I haven’t posted links to literary agent blogs for a while — in fact, not since I separated them from the author and publisher links — so this will be my first solely agentish link soup!
So, let me introduce my new “literary agent icon,” a detail from Literary Pursuits of a Young Lady by Alexei Harlamov. The idea was to represent someone who might say, “I would like to read for a living when I grow up.” On to the links!
As you may have read last time, I am going to start posting my link soups in three categories: writers, agents, and publishing types. I know, there’s a lot of overlap, particularly among authors who are also editors or agents. But, I’m going to try.
And today? Links from publishers and editors. Enjoy!
After yesterday’s announcement about writer Mandy Morgan, I thought I would follow up today with some more writer links — partly to catch up on my link souping, and partly to begin dividing up my link soup posts into authors, agents, and editors so that they aren’t so overloaded.
And, introducing my latest thematic icon, specifically for author link soups! Major points for whoever recognizes the writer without having to cheat.
First up to bat, Jade Smith tells us about her latest published work, “Gallows Tree,” and addresses the odd dynamics of vision and social expectation by asking “Is your soul naked?”
Marie Mutsuki Mockett tells us about being a debut novelist in hard economic times. (Thanks to Editorial Ass for pointing me toward that one.)
In other authorial news: Kelly Morgan receives Lesa’s Bald Face Liar “Creative Writer” Blogger Award, and Lydia Sharp discusses the writerly virtue of “Containment.”
Enjoy!
Last October I stumbled over a writer who had posted a bit of supernatural fiction online with an idea so … neat, I think is the best word … that I just had to tell my readers about her. The story was Mandy Morgan’s “The Sky Goes Black.”
Mandy then posted a teaser for a young adult novel called Zombie Is An Inflammatory Word (And I Resent That). Now, I am not a fan of supernatural YA (don’t get me started on Twilight) but Mandy’s concept was so intriguing and funny that I included it in my Christmas link soup posting, and again after the New Year when she added another teaser.
Well, I am happy to announce that Mandy is now being represented by Mary Kole of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency!
And, to be totally honest, I do feel a bit of narcissistic satisfaction that I recognized her talent “back in the day.”
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a big ol’ heart-shaped sampler of writing and publishing links. Okay, okay … you’re very creative, so imagine that it’s heart-shaped! And delicious.
My loves, you can resume your diet on President’s Day. For now, indulge yourselves!
Joe and Lydia Sharp at The Sharp Angle answer the question “How do you know when to start and end a scene/chapter?” while Jessica at BookEnds responds to a writer who asks why agents keep telling her that her books are not the genre she insists they are.
Over at Dystel & Goderich, the other (but equally awesome) Jessica asks her readers how much they allow bad reviews to affect their reading decisions, while D&G’s Lauren ponders the future of browseable, brick and mortar bookstores.
Janet Reid explains why the final say in your book’s title lies far beyond you, your agent, and your editor, and also pointed me toward a funny piece at the Editorial Anonymous blog about what editors can and cannot fix.
Jennifer Jackson passes on more two more “letters from the query wars” while Kristin Nelson discusses the submission reading cycles agents go through, and the end of advanced reading copies.
Nathan Bransford offered up his own link soup on Friday, including a hilarious list of awful book covers from the past.
Rachelle Gardner tells authors how to keep money in its place, asks authors whether agents should edit, and reveals what makes her say “yes” to a book: craft, story, and voice.
Editor Alan Rinzler explains how to blend backstory into your narrative, while the Editorial Ass offers query letter advice from an engineer.
And yes, blog reader, I do love you even if I don’t say except after you’ve already said it. :-/ You know how I am about expressing myself.
For all of those nerds intellectual types out there who love to see news about the pre-Columbian history of the Americas, or who simply love learning more about humans before the advent of civilization, new research at the University of Copenhagen will prove irresistible to the imagination.
Scientists have sequenced DNA from the hair of a 4,000-year-old man locked in the Greenland permafrost long before the ancestors of modern Inuit moved into the region, and from the genetic coding have reconstructed the face of this archaic American.
I wouldn’t normally link from here to an explicitly political site like Dros or Kudge (or whatever), but Huffpost has an interesting piece about publishing’s approach to product digitalization.
Most intriguing to me was with the following not-so-flattering description of the development approach publishing firms take, which could spell trouble in the digital age:
The “somebody do something that works so we can copy it” mentality duplicates the … attitude espoused by long-time executives in music who simply could not or would not question the viability of the professional cocoons they’d built for themselves …
What offed the music business — and what the publishing industry is facing — is a corporate structure built to churn out hits to subsidize an entire product line. Rather than developing artists, exploiting regional marketplaces, and building financial models that can easily support a mid-range list, both industries focus on entertainment at the expense of art and expression.
(Difference between selling entertainment vs art? Entertainment starts with the customer and works back to the product. Art begins with the product and works forward to find/create an audience.)
Thoughts? Agree? Disagree?
Not much to do this weekend, given the Snowpocalypse besieging the East Coast. I certainly will attempt to “write my ass off” but otherwise I strive to pick up where I left off posting a few writing and publishing links now and then.
So, let me start with commentary by Lydia Sharp, which I took to heart, that writing & publishing bloggers have been discussing the Amazon v. MacMillan conflict far too much. Hear, hear. I (think I) am done. And, if the links in this post seem a bit light, it’s because I’ve purposefully skipped over any possible links dealing with ebooks or their attendant rights and royalties.
Also on the subject of beginnings, agent Kristin Nelson provides some good advice on why prologues often do not work, and why action often does.
Author Kelly Morgan describes what happens when a book “clicks,” while author Jade Smith offers some advice on authenticity which I whole-heartedly endorse: Let your fictional world be itself.
Agent Nathan Bransford tells us why it’s a great time to be an author, while agent Rachelle Gardner outlines the Top Ten query mistakes, discusses book trailers, and invites guest blogger Sandra Bricker to explain how a writer finds his or her niche.
Jessica at BookEnds answers writers’ questions about novel series (a subject newly dear to my writers’ heart) and querying as a youthful writer (a subject long far from my interests) as well as addressing the professionalism displayed by readily accepting the need for revisions (on which I completely agree with her).
I would be remiss not to direct you to three entries (1, 2, 3!) in Jennifer Jackson‘s “Letters From The Query Wars,” or Alan Rinzler‘s tips from 3 top agents about how YA fiction is “red hot.”
Enjoy!
Responding to the recent slapdown of Amazon.com by MacMillan publishing, an oh-so-tech-savvy fellow over at DigitalTrends.com asks if book publishers are the new record labels, i.e., by responding badly to the digitalization of their product and encouraging piracy.
The writer offers up the typical hipster, pro-criminal argument that stealing is an acceptable response to high prices. This isn’t Les Misérables, guys; we’re talking about entertainment, not food.
Yes, there were other things going on this week in publishing beyond half the world calling the iPad a savior and the other half poo-pooing its ability to spark a revolution.
Lydia Sharp at The Sharp Angle navigates a middle course to calm the nerves of writers who fear ebook piracy in the wake of Apple’s iPad with some very instructive anecdotes about how free can sell.
The ever-prolific Jessica at BookEnds, LLC, serves up a triptych of good info on: backing up your data, interpreting long query response times, and how agents are weathering the recession. BookEnds also hosts guest writer Becky Levine, who advises writers how to find a critique group that’s “right for you.”
In the realm of publishing-related graphics, Michael at Dystel & Goderich discusses the perils of book covers, while Janet Reid provides photographic evidence of the role Alces alces plays in certain writing guilds.
Kristin Nelson explains why “often the deciding factor [for sample pages] is not whether the writing is good or not but whether the voice fits an agent’s taste.” And Jennifer Schuessler at the New York Times explains reader boredom, why we’re so hesitant to admit it, and how it can lead to ecstasy. And, finally, Rachelle Gardner explains how to become an editor or agent.
Let’s just say there’s a lot of explaining going on.
