Author name: Booksquare

Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism.

This Girl Walks Into A Bar

By •

We admit it: we have a hard time separating our fiction novels from our non-fiction novels. Where is the line? Isn’t that what makes creative non-fiction so compelling? Is it any wonder we’re of a certain age and still trying to figure out where we fit into the world? We like the B.J. Robbins Literary Agency (and associate Missy Pontious) because they’re located in a place we know and understand — North Hollywood (we lived there once upon a time, and it’s really not like regular Hollywood, though the Mexican food is excellent). We like the fact that they consider […]

Agents

On Relativity, Also On Making It Big in Hollywood

By •

“The publishing business isn’t as bad as the movies — publishers usually don’t bring in someone to rewrite your book — but you still don’t have control over design and marketing,” says Justin [Heimberg], who has had a hand in writing humor books. “So we decided to do it all on our own.” You, too, can write a screenplay! From idea to action with ‘Movie Plot Generator’

Quote of the Week

We’re All Excited

By •

Yes, yes, it doesn’t take much to get us all worked up — but this time, we have a good reason*. A few weeks ago, we participated in The Emerging Writers Network’s second interview with literary bloggers (hard to believe we fooled someone like Dan Wickett, but there you go). If you’re wanting a behind-the-scenes look at blogging, well, you’ll get some of that, but, more importantly, you’ll get many thoughtful answers and few that aren’t to everything from our ages to our technology to our secret desires. Oh, and our thoughts on how litblogs fit into the big picture.

Books/Mags/Blogs

If You’re Reading This, You Already Know Some Of The Answers

By •

As it turns out, the Internet is good for artists (it also turns out that the folks at Pew have bought into Wired’s decision to make the I lowercase; we have not yet made that leap). Artists use the online world for networking, reaching the general public, research, and inspiration (not the same thing as stealing). On the other hand, artists are concerned about free and easy sharing of art. And they should be. Ignorance is not bliss. Not surprisingly, many artists feel copyright laws benefit distributors over artists. Hmm, does this surprise anyone? The results of the survey are

Square Pegs

Another Disappointing Headline

By •

We don’t ask much from our online news — frequent updates, intriguing stories, and good headlines. We don’t care that a man is planning to sell his collection of inscribed books, presumably it’s the first sign of incipient madness. They have fairly decent health care in Canada; he should be fine (though why he simply doesn’t get a larger home intrigues us). What people do in their personal lives is not our concern. Now, what they do with free review copies, that makes us blink and think. In our past, we reviewed books with very official looking language about the

Square Pegs

Insert Comment About Savage Love Here

By •

If we were the literary non-fiction type (and we suspect we aren’t), we’d definitely add Elizabeth Wales to our potential agent list. Wales Literary is definitely a small agency with a decidedly political bent — but without a geographical bias. The agency is based in Seattle, good because: The distance from New York, Wales says, is actually an advantage. “We’ve had enough success that when I go to New York, editors know me, and expect me to have discovered some interesting new talent,” she explains. Get the whole scoop at MediaBistro Contacting the agency: Wales Literary Agency, Inc., PO Box

Agents

Blogs and Readers

By •

Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network recently posed a question about the role of litblogging (more on this discussion in the future, but we’re wondering if this variation of blog will make the next version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary). This was something that made us think. Blogs have great advantages over print media and traditional websites, including immediacy and intimacy. For authors (such as Jill, hint, hint) and publishers, blogs provide a big opportunity. For readers, the benefits are even greater. Publishers, who don’t seem to get this Internet thing on a grand scale, are realizing the power of

Square Pegs, Tools and Craft

We Really Meant To Ignore This, Or We Have No Faith In Your So-Called Scholars

By •

As all good authors know, those first few books are ripe with growing pains. You don’t leap into the game fully formed. What seems so profound, so beautifully written, often comes off as painful upon later reading. There’s a reason first books go under the bed, hide in closets, and generally shun the light of day. Truman Capote realized this. He chose not to finish a book (and, as we all know, having a draft or so is not finished; the book is done when the author says it’s done…or deadline time arrives). We understand the need for history and

Square Pegs

Speaking of Nepotism

By •

While we hoped to get more guest bloggers online this year, life ran away with our time. We will do much better next year, especially since we have reacquired long-lost time management skills. However, our inability to get our act together does not dwarf our ability to make others suffer. Thus we introduce guest blogger, Jill Monroe, who is celebrating the release of her first published novel. Jill has been our hard-nosed critique partner for several years now (and they say long distance relationships don’t work). It was just a year ago that we lamented lack of editorial response to

Wrapped Up In Books

More Seasonal Fun

By •

As Awards Season enters its middle period, we begin to see one of its most fascinating manifestations: the year-end lists. Humans love lists. Unlike most species, we spend a lot of time ranking and re-ranking the things we love (or hate) most. But it’s not enough to create a list — one must share said list with the entire world. This may be why the humble shopping list doesn’t get the respect it deserves — it’s hard to create hierarchical structure when face with meat, dairy, bread, and fruits and vegetables. Yes, as it so happens, we did find an

Square Pegs
Scroll to Top