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...
Friday, 30 October 2009
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Agents give tips on query letters
Posted on 13:12 by Unknown
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
SHOULD YOU REWRITE WITHOUT A CONTRACT?
Posted on 13:47 by Unknown
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
Literary Chick Lit Westerns
Posted on 12:24 by Unknown
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
Catherine Ryan Hyde on Publishing Trends
Posted on 09:37 by Unknown
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
SOFT MARKETS AND HARD SELLS
Posted on 09:41 by Unknown
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
The Grapes of Wrath of Khan
Posted on 15:59 by Unknown
My above movie-title mash-up made finalist in Moonrat's contest! If you need a spirit-lift, go read all the entries. http://tinyurl.com/ygfpojc The winner was Bridge Over the River Kwai, the Beloved Country--my fave, too. Make sure you're not drinking anything, or you may destroy your keyboa...
Write it Anyway
Posted on 09:58 by Unknown
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
I Heart Nathan Bransford
Posted on 09:46 by Unknown
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
ZOMBIES AND STEAMPUNK
Posted on 19:32 by Unknown
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
Fun Halloween Contests
Posted on 16:54 by Unknown
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...
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