Author name: Booksquare

Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism.

In Which We Confess to Our Secret Life as a Lamb

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We don’t believe in much, but we do believe in the collective unconscious. It fascinates us how certain themes seem to resonate through the ether, settling here, touching down there, moving on, only to reappear in another form. This week, it is the notion that you must be something to write about it. Our very first story was written from the point of view of a lamb — we were seven and making our first foray into the world of things we knew nothing about. It never occurred to us that we couldn’t be a lamb, if only for twenty-two […]

Tools and Craft

The Duck Test

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The latest post over at BookAngst 101 (we hear Mad Max will be appearing at a blogging panel at BEA in a costume; we are so hoping for a giant white bunny, but we’ve had dreams crushed before) is like the duck test. It looks like a rant, feels like a rant, walks like a rant, but sounds like a whine. Not that we’re going to complain as we found it fascinating reading. At the very least, we learned that sending a DVD showcasing our brilliance to publishers might not be a good career move. The author is writing for

Tools and Craft

Consider The Source

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Another expose, courtesy of the those hard-living, down-in-the-trenches journalists from the award-winning publication The Onion MONTREAL—Yann Martel, author of the Booker Prize-winning Life Of Pi, said he was distraught to see what other books Amazon.com customers bought in addition to his. “Customers who bought this book also bought The Five People You Meet In Heaven?!” Martel read from his computer screen Monday. “And The Rule Of Four? Really?!” Martel was also surprised by the “sloppy writing” in many of Life Of Pi’s five-star customer reviews. Author Dismayed by Amazon Customers’ Other Purchases

Square Pegs

We Pause For A Quick Game of Musical Chairs

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Laurence J. Kirshbaum is leaving Time Warner Books. This probably won’t affect many authors. David Young will succeed him. Ditto. Kirshbaum will take an appropriate period of time to reflect upon his success (his house is raking in the bucks!) before embarking on a more genteel career: literary agent. This will affect more than a few authors. “I hope to have the opportunity to focus much more on a handful of authors, building their careers and developing their books,” he said. “That is the part of the business I love the most.” Chief of Time Warner Books to Step Down

Agents, Publishers and Editors

On Perfection

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The editor in chief of Cabinet magazine, Sina Najafi, said his worst-selling issue had the subject of failure as its theme. “We asked the printer to cut the magazine a couple degrees off so that it would look awkward or crooked on the shelf next to books or other issues.” Some booksellers returned the issues, and some subscribers complained. One in Germany measured the difference and asked, “Can I get a new issue?” In Search Of the Perfect Little Magazine

Quote of the Week

If Only Analogies Weren’t So Tough to Understand

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Paperback Writer has, uh, written an extended and detailed fable about sheeps and PAN. As we understand it, sheep must sell fleece to appease the god. If high quality fleece is sold in sufficient quantity, the sheep will be allowed into a special pen. They will also receive a special pin. See how this stuff is confusing? In related news, we always suspected this: “Black sheep are always nothing but trouble.” Why PAN was the God of Sheep

Square Pegs

It Is, Apparently, Subtext Week

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Last night, we attended a learned lecture where the importance of subtext was discussed, at length, with examples. Also Gloria Gaynor came up, though we’re still not sure why. Today we encounter yet another discussion on that very same subject. With examples. We do so love examples. Our notes from last night are written in a manner that will require the next age’s Rosetta Stone to decipher, but we think one of the sentences says something like “care about the subtext of the movement*”, relating to the idea that physical movement should drive the story forward. Characters shouldn’t twist their

Tools and Craft

A Quick Quiz

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When you look for something to read, you want your characters to be: Vampires Aliens Shapeshifters Gods and/or Goddesses All of the Above While there is no right answer (though we do wonder about those who chose “e”, for obvious reasons), there is finally a blog especially for you. Though they seem normal* in real life, the authors who have formed Out of the Blogosphere like their characters on the toothy, furry, otheworldly side. Go forth at your own peril. * – After all, what is normal anyway? Out of the Blogosphere

Books/Mags/Blogs

Looking For A Little Lawyering with Your Agenting?

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Yes, it does appear to be MediaBistro day around here. This is the result of leaving tabs open in a browser for days on end. We knew it would end like this: a profile of The Graybill & English Literary Agency. With five agents — Nina Graybill, Elaine English, Jeff Kleinman, Kristen Auclair, and Lynn Whitaker — the agency covers a wide range of fiction and non-fiction styles. This might be a good time to note that Graybill’s website details the likes and dislikes of each agent. Do not rely on outdated listings. Take advantage of an agency that actually

Agents

The Proposal, Now More Than Ever

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Here’s an older interview with Brenda Copeland that we missed. Since all things editors are fascinating (except, possibly, the part where they put their shoes on one foot at a time, just like the rest of us), we have been burdened with guilt and whatnot because of our falling down on the job. Hmm, that might not be entirely true. Copeland goes in depth into what pleases her, describing the moment when she feels a connection with an author like this: The writing has to be top notch: strong voice, clear, so I don’t find myself skipping ahead because I’m

Publishers and Editors
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