Video clips galore, reading to lose weight, and the power of the free ebook excerpt. Consider yourselves alerted.

 

Romance Novel Reader Workout III
Source: Smart Bitches Trashy Books

Read sex scenes and lose weight!

Oh dear, God, but this idea is brilliant. I came across the Romance Novel Reader Workout III post via the @SmartBitches Twitter feed and it made me grin from ear-to-ear. The premise? Every time a romance novel cliché  is mentioned, you do a specific sort of exercise. Genius. Although I was really confused about what a ‘V-up’ was. Turns out, it’s a type of stomach crunch invented by the Devil himself. Smart Bitch Sarah was kind enough to send me a clip of what one actually entailed:

 

 

Yeah, I really hope I don’t come across any penises likened to ‘velvet’, ‘silk’ or ‘steel’ in the next few books I read. My torso will be in a state of paralysis.

To date, the Smart Bitches have devised three Romance Novel Reader Workouts – you can find the previous two here and here – so you’ll have plenty of different exercises to try out as you come across virgin heroines and fruit-like nipples.

 

James Franco & Co. Discuss the BDSM-Porn Documentary ‘Kink’ at Sundance
Source: The Daily Beast

This year, the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, which was held in Park City, Utah, between 17 and 27 January, featured a BDSM porn documentary titled Kink.

Directed by Christina Voros and produced by James Franco (who many of you will recognise from Spiderman), the film documents the daily workings of Kink.com (NSFW) – a company that produces pornography with BDSM themes.

A really interesting and thoughtful piece on how the film came to be made, the logistics of running an X-rated company, and the experiences of those involved in making fetish films.

For those who are curious, here’s the documentary’s official trailer. (NSFW)

 

 

How EBook Readers Shop And The Importance Of Sampling
Source: The Creative Penn

A very insightful article from Joanna Penn, discussing ebook sampling and why authors should use it.

I have to say, I’m in full agreement with the points she raises in this post. If I’m looking to buy a book – particularly if it’s by an author I’ve not come across before – a downloadable excerpt is key in helping me decide whether or not to part with my cash. With the rise of self-publishing, in particular, the quality of the books on offer can vary significantly, and once you’ve been burned a few times by bad writing and/or editing, you definitely become more wary. A sample is a great way of ‘trying before you buy’. No excerpt? I’m more than likely to give it a miss.

Vive la sample! (Albeit a well-formatted one.)

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