Author name: Booksquare

Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism.

Taking That First Step Toward Success

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Given our natural modesty, we will not suggest that our brilliant plans to revamp the publishing business are seeping into the thoughts of industry professionals. We will suggest that, however they came to the fountain, it’s about time. Doug Seibold of Agate describes his conversion from a strictly-hardback kind of guy to a more flexible trade paperback original kind of guy. Seibold helpfully details the fantasy — right down to the fact that hardbacks bring in greater bucks (while also carrying greater risks, many of which negate the aforementioned bigger bucks) — before facing reality: And so the hardback format […]

Publishers and Editors

Eight Was Enough

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Such is our cynicism that when we saw a New York Times profile of Evanovich, Inc., we immediately thought, “Hmm, there must be a new Stephanie Plum novel out.” Lo and behold, our powers of prediction are undulled by the lack of caffeine. Which reminds us. . .would the intern in charge of coffee please report to HQ? Since running out of, uh, positions, Janet Evanovich has revamped her career (alas, to the point where we have lost interest in her hapless heroine and hunky heroes, but that’s another post for another day). This profile, by our darling Edward Wyatt,

Books/Mags/Blogs

They Went That-a Way

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For books, and the people who love them, there is nothing more frustrating than failing to reach an audience. The poor book tries. It struggles to be written, forces itself to face humiliation in the form of rejection just because it believes it has something to say, it endures awful covers and misleading blurbs, and then it lands in the market without so much as a round of introductions by the host. Setting aside our firm conviction that the entire publishing paradigm needs to be revisited, the entire bookselling machine could use a good old-fashioned tweaking. It is true, as

Books/Mags/Blogs

Where Books Escape the Committee System

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This week, we guide you to an interview with Lorin Stein of Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Stein discusses FSG’s approach to acquiring, editing, and marketing books while taking a stab at his approach to finding new talent: I get about a dozen manuscripts a week, plus maybe a dozen proposals and foreign books. Anything written in English, and not sent to me by mistake, I start. Unfortunately my rejection letters have been getting shorter and shorter the more stuff I get—and, especially, the more stuff I get by email. Stein also weighs in on the Sam Lipsyte story, discussing Home

Publishers and Editors

Hollywood’s Dirtiest Secret: Revealed!

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For those of you who still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and wishing on stars, what we are about to say will come as a grave disappointment. Those who saw Dad and his pina colada trying to assemble a bike should be safe. Ready? Okay. You’re right, old news. Old, boring news. We mislead you. Oops. Reality shows aren’t spontaneous fun-fests. Oh sure, the stupid things that come out of peoples’ mouths are real. You can’t make this stuff up. But behind the scenes (as evidenced by the lenghty credits) are writers and whatnot. It’s the writers who

Square Pegs

A Shout Out

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We rarely use this space to promote the lives and welfare of our friends*, but sometimes need triumphs time. Tina Ferraro is a particular friend of Booksquare and has, over the years, served as sounding board, whining board, sympathy board, understanding board, and friendly board, among others. She is also incredibly talented while remaining firmly cynical. Thus, we are pleased to announce the following: Debut YA author Tina Ferraro’s TOP 10 USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS, about a high school girl who was dumped a little over 24 hours before last year’s prom and now has two guys fighting

Books/Mags/Blogs

In These Days of Unlimited Physical Space, There’s Enough Room For Everything

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The Octagon library at Queen Mary, University of London, is undergoing a little “refurbishment”. Part of the process involves discarding old books. This, by the way, is a common library practice (we will refrain from repeating the mother/Ray Bradbury story, but you can pretend it’s been told. Again.). The Octagon’s mistake, and it was a mistake, came in their approach. Yes, rather than announcing a book giveaway or sale or donating the books or taking them to used bookstores or any one of a zillion approaches, they chose to toss the books into large skips. Which is the British way

Square Pegs

We Have Seen The Key to Success

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Something tells us we got the wrong takeaway message from the Washington Post’s article on new models for comic strip artists. We believe we were supposed to start thinking along the lines of new business models; alas, we noted that the key to success is moving out of California and heading for somewhere more affordable. Other things we learned? First, of course, is that breaking into the comics business is hard but easier now than ever before. Oh sure, you’re still not going to get rich, but you also don’t have grit your teeth every morning when you see that

Square Pegs

Rejection Junction, What’s Your Function?

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It’s Friday, we’re practically on vacation, and we’re thinking nothing says weekend better than a funny rejection story. Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Also to protect the not-so-innocent. And the guilty. Everyone else is fair game. Dear Julie, Thank you for your recent rejection and the return of my manuscript*, despite the fact that I neglected to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. I always think that major multinational corporations have deals with the Postal Service and I am a starving artist. You can buy the stamps. I will admit to a bit of confusion as I read

Square Pegs

Again, Do Not Mess With The Librarians

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We were pleased to be barraged with news of bold action on the part of the House of Representatives. We are so pleased to learn of this decision that we will ignore any and all choice comments that naturally arise from reading this quote: “Congress has begun to hear that civil liberties and privacy issues are important to Americans,” said Representative Bernard Sanders, the independent from Vermont . . . House Blocks a Provision for Patriot Act Inquiries

Square Pegs
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