Hey, Look, There’s An Internet Out There!

By •

Far be it for us to gloat. Hmm, that is so untrue we feel the urge to backspace. Urge passed. Allow us to suggest that Rupert Murdoch (or his designated minion) should read our words of wisdom every day. It is mid-2005 (give or take a few months) and he is saying this, now? In a speech to American editors in Washington, Mr Murdoch issued a stark warning to the industry, arguing that the web was “a fast-developing reality we should grasp”. He said consumers wanted “control over the media, instead of being controlled by it”, pointing to the proliferation […]

Square Pegs

So, What’s Your Book About?

By •

We do so enjoy the backstories at Backstory. If you’ve ever listened to an author describe their work and how they came up with the twists and turns of the plot, it sounds a little. . .well, there’s no good way to say this, it sounds crazy. Yet it always sounds so good on paper. The backstories lack the polish of cover copy and inherit just the right amount of dinner party conversation. Though we worry about the person sitting next to Joseph Finder when he starts down this path: A lot of my books begin as dreams, sometimes just

Books/Mags/Blogs

Wikipedia Microsoft Style

By •

We’re going to be honest here — we’d totally forgotten there was a product called Encarta until the husband told us that they’re introducing a wiki sort of concept to facilitate updates. We say sort of concept because Microsoft will retain editorial control and employ fact checkers (something we’ve considered around here, but why mess with success). It will be interesting to see how this concepts plays out. In the meantime, we are going to offer a money-saving tip. Based on this information. . . Encarta entries are available for free though Microsoft’s MSN search engine, or through a paid

Square Pegs

Judith Vs. Jenna — Exclusively?

By •

You would think that a story about Judith Regan and Jenna Jameson suing each other would be enough to occupy our interest for a good two or three minutes. Heck, normally, we’d think that. But that was before we were diverted by the idea that the The New York Daily News is claiming they have an exclusive on the story. Is it even possible to have exclusive rights to court documents? Did we misunderstand the concept of public records somewhere along the way. If so, be gentle. Oh yeah, the Jenna Jameson reality show is coming to a network near

Books/Mags/Blogs

On The Importance of Names

By •

“John Wesley Harding is a great name to play music under,” he says, “but it really has no relevance to the world of ‘Misfortune.’” It would be, he says, laughing, “like publishing ‘Vanity Fair’ under the name Wild Bill Hickok.” Talking With Wesley Stace, Singer-Songwriter Turned Historical Novelist

Quote of the Week

Rumor Mill Stuff

By •

We have followed the explosion of manga in the publishing industry with great interest*. While we love jumping on bandwagons as much as the next person, we wondered how much manga the market could sustain (also, we wondered how the word was spreading — Jill Monroe, also known as our correspondent in Oklahoma, has recently peppered us with questions along the lines of “just what is this manga thing” and “do I need to get a shot for it?”). All of this wondering is our justification for perpetuating a rumor we encountered on FishbowlLA — were there really layoffs at

Publishers and Editors

Inside The Editorial Mind

By •

The fine folks over at MediaBistro have fulfilled their promise to add exciting new features. The latest is a series looking into the minds of editors (and, for a short time only, this feature is free to everyone; eventually it will be part of the Avant Guild subscription only). First up is Asya Muchnick of Little, Brown. We liked this thought: I think it’s inevitable, it’s a shorthand that people use within the industry and then it becomes a shorthand within the marketplace to communicate quickly. For the most part, those comparisons don’t hold true. When an agent sends a

Publishers and Editors

The Final Detour of The Day

By •

We always read The Reading Experience last. Not because Dan Green writes long posts (some of which, gasp, exceed a single screen in length!) but because his posts often make us think. Given our tight schedule these days, we prefer to save our thinking time for those moments when the phone isn’t likely to ring. And while we don’t always agree with Green on every topic, we do so enjoy his perspective. Yes, oh wise readers, this is our way of saying we’re making you stop by The Reading Experience on your way to reading Green’s interview about The Litblog

Books/Mags/Blogs

Quiet Time

By •

We are popping all over the bloghood today, borrowing cups of sugar here, pausing for a little conversation there, admiring new posts on various home pages. One would almost think we’re anticipating difficulty posting tomorrow. One would be right, though we will give it our best shot. Moorishgirl discusses her recent retreat at Hedgebrook. First, let us applaud her ability to cut her ties to the world and buckle down and work (we find special joy in those vacations to places without the Internet; it turns out we can survive without constant email access). And to survive in the wilderness…well,

Tools and Craft

Shenanigans in Our Bloghood

By •

The Happy Booker (or as we like to call her THB: Girl Detective because she figured out our secret identity and our top secret email address with her decoder ring) is in a tizzy week. Another gentleman caller is prowling the neighborhood; apparently there will be goings on in her backyard. The neighborhood council will certainly be discussing this at our next barbecue. There is still talk around the mailboxes about someone shouting “Party Over Here!” at 3 a.m. House Guest

Square Pegs
Scroll to Top