Structure Is Your Friend

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As we’re not sure that blockquotes within blockquotes validate (and heaven help us if we fail to validate!), we are going to simply blockquote this quote we found on Shaken & Stirred: That is the great thing about genre. It’s as much about structures created in the mind of the reader as in the structure or pattern of the text itself. Genre isn’t just a box to be stuck in; it’s also a window to look through. Yes, thank you, Michael Chabon. Structure is not bad. It’s worked for generations of architects. If we may be trite (and, really, who’s […]

Tools and Craft

Because We Like Nothing More Than A Good List

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Ever taken a writing class? Ever had your work workshopped? Ever wondered WTF when someone went on and on and on about the underlying meaning of your work? It’s never happened to us, either. Tod Goldberg, however, has encountered more than one writing workshop in his day and has created a long list of carefully considered Rules for creastive writing classes. We will not say how we know he’s carefully considered his Rules, but we believe we have proven our trustworthiness to the point where our word can be accepted without question. Funny thing, though, we’re getting this weird urge

Tools and Craft

AgentSpeak: Really Good Women’s Fiction

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Danielle Egan-Miller, sole agent at Browne & Miller Literary Associates (the associates being staff who vet submissions and answer the all-important email queries), is looking for women’s fiction and eclectic non-fiction. Egan-Miller represents bestsellers such as Dee Henderson but makes it a point to note that she reprsents secular writers as well. Vitals: Browne & Miller Literary Associates, Inc., 410 S Michigan Ave, Ste 460, Chicago, Il 60605, mail@browneandmiller.com (review website before sending an email query). Pitching an Agent: Browne & Miller Literary Associates – A Chicago-based agency with a fondness for eclectic nonfiction and women’s fiction of all types

Agents

More Women in Publishing

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First, we need to get something off our chest: would a major newspaper print a photo of a man picking his teeth? Combing his hair? Adjusting parts that need adjusting? Only if they want to diminish the man in question. While we do not believe in the concept of “liberal media”, we do believe that the New York Times tends to diminish women involved with writing and publishing. Hence the ridiculous shot of Judith Regan and her lipstick. Love her, hate her, think whatever you like, but the bottom line is that Regan is doing something right from a business

Publishers and Editors

The Emerging Trend

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We are going to suggest something radical: reading and writing are making a comeback. We are not suggesting that the Golden Age of Reading and Writing is imminent, but we are seeing an interest in the subjects. When we were in Austin (after the great escape), we spent a lot of time in various geek workshops at SXSW. While the mix of people attending the conference was amazing, we believe it’s fair to say the majority of the group were programmers and designers. Yet, repeatedly, panelists stressed the need for good writing. The critical nature of good writing. Moreso, we

Square Pegs

Genre Fiction and Class Consciousness

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You know what they say: once a genre author, always a genre author. And that might be the best argument against labeling any book genre we’ve ever heard. So many books are defined by their slots, regardless of how they are written or what the subject matter really is. In many cases, the line between genre and literary is a matter of marketing choices. We’re thinking about this because of a post at Beatrice regarding Poppy Z. Brite’s new book (Prime). Brite started her career in the horror realm, but has evolved, as many writers do. We have yet to

Books/Mags/Blogs

Salinas Library Update

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Before we dwell on the fact that we’re still working through last week’s news, let us take a moment to dwell on the fact that we actually followed a story from start to finish. Put another way, there was a topic that didn’t disgust us halfway through — those are the stories, you know, that lead to us making up endings. Anything to avoid the inevitable train wreck. The fine people of Salinas, with a little help from their friends (no really, it’s going to be one of those days; we only hope our brain is distracted), have managed to

Square Pegs

Because Someone We Know Can Think of Worse

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You’ve heard about expecting the worst and hoping for the best? Authors don’t do that. They expect the worst and then spend time trying to discover how much lower they can go. Trust us when we say that people who devise clever ways to murder other people can go pretty low. Holly Black (who says she’s the Queen of Caffeine, which must mean we are her loyal subject) has offered a few ways to jumpstart your neuroses: Book not completed by contract date. Book completed by contract date, but terrible. Only copy of book blows out of car in friend’s

Square Pegs

Niche: The Buzzword of The Year

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You can’t walk around Booksquare headquarters without hearing something about niches. For a change, we’re not talking about the places where dust collects — these are genuine niches where a need years to be filled. A recent study has shown that publishers are realizing these niches exist. Oh, not those publishers. The study has revealed that the great democratizer (sorry, it’s going to be one of those posts), the Internet, has allowed small publishers to do something they hadn’t done before: make money. It is easier to find bookstore space, to reach wider audiences, advertise. Even shipping seems to be

Publishers and Editors

Your Blog Is Your Business, A Rant On The Effective Use of Tools

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Or, as we like to think of it, an extremely long post on why you need to think about your blog and what can do for your career. We wrote this for our local RWA chapter after reading one too many posts that said (essentially) “I couldn’t resist the urge. I’ve started my own blog. Now what?” Needless to say, the original version was much longer and crankier. We have since calmed down. Yes, in other words, we could have gone on for days on this topic. For those with short attention spans, we have divided the article into three

Books/Mags/Blogs, Tools and Craft
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