Fiction & Politics

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The recent antics of politicians from both sides of the aisle in regards to using their opponents’ novels (FICTION!) as a way to smear them, or point accusatory fingers at a huge “moral flaw” in them, has prompted me to write this. For those who’ve missed the fun-and-games as we hit the home-stretch to the latest election, check out Fred Head vs. Susan Combs (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061024/ap_on_el_st_lo/candidate_s_romance_novel ), George Allen vs. Jim Webb (http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200610/POL20061027f.html ), and now the hoopla being made (again) over Lynne Cheney’s book. (http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/29/cheney.lynne.novel/index.html ) An Open Letter to Politicians of All Parties: It has recently come to my

Square Pegs

Doing It The Write Way

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Today’s rant is courtesy of the husband. He casually mentioned that he was reading Copyblogger — a great post about ending your articles — and he noted something irritating in the comments section: a writing coach insisting that there was only one good way to brainstorm: hers. As he discussed writing with the ending in mind, Copyblogger noted that some people might benefit from a quick outline. Then came the comment, one we cannot resist quoting: NO! Outlines are death for writers.

Tools and Craft

The Value Of Readers

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We have been following recent discussions about the decline of book coverage in major newspapers with interest. As always, we remain surprised by the lack of discussion about content when it comes to reviewing and discussing books in newspapers. Is it possible that newspapers don’t value book coverage because their readers don’t value book coverage because that coverage is perceived as being targeted toward “someone else”? Someone else, of course, is that narrow strata of readers who are clamoring for yet another expose of the real Shakespeare. Or a translation of a great Hungarian novel about oppression, strife, and disaffected

Reviewing Reviewing

Why Would Anyone Go To A Publisher’s Website?

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One of our official jobs is to watch how the various entertainment industries adapt to changing consumer habits. Though there is a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo behind this work, the key factor is that the world is changing, and the media needs to change, too. Mostly, this involves a lot of jumping on the latest bandwagon without a real strategy. Mobile phones. Second Life. MySpace. Blogs. You name the buzzword, and the publishing industry is dabbling in it alongside television, motion pictures, and music (Penguin UK deserves extra credit for their efforts — one gets the impression that they have

Square Pegs

Why Embargoes Are Silly In A Long Tail World

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We live in a world of false gratification. We want to know that something is a success before it’s even launched. We want big shipping numbers that bear no relationship to long-term profitability. We live in a world predicated on old-fashioned mores. There was incredible buzz about Bob Woodward’s book, State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III…the week before it was released. While the title and its revelations were on everybody’s lips, the books were safely locked away in boxes. Not. For. Sale.

Square Pegs
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