Solstices are important markers in our relationship to the earth and our own mortality. Celebrating them makes sense. That's why pretty much all religions do it.But you know what would make more sense? Celebrating the Winter Solstice with quiet meditative activities. Then celebrate the SUMMER one with all the partying and traveling and mailing of gifts.Traveling to see the family. In summer instead of winter. When there's like, NO SNOW. A radical concept, I realize. But think about it.So if you don't want to go out in the snow (or here in CA, the...
Monday, 21 December 2009
Monday, 14 December 2009
Going off topic here, but I can’t help myself. I heard it this weekend: Bob Dylan. Singing Christmas carols. Sounding like your Great Uncle Harry on an eggnog binge.Reviewers are asking if it’s a goof or not. I suggest these folks take a gander at the INSIDE of the CD cover: it shows nineteen-fifties dominatrix Betty Page in a black-gartered Santa suit. I have no doubt that's the cover Dylan wanted on the OUTSIDE.Bob Dylan. Christmas. Betty Page on the Cover.It’s hilarious! It’s Dylan doing the Bill Nighy character from Love, Actually—old rocker...
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Kirkus Review, one the most prestigious book reviewers in the US, has been given the pink slip today. Kirkus, along with Editor and Publisher, has been axed by their owner Nielson, the New York Times reported this AM: http://bit.ly/6SDxfo. Nielson has apparently decided to sell off or otherwise rid itself of its Jurassic print media.One reader, identified as bluewombat, said, “this is horrifying -- further evidence of the disappearance of a free and independent press in the United States…More and more, important intellectual habitat is disappearing....
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
YA fiction continues its ascendancy: Publisher’s Lunch reports today that the Penguin-Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest will now include a second prize for YA fiction.Another way they’re keeping up with the times: the prize will also include novels that have been previously self-published.OK, the monetary prize to the winners has gotten smaller: originally a $25,000 advance, this new contest's two winners will get $15,000 advances each. Still nothing to sneeze at.They will accept up to 5,000 entries each in the fiction and young adult categories....
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Casey McCormick continues to provide up-to-the-minute helpful info for writers trying to break into the biz. She posted detailed instructions on formatting the e-query on her Literary Rambles blog yesterday. It's the best advice on the subject that I've seen: http://caseylmccormick.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-do-i-format-my-e-query.h...
Sunday, 6 December 2009
There’s been some discussion on other blogs about some of my statements about how publishers label things. Please know I’m just the messenger—I don’t condone those one-size-fits-all categories any more than other writers.Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay it Forward weighed in by directing me to a blogpost in her blog archives about the arbitrary way her books have been assigned to different genres. With her permission, I’m posting some of it here. You can read more from Catherine on her great blog (and occasionally get a chance to win a book):http://web.me.com/catherineryanhyde/catherineryanhyde/Blog/Blog.htmlHere’s...
Friday, 4 December 2009
Young Adult and Middle Grade are fast becoming the dominant genres for new fiction. I heard at a writers’ conference recently that one publishing house has fired most of its adult fiction editorial staff and replaced them with YA/MG editors. Many of our most creative authors are now penning books aimed primarily at young people.I’ve also noticed that most newly minted agents rep primarily YA/MG, and even many established agencies are switching focus to teen/tween fiction.I suspect this can be explained in three words: “Harry Potter/Twilight.” Kid...
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Yeah, I know. We all hate labels. But if our ultimate goal is space on a bookstore shelf, we have to be able to suggest to an agent or editor what shelf that might be.The best place to start is an actual bookstore. Find books like yours and see where they’re shelved (speaking as a former bookstore shelver, I can tell you how subjective this is, so don’t consider these hard and fast rules.) Some categories are traditionally paired, like Mystery/Crime and SF/Fantasy.Or try Amazon. Look for books similar to yours and scroll down to "Look for Similar...
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
OK, this zombie thing is getting out of hand. Publisher’s Lunch just announced that Ballantine is coming out with, “a post-apocalyptic, neo-Victorian steampunk zombie novel in which a girl…falls in love with a rather sweet zombie boy.”OK—A steampunk Twilight with zombies—and megadeath.Can you wait for Harry Potter and the Clockwork Half-Zombie Prisoner of the Apocalypse?Maybe we can bring back chick lit with A Shopaholic Zombie’s Guide to Bustle-Shopping and Scavenging? Or Bridget Jones’ Zombie-Zeppelin: the Edge of Extinction? Arrgg...
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Hundreds of folks weighed in on the great literary vs. genre debate on Nathan Bransford's blog last month http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/10/reverse-snobbery-of-low-literary.html (He says good writers need to read both. I agree.) A few days later, in a Writers Chronicle thread http://thewriterschronicle.forumotion.net/genre-f22/ more writers debated the subject. But nothing much got resolved—I think because the definitions of both words are so slithery.I was surprised that so many commenters—mostly writers, presumably—said they dislike literary...
Friday, 20 November 2009
Thursday, 19 November 2009
I guess I shouldn’t have allowed myself to be so hopeful about Harlequin’s new self publishing venture, which apparently is partnered with AuthorHouse. That's the uber-vanity press that has developed a ruthless reputation as it has gobbled up iUniverse, Trafford, Xlibris and so many others. Writer Beware’s Victoria Strauss http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2009/11/harlequin-horizons-another-major.html has this to say about Harlequin Horizons—and the new Thomas Nelson Christian self-publishing line, West Bow, also an AuthorHouse enterprise.“I don't...
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Could self-publishing your Women's Fiction and Romance be a solid road to mainstream publication?“Oh, no,” you say. “Scoff, scoff. Self-publishing is a dead end. The kiss of death for a fiction writing career. Strictly for amateurs.”Well, maybe not anymore. Today Harlequin launched a new self-publishing line: Harlequin Horizons. All you eager self-promoters out there—this is your chance, because:“Harlequin will monitor sales of books published through Harlequin Horizons for possible pick-up by its traditional imprints.”That’s right: they’ll track...
Sunday, 15 November 2009
There’s a new fiction genre in the publishing world: “New Adult.” This means books for single people 18-30. According to author S. Jae-Jones’ recent blogpost http://tinyurl.com/yzwgq96 it includes most of the hipper literary works of the past couple of decades, plus the now defunct (just whisper it) chick lit. Her list of New Adult-erers includes David Eggers, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Safran Foer, Bret Easton Ellis, Junot Diaz, Stieg Larsson, Neil Gaiman, and yes, Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada.)Ouch. I guess old codgerettes like me...
Monday, 9 November 2009
It looks as if the future of publishing is now. While YA fiction still sells in print form, adult genre fiction—especially by new writers—has been a tough sell since the global financial meltdown.But today, the forward-looking and seemingly recession-proof Harlequin Enterprises Limited offers us an alternative to print publishing. This morning they announced the launch of a new, all-digital publishing house: Carina Press (http://www.carinapress.com)They are accepting submissions in all genres of commercial fiction—not just the romance lines they...
Friday, 6 November 2009
Great post by Holly Root at the Waxman Agency blog today. http://waxmanagency.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/with-a-boulder-of-salt/#comment-266She says we shouldn't let all the persnickity advice about query letters terrify us out of submitting. Here’s a quote:“Never, ever let any of the voices on the internet, no matter how helpful or authoritative they aim (or claim) to be, take away from your ability to hear your own unique authorial voic...
Sunday, 1 November 2009
The wonderful YA writer Natalie Whipple has a great post today on how to write a first draft.http://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/2009/10/tips-for-first-drafting.htmlHere’s a quote that’s a great antidote to all the marketing trends stuff that has been getting me down.“The only writer you can be is you. The only story you can write is your own. The only way you're going to stand out in the market is by channeling your own unique voice. So just accept that and enjoy it.”(Yeah, I tried that apocalyptic steampunk zombie thing, but only got 500...
I won Grand Prize in the Writers Chronicle "Spookiest Movie" contest. I said the movie that scared me most was Bambi. When I was four, they had to carry my terrified, weeping self from the theater. They killed his MOM, for goodness sake!And all you NaNoWriMo Warriors out there: ready, set...CARPAL TUNNEL! (Seriously, you are all brave. I tried it once and only lasted a week. ) Have f...
Friday, 30 October 2009
Publishers Weekly reports this week that post-apocalyptic young adult fiction-- "the bleaker…the better" --is a major trend. Major enough, perhaps, to unseat the ruling neck-biting fiends. (Not that vampires will ever go away completely—they’re such a great metaphor for bad boyfriends/girlfriends.) The big draw of the apocalypse? "No parents." Almost as good as immortality and all the blood you can drink.As the Rejectionist said in her Wednesday post “Apocalypse is the new vampire, everyone! Revise accordingly.”So those of you working on bleak-future...
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The great and glorious Nathan Bransford has a helpful post on how not to write query letters. He reminds us:"Don't tell me what your novel is about. Tell me what happens."http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2009/10/themes-schmemes.htmlAnd Janet Reid (aka the QueryShark) has a great post on Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents blog.She advises queriers to have a special gmail or earthlink (or, I would assume, yahoo) account for queries with your own, real name in the address. AOL accounts are problematic because the spam block will often eat...
Friday, 23 October 2009
If you’re a diligent, talented writer who’s done your homework—and you have the good-luck fairy on speed-dial—sometime during your novel querying process, your phone will ring and you’ll hear the voice of an agent—a real, honest-to-goodness publishing industry professional—who’s impressed enough to spend money and time ringing up little old you.(You know she’s the real thing because you researched her credentials before you sent off that query—didn’t you?)So you’ve hit the jackpot. Somebody out there likes you; she really likes you.But after you...
Monday, 12 October 2009
After I named the "literary chick lit western" as a jokey example of what's not selling in today's market, I realized there is such a book, and it sells very well. Tom Robbins' Even Cowgirls Get the Blues has been in print since its debut in 1976. And it sure is literary. And a western. And I'm sure somebody in some editorial meeting would call it chick lit.Another argument to write what you love now and find an audience lat...
Sunday, 11 October 2009
For folks who don't have time to read comments, I thought I'd repost the great comment to the post below from Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay it Forward and a whole lot of other brilliant novels:"Trends change so regularly that you will most often miss them if you try to write to fit them. And if you fake an interest in, say, romance, the lack of genuine interest usually tanks the work. I always thought the best plan was to write what you truly love. The love comes through and the work rises like cream to the surface, even in a tough market....
Saturday, 10 October 2009
What’s NOT HOT in publishing: More from the CC Writers ConferenceThe publishing world seems to have been left in a state of befuddlement by the economic meltdown and the e-book revolution sparked by the Kindle. This situation, I learned at the CCWC, has “softened” most of the adult fiction market. (BTW, when the market is “soft” in a genre, those books are a “hard sell.” Go figure.)The sad truth is that if you’re unpublished and write for adults, breaking in is way harder than a year ago (unless you write Romance: Harlequin/Mills and Boon...
Friday, 9 October 2009
Department of "What have you got to lose"--Over at Mediabistro, poet & blogger Caroline Hagood has a great post on why you should write that first novel anyway. Here’s a quote:“The worst that will happen is that your novel will be forced to endure the writer’s spring cleaning, taking up residence in the sock drawer with the sobering knowledge that the socks are more likely to get a publishing contract. Just remember the old adage that the first novel is meant to function as a sort of lubrication for the next tome to come shooting out of the...
Thursday, 8 October 2009
For the five people who don't already follow him, Nathan Bransford is a Curtis Brown agent, MG fiction author, and blog-god. Five days a week he writes brilliant posts on all aspects of writing and publishing.In case you missed his post on Monday about when to hire an editor, it’s a must read for anybody thinking about paying for professional polish of their WIP http://tinyurl.com/yasqpmw.Here’s a quote:“The advice should be positive, useful, strike you with the occasional, "Why didn't I see that?!" moment, and, perhaps most importantly, should...
Monday, 5 October 2009
What's Hot in Publishing.At the CC Writers Conference, I finally heard some hope coming from the publishing industry. After last winter’s editorial carnage, and a spring and summer of discontent, life seems to be stirring in the book biz. (I hope it hasn't just been re-animated and zombified.)That’s according to the three smart, fun, helpful agents on the faculty: Katharine Sands of the Sarah Jane Freyman Agency, Amy Burkhardt of Reece Halsey North (soon to be rechristened the Kimberly Cameron Literary Agency) and Laurie McLean of Larsen-Pomada.I...
Sunday, 4 October 2009
The CC Writers Conference was fantastic. And I won first prize in the YA category! I’m still digesting all the information. I’ll blog about it later in the week. Meanwhile, here are some fun contests you may not have heard of.The Writer’s Chronicle Forum’s Halloween Contest. Tell your favorite spooky book or film http://thewriterschronicle.blogspot.com/2009/10/competition-alert-halloween.htmlAt Editorial Ass, http://editorialass.blogspot.com/ Moonrat has a movie title mash-up contest for invented mixed-up titles like “12 Angry Men in Tights” or...
Sunday, 27 September 2009
10 Dos and Don’tsNext weekend, I’ll be attending the Central Coast Writing conference at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, CA http://www.communityprograms.net/wc/wcindex.htm. It’s a great little conference, where I always learn something new.To remind myself, and fellow conference goers--here are some tips to get the most out of a writers conferenceDON’T dress to impress. (At one conference I attended, a woman came dressed as a tree. Shedding real leaves. Don’t do this. Also, dressing as one of your characters WILL get you noticed, but not in...
Monday, 21 September 2009
Just saw this: We all get to vote for the National Book Award!The public gets to choose the best American work of fiction of the past 60 years from six finalists—four of which are short story collections:The finalists, announced by the National Book Foundation today are:"The Stories of John Cheever,"Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man,"William Faulkner's "Collected Stories,""The Complete Stories" of Flannery O'Connor,Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity Rainbow" "The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty."Starting Monday, through Oct. 21, votes can be cast through...
Friday, 18 September 2009
…and other reasons to write more short fiction.The news is out. Oprah’s new book pick is—gulp—A short story collection. According to most agents, story collections are a tough sell (along with chick lit and memoirs) but maybe that’s about to change.In any case, it’s time for us all to start re-thinking short fiction. I’m beginning to realize I’ve wasted way too much of the past 20 years writing book length-fiction. If I’d been writing more short stories and creative essays, I might have higher profile now, and maybe even a solid career, instead...
Friday, 11 September 2009
I'm honored to have been nominated (twice!) for the Lemonade Stand Award. Both nominators have fantastic blogs. Check out Writing Roller Coasters http://writingrollercoasters.blogspot.com/ and The Chronicles of Emily Cross, link on the blogroll to the left.I'll nominate some of my favorite blogs later. I think I've finally uploaded the Lemonade stand! A triumph for a cybermoron like ...
Saturday, 5 September 2009
They say we all have a book inside us—our own life story. The urge to put that story on paper is the most common reason people start writing. Adult education programs and senior centers everywhere offer courses in “writing your own life.” Memoir is the most popular genre at any writers conference.Unfortunately, it’s the hardest to write well—and the least likely to be published.Agent Kristin Nelson says she’s seen so many bad memoirs that she cringes when she meets a memoirist a writer’s conference. Author J. A. Konrath offers the simple advice:...
Saturday, 22 August 2009
The biggest mistake beginning novelists make is writing queries that sound as if they were written by—um—beginning novelists. I was cleaning out my files recently and found some seriously cringe-making queries I sent out a decade ago. I didn’t make all of the following mistakes, but I have to admit to several.Here are some surefire rejection-getters:1) WHINING and/or PARANOIA: It’s not a good idea to mention you’ve had over a thousand rejections and you’re thinking of taking the Sylvia Plath way out. Writers tend to be suicidal. This is not news....
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Another article from the archives:Choose the right editor: 7 tipsThe term “editor” has several meanings in the book business. The “in-house” editors at publishing companies--the ones who decide what manuscripts to publish--don’t do a lot of literal “editing” these days. According to agent Jenny Bent, the amount of hands-on work they do, “varies wildly from editor to editor…because many editors simply don't have the time or desire to actually edit.”By the time it lands on an editor’s desk, a manuscript needs to be close to print-ready. Agents can...
Saturday, 1 August 2009
This week, agent Nathan Bransford posed this question on his blog: “How Do You Deal with the ‘Am-I-Crazies’?”Those are the blues that can overwhelm the unpublished/underpublished novelist as we slog away, year after year, with nothing to show for our life’s work but a mini-Kilimanjaro of rejection slips.The truth is, most fiction writers spend much of our lives sitting alone in a room generating a product that has zero chance of ever making a penny—or even being seen by a person outside our immediate circle of friends, relations and/or personal...
Friday, 24 July 2009
More updated advice for newbies--from the archives of INkwell NewswatchRecently I cautioned against scam agents, but also noted that the ratio of legit agents to newbie novelists is approximately one to twenty-five gazillion.So what do we do—throw mass queries at big-name agents, perhaps employing the services of a Mafia henchperson or Voodoo practitioner?That would be a no.One of the reasons the process is so gruesome is that beginners clog the query pipeline with clueless mass-mailings, making agents harder to reach (and way crankier.)A little...
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Re: young and hungry non-AAR agents. Veteran agent Janet Reid of Fineprint added this to the comments section:"Young and hungry agents who are looking for clients may indeed not be members of AAR, but what you can ask them (BEFORE SIGNING!) is what literary agency they have worked in. Interned in or worked in. I'm always rather taken aback by people who decide they can be literary agents without actually having been inside an agent's office."Oh, and she said my post was "nicely written." I can float around on that all day. Thanks Ms. Re...
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Six Tips to Avoid Getting ScammedI belong to the generation of women who were told we were more likely be shot by terrorists than find husbands. Several decades later, we’re all writing books about our fabulous single lives—as desperate now for literary representation as we once were for the white dress/gold ring thing.I haven’t seen statistics about the comparative likelihood of being shot by a terrorist vs. finding a literary agent, but given the global political climate, I’d say odds heavily favor the terrorists.But I guess I can fantasize that...
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Early into our journeys in wordsmithing, most writers discover our chosen art form has a major drawback: everybody’s a frakking critic. For some reason, folks who happily offer praise to fledgling musicians, quilters, sculptors, or Star Trek action-figurine painters, feel compelled to launch into scathing critiques of the efforts of the creative writer. I remember showing an early story to a boyfriend. He returned the manuscript covered with red-penciled “corrections”—changing characters’ names, dialogue, and much of the plot. He’d barely finished...
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