Articles from December 2004

Goodbye to Susan Sontag

December 28th, 2004 · 3 Comments

And, sometimes, there’s not much more to say than that. Author and activist Susan Sontag dies

File Under: Square Pegs

And Then There’s the Hollywood Approach

December 28th, 2004 · Comments Off on And Then There’s the Hollywood Approach

Martin Literary Management offers a twist on the Hollywood style: rather than pushing fiction (even the truest of true stories is fictionalized for your viewing pleasure), they focus exclusively on non-fiction. Non-fiction with a People magazine sensibility. Yes, non-fiction that appeals to a wide range of readers and tastes. Sharlene Martin likes works that can […]

File Under: Agents

It All Depends On Your Definition of Obscure

December 27th, 2004 · 2 Comments

Milwaukie-based Dark Horse is now enjoying another growth spurt thanks to the popularity of a once-obscure Japanese comic style called “manga.” We’re presuming the author of this fine article means that manga was once obscure in the United States, as it wasn’t particularly obscure in Japan. But that’s not our concern at the moment. As […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

Will The Last Person To Be Surprised Please Return The Books?

December 27th, 2004 · 6 Comments

Genre fiction is popular with library patrons. Yes, yes, we know. Blurting out shocking news is rude. We should have prepared you. To be honest, we tried to ease our way into this post, but found the best approach was fast and blunt. It’s how we’d want to hear this. So, as it shakes out […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

Back To The Real World

December 27th, 2004 · 2 Comments

We stretched our vacation as long as possible (you know it’s a conspiracy to avoid reality when even the cats get in the act), and now we’re (theorectically) revived and ready to get back to whatever it is we do to fill our days. Probably that means acquiring food while revisiting the New Year’s goal […]

File Under: Wrapped Up In Books

This Is Why I Could Never Cut It In Sales

December 23rd, 2004 · Comments Off on This Is Why I Could Never Cut It In Sales

Bill wrote in the comments section earlier this week: BTW, Jill, you do all this work for the site, but I don’t see any links to your romance novels? Can’t you at least get some publicity out of this site? I can’t believe it, but I haven’t posted a single link on how to purchase […]

File Under: Jill's First Blog

What Every Writer Should Have…

December 23rd, 2004 · Comments Off on What Every Writer Should Have…

After that first initial barrage of questions I received after getting “The Call” I was asked about a website. Okay, talk about panic. What’s a gal with little money, and even less amounts of website creativity to do?The first thing I did was use the free resources at my disposal. Since I use cox for […]

File Under: Jill's First Blog

Writer Contests

December 22nd, 2004 · Comments Off on Writer Contests

When it comes to promotion, I have become basically a follower. Most all romance writers have a website. I have a website. Most all romance authors do a contest. I’m having a contest. A lot of romance writers have a yahoo e-mail loop – I have a yahoo e-mail loop. The best thing about these […]

File Under: Jill's First Blog

Just How Much DO Those Romance Writers Make?

December 22nd, 2004 · 19 Comments

Something happens the minute a person realizes you’ve sold a book – that unwritten rule about not discussing another person’s salary just disappears. Although my friend Gena Showalter told me it would happen, I was still unprepared. The first time was at a PTA sponsored party at my oldest’s school. I was passing out the […]

File Under: Jill's First Blog

Creative Shelving

December 22nd, 2004 · 4 Comments

I’ve loved Brenda Coulter’s stories of creative shelving at the bookstore in the comment section. Creative shelving is when you place or face out your book (or a friend’s) for optimal viewing. I’m always nervous about doing this. First, because I’m a rule follower. Second, because of the rumors. “If you move your books around, […]

File Under: Jill's First Blog