Oh what a week! As critics and pundits debate the merits of non-literary fiction (whatever that might be), agents and writers are debating the merits of agents shifting from a representative model of payment to a pay-per-service model.
It’s getting hot up in here! But, let’s slip quietly out the back door of this tavern brawl and just read some literary agent links, okay?
First of all, let me do a favor for Jessica at BookEnds LLC, and literary agents everywhere, by reminding all of you prospective authors out there that a “novel” is a fictional narrative longer than 50,000 words. There is no need to say “fiction novel” and no reason to say “non-fiction novel.”
And now, let’s go on to the links! Continue reading
Yesterday, my home town paper The Washington Post published a neat list of the “Five Buzziest Summer Beach Reads,” including post-apocalyptic vampires, a post-vampire career apocalypse, a blast-from-the-past sequel, and an ape-girl. How can you pass that up?
And now, on to stuff recently blogged upon by literary agents: Continue reading
First link of the day comes from Jessica at BookEnds. Following up on a fantastic post by Nathan Bransford about the importance of keeping a “series bible” to keep track of the little details in your fictional world, Jessica explains the difference between a series bible and a style sheet, and why an author should seriously consider developing a style sheet before his or her work goes under the editor’s knife.
I am using that as my intro today because Jessica’s idea hadn’t even occurred to me, even though I do maintain a rough series bible for the Observer Tales. (The releasable stuff, I rework into Observer’s Gloss entries.) Now I have another project!
On to the rest of the links: Continue reading
Now that I’m returning to the link soup model (see my previous post about writer links for the whole sordid confession) I might as well go ahead and pump out some links to literary agent stuff I have found interesting recently.
In keeping with the new style — and until you tell me it makes you bat-crazy — these links will use the bullet method to avoid that ugly dotted underline hyperlink marker.
Oh, we have a big ol’ bunch o’ literary agent links this week, my friends.
FYI: Jessica at BookEnds will not consider representing you for an up-front payment in lieu of or in addition to a commission, and she probably won’t click a link to a video query, but she will answer a lot of questions about submitting a partial.
At Dystel & Goderich, Jane explains how the submission process works, Miriam throws in her two cents about thrillers, and Jessica dismisses a few misconceptions about publishing.
Nathan Bransford dives into hard-sell query letter subject lines, answers ten questions about self-publishing, and points out the literary impact of one of my favorite cognitive biases: the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Janet Reid reminds us to be careful with queries and death threats, while Nathan Henrion wonders if fiction writers can mimic musical artists.
Finally, the Rejectionist discusses recent demonic rejections, while Rachelle Gardner discusses freelance editors and how long the process takes from submission to hitting the shelves.
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.
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.
Okay, so most readers won’t stumble over these links until well after Sunday brunch, but they’ll still be great for a rainy Sunday afternoon (if you’re on the East Coast) or even a Monday off. So, let’s dive right in…
There are 18 print-on-demand Espresso Book Machines worldwide, and 5 of them are in the Seattle area. Seattle Times writer/artist Gabriel Campanario provides an look into the dynamics of print-on-demand.
Rachel Gardner discusses some WordServe analysis of how online publicity efforts effect sales, and pointed my way to The Most Interesting Bookstores In The World. Nice. She also discusses why authors still need agents.
And if Rachel can’t convince you that you still need an agent, the Wall Street Journal digs into the reasons that publisher slush piles of unsolicited manuscripts are becoming a thing of the past. However, Brianna Goodspeed responds that this may not be true for everyone.
On the subject of agent slush piles, literary agent Janet Reid explains how slush still works, and what exactly slush means.
You know how good things come in threes? Well, Jessica at BookEnds tackles three topics dear to an aspiring writer’s heart: querying, submitting manuscripts, and avoiding scams. Kristin Nelson also serves up one, two, three excellent pieces on query letters.
Finally, a completely different Jessica at Dystel & Goderich points the way to a piece in A Public Space on Cairo’s up-and-coming writers, and a New Yorker article on Arabic novels in translation. Šukran jazílan!
Ever wonder why you’ve never received thirteen of anything for the price of a dozen at any bakery you’ve ever visited? Well, wonder no more, because there’s no point in worrying about it.
And, while you’re getting over your disappointment, enjoy the follow “Baker’s Dozen” links on publishing and writing!
