The penguins of Punta Tombo, 28 years later
Punta Tombo, which is located on the Patagonian coast of Argentina, is home to the world’s largest Magellanic penguin colony.
Dee Boersma and her team of naturalists have been studying these penguins for 28 years. Back when she began, the Japanese were planning to harvest the penguins for their fur for women’s gloves.
Fortunately Dee and others intervened. And now the penguins are largely protected (at least while they’re on land).
I received a brief newsletter from Dee today with some key data points from her work.
Here’s the good news:
- Dee and her team first began banding chicks in 1983. And they still track nine of the penguins banded that year.
- The oldest bird tracked is more than 30 years old.
- They have sighted more than 2,900 banded chicks over the years. In some cases, they can track the family tree all the way down to the great-great grand chicks. When Dee began they didn’t know just how loyal these penguins were to the colony or to one another. They know so much more today. This is not just amazing data, it’s a family history.
And now the bad news:
- Penguins are traveling 25 miles further to find food than they did a decade ago. This is not by choice. The food sources have shifted. Every additional mile traveled raises the risk that the chicks waiting back at home could starve (and some do). The colony is shrinking.
- Now, the reasons why the food has shifted is not so clear. Some blame global warming. Oil spills over the years have certainly factored into it as well. But I believe a major culprit is the fishing industry. The food penguins eat — such as squid and krill — was largely ignored by the fishing industry a decade ago. Today, it’s a cash crop and fisherman are going to take what is closest to shore. Humans and penguins are now competing for the same food and humans, with their sonar and their mile-long nets, are going to win this battle.
Unless we stop them.
Dee has the data. Now we need to raise awareness so that all countries begin treating the oceans like the finite resource they are instead of an all-you-can eat buffet. This was one of the reasons I wrote The Tourist Trail.
The penguins will be returning to Punta Tombo beginning next week.
To support the Penguin Project — and subscribe to their newsletter — click here.
Possibly related posts:The production of The Tourist Trail
Lately I’ve received a number of questions from fellow writers about the self-publishing process.
While I don’t consider myself an expert, I’m happy to share the ups and downs of my journey. Just keep in mind that the list below is already a few steps too long given recent changes in the industry.
Here is a high-level view of the production process and software used (I used a Mac throughout):
- Wrote and edited the book in Microsoft Word
- Designed the print version of the book in Adobe InDesign CS5*
- Designed the cover of the book in Adobe Illustrator CS5
- Exported the book as an ePub file
- Exported the cover as a JPG file, sized so it would display well in ereaders
- Modified the ePub file using the free software product Sigil
- Converted the ePub file to Mobi using Calibre, another free software product**
- Uploaded the Mobi file to the Amazon Kindle store
* I always intended to produce both an ebook and print book. This decision drove me to splurge on Adobe InDesign and Illustrator. I used InDesign for the body of the book, but I could have gotten by perfectly well with plain ol’ Microsoft Word — or, better yet, Apple Pages (which now supports ePub export). But I also wanted a nice-looking cover, which is where Illustrator fits in. Illustrator is an excellent tool for manipulating type and images.
My general advice for writers is to avoid the Adobe Creative Suite. These tools are not cheap and the learning curve can be steep. Though I’ve used Adobe software for years, I’m not thrilled with this latest version of the software suite (perhaps a topic for a future post).
If all you intend to produce is an ebook, you should skip Adobe altogether. In fact, you could get by using all free software.
That said, I’m very intrigued by Pages‘ support for ePub export.
** I exported an ePub file and then converted to Mobi. I did this because I intended to upload the book to the Apple iBookstore, which only supports ePub. When I began working with the Kindle store, it did not support ePub files, but now it does. So you could skip the entire Mobi file creation stage.
PS: If you would like more details about my production journey — and the many potholes along the way — let me know via the contact form. I’m happy to share more.
Possibly related posts:The Cove is the tip of the iceberg
I’ve been avoiding The Cove — the Oscar-winning documentary about Japan’s dolphin slaughter.
I’ve been avoiding the film because I knew it would be disturbing. While researching the Japanese whaling industry for The Tourist Trail years ago, I learned about what happens off the coast of Japan. I had seen video clips, and those were enough to turn my stomach.
Last night, The Cove was on TV and I ended up watching most of it. It’s hard to put into words the feelings that go through you when you watch dolphins treated that way. I alternated between anger and tears. Now I’m just angry.
The film wasn’t just about dolphins. It was about all cetaceans. Paul Watson of The Sea Shepherd Society was featured. He’s been doing battle with Japan for decades.
When I began this blog I asked: Why doesn’t Japan just stop killing whales?
The same question could be posed for dolphins.
Japan is in a sad state of denial about its past and its future. The world has changed. The oceans are depleted. And Japan wants to pretend that its “way of life” — a way of life that is overly romanticized — will continue forever.
We do the same thing here in the US. We romantize fisherman. But we overlook the brutal fact that the fishing industry is an industry. Machines do most of the heavy lifting. And machines are too efficient and there are too many of them. The fish, the dolphins, the whales. They can’t reproduce quickly enough to compete with the machine. They never stood a chance.
The sea needs a break.
What is most sad about the dolphin slaughter is that these are animals that, by most measures, everybody loves. The Cove is the tip of the iceberg because there are so many other species at risk — species that aren’t quite so loved. The Northern Bluefin Tuna. The Silver Shark. Orange Roughie. Swordfish. When will they get their documentary? Or will they just fade away?
We all have a role to play. I know what I’ve got to do. And Ric O’Barry, the man behind The Cove, isn’t about to give up. Blood Dolphins is a new TV series that keeps up the pressure on Japan. Hopefully, sustained pressure will convince Japan to give up.
And then we will turn our fight to the next species.
Possibly related posts:Another crazy week in self-publishing
So I read via Foner Books that Publisher’s Weekly wants to charge $149 for us self-published writers to get a read. Not a review, mind you, just a read. If we’re lucky we’ll get a review.
I’ve already ranted about how PW just doesn’t “get” us self-publishers. But now, sadly, PW wants to make a few quick bucks off of us as well. Through its actions, PW is treating self-published writers as second class citizens.
Will Publisher’s Weekly charge Seth Godin $149 for his next book?
That’s right, Seth Godin is now joining the ranks of us indie writers.
I read via Mike Shatzkin that Seth Godin is giving up on publishers altogether. This is huge news for publishers because he’s the type of writer they covet — someone who cranks out books with regularity and cultivates a large audience of eager readers. This development has to make publishers more than a little nervous, and it should. Publishers can and do add massive value to an author’s work, but their perceived value has been slipping, and, to some extent, with good cause. As Mike noted, for years publishers have filtered out writers who didn’t have a “platform.” In other words, they only wanted to publish writers who already had built-in audiences. But any author who has built up an audience knows he or she can now publish directly to that audience, and this is where publishers are in trouble. While I understand why publishers want authors with platforms, the irony is that it is the publishers themselves who suddenly lack “platforms.” I don’t think readers think “I’m in the mood for a new Knopf novel.”
Readers are loyal to authors, not imprints.
And with digital delivery, authors can connect with readers in an instant.
I read in the Wall Street Journal that 40% of owners of ereaders read a lot more than they did before owning an ereader. And Forrester Research estimates that by the end of September roughly 11 million Americans will own at lease one ereader. Not surprisingly, Amazon says the Kindle 3, now shipping, is its fastest-selling Kindle yet.
Now, this is very good news for us self-publishers. Most of my books are selling via Kindle.
J.A. Konrath, who has a number of books on both the Kindle and iPad, says that Kindle books are outselling iPad books by a ratio of 60:1. I’m seeing a ratio of 80:1. For me, the reason is simple: Amazon makes it easy to get discovered by readers. The iBookstore does not.
So that’s it for now. The latest news in another crazy week in self-publishing.
Possibly related posts:About the cover: Yes, those are penguins
In the past few weeks I’ve received a number of questions about the cover of The Tourist Trail.
Did you take this photo?
Are these really penguins?
And what kind of penguins are they?
Before I answer, let me zoom in a bit:
First of all, yes, these are indeed real penguins.
I took this photo a few years ago, while in Punta Tombo, Argentina, which is home to the world’s largest Magellanic penguin colony.
Magellanic penguins nest along the southern coasts of Patagonia. They return to their colonies every year to raise chicks. There is a pecking order to these burrows. The ones closest to the water are the most prized (just like humans prize oceanfront real estate). Except for penguins it’s because being close to the water means being closer to food. Considering they may swim 100 kilometers to find a meal, beachfront property can make all the difference.
I have to admit that it still seems odd to see penguins standing on dirt instead of icebergs. But most penguins do not live on the ice. Most live along the coasts of Argentina, Chile, South Africa and Australia.
In other words, most penguins live near people. And this is one of the many reasons why they are endangered.
Possibly related posts:The Kindle Nation Effect: From 25,000 to 234 overnight
Yesterday, The Tourist Trail was featured on Kindle Nation.
Kindle Nation is a newsletter/web site published by Steve Windwalker, who is an expert on the Kindle ecosystem — from self-publishing to pricing to sales numbers. If you’re an author or reader, his newsletters are a must read.
Anyway, I woke up this morning and my book was #1 on the Kindle Movers & Shakers list.
I know these rankings are one of those things that only authors really care about — but it’s a great feeling nonetheless. It means that people are discovering the book.
This has been quite a journey.
A year ago, when my agent was sending the book to publishers, the sentiment was that The Tourist Trail was a great book but that the editors didn’t think there was an audience for it. And after we tried the last publisher, I had my doubts as well (many doubts).
As it turns out, there is quite an audience for The Tourist Trail, which I’ve discovered thanks to Kindle Nation. I can’t help but view Steve Windwalker as the Oprah of the Kindle set.
If you’re a reader, check out Kindle Nation. The email subscription is free and the Kindle subscription is darn near free.
If you’re a writer and you want to be featured in Kindle Nation, there is a modest reading fee. But if you do make the cut, it’s well worth it.
Possibly related posts:The book is published. Now the hard work begins…
The Tourist Trail is available on the Kindle, on the iPad, and, at last, in paperback (from Amazon and from me).
Now the hard work begins.
I don’t mean to trivialize the writing of this book. Four years went into it and countless drafts.
But for the self-published, self-promotion is a steep uphill climb.
It’s challenging enough for writers with actual publishing houses behind them to get attention from reviewers and bloggers. In a sense, I’m competing with all of them — from the latest releases from Jennifer Weiner and Carl Hiaasen to the girl with the tattoo trilogy. We’re all competing for attention.
I’ve spent the past few days emailing book bloggers, reviewers, editors, even Oprah. Yes, I realize sending an email to Oprah is akin to playing the lottery.
But if you don’t play you can’t win.
Most book reviewers won’t even look at self-published works. That’s okay. My strategy isn’t fully dependent on reviewers.
Fortunately, there are numerous web sites and blogs devoted to the causes I write about in the novel: animal rights, conservation, anti-whaling, penguin research.
Yesterday I sent emails to 18 people. I got a few very nice replies that I will follow up with review copies.
Before long I will be on a first name basis at the Post Office.
I know there is an audience for this book, a potentially large audience.
And I’m beginning to find them. Or, to put it more optimistically, they’re beginning to find me.
Possibly related posts:500 dead penguins wash ashore in Brazil
According to this article, about 10 dead penguins, on average, show up on Brazil’s beaches each year.
This year, 500 dead penguins (and counting) have washed ashored.
They are mostly Magellanic penguins, the penguins I wrote about in my novel (and pictured below).
The birds head north from Argentina in search of food. Overfishing is the probable reason why they are not finding food this year.
Overfishing.
The word implies that there was some limit to begin with. But for all practical purposes there is no limit. In open waters the fishing industry is in a mad race to take anything it can. The evidence of their actions — starved penguins.
Aeneas, the anti-whaling activist in my book, says:
Possibly related posts:“As long as there are fishermen out there, I’ll be out there. Fishermen don’t fish anymore. They obliterate, slaughter, expunge. They use vacuums, for fuck’s sake. That’s not fishing. That’s extermination. When you raise cattle, you at least feed them. But fishermen don’t feed fish. They just take. They even take the food the fish eat.”
Why I won’t be getting a review from Publishers Weekly
A starred PW review is, for authors, a coveted thing.
Most readers could care less, but book buyers and librarians pay very close attention to the starred review.
As for The Tourist Trail, there will be no starred review. There will be no review in fact, because as a matter of policy Publishers Weekly does not review self-published books.
I can certainly empathize with PW. They simply want to keep the noise level down. And it’s easy to draw a clear line between “published” and “self published.”
The trouble with such a policy is that the line between published and self published is blurring. As the mainstream publishers panic over declining revenues and take fewer chances on new authors and challenging works, PW is going to miss out on a growing number of potentially great works. Naturally, I’d like to consider my book to be in that category.
I’m not suggesting that PW needs to open the floodgates and accept every self-published book that rolls out of LuLu and Lightning Source.
But PW does need to come up with a way of scouting self-published books — some sort of moderation or filtering tool. Or some hoops for self-published writers to jump through to prove their “review worthy.” But to simply put on blinders and ignore all self-published book is, well, short-sighted.
I’m aware of several writers who had mainstream publishers once, grew dissatisfied with the process, and are now considering self-publishing for their next books. Are these folks also not worthy of serious reviews?
The good news for us self publishers is that we really don’t need PW. There are hundreds of passionate book bloggers, alternative media, and, of course, the social networking platforms. That’s where I’ll be focusing my energies in the weeks ahead.
Possibly related posts:Turbo the Penguin
One of the principal characters in The Tourist Trail is a penguin. He goes by the name of Diesel.
Diesel is based on a very real penguin named Turbo.
Turbo is now a celebrity of sorts. He has his own web page — and his own Facebook page. I expect a movie deal is forthcoming.
Why is Turbo so special?
Penguins are largely indifferent to humans, but Turbo is different. He seems to enjoy hanging out with humans. Nobody feeds him, mind you. He’s not in it for the food. And, unlike his brethren, he won’t bite if touched.
I had the pleasure of meeting Turbo several years ago.
Here’s my fictional take on Turbo, aka Diesel:
Possibly related posts:The first time Angela heard his knock, she’d opened the door, and he’d hobbled over to the bookcase, peering at the Patagonian field guides as if he had a book in mind. His breath was raspy, like a purr, which she had never noticed outdoors on the wind-deafening hills. Angela had stood by the door, holding it open; Emily sat at the desk. They remained motionless as Diesel toured the cramped room, investigating every eye-level oddity—the half-open file cabinet, mud-stained Wellingtons, a pile of knee pads, a fire extinguisher. She imagined him as an explorer among penguins, one given to researching humans. Off alone in the field, sacrificing his childbearing years, all for the greater good of knowledge. What notes would he take? The humans are easily approached, yet spastic in nature and prone to outburts. They seem oddly attracted to Punta Verde. Most visit for a few hours and are gone again. Perhaps the land is of spiritual significance. Tagging them will prove challenging.Diesel had returned to the bookcase and looked up at Angela. He wasn’t about to leave on his own, and if she could have gone back in time, to that room on that morning, she would have closed the door instead of ushering him back outside.