Articles from May 2005

Thinking Marketing Thoughts

May 24th, 2005 · Comments Off on Thinking Marketing Thoughts

We know, we know. You’re saying, “Booksquare, what does advertising have to do with us? We are writers. We demand information.” We, in response, will stroke our chin and gaze off into space. Finally, after a long pause fraught with whatever it is that fraughts pauses, we will say, “Young Grasshopper, you have so much […]

File Under: Tools and Craft

The Inner Lives of Girls – Not For The Weak-Willed

May 24th, 2005 · Comments Off on The Inner Lives of Girls – Not For The Weak-Willed

It is somewhat fascinating to discover Gossip Girl fans. We discovered the series via a certain well-known crime fiction blogger. Naturally, since we weren’t the target audience, we went searching for someone who was. It’s rather amazing what those kids at Stanford have time to read these days. And so it goes. While you were […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs · Publishers and Editors

Considering the Economics of Format

May 23rd, 2005 · 2 Comments

We’ve been saving this article on hardcovers versus paperbacks for a rainy day. It’s never going to rain again, so we’re pretending a rather wimpy June Gloom is close enough for government work. It’s a roundtable (of sorts) discussion about the pros and cons of the various formats. We advise reading all the words — […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

In Our Continuing Series of Electronic Publishing Rants, Episode IV

May 22nd, 2005 · 4 Comments

If you were paying attention back in 1998 (and, given the general dreariness of that year, we do not blame you for snoozing), you would have learned that the future was now (leaving you to wonder what it would be in the future) and that ebooks would be the medium of choice for all readers. […]

File Under: Tools and Craft

One Came By Train

May 21st, 2005 · 1 Comment

Figures — Harper Lee pops into Los Angeles and we learn about it after the fact. Not that we were likely be invited to the Los Angeles Public Library’s 10th Annual Awards (really, they’ve had nine others?), but that’s beside the point. Lee attended the event to accept the Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award. […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Found: One Clueless Literary Agent

May 21st, 2005 · 3 Comments

Without reading a word, we can guarantee there’s at least one author out there who’s probably not going to be published. Unless he or she finds a real angent. For the record, if your agent is contacting bloggers (even really smart bloggers like Sarah Weinman) for advice, your agent doesn’t have the necessary contacts or, […]

File Under: Agents

“Case” Study

May 21st, 2005 · 3 Comments

Genre fiction lives or dies by its structure. No matter what happens in the plot — and there are no rules there, except for a rather loose one about killing cats — the conventions of the genre must be followed. In science fiction, that modern version of the Western, good must triumph over evil. In […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

She Looked, She Leaped

May 20th, 2005 · 2 Comments

Our good friend Karen Palmer has taken over the helm at The Elegant Variation. We are not going to suggest that she’s already making us look bad by posting like a madwoman, but, well, she’s hit all the news that’s fit to report while we’re still staring at the coffee maker, wondering why it can’t […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

Rejection: An Editor’s View

May 19th, 2005 · 5 Comments

Unless you are one of the lucky ones, you will be rejected at least once in your writing career. Depending on your constitution, this might be a punch in the gut or a confirmation of what you suspected. Or something in the middle. They’ll tell you it isn’t personal, and it likely isn’t. We are […]

File Under: Publishers and Editors

Because We Could Not Resist…

May 19th, 2005 · Comments Off on Because We Could Not Resist…

We’re not saying anything about our neighbors, but they might have some weird friends. Not that we’ve ever indulged in a game called “Dead Jazz Musicians” or anything (Sun Ra: dead or alive). We are not the sort. The Miles Davis thing was purely coincidence; Mose Allison is doing just fine, thank you. Let us […]

File Under: Square Pegs