Because a couple of folks have asked recently about why some books don't seem to show up in the Bloodstained Bookshelf, I thought I'd make some remarks about it.First, this is strictly a one-woman enterprise. I collect the information, organize it, and post it. When I have computer problems, the Bookshelf has computer problems. When I have major surgery (as happened twice last year), the Bookshelf is likely to be delayed. There are no bells and whistles on this site, as much as I'd love to have things like Search by Author, for instance, because I don't have those coding skills at this point.
When I decided to take over the publication of the Bloodstained Bookshelf, I had to make some choices. I knew, of course, that the focus had to be mysteries. But I also knew that e-books were becoming more and more popular, that many folks (including some well-known professional writers) were choosing to publish backlist and sometimes even new titles electronically. And many small presses were popping up. On top of that, the number of self-published titles was expanding exponentially.
Keeping up with all of it is just not possible. So I made some decisions:
1) The list will be limited to print-format mysteries published in the US.
This still leaves me with a very long list of books. Every month I worry that I won't have enough new titles for the list, and every month I end up laughing hollowly at the number of boldfaced titles that keep showing up. And every month I end up saying to myself, "Oh, damn, how did I manage to miss including such-and-such title or such-and-so publisher?"
2) Nonfiction about mysteries, collections, or anthologies may be listed, but I will not make any promises.
3) Self-published titles, no matter by whom, will not be included; I simply don't have room for a slush pile.
4) Large-print books may appear, rarely.
5) I reserve the right to make arbitrary decisions, and don't have to explain any of them. It's my website.
It's simple--there are always new books out there, and I'm always going to miss somebody, no matter how often I appeal for writers, publishers, agents to give me a heads-up (and I am absurdly grateful to those who do, believe me) about upcoming publications. I do my best to meet the criteria I've set for myself, and the list tries to provide information about books several months in advance of publication. I use publisher websites, bookstore sites, and every trick I can think of to make the list as comprehensive as possible. I know it isn't, but I like to think it's a pretty good resource, and that I haven't let Dave Robeson and Kate Derie down. I hope you think so too.
Welcome back to the Bloodstained Bookshelf, and I hope you'll continue to visit. Happy reading!
--Ashley
