribing dead spirits to leave us be. Yet that does not invalidate Halloween's modern celebrations.

Thus does Mr. Aadahl criticize Christmas both for being too Christian ("non-inclusive") and not Christian enough ("pagan roots"). He should learn to appreciate that ours is a diverse society, and that Christmas — and Christianity — are significant parts of that diversity.

-- Thomas M. Sipos, Santa Monica, CA

The Cult of Apple

Steve Jobs is dead, and that's unfortunate from a human standpoint. But I don't get all this fuss over how he and his company supposedly changed technology.

I bought my first computer in 1986. Right now I'm on my 9th computer, which runs
Windows 7. All my life, I've been a DOS/Windows user. I’ve never owned an Apple anything. Nor a Mac, nor anything beginning with an i.

Once, I used a computer running an Apple operating system. It was at Kinko's. I didn't realize it was running Apple (or Mac, or whatever they call their OS) until it CRASHED, and I had to call the clerk for help.

That's right. The Apple OS is so similar to Windows, I didn't even notice I was running Apple rather than Windows. And Apple CRASHES, same as Windows.

(Or rather, same as Windows used to crash. Windows 98 crashed a lot. I've not had crashes with Windows XP or Windows 7.)

Back in the 1990s, I'd read that Apple had about 5% of the OS market share. Windows had the rest (excepting maybe 1% for "others" like Linux and OS/Warp 2). Apple users urged me to switch to Apple. They spoke with religious hysteria. I got the impression they were afraid that Apple might soon go bust, so they wanted to entice other people into buying Apple, to bolster the company's market share.





Apple users have long sounded cultish to me. I've built a dozen or so websites from scratch, using Windows-based Netscape Composer, and then later, Dreamweaver. I've written all my books and scripts on Windows-based software (first WordStar for DOS, then Movie Magic Screenwriter and Open Office). I listen to MP3s on a Sansa Fuse (not iPod) player. My cell phone was Verizon, until I canceled due to their inaccurate billing.

Apple products are, I'm sure, no better than the rest. They just cost more, and have glitzier marketing.

That's the secret of Apple. Glitzy marketing, so as to create a sort of personality cult around the product. Yes, they've run some great ads. But like most ads, they're about image, not reality.

If Apple users were truly the anti-corporate/radical individualists they posture as, they'd switch to Linux.

Windows for the masses. Linux for the rebels. Apple for the poseurs.

-- Thomas M. Sipos

When Screamfest L.A. Was Young

Today Screamfest L.A. is the largest horror film festival in Los Angeles. A big, splashy event with big studio support.

Yet I remember Screamfest before it was Screamfest.

In 2001, the first annual Screamfest was a small event, an early pioneer in what became this past decade's horror film festival boom. I attended that first Screamfest L.A., reviewing its films for Horrorfind.com.

Horrorfind has long since taken down all its film reviews, mine included. But now a blast from horror's past -- I've uploaded my 2001 Screamfest L.A. report to my Communist Vampires site, which you can read here.

Republican Zombies, Democratic Vampires

I've never been much for the theory that horror films "reflect social anxieties." I think horror has other primary appeals, such as its "sense of wonder" (something by no means exclusive to science fiction).

However, someone has crunched some box office numbers and TV ratings, and has concluded that vampires films are more popular during Republican presidencies, whereas zombie films are more popular under Democratic presidencies.

S. Peter Davis theorizes that this is because conservatives/libertarians perceive the Left as vampires, whereas liberals/progressives see the Right as zombies. And each of these groups, when out of power, suffer greater "social anxiety," which is reflected in the horror films released at that time.

It's a amusing article. Even better, Davis cites my book, Vampire Nation, as proof of his thesis.

Read Davis's entire article.

McFarland Releases Cover for Horror Film Festivals and Awards

McFarland Publishing has released the cover for my upcoming book, Horror Film Festivals and Awards.

Although I was not consulted on the cover, I like it. It has a retro, 1960s pop culture, beach party feeling.

It's funky -- and a bit ironic, since most horror film festivals have been founded since 2000. But no matter, for as coincidence would have it, I am a fan of The Horror of Party Beach. (Not a huge coincidence -- I enjoy most horror films.)

I'm currently proof-reading the, ehr, proofs. I am also now creating an index for the book.

The book includes a listing of thousands of past winners, from dozens of horror film festivals and awards, over the course of decades (some 400 manuscript pages when I submitted the book). So the index should take a while. I expect to finish it by late August, although I'm hoping it will be sooner than that.

Either way, Horror Film Festivals and Awards should be available for purchase by late 2011.

What's Wrong With the Saturn Awards?

In 1997 I wrote an article about the Saturn Awards for Horror magazine. Horror folded before printing it, but my article was eventually published in my 2001 horror collection, Halloween Candy.

Back then I thought that the Saturn Award was the definitive horror film award. But times change. This past decade has seen a mushrooming of horror film festivals and awards, including the one I founded: the Tabloid Witch Awards.

With so many horror film awards around these days (a phenomenon that I discuss in my upcoming book), the Saturn is no longer so special.

Although dated, I now offer this article for free online, as a retrospective of the state of horror film awards in 1997.

Verizon Sucks: Steals Another $50 from Me

Despite my past problems with Verizon wireless billing, last December I made the mistake of upgrading to their new 4G network.

In late January, I asked Verizon to Suspend my 4G service (for a $15 fee, saving on the monthly $50 charges). Verizon told me my service was Suspended.

Then I got my bill. My 4G service was NOT Suspended. I was charged the full $50.

I called to complain, waited and waded through Verizon's robotic phone menu, and finally told my problem to a human being. She told me that she would fix the problem, crediting me back the money I should have saved.

On my next bill, I saw that I had only been partially credited. I was still overcharged $33. Feeling the futility of dealing with Verizon, I let it rest.

In early March I traveled again, so I un-Suspended my 4G service. In mid-March I asked to re-Suspend service. Verizon assured me they had done so.

Naturally, on my next bill, I saw this was NOT the case. I was charged the full $50.

I phoned again. This time Verizon told me that they offer the option of SUSPENSION WITHOUT BILLING or SUSPENSION WITH BILLING. Verizon had thought I wanted SUSPENSION WITH BILLING.

HUH?

Who would want SUSPENSION WITH BILLING? What's the point of suspending your service if you're still going to be billed?

I finally told Verizon to disconnect the service, despite the ADDITIONAL $160 disconnection fee. The Verizon rep told me "What I can do is charge you the $50, and ask my supervisor to credit you with the $50 on your next bill."

But I knew from my previous dispute just how worthless Verizon's promises to "credit back" are.

I suppose I'll pay the $160 disconnect fee, and dispute the $50 fee on my credit card statement.

I still use Verizon landline and cell phone -- they're next to go. I've had it with Verizon.

PS: If you're wondering if Verizon's 4G broadband wireless is as fast and reliable as Verizon claims, well, it's faster than their 3G ... when it works. But their 4G is not as fast as home wifi.

And Verizon's 4G still has problems with "going dormant." If you stay on any webpage for a minute or so, the 4G will go dormant, and you can't click to another page. Sometimes, you'll have to disconnect and reconnect to get out of dormancy mode (i.e., to wake up the damn 4G modem).

Then there's the problem of the modem disconnecting on its own. That still happens.

Why Do Horror Films Suck?

Actually, I don't think horror films suck, but there have been some awful ones this past decade -- and some great ones!

Even so, that's the topic of a discussion panel on which I'll serve, at the upcoming 2011 World Horror Convention.

Here are the details:

Why Horror Movies Are Terrible

7:00 PM Friday, April 29 – Dezavala [that's the room's name]

Brad Keene, Thomas Sipos, Joe Hill, SG Browne, Gemma, Files (M), Mark Wheaton

It's not even a question -- most horror movies are terrible, with stories that would be rejected from the smallest zine, acting to embarrass late-night Creature Feature hosts, and YouTube-ready cinematography. But WHY? Is it truly difficult to make an effective horror film, or are the producers and audience just so indiscriminate that quality isn't worth the bother?

I didn't choose the topic, but I do have some things to say on it. Which recent horror films are admirable -- and which are execrable? And why are the latter films are terrible. (The panel's topic.)

I'll also participate in the mass book signing on Saturday night:

MASS SIGNING!

7:30 – 10:00 PM Saturday, April 30 – Phoenix Central

I'll have copies of Vampire Nation, Hollywood Witches, and Pentagon Possessed for whoever wishes a signed copy.

Horror Film Aesthetics Nominated for a Rondo Award

My book from last year, Horror Film Aesthetics, has been nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, in Category 10 (Book of the Year).

Anyone can vote online, in any of the award categories, by going to the Rondo Award site.

Mocking TSA Before It Was Cool

Conservatives finally found the courage to mock the Transportation Security Administration for the TSA's asinine non-security measures. I've heard these so-called "conservatives" -- who claim to support small government -- on talk radio, mocking the TSA's porno-scanners and sexual assault pat-downs.

No, it's not "about time." It's long past "about time." Where were these "conservatives" when the TSA's measures first went into effect? Or when the ridiculous non-safety procedures piled on and on?

The truth is, anyone who criticized the TSA several years ago would have been derided by "conservatives" as a terrorist-lover. A supporter of "Islamo-fascism." Or as Ann Coulter might put it, a "cheese-eating surrender monkey."

For that matter, where were the progressives? I hear that Saturday Night Live ran a sketch criticizing the TSA last week. Yet years ago, many progressives too were afraid to criticize our current wars and non-security measures in public, lest the critics be called "anti-patriotic."

Yes, a minority of progressives, and even s few conservatives and libertarians, did criticize the TSA early on. But they were the relatively few, because it wasn't cool or safe to criticize the TSA.

Perhaps the earliest opponent of 9/11 hysteria was former Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne, who criticized the Afghan War on 9/12.

Now I'll blow my own horn. I marched against the Iraq War before it began, along with a minority of Americans who were ignored at the time. I participated in an antiwar play in 2005.

And in 2006 ... I wrote an antiwar/anti-Patriot Act -- and anti-TSA -- screenplay called Pentagon Possessed: A Neocon Horror Story. In 2007 it was a quarterfinalist in four screenplay contests. It's still available for production. (plug, plug)

Theofantastique Interviews Thomas M. Sipos About Horror Film Aesthetics

Theofantastique interviewed me about my book, Horror Film Aesthetics.

Read the interview for a free peek into my views on the subject.

Or just buy the book at Amazon.com!

More Verizon Broadband "Sucks" Wireless Ripoffs

There are many creative ways in which Verizon Broadband "Sucks" Wireless rips off consumers. Here are several ways:

When you sign on, Verizon locks you into a two-year contract. There's a big termination fee. However, if you don't need their broadband wireless service for an extended period, you can suspend the service -- for a $15 suspension fee.

But here's the real ripoff: The suspension only last 90 days. You must call Verizon again after 90 days, to re-suspend. Otherwise, Verizon reactivates your service and starts charging you.

Why not allow you, the consumer, to keep your wireless suspended until you're ready to use it again?

Because Verizon hopes you'll forget after 90 days. Then Verizon can reactivate, and you won't know until you see your bill. And you'll have to re-suspend, plus pay for the time your wireless card was on, but you didn't use it, since you thought it was suspended.

I suspended my card in July, wrote down on my calender that I had to re-suspend in October. Only I re-suspended on October 11, when I should have re-suspended on October 4 (I am told), so now I'll be charge for 7 days usage that I never used.

This "automatic re-activation after 90 days" is all very sleazy. But Verizon gets still sleazier. Here's how:

Verizon doesn't tell you that you can suspend their service. In all the promotional junk they use to tout their service (coverage, how great it is, how much it costs, the two-year service contract), I've never seen any mention that you can suspend the service.

In past years, I left my broadband wireless service on for months of non-usage, because I figured I'd need it again in a few months. Verizon never told me I had the option to suspend. I had to stumble upon that little factoid.

How so?

I called to terminate my two-year contract in July, though I had six months left on it, and only then did Verizon tell me about their option to suspend for 90 days (and you'd better keep track when those 90 days are over).

BTW, Verizon Broadband Wireless is as slow as molasses, with frequent drop-offs. I only use it because I need internet when I travel.

I've used it in Queens, NY (slow), in Denver, CO (extremely slow), and in Santa Monica, CA -- where it doesn't even work.

My Verizon cell phone also has difficulties in Santa Monica. My surfing the internet shows that Verizon wireless services often fail near the beach, and Santa Monica is a beach town.

If you travel and need broadband wireless, you may have no choice but to be ripped off by Verizon or some other carrier, but know that you are being ripped off.

Hollywood Witches's First Two Reviews

Hollywood Witches has begun to rack up reviews.

Steven Martinovich of Enter Stage Right says:

"Though the inner machinations of Hollywood have been well explored by both writers and filmmakers for decades, Hollywood Witches is still an entertaining read if only because of its unique premise. It obviously targets the liberal pretensions of Hollywood and one could argue that its villain, Däagen, has a point when she argues that diversity in Hollywood is a myth – though her agenda promises to do little to rectify the problem.

"It has genuinely humorous moments and although the witchcraft angle leads to some rather incredulous plot twists, overall it serves its subject matter well."

And Lars Walker of The American Culture writes:

"The chief eponymous witch of the story is Diana Däagen, a figure of satire, gargantuan in her vices and terrifying in her lack of self-awareness. A failed actress, she now works as 'development executive' in a movie studio. She believes herself intensely spiritual and full of love for all humankind, but that doesn’t prevent her from treating her underlings like dirt, using black magic to thwart or kill her enemies, and planning to murder thousands of people at once -- all for enlightened, politically correct purposes, of course...

"Author Sipos has a gift for dialogue (promising in one who -- one assumes -- is a screenwriter), and can be very funny... Hollywood Witches is a commendable effort, which will entertain readers with strong stomachs."

First Halloween Sighting in 2010 -- August 13th

Halloween being my favorite season of the year, I like for it to begin early and last a long time. By Halloween season, I mean all the decorations, store items, lawn displays, haunted houses, etc.

In 2007, I made my first Halloween sighting on August 7th. That was my earliest sighting to date.

This year, my first Halloween sighting was on August 13th. I was at Wilshire West Car Wash in Santa Monica, CA. They sell greeting cards there, among other items, in the waiting area. Halloween cards were already on display, despite it being over 2 1/2 months away.

BTW, if you want to watch a horror film on Halloween, the best Halloween horror film remains Halloween III: Season of the Witch. This was supposed to be the Halloween series's new direction. From this film onwards, no more Michael Myers. Instead, a new film installment every year, with an entirely different story and cast of characters.

It didn't work out. Halloween III: Season of the Witch was a critical and box office bomb. The fans wanted more Michael Myers. But I disagree. The first Halloween film was great, but it should have been the last Michael Myers film. The series went progressively downhill after the first film, with the notable exception of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which told a most Halloween appropriate tale, returning the holiday to its dark Celtic roots.

Halloween H20 is the only Halloween/Michael Myers sequel worthy of the first film, taking the story arc full circle, with a darkly innovative performance by Jamie Lee Curtis.