Tag Archives: Alan Rinzler

Publishing Roll – Rewrites, Talking Animals, and Theme Songs

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Remember when you first heard the phrase “Happy Hump Day”?  You were probably a teenager, as this is a work-world phrase and in the teenage years we start to be exposed more and more to the work-world realities from which children are relatively insulated.

And remember how disappointed your adolescent self was to learn that the “hump” only referred to the “hump in the middle of the week”?  Well, Happy Hump Day anyway.

On to the roll!

Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal offers tips to writers on how to make the most of a rewrite.

At the Magical Words fantasy fiction blog:
Stuart Jaffe explains how to develop characters in vng-the-most-out-of-a-rewrite-tips-for-authors/”>how to make the most of a rewrite.

At the Magical Words fantasy fiction blog:
Stuart Jaffe explains how to develop characters in very little space,
Misty Massey tackles talking animals (well… she tackles the subject of writing about them), and
David B. Coe posts part X of the “Writing Your Book” series: The Read-Through.

S. W. Vaughn at Murder By 4 asks, “What’s your novel’s theme song?”

Also, for anything interested in reading, watching, or writing “sword and sandals” fantasy or historical fiction, Meghan Sullivan has a great blog on Greek antiquity called Ancient Musings.  Check it out!

Publishing Links – Titles, eBooks, and Sticking to Your Story

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I have received a few submissions at Facebook for the graphic icon for “Reading Cats,” and I should have the final decision — and a developed icon — by the end of the weekend.  Thanks to all of the entrants, and a great looking bunch of felines; for your own safety, may they never learn to read!
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And, without further side-lining, let’s get to what you clicked that link to find: publishing industry professionals offering up their advice and opinions on books, writing, and all things literary!  Continue reading

Publishing Links – Eavesdropping, eBooks, and Evil Drill Sergeants

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Do you guys know how hard it is to come up with these quirky little introductions?   After flagging the articles around the web I want to share, devising a compelling preface is often the most difficult part of the process.

The pressure to tap out enough text so that it wraps down below the badge!   Something topical, quirky, engaging, and yet not too distracting from the cool links to follow?

The need for a new joke, a new angle, a new … oh, hey!  Hmmm, I guess I’m done.

And now, links from publishing industry insiders: Continue reading

Publishing Links – Bookstores, Reviews, Adventures, and Misadventures

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Just in time for Tuesday (yeah, I’m not sure what that means either) here are some publishing professionals to link up!

Author magazine encourages us to  embrace simplicity in our lives and our writing, while Moon Rat at Editorial Ass regales us with tales of adventure in book reviewing. 

Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal lets us in on the dynamics of bookstore visibility, and explains how writers build courage.

 Publishr’s Brett Sandusky is interviewed at BookSquare on the future of publishing, while Eric at Pimp My Novel discusses the “middle way” of indie publishing

And wrapping it up for this week, the Moby Lives blog  flings a harpoon or two at “clownish historians” — specifically Stephen Ambrose and  Orlando Figes.

Publishing Links – Tons of Advice and Questions Answered

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We have some interesting links from publishing biz pros this week.  By the way, subscribed yet?  Check out the sidebar and sign up!

The Author magazine editor’s blog attacks some intriguing issues for writers: the great discipline it takes to write without an outline, ending a story before the readers expect it to end, and how the lowest of lows proves that there is a high within us.  Good reads!

Rob Asghar explains, in a special and snarkily funny piece for the Huffington Post, seven lessons for aspiring authors: Go Rogue! Definitely worth the click.

Eric at Pimp My Novel explains the epistemology of publishing in five easy minutes, while the Moby Lives blogs addresses something near and dear to my heart as a religious scholar who focused on Islam during my heady days at the University of Virginia: better textual analysis of early copies of the Qur’an.

Alan Rinzler of The Book Deal asks “Is a bestseller hiding in your academic papers?” and offers some insider tips for preparing and delivering a winning pitch.

Finally, Moonrat at Editorial Ass answers the following ass-tastic questions:

Enjoy!

Publishing Links – Chick Lit, Beck Lit, Kid Lit, e-Lit

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Topping the list of this week’s publishing links is Kate Harding writing for Salon.com on the (perceived?) duality of women’s fiction: self-pitying “misery lit” vs. fashion-and-romance “chick lit.” 

I would say that it’s a must read for anyone with a word processor and a pair of X chromosomes, but male writers could also benefit from it: the piece might help them look at their own writing to see how it fits or violates various ideas of what constitutes “dude lit.”

Consulting editor Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal reveals how one young adult author landed two multi-book deals, while Dennis at the Moby Lives blog reveals an alternative to all those Amazon associates links and discusses redactive poetry and the Fair Use doctrine

(Also, there’s a really funny example of redactive poetry there: “How To Be Charitable, Glenn Beck”)

Moonrat at Editorial Ass answers reader questions about submissions that need more work, what books should be made into movies, and whether one even wants to be published at all!

Finally, Eric at Pimp My Novel dives into the factors affecting how many of your books an account will buy, and how the approaching “e-pocalypse” is unveiled* in the iTunes store.

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* You have no idea how much this trans-linguistic pun pleases me.

Publishing Pro Links – Sweet Little Soup

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Okay, let’s kick out some links from publishing and editing professionals.  It’s my slimmest category of link soups, but this week’s ingredients are tasty indeed.

For example, there’s a bit of hope for authors having a hard time breaking into the industry: Eric at Pimp My Novel is wondering if print-on-demand is the future of print, while Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal explains how self-publishing can lead to a real book deal.

Moonrat at Editorial Ass explains what the standard submission process is like, and the Moby Lives blog tackles a slew of publishing issues: the new ISBN format, the trouble with iPad’s text-reading functionality, and 21st Century information overload.

Professional Links : Publishers & Editors Speak!

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Booyah!  I am thrilled to be on to my second round of publisher/editor links.  Splitting up the authors, agents, and publishing house professionals was such a good idea!

Editor Alan Rinzler tells writers how to use a voice journal for character development, while Melville House‘s “Moby Lives” blog celebrates the fact that books outnumber games on iTunes.

The Editorial Ass answers questions about writing in your favorite genre, why he became a book editor, and how book deal advances are divided up.

Finally, Eric at Pimp My Novel has punched out some good stuff, including: the face of the publishing industry, how to read an ISBN, and the four things it takes to succeed as a writer.

Enjoy!

Writing and Publishing Links … With Love

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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.

Publishing Links That Need No Introduction

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Let’s just start right off with the best news, from the perspective of prospective authors: Amazon increases royalty rates on Kindle books!  As New York TimesMedia Decoder blog points out, “Amazon’s move is also a clear bid to woo authors away from traditional publishing houses.”  Things just got interesting.

Jessica at BookEnds answers “Should I revise my manuscript before sending out the next batch of queries?” and other random questions.  Meanwhile Rachelle Gardner discusses email protocol and the power of word-of-mouth.

Lauren at Dystel & Goderich offers some advice on titling, while her colleague Miriam disses the sarcmark.

Kassia Krozser at Booksquare expresses her doubts about enhanced ebooks, while Alan Rinzler at The Book Deal teaches us about hooks that snag great book deals.

Finally, John Fox tells us why he doubts book reviews, while Suzannah Windsor Freeman (guest-blogging at Nathan Bransford‘s site) negotiates the struggle between Word Nerds and Grammar Rebels.

Enjoy!