This Friday in publishing… I’m not here!
I wrote this a few days ago and set it to post automatically. I’m not in the office, and in fact I’m currently hanging out with Dick Cheney in his top secret bunker and I’m so glad to be…… that’s messed up, Dick. Come on man, seriously, light a match or something.
We’ll have some classics and some new posts and possibly a guest appearance running at regularly scheduled blog times early next week to tide you over. (Oh, and I’m not actually at BEA, hope everyone has a good time though.)
See you next week! Assuming I survive this. I don’t think Dick likes me very much.
Unsupervised open thread! No roughhousing allowed!
And…
Have a great weekend!
PurpleClover says
101. Don't mind if I do throw in a shameless plug.
For June & July I'm hosting a Write-a-thon. Anyone needing to kick out some writing feel free to join our JuJu Survivor Biggest Writer Write-a-thon.
No losers, no rules, everyone wins. Oh and no prizes except for the feeling of accomplishment. The aim is 42k words give or take…42k. π
Instead of finishing my manuscript I’ll be using the time to catch up. Wah!
Jen C says
I’ll join you, PC! I’ve only got about 25-30K left to write in my current WIP, so it will be a good motivator to get me over the line.
PS I know Nathan said no roughhousing but… can we have some roughhousing anyway? Quick, someone say something controversial… Mira, I’m looking at you, girl.
PurpleClover says
Ooh YAY Jen C! Welcome. I’ll be posting the jumpoff on Monday.
Roughhousing huh?
Something controversial…There I said it.
*headlocks Mira*
Bane of Anubis says
How’s this for controversy: Go Lakers! π
Patrick Rodgers says
Here’s something controversial, I have an idea for a novel that takes a shot at organized religions and I was going to call it God is Dead.
Bane of Anubis says
Jim – thanks! Blogs/sites like yours facilitate the whole writing/publishing process immensely.
Bane of Anubis says
Patrick, could you make that more active – “God Died”, maybe π
Kristi says
PC – love the Write-a-Thon and I’m in. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you wip.
Bane – way to kick a team when they’re down – my Nuggets went down in FLAMES tonight!
Patrick – isn’t that a book already? π
Patrick Rodgers says
Or maybe There Is No God. It asks the question of are people moved by religion because they want to be moved by it. There is also going to be bloodshed where those who think they are righteous and touched by god kill those who they think can’t be touched by god. And in the end they find out what they thought made them so special and what they thought was the hand of god was just simple evolution.
Patrick Rodgers says
Crap quick search of Amazon shows there is a book God is Dead. Maybe I will go with Bane’s suggestion and name the book And God Died.
Bane of Anubis says
Patrick, aren’t you in the wrong state to be rabble rousing :)? – I imagine there are already plenty of books of the same vein, but perhaps if you can make it a metaphor (as Pullman did – rather poorly, IMO – in His Dark Materials trilogy), it’ll find traction.
Patrick Rodgers says
That’s why I want to write it because of the state I am in and the fact that they try and cram religion and their agenda down your throats 24/7. If you couldn’t guess I am not Mormon so I am an outcast in my home state (yes I was born in Utah).
I won’t make it my first book but maybe like my 5th or 6th after I have gained enough fame that they can’t just throw me out of the state (how was that for optimism).
Laura Martone says
Ack! Open, unsupervised thread?! I’m at a loss for words… I’ve been waiting to see if someone says something raunchy and/or rude enough to be removed by a “blog administrator” – thereby, proving that we’ve been a supervised classroom (to use Lupina’s analogy) all along, but, alas, no one has done me proud. Not even Mira? So, perhaps Nathan really is hanging with the Cheneys tonight. Poor little guy.
As to you, Purple Clover, I’m so very sorry for your loss. Just today, I thought my computer had crashed (and I was cursing myself that I hadn’t backed up everything on my jump drive as I’d planned to do following our recent technology thread), but my hubby came to the rescue. Thank goodness for him! So, for half the day anyway, I felt your pain, PC, and I’m obviously hoping that you’re able to save at least the majority of your work. I’ll have a mojito (if not an appletini) in your honor!
In the meantime… how many of you have seen “Drag Me to Hell” yet? I just saw it tonight, jumped in all the right places, of course, and then had to drive back home, through the dark, dripping forest, to my little cabin. Thank goodness it wasn’t “Evil Dead” I saw.
Bane of Anubis says
Patrick – more power to you – I’ve got some Catholic friends in Utah and they paint a similar pariah-status picture. My brother actually converted to Mormonism – seem like good people, but definitely not my cup o’ tea (I am of similar secular persuasion to you)… If you’re a fan of South Park at all or can tolerate it, you’ll probably be amused by the Mormon episode (the shows creators were brought up LDS, I believe) –
https://www.southparkstudios.com/guide/712/
Marilyn Peake says
I noticed that, on this very special “unsupervised” weekend on Nathanβs blog, a few personal book-related posts have appeared, so I hope that itβs OK for me to share some really great news.
This past March, two books in which I was Editor/author were named Finalists in the 2008 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards. Today at Book Expo America, both books won Honorable Mention. The competition is tough, includes books from university presses and is judged by a panel of librarians and booksellers.
INSIDE SCOOP: ARTICLES ABOUT ACTING AND WRITING BY HOLLYWOOD INSIDERS AND PUBLISHED AUTHORS, which I had compiled and edited, and which included articles originally published in my newsletter, won Honorable Mention in the Performing Arts/Drama category.
TWISTED TAILS III: PURE FEAR, which includes my short story, “Day of the Dead”, won Honorable Mention in the Fiction β Horror category.
Hereβs more information about the 2008 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards.
Sophie says
Hi Nathan! I know that you said this was an open thread and I’m not sure if you’re replying or will reply to any of the comments, but I thought I’d try anyways.
I have a question regarding the YA genre.
Do the characters of a YA novel need to be young adults? What if most of the characters are somewhat older, say in their early twenties?
I know that you once said the difference between adult and YA fiction often depends on the pacing and HOW the themes are explored. You also gave an example and pointed out that some adult novels feature high school kids as protagonists.
Can this work the other way? Could adults be featured as the protagonists in YA novels if it reads as such?
Thank you so much in advance and if you don’t have time (or patience, in case you’ve already disussed this and I missed it) please don’t worry about it.
Mira says
Jil, you are a total sweetie. A mega-sweetie! π
I saw two movies tonight. And they were both good! What are the odds?!!
Angels and demons much less bloody than the book. Thank god. That book was riveting, and I was so pissed off because it made me read all these yucky scenes.
And Up. That is wonderful. Truly wonderful.
Jim Duncan, that’s a wonderful idea for a blog. Really.
Jen C. I’m so sorry that happened to you! Ugh! But in terms of a stranger reading your words – well, I’m sure it changed his life for the better. Someday, you’ll get a note from him letting you know that because of you he started paying his child support, turned himself in on his 5 outstanding warrents, is now a priest, and he finally mowed his lawn.
P.C. I like your new pic. And your writing contest sounds fun. I don’t know if I should do it though. It will ruin my perfect record of not writing anything. But lots of support! Btw, I had a really, really good experience at Best Buy once. They gave me free service and were extra helpful.
Marilyn, I’m always so impressed by your awards. So cool to have an award winning author as a regular here. Don’t leave this summer, just don’t!
Mira says
Hi Sophie,
Since Nathan isn’t here I will designate myself his representative. I’m sure he would be pleased.
He and I are very close. We’re like the same person really. We’re like twins. And because this thread is unsupervised, I can assure you he agrees with every word that comes out of my mouth.
Yep. Every word.
So, I will answer your question:
Write your novel, and don’t worry about who will or will not identify with it, or what genre it is. Write your story.
There you go. Thank you for asking. And if anyone else has any questions for Nathan, feel free to ask me.
Person who is not Mira says
Why yes, Mira, I do have a question.
Since you and Nathan are the same person, you probably know what Nathan likes to eat for breakfast. What is it?
Mira says
Well, Person who is not Mira,
Wow. That is an incredible question. I’m so impressed. You clearly have great perception and insight into the really important things in life.
However, what a man likes to eat for breakfast is personal, don’t you think?
Yes, I think so too, which is why I’m going to tell you.
Pizza. With Jalepeno peppers, anchovies and meatballs. Washed down with beer. That is what every person in the world who is under 30 eats for breakfast.
And what every person in the world stops eating for breakfast when they hit 35.
Okay, good question. Next.
Marilyn Peake says
Hi, Mira,
Thank you so much for your very kind words!
Person who is not Mira says
Thanks for answering my question Mira. That was very kind of you.
My next question is:
Could you keep this up all night?
Mira says
Another excellent question, Person who is not Mira.
Could I keep this up all night? Why yes. I could.
Mira says
Hi Marilyn,
Very sincerely meant! π
Mira says
Marilyn, are you still around? Did you ever see Star Trek?
What did you think?
Marilyn Peake says
Mira,
I saw STAR TREK twice, and plan to see it again. Loved it!! … which you probably already knew, since I’m planning to see it a third time. LOL. Have you seen it yet?
Mira says
Marilyn!!! I saw it twice, too, and am going to see it again! I almost went again tonight. That’s so cool that you liked it too.
π
Marilyn Peake says
Want to have a good laugh? Book: The Sequel is a project that was designed to publish a book at Book Expo America … made up completely of hilarious first lines in pretend sequels to famous books. Some of the entries are hilarious!!
I donβt know if any of the lines I submitted will make it into the book, but a number of mine are scrolling on their home page right now. Every time you refresh their web page, new lines appear.
Marilyn Peake says
Mira,
Have fun seeing STAR TREK a third time! I can’t wait to see it again!
Mira says
Marilyn, me too! That book sounds very fun – I’ll check it out.
I’m sorry, I suddenly couldn’t keep my eyes open and went to bed. I didn’t mean leave the conversation unfinished.
Mira says
Does everyone realize there is an unsupervised thread ALL weekend?
I need to go lie down. It’s just too much.
Haste yee back ;-) says
Pruple, hope springs eternal re: computers… I like the new pic!
Y’all are like… frisky kids on holiday!
I’d go for that, scratch-n-sniff avatars.
Haste yee back π
Lupina says
Mira, yes, dang unappreciative readers, anyway! Thanks for the advice on the reward/punishment method of getting people to read my writing. Reminds me of dog training except I don’t hit my dog and I give him Liver Meaties instead of appletinis. So far he has learned 3 whole tricks that way, which he only performs if an appletini, er, Liver Meatie, is 5 inches from his face. Maybe I could teach him to read, however, and thereby always guarantee myself an enthusiastic audience. Do you think a dog would do better with a book or a Kindle?
Marilyn, congrats on your awards!I have a good friend at BEA and have been following her adventures vicariously as she meets the beautiful literati. She’s a book reviewer so is rather popular there.
I feel like throwing a few spitwads, that teacher is due back any minute. Guess I’ll draw a portrait of Nathan on the chalk board…here it is, sideways π
Yes, I’m getting all gooey here but someone as nice to writers as Nathan personifies the smiley face. I’ll also add a thanks for the always awesome blog. (Mira, since you ARE Nathan I guess it’s for you, too.)
So here is how the chalkboard graffiti looks if anyone wants to copy and add to it:
π
Thanks, Nathan!
Tori says
So what is everyone planning on doing this weekend? Well…besides obsess over their novels I mean? I am going to call my sister to make sure she is still alive. She has the Swine Flu and my mother is extremely worried about her. I won’t complain to my husband about the party he is at…how I wish he would like spending that much time around me. Tomorrow I shall hang out with a very good friend and tell her about how much of a jerk the guy she likes is. This is hopeless because she is bound to ignore every word I say on the subject. Then I might as well stop procrastinating and finish my damn story. But…I don’t see why I should as it will be horrible anyway.
Oh, the tortures of being an aspiring writer. Will I ever learn? No, I probably won’t.
Laurel says
Tori,
Are you kidding? Your husband is happily occupied elsewhere and you’re complaining? That boy I married is a treasure and I adore him but honestly, time to myself is the ultimate pinnacle of ecstasy. Enjoy it. Write something without guilt for the time it takes away from family.
And I highly recommend you refrain from telling your friend what a jerk her romantic interest is. You can never win that battle…just wait for them to figure it out and be supportive. Maybe you could vent with a blog about why good people put up with lousy lovers.
As for my weekend, I have two books to read. Yay!
Word verification: fabla. A fabulous fable that communicates some moral without being preachy.
Laurel says
As long as it’s open thread, why DO good people put up with lousy lovers?
Mira? Thoughts? Comments? Perhaps a worthwhile Come in Character topic π
Patrick Rodgers says
This weekend I hope to finish with my 2nd draft edit of my book so I can start writing my second novel. On Tuesday we are printing up the manuscript for the very first time, I am actually printing two one for my wife to go apeshit at with a red pen and just one to have.
Maybe that is a little sentimental but if or should I say when I sell my novel I can always look back and have that very first printed manuscript,
Bane I just like the idea of writing a novel where someone who is so religious and feels they have been touched by the hand of God finds out that everything they believed and everyone they killed for that belief was wrong. I am not going to make the person of any particular religion, like I am not going to call this guy a Mormon but I really like the idea. and I wouldn’t write it with subetly or masked meaning like the Dark Materials books.
Bane of Anubis says
Patrick, it sounds like something you’re pretty passionate about, so hopefully the process will be cathartic.
I’m one of the few atheists who actually believes religion is a good thing (con: a whole lot of bad stuff’s been done in the name of religion, but much of that stuff would have been done anyway under some different guise; pro: a form of control to reduce anarchy/improve happiness)…
Anonymous says
I don’t know if anyone else out there is a tad bit annoyed at big promotions behind weak plot books.
(Not that I mind it for the authors -go authors! )
Sure, I understand, this is a business of selling and promotion sells.
But it kind of bites.
It is making me really rethink promotion as suspicious.
Any comments.
Bane of Anubis says
Anon – could you provide some examples? – Definitely resonating w/ the feeling on celebrity autobiogs, etc…,
As a corollary, I wonder how well the pubs know how to distribute marketing in today’s rapidly shifting information age, or if they’re still a step or two behind.
Laura Martone says
I know I'm behind again, but I'm itching to comment…
Rick – I love the Query Slushpile, and I promise to upload my query later today. Yikes!
Orion – I have a Sony reader, and I love it! I wonder how it compares to the Kindle.
Josie – I think most agents frown on the thank-you letter following a rejection – it's just one more piece of mail to deal with – but I've done it before… 'cause my mama raised me with good manners.
anotheranon – A friend of mine has written episodes for "Supernatural" and "Mad Men" – and while she hopes to have her own drama series someday, she knows you have to work on others' first. If you're serious, I would write a spec script. If it's just for fun, then go for it!
Jen P – Thanks for the Pub Rant heads-up. Course it made me think… what happened to the good ol' days, when we could ease into a story? Guess we can blame it on the movie/Internet age – must have an explosion (metaphorically speaking) in the opening scene. Nuts!
Purple Clover – I'd like to participate in your write-a-thon. While I'm in the midst of editing my 212k behemoth, I'd like to switch gears and get my coming-of-age story off the ground!
Patrick & Bane of Anubis – As a confirmed atheist (who does not believe that organized religion is necessarily a good thing), I'm still intrigued by stories with religious themes – especially conspiracies like "The Da Vinci Code". So good luck, Patrick!
Marilyn – Congrats on your awards! By the way, I participated in Book: The Sequel, too – well, I kinda had to (Perseus is my publisher) – and I hope one of my lines gets chosen as well.
Mira – I can't wait to see "UP"! I love summertime – a season for movies and fruit! – I've already seen "Star Trek," "Terminator: Salvation," "Angels and Demons," and "Drag Me to Hell" – woohoo!
Tori – Re: weekend plans, I have to edit, edit, edit! But I, too, recommend avoiding the "talk" with your friend. I have a good friend who's married to a real jerk – but I know it would end badly for us if I said anything. Girls are weird – I should know…
Anonymous at 11:53 – Ugh. It happens in movies, too… I understand that promotion is necessary, but I wish that more energy was spent on the product first. You know what I mean?
Anonymous says
Hi Bane,
I would, but I don’t want to mention names here. It isn’t very nice and I don’t have anything to invest in being mean either.
It’s just that recently, I’ve picked up a few books because of the published reviews of authors or others in the publishing industry, who I have respected.
Only to discover weak plot, poor book, etc.
It makes me wonder if who blurbs you is a form of false praise.
And then, some of these books bypass other books unfairly on the lists of bestsellers.
Bestsellers I wish I could return…
Patrick Rodgers says
I am with the annoyance of celeb bios honestly I don’t give a rats ass about hearing the life stories of most celebrities. I don’t read the enquirer or any of those other magazines that populate news stands and I don’t even feel the urge to glance at the headlines while waiting in the grocery line.
Make good movies, write good music and leave me the frak alone.
I do have to admit I am interested in writer bios though because heck I want to be a writer. Stephen King’s On writing was an enthralling read for me (finished it last night) and even though he really doesn’t give any tips on actually writing that couldn’t be followed with a DUH I loved reading how he became an author.
That is what interests me not life stories of the basketball player, the rapper the weakest form of musician ever or the Hollywood whore.
Ink says
Oh, those poor celebrities. Always taking a beating. What if they just want to write? To write! And now you crush their dreams by killing off the celebrity bio…
Patrick Rodgers says
That’s the problem ink they don’t want to write they just want to make money. %99 of celeb bios aren’t written by the celebrities themselves they are ghost written by someone else.
I can see if the celeb actually wrote the bio themselves and did just want to write but they don’t.
PurpleClover says
Yippee! Sounds like we’ll have a good sized group on Monday for the JuJu Write-a-thon!
Hope everyone is having a good weekend!
Ink says
I’m going to start a fund for downtrodden celebrities. Much needed support against the horrible bias they face in the big wide world. I’m going to call it Poor Folk for Rick Folk. I think it’ll be big. Really.
Laurel says
Hey, Anon!
I think it definitely happens sometimes that a marketing force gets behind a book that maybe wouldn’t do so well on its own. It could be that is the strongest title the publisher feels they have in that genre so they back it. It also makes it somewhat obvious what’s happened to readers since the book becomes very high profile.
Their job is to sell as many books as they can, though, so I don’t really find fault in using whatever tools they have to move more product. The more money they make the more money they have to publish more books!
I think it’s cool you’re not mentioning anyone specific. That seems a little mean-spirited to me, as well. After all, it isn’t an author’s fault if someone chooses to throw some money and muscle behind his or her book. Any more than it would be if they wrote the best book of the year and had poor support and poor sell-through.
Bane of Anubis says
Anon, Laurel, I don’t think there’s any issue w/ mentioning names. It’s an opinion, after all.
For instance, if someone agrees (or disagrees) w/ you on several points and you state that you think “The Time Traveler’s Wife” is a bit overrated, then that might help them make a decision vs. Joe Schmo Amazon reviews …
Ultimately, it’s not being mean to state your opinion (though, obviously, there are varying levels of diplomacy – e.g., I thought Book X deserved more kudos than Book Y vs. Book Y royally sucked) – anyway, that’s my opinion :).
Bryan – I’m only joining if I get to represent the rich folk π
Laurel says
B of A,
You’re right, of course. Opinions are fine but I have seen some very hateful ones here and there (not usually on this blog) that seem to be more a attack on an author than a review. And an Amazon review is just that, a review, so not only is it appropriate to say what you think you have to pin it to a specific title. No one would read it by accident.
If you’re an author whose name pops up in a thread on an agent blog you could totally get taken by surprise, even if you (wisely) avoid reviews otherwise. To me, anyway, this doesn’t seem the forum.
Make sense? Maybe not.