Plays and Playwrights

When we published our second book, Plays and Playwrights 2001, I was certain the first one, Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium, would never sell another copy.  How wrong I was.

With each new book, we have continued to sell copies of the older ones until they became out of print.  But it seems people still know about the out of print books and request them.  Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium has been out of print for over five years and yet we still get requests.  The same is true for all the books. Reprinting as a paper book is expensive.  And now with ebooks growing in popularity by leaps and bounds, we can satisfy everyone.  And it is working.

Publishing for Amazon’s kindle and for Barnes & Noble’s nook allows readers to pick their favorite online bookseller.  It still amazes me that, once you click ‘buy’ you have the book open to read within seconds.

The books are less expensive – they are formatted specially for each of these readers.  Don’t have a reader? Download a myriad of free apps to be able to read on your mobile phone, pc, mac, laptop, tablet, etc.

Try one of our books on Amazon:  Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium, Plays and Playwrights 2003

or check out Barnes & Noble: Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium, Plays and Playwrights 2003

And watch for news about the next e-book release.

I wrote last week to tell all that Plays and Playwrights 2003 was back and available for sale as an ebook on amazon’s kindle store.  For those of you who own a nook or have downloaded one of more of the free apps from Barnes & Noble, here’s great news – Plays and Playwrights 2003 is now available on the nook store. It’s only $9.99 at either place and that’s a great price: you get the full script of 11 plays plus permission information, updated bios of the authors and notes on production.

Plays and Playwrights 2003 proved to be a big success as a print book. So big that it is no longer available.  But you can still get the same book at a lower price and with the knowledge that you have saved a couple of trees by buying the ebook version. We have worked very hard to be sure the quality is as good as in the original.

If you would like to learn more about the book, check out the introduction by editor Martin Denton on our website (it’s a free pdf download).

Hope many of you will check out our other ebook – Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium – the e-book is also available on amazon and on Barnes & Noble.

Do let me know your thoughts.

Plays and Playwrights 2003 has been out of print for about a year.  Requests come in all the time.  And now you can get your own copy, once again.  It is up on amazon’s kindle site and it only costs $9.99. (You can download it to your PC or any of numerous mobile devices).

The book is identical to the printed version, although we did update all the bios. This anthology is chock full of 11 plays, all worthy of new productions (and most of them have had lots of those).  These are authors you have come to know with the works published here and with more recent ones many have contributed.

A fast run-through of the book:

• Joe Godfrey’s A Queer Carol –  This great take-off on Dickens’ Christmas perennial has had at least one production every year across the country.
• Catherine Gillet’s Pumpkins for Smallpox – a short, moving 9/11 play.
• Andrea Lepcio’s Looking for the Pony – since we published this one-act she has revamped it into a full length play.
• Ato Essandoh’s Black Thang – true love battles stereotypes that still exist; recently we’ve gotten lots of interest in this play.
• Edward Musto’s The Ninth Circle – Reagan would be 100 this year and his landslide election is the backdrop for this play.
• Nat Colley’s The Doctor of Rome – The Merchant of Venice was a big hit recently on Broadway; here’s the sequel all set to put up.
• Marc Morales’ Galaxy Video – a hoot when it was written, still hilarious even though the video store is apt to disappear.
• Leon Chase’s The Last Carburetor – dysfunctional families are always in style on the stage and here’s one of the greatest you’ll encounter.
• Joseph Langham’s Out to Lunch – who can resist an absurdist farce especially one about two losers.
• Maggio Cino’s Ascending Bodily – a solo play that is timeless, just find an actress as good as Maggie to do it.
• Kelly McAllister’s Last Call – a moving comic drama that’s as pertinent today as when it was originally done.

And the renowned playwright and critic, Mario Fratti, wrote the Foreword.

Since we first got the idea to expand our publishing into the e-book arena, I have done a great deal of reading on the subject.  I have read the small amount available on converting a printed book to an e-book and I have read the ever expanding discussion pro and con about e-books in general.

There seems to be a group that feels e-books are unnecessary and a waste of time.  In my head I liken this group to those who felt the electric typewriter was not really an advancement. (It really was – those little fingers flying across the keys on the old underwood, could really soar effortlessly and more accurately once you plugged it in.)

I have noticed that many of the people debunking e-books have not really  read one. 

Why not give this new advance in publishing a try?  It’s the easiest way to buy a book; you can even glance at some of the material before you commit. It’s certainly not expensive. 

Log on to any e-book stores such as amazon’s kindle or b&n’s nook.  Notice the free apps on the sidebar for your PC or mobile device.  Download one of those.  You do not need to buy a special device such as a kindle or nook to read e-books!

In the kindle and nook e-book stores you’ll generally find a downloadable free sample of books like ours.   Click on that and get a chance to look at what you’ll be getting.  If you already have an account you can purchase and have the book within seconds.  Setting up an account is quick and easy.

Give it a try.  And let me know what you think.