tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post113673473737764168..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: More IntimidationJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-42231819198422040702011-01-13T01:03:30.122-06:002011-01-13T01:03:30.122-06:00I am reading the compilation of your blogs now and...I am reading the compilation of your blogs now and, while I am learning a lot, I am also very disappointed that you didn't take enough time to edit out all the typos. So far I have seen close to a hundred of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136938767997055142006-01-10T18:19:00.000-06:002006-01-10T18:19:00.000-06:00It amazes me that people still submit improperly f...It amazes me that people still submit improperly formatted manuscripts, with all the information readily available on the subject.<BR/><BR/>Thanks to Kelly and Kristy for reading my chapter and all the others. See you guys at the workshop.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136932732385543482006-01-10T16:38:00.000-06:002006-01-10T16:38:00.000-06:00Listen to the PJs. They know of what they speak.Listen to the PJs. They know of what they speak.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136931886280210512006-01-10T16:24:00.000-06:002006-01-10T16:24:00.000-06:00Joe,This should be etched on all beginning writers...Joe,<BR/><BR/>This should be etched on all beginning writers' foreheads in blood. Okay, a little drastic but I am crabby today because I am also in the role of acquisitions editor lately.<BR/><BR/>Kelly and I are conducting, for the second year, a hands-on intensive manuscript workshop at Sleuthfest. Folks have to submit a first-chapter sample to get in. We were specific to the point of anality (is that a word?) about format. Could not believe what I am seeing:<BR/><BR/>1. No names on each page. What? I'm supposed to go back and FIND the author's name?<BR/>2. No numbers on the friggin pages. Shall I tell you about the manuscript I dropped by mistake?<BR/>3. All Italics. Try reading THAT for 50 pages!<BR/>4. Pages with two paragraphs per. Writing is a visual thing! ARGH!<BR/>5. No dialog! Boooorrring.<BR/><BR/>But that said, most of the samples came in looking pretty darn professional. <BR/><BR/>Like you, I can see the other side, what editors and agents endure. And it ain't pretty. First lesson any writer needs to know: How to properly format a MS.<BR/><BR/>Happy new year!PJ Parrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13980813858620119772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136927161513955412006-01-10T15:06:00.000-06:002006-01-10T15:06:00.000-06:00I haven't heard about a movie like that, Joe, but ...I haven't heard about a movie like that, Joe, but I wouldn't doubt it. All my good story ideas are stolen by the mind-reading aliens that I met on my trip. I was working on something called THE MICHAELANGELO CODE when...well, you know.<BR/><BR/>That's it. I'm never taking the aluminum foil off my head again.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136911756893877242006-01-10T10:49:00.000-06:002006-01-10T10:49:00.000-06:00"I think I'll write about that trip to the moon I ..."I think I'll write about that trip to the moon I took in my secretly-built rocket ship back in 1975"<BR/><BR/>I think there's a movie like that coming out this summer. Something about a private spacecraft. Or am I having deja-vu?JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136910624152620962006-01-10T10:30:00.000-06:002006-01-10T10:30:00.000-06:00"But who in their right mind is going to shell out..."But who in their right mind is going to shell out $25 for a memoir now?"<BR/><BR/>Honestly, this will probably boost his sales. I understand some of your frustration, Jude. But I guess I always go back to the basics: "Don't believe everything you read." <BR/><BR/>Also what is the difference between autobiography and memoir? According to Merriam-Webster:<BR/>Memoir: a narrative composed from personal experience<BR/>Autobiography: written history of a person's life<BR/><BR/>Perhaps Frey could have taken a cue from the movie industry and put the disclaimer: Inspired by actual events.Jaye Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09407478042834459126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136908568301449912006-01-10T09:56:00.000-06:002006-01-10T09:56:00.000-06:00So James Frey made a ton of dough on a book. Grea...So James Frey made a ton of dough on a book. Great. I have no problem with that. I hope he enjoys every steenking penny.<BR/><BR/>I guess one could argue that, like prostitution, his was a victimless crime.<BR/><BR/>But who in their right mind is going to shell out $25 for a memoir now? If readers do keep buying then, by golly, let's all jump on the bandwagon. I think I'll write about that trip to the moon I took in my secretly-built rocket ship back in 1975 (okay, so I smoked a lot of weed back then and maybe I'm a little mixed up on my facts).<BR/><BR/>Perhaps Frey actually did those of us who write fiction a favor: Since the publishing industry doesn't police itself and verify facts in books that are labeled nonfiction, maybe more readers will turn back to novels for entertainment. Since it's all bullshit anyway, might as well read the best liars in the biz--us, the novelists.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136905681404867872006-01-10T09:08:00.000-06:002006-01-10T09:08:00.000-06:00Actually, The Smoking Gun article about Frey claim...Actually, The Smoking Gun article about Frey claims he tried to sell this book as fiction originally. But his publisher bought it as memoir and supposedly had him take out the false parts....riiiight. I'd like to say I'd turn down a $50,000 advance if a publisher said they wanted me to publish my paranormal romance as memoir. But I think I'd probably go out and buy a pair of fangs instead. (I jest...kind of) <BR/><BR/>I think the point is millions have read this book and gotten something out of it. Do his exaggerations nullify what they got out of it? Has anyone ever read David Sedaris and believed everything he wrote was 100% accurate and free of exaggeration? Or is this backlash due to the fact that Frey is making mad cash off this book?<BR/><BR/>I detest liars in real life, but perhaps Frey has discovered a new genre: Mockemoir?Jaye Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09407478042834459126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136904381476569732006-01-10T08:46:00.000-06:002006-01-10T08:46:00.000-06:00You can't take integrity to the bank, cash it, and...You can't take integrity to the bank, cash it, and buy 40 houses.<BR/><BR/>As I've said before, if you want to be an artist, write poetry in a journal. If you want to be published, treat it like a business.<BR/><BR/>That means doing things you don't want to, like changing your work according to editor suggestion to make things more marketable, learning how to sell your product when all you really want to do is create it, developing a platform that turns you into something you may not actually be. <BR/><BR/>It means compromising your integrity. <BR/><BR/>It's all shades of gray. Everyone has a different lines that they won't cross, and that they will.<BR/><BR/>I'd rather be rich and hated than die poor and be recognized as a genius 20 years after my death.<BR/><BR/>And I'd rather sell 1.5 million books and be known as a liar than sell 2000 books and be known as a saint.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure Frey is sleeping fine at night.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136872203856917602006-01-09T23:50:00.000-06:002006-01-09T23:50:00.000-06:00Ah. So we have a moral dilemma here: Truth and i...Ah. So we have a moral dilemma here: Truth and integrity vs. sales.<BR/><BR/>Which is more important in the long run?<BR/><BR/>Do you want to be an artist, or hawk snake oil?<BR/><BR/>People eventually wise-up to con games.<BR/><BR/>True Art is eternal.<BR/><BR/>The choice is yours, Grasshopper.<BR/><BR/>PS from Santa: Get a clue.<BR/><BR/>PS from Jude: Yeah, I could really use a hug.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136870489181600452006-01-09T23:21:00.000-06:002006-01-09T23:21:00.000-06:00Truth and integrity are wonderful things.So is sel...Truth and integrity are wonderful things.<BR/><BR/>So is selling 1.5 million books.<BR/><BR/>Memoirs are read for the same reason novels are read: for entertainment.<BR/><BR/>So the narrative non-fiction book you just read about the drug crazed criminal had some lies in it? Shocking! You must be devestated. Lemme give you a hug.<BR/><BR/>I bet his publisher is really upset that they made all that money. Maybe next time they check the facts. But I wouldn't hold my breath.<BR/><BR/>P.S. There's no Santa Claus either.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136869777257353552006-01-09T23:09:00.000-06:002006-01-09T23:09:00.000-06:00"I have been following the James Frey story, and m..."I have been following the James Frey story, and my reaction is: who cares?"<BR/><BR/>Not me, Joe. I don't read memoirs. I don't give a rat's ass about someone else's personal history.<BR/><BR/>But, I would suppose that people who DO read memoirs would care. Frey's book lowers the memoir category to the level of National Enquirer-type nonfiction, and sets a precedent for every forthcoming memoir to be looked at under a magnifying glass.<BR/><BR/>In effect, he has rendered the memoir, a complete category of nonfiction, defunct.<BR/><BR/>Publishers, even his, should care.<BR/><BR/>Agents, even his, should care.<BR/><BR/>Readers, who assume a memoir published by a reputable house is a true account of actual events, should care. Why would those readers want to buy the next memoir?<BR/><BR/>Most importantly, the authors working on genuine memoirs should care, because their work, however truthful, will now be viewed by a new cynical public eye.<BR/><BR/>If someone wrote a mystery-thriller that would somehow make all future mystery-thrillers seem like a waste of time, would you care, Joe?<BR/><BR/>I know I would.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136868190215822382006-01-09T22:43:00.000-06:002006-01-09T22:43:00.000-06:00"Be the gold." Wonderful advice as usual. What a s..."Be the gold." Wonderful advice as usual. What a shame it would be to have something I worked on for months get tossed in the trash because I was too lazy to do a basic google search on correct ms format. Or do spellcheck. What did writers do before the internet and word processing? My sneaking suspicion is they learned this stuff before they started writing. <BR/><BR/>JayeJaye Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09407478042834459126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136841041606676822006-01-09T15:10:00.000-06:002006-01-09T15:10:00.000-06:00I have been following the James Frey story, and my...I have been following the James Frey story, and my reaction is: who cares?<BR/><BR/>The guy made up some stuff and sold it as autobiographical non-fiction? So what? There are many things more important in life than a bestselling author telling lies.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136838152464339152006-01-09T14:22:00.000-06:002006-01-09T14:22:00.000-06:00Hey J.A...Just wondering what you think of the who...Hey J.A...<BR/><BR/>Just wondering what you think of the whole James Frey story on The Smoking Gun (found it through Miss Snark's Blog). <BR/><BR/>Off-topic, I know, but I'm interested to hear your thinking on it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10996771273232767374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136830218304872052006-01-09T12:10:00.000-06:002006-01-09T12:10:00.000-06:00Another reason to polish, polish, polish. I neede...Another reason to polish, polish, polish. I needed an extension on a VERY tight deadline I have - my first one with a new NY publisher. I was given it because what they've seen of my work has been so clean that it's required very little in the way of revisions or editing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136822454735178742006-01-09T10:00:00.000-06:002006-01-09T10:00:00.000-06:00My advice to aspiring writers: Find a story you l...My advice to aspiring writers: Find a story you love, and then spend as much time as it takes to write the hell out of it. Don't chase your tail by trying to follow market trends. It might get you published, but you (and your readers) will never be happy with anything less than the truth. Write the book only you can write. Write what you love, love what you write. The end product will be something you're proud of, not just a sales ranking. If your only goal is to make money, go sell vitamins or something. A book, a work of art, should come from the soul. Be professional in your craft, but never sell out. Write what's inside YOU, not what the market dictates. You might fall on your ass, or you might become the next Stephen King. Regardless, you can say you did it your way.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136820023802557502006-01-09T09:20:00.000-06:002006-01-09T09:20:00.000-06:00I come at this topic from a little different appro...I come at this topic from a little different approach. For about two years, I was the senior editor at a national automotive magazine. Senior editor was a fancy title for "the guy who handles all the freelancers."<BR/><BR/>It quickly came down to professionalism for me as I read some 200 query letters a week as well as giving a first read to all freelanced articles (and 80% of the magazine was freelanced).<BR/><BR/>To me professionalism translated to good spelling and grammar, a demonstrated knowledge of the magazine, following the commonly accepted guidelines for queries and manuscripts, and not calling me twice a day.<BR/><BR/>Persistence is important in this business. I remember one writer who sent me query after query. I'd reject one and he'd immediately send another. All were well written, very professionally done -- he was just barely missing the mark. Finally, after about a dozen rejections, I sent an assignment for a different story back with the rejection slip (his query was similar to a story we already had in the works). Seven years later, when I look at that magazine at the store, I still see his name in there.<BR/><BR/>Talent is oh so important. You have to be able to tell an entertaining story. But you also must be professional. I have little doubt that I passed on writers far more talented than the ones we hired because they hand wrote their queries, sent them in on perfumed pink paper, or violated any number of rules of professionalism.Clayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16133910811642081098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136779507474336922006-01-08T22:05:00.000-06:002006-01-08T22:05:00.000-06:00"Why do you think there are so many lousy books be..."Why do you think there are so many lousy books being published these days by legit houses?"<BR/><BR/>Because the books sell, or the houses believe they will sell.<BR/><BR/>Once an author becomes a brand name, they'll be on the NYT List forever. Even if their last several books have been awful.<BR/><BR/>If a book is poorly written, but has a great hook, it has a much better chance of selling than a well written book with no hook at all.<BR/><BR/>This is a business. Books are a product. The sizzle sells the steak.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136777624266656592006-01-08T21:33:00.000-06:002006-01-08T21:33:00.000-06:00"You could sell your 1962 Corvette with the blown ..."You could sell your 1962 Corvette with the blown engine, and might find a buyer who likes to fix cars.<BR/><BR/>Or you can fix the car yourself, and have unlimited buyers."<BR/><BR/>You can also sell the blown mototr car to the owner of a pristine 1962 Corvette who just wants the damn thing for spare parts, <BR/>.<BR/>.<BR/>.<BR/>but the addition to your analogy doesn't apply to writing. I just wanted to make a point about classic cars.<BR/>;-)Legacy Userhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12964426007973340421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136774710895892712006-01-08T20:45:00.000-06:002006-01-08T20:45:00.000-06:00A question without any ulterior meaning...Why do y...A question without any ulterior meaning...<BR/><BR/>Why do you think there are so many lousy books being published these days by legit houses? <BR/><BR/>I think I read that more books were published in 2004 than in any previous year. But sales are dropping at a regular rate. My professional book reviewer friends constantly tell me that they read many more bad books than they do good. <BR/><BR/>Couldn't things helped by the publishers being a little more "choosy" when it comes to product?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136770556831681522006-01-08T19:35:00.000-06:002006-01-08T19:35:00.000-06:00Sandra - I've heard the "yeah, but the editor will...Sandra - I've heard the "yeah, but the editor will fix the mechanics if the story's good enough." I even got tossed out of a writers' forum because I was arguing against this. Some writers live in a vacuum, and ignore everything that is told them, because they think their writing is wonderful.<BR/><BR/>Joe - don't get dispirited over the few who chose to ignore wise words of advice. There's plenty of us listening, and taking notes.Author-Geraldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07413814636704961731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136770371970073562006-01-08T19:32:00.000-06:002006-01-08T19:32:00.000-06:00I have only one thing to say: I hate exclamation ...I have only one thing to say: I hate exclamation points!Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11952008139132652259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1136768163462882052006-01-08T18:56:00.000-06:002006-01-08T18:56:00.000-06:00Speaking as a small time editor, this is sadly tru...Speaking as a small time editor, this is sadly true. Take the time to make sure your pieces are as perfect as they can be, or they may not get accepted.<BR/><BR/>Due to time constraints and a high volume of submissions, we've had to pass on some very good stories for our publication.<BR/><BR/>And as a writer, I expect to be treated the same way. I choose to enlist the aid of three other friends in finding the errors before I send something out.<BR/><BR/>After being an editor myself, I appreciate the need for it.Diana Cacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03288437853191567861noreply@blogger.com