Author name: Booksquare

Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism.

How To Win Editors And Impress Marketing Staff

Looking for an etiquette primer for authors? Or just looking for a few behavioral guidelines? Or just wondering what makes the editor/author relationship work? Elizabeth Spiers spoke with a few editors about how things work in the real world (note: the real world bears no resemblance to what you see on television). First item of note relates to the editing part of editing: “The worst sort of person who, when they give you a manuscript, is so exhausted and spent by it, they’re upset by any sort of changes you want to make,” says one editor. “They accuse you of […]

Tools and Craft

Looking For The Post-Da Vinci Nirvana

Jill Schwartzman of HarperCollins is an editor just looking for a good time. Hmm, that didn’t come out right. Jill Schwartzman of HarperCollins is an editor just looking for a good read. Yes, much better. She’s looking for unusual perspectives on life (though not, necessarily, how to live it). Now that the Da Vinci craze is waning, she’s eager to get back to discovering great reads. . .if she can only get agents to play along: Also, maybe this is just me, but sometimes an agent seems to insist on reading a very long pitch letter over the phone, even

Publishers and Editors

Life Is Nothing But A Bowl of Litigation

Someday, we might find that we’ve grown bored with the inevitable lawsuit trend, but until then, we watch the phenomenon with glee. Each day, we awake, wondering who will be sued next and what tack the suer will take. Now it is the television series Lost that is facing the time-sucking specter of litigation. Turns out the hit series is based on an idea developed nearly thirty years ago. And here the dude waited until he was assured of the show’s hit status before filing suit — when your hard work is at stake, always wait until you’re sure there’s

Square Pegs

AgentSpeak: Hard and Fast

James Fitzgerald and Anne Garrett believe in the awesome power of the Internet. So much so that their agency utilizes things like the web and email to do business. It’s almost enough to bring a tear of joy to our jaded eye. The agents like email, they like brief, action-packed pitches, and they like the modern world, so much so, that, uh, Fitzgerald has developed an interest in the Old West. What interests us, however, was the way the agency works: The Internet also aids Fitzgerald in finding writers. About 50 percent of his projects start with Fitzgerald’s own ideas,

Agents

In Which Peter Pan Becomes The Bad Boy of Fiction

We will freely admit that we held no high hopes for the much-publicized Peter Pan sequel (though we did enjoy the cheerful cynicism that accompanied the decision). After all, why did we need a sequel? Isn’t it enough to let the story end. Yes, we’re still processing the finale of Six Feet Under, a series we feel will not succumb to a reunion show. Geraldine McCaughrean won the chance to write the Pan sequel, thereby assuring that the Great Ormond Street Hospital continues to own the rights to the character. While the book isn’t finished, she’s suggested that we’re not

Books/Mags/Blogs

Number Eighteen In A Series of Self-Publishing Posts

One day, we will find ourselves sitting in our cozy little office (though we are hoping it will be a bigger cozy little office with a couch), lamenting the attendant problems caused by the rise of print on demand. Because, we are sure, the problems will be legion. After all, how does one calculate the delightful reversion of rights clause without a final print date? (This is where, in another post, we’d note that now is a good time for all authors to start looking at how they can regain as many of their rights as possible as soon possible)

Square Pegs

Muses From The Thought Tree

Not long ago, we brought you a fine discussion about the new “upperbacks” and how they’re leaking out into the world. At the time, the story focused on the excuse being given for the new format: old eyes on old readers. Setting aside the absurdity of that for a moment, we turn our short attention space to the consequences of switching to this format. Yes, we’re talking about shelf space. Adding several inches to the height of a book is going to cut into real estate. Wire racks will need to be adjusted to fit the new size. . .and

Square Pegs

Technology Corner: Vending Machines

Ah, the vending machine. For some, they represent the last place on earth to buy stale gum. For others, they’re a big, huge item to abuse while the last candy bar in the universe hangs stuck between freedom and those coiled metal holders. And for some, the hip, the cool, the intelligent, they serve as repositories for useful items one needs in the middle of the night. For example, if you are in Tokyo, you can step out to buy such things as Pocari Sweat, beer, whiskey (various sizes ranging from small to very large), and batteries (also a wide

Square Pegs

Return From The Lost Weekend

Often one feels as if all bases are covered when, in reality, only one base is covered. We forgot to tell Jim where we hid the spare key should he misplace his. We don’t like to speculate*, but our imagination is such that we spent many a moment visualizing his trying to figure out the weakness in the awesome security that surrounds this blog. If only he knew how easy Jill really is. . . But that’s neither here nor there. Today we have lots of things to discuss, very little time, and a sneaking suspicion that we’ll be distracted

Square Pegs

One For The Road

You’re sitting around on a Saturday night after a fine dinner with fine friends (discussing an appropriately obscure American independent film*). You’re talking about your upcoming trip to Vancouver (and remembering that Canada is, indeed, another country. Must. Bring. Passport. Remember. What. Happened. To. Catharine.). You playfully recount the day’s meeting with the new cat sitter. You remind the husband that he needs to print the cute Get Well note for the old cat sitter — she likes cute. Then, oh, somewhere around what should be your last glass of wine, you remember. You’ve taken care of the job. The

Square Pegs
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