So Many Questions, So Few Answers

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Let us see if we have this straight: Author writes memoir about being raised by wolves after escaping from the Holocaust (well, not exactly raised). Publisher publishes book. Publisher decides not only to terminate marketing plans, but also to defraud other of royalties. Author sues. Author earns more than she thought humanly possible. We are not sure, but we suspect the folks at Mt. Ivy Press might want to revisit their business strategy. That’s a lot of money to lose in such a pathetic manner. Though we are filled with questions (what constitutes a bestseller in Europe, what is “interest” […]

Publishers and Editors

Yes, We Have Mastered Technology!

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Okay, so really this about how many books are being published each year, but that’s really beside the point. We have finally figured out how to work the new Publisher’s Weekly daily enewsletter. It all comes down to our old friend, RSS. We have been puzzling and arguing with the new format of the newsletter for some time now, so much so that we’d simply stopped bothering with the whole thing. Yet today, they sucked us in with a headline (below) and we gave it our best shot…and discovered that the newsletter now comes with a helpful RSS feed. You

Books/Mags/Blogs

Cheap, Easy Entertainment (If Only The Real Thing Was As Much Fun)

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It is us, or are we being bombarded with robot news? Everywhere we turn, people want to talk about robot. Also, pictures. Rather than join the fray, we’re going to offer a brief commercial break: Introducing the Writerbo. No, you can’t really buy one. You have to make your own excuses. Special thanks to Susan G for providing us yet another way to avoid joining the world of functioning adults. Christ, Why Do I Bother? I’m Such a Hack.

Square Pegs

Thinking Marketing Thoughts

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We know, we know. You’re saying, “Booksquare, what does advertising have to do with us? We are writers. We demand information.” We, in response, will stroke our chin and gaze off into space. Finally, after a long pause fraught with whatever it is that fraughts pauses, we will say, “Young Grasshopper, you have so much to learn. Let us guide you. Put your trust in our wisdom.” Then, after everyone stops laughing, we’d resume our normal routine of mainlining coffee and making stuff up. Actually, if truth be told, we’ve been waiting for months for just the right moment to

Tools and Craft

The Inner Lives of Girls – Not For The Weak-Willed

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It is somewhat fascinating to discover Gossip Girl fans. We discovered the series via a certain well-known crime fiction blogger. Naturally, since we weren’t the target audience, we went searching for someone who was. It’s rather amazing what those kids at Stanford have time to read these days. And so it goes. While you were reading Harry Potter (and there’s certainly no shame in that), the inner lives of teenage girls have been made public. Note: if you do not have the stomach for serial killers and other ‘paths, you will not make it through a day in the world

Books/Mags/Blogs, Publishers and Editors

Considering the Economics of Format

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We’ve been saving this article on hardcovers versus paperbacks for a rainy day. It’s never going to rain again, so we’re pretending a rather wimpy June Gloom is close enough for government work. It’s a roundtable (of sorts) discussion about the pros and cons of the various formats. We advise reading all the words — there are a lot, but we believe worth it. Because we’re feeling lazy this morning, we will recap some highlights: Consumers don’t really grasp the intricacies of the publishing formats. They tend to consider little stuff like price. Books compete for scarce entertainment dollars. Hardcovers

Books/Mags/Blogs

In Our Continuing Series of Electronic Publishing Rants, Episode IV

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If you were paying attention back in 1998 (and, given the general dreariness of that year, we do not blame you for snoozing), you would have learned that the future was now (leaving you to wonder what it would be in the future) and that ebooks would be the medium of choice for all readers. No question about it. But, said the voices, what about those of us who love books? The feel, the smell, the heft, the way they disintegrate in hot water. We will not abandon our books for technology. We will not read books on our computer

Tools and Craft

One Came By Train

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Figures — Harper Lee pops into Los Angeles and we learn about it after the fact. Not that we were likely be invited to the Los Angeles Public Library’s 10th Annual Awards (really, they’ve had nine others?), but that’s beside the point. Lee attended the event to accept the Los Angeles Public Library Literary Award. Harper Lee raises her low profile for a friend

Square Pegs

Found: One Clueless Literary Agent

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Without reading a word, we can guarantee there’s at least one author out there who’s probably not going to be published. Unless he or she finds a real angent. For the record, if your agent is contacting bloggers (even really smart bloggers like Sarah Weinman) for advice, your agent doesn’t have the necessary contacts or, well, brains to do the job. Because we are mean, mean, mean, we truly wish Sarah hadn’t politely blocked out the agency name. Now I know how Lee Goldberg feels

Agents

“Case” Study

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Genre fiction lives or dies by its structure. No matter what happens in the plot — and there are no rules there, except for a rather loose one about killing cats — the conventions of the genre must be followed. In science fiction, that modern version of the Western, good must triumph over evil. In romance, two people must find each other despite the odds. In mysteries, the puzzle must be solved. Genre fiction, because of its conventions, is idealistic. Literary fiction, it could be argued, is realistic. Neither idealism nor realism is superior or inferior. It all depends on

Books/Mags/Blogs
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