So, yeah, we had planned to have a booth at Miami Book Fair, with books, shirts, the whole store really. Much to our disappointment, that's not going to happen. BUT Gene and I still have tickets, so if we can come up with a good financial reason we'll go to Miami anyway.

So here's the deal. We usually charge a healthy honorarium for doing a talk, reflecting the fact that we're more productive if we stay home and work. But we'll already be in Miami. So if you will organize a venue and audience for us to do our famous talk A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Library, with book signing afterwards, we will give you the bestest deal ever.

Both Gene and I will arrive in the evening of November 12th, departing November 16th and 17th respectively. If you're interested in setting up something during that time, drop me a line and we'll work something out.

Now that I'm back home, I finally have time to peruse the many dozens of fine poem entries we got for the Anathem Giveaway Contest. Each wins a copy of Neal Stephensons Anathem, courtesy of HarperCollins Publishing. Click on their Twitter alias to read their winning haiku!

• NemaVeze tweeted this concise summary of Cryptonomicon
• MsMollyD gives us a lovely in-joke filled ode to Neal's Baroque Cycle, with a nod to The Big Lebowski
• And iphoneideas conveys perfectly the ecstasy and the agony of finding out about a new Neal Stephenson book before it's available.

If you're one of the above, claim your prize by sending me a direct message on Twitter (just tweet beginning "d billba") with your name and mailing address. And if you're not, thanks for your contribution and we'll do more giveaways soon!

I'm fully aware of the first rule of Book Club, but I nonetheless feel compelled to let you know about ReadingGroupGuides.com. They are a truly comprehensive source of help for those who run (or are part of) book clubs everywhere. From discussion guides to tips to book club makeovers, plus a blog featuring authors, publishers, and librarians. This week they'll be featuring a Q&A with our pal Nancy Pearl, plus Best Fall Picks from library publisher reps. Go check it out!