Don’t Take It Personally. Right.

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When authors try to buck up recently rejected authors, they often drag out the chestnut about Stephen King and his (approximately) zillion rejections before he sold Carrie. We think the knowledge that a multi-millionaire suffered as we do is supposed to help. Then comes the discussion of “good” rejections versus “bad” rejections. How we can use them to grow. That sort of thing. There is even a theory (which we’ve subscribed to in the past as a form of self defense) that rejections from agents don’t count. Yes, in retrospect, it doesn’t make sense, but when you’re nursing a recent […]

Tools and Craft

Clever “Lit” Name Pending

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Berkley is looking for young adult “chicklit” stories for the Berkley Jam imprint. Cindy Hwang is the senior editor. We wish we knew what this concept meant, but our imagination is either too exhausted or too wild for this particular story type. Though our source indicates queries with synopsis and sample chapters can be submitted, the publisher doesn’t accept unsolicited manuscripts; visit the “Contact Us” page for more information. About Penguin Putnam

Publishers and Editors

Backlash at Six

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Back in the day, we had this thing called the Usenet. It was very cool, and we (and our friends) spent many long hours voyeuring on a group called alt.fun.with.luc (newsgroup still exists, though Luc has a blog now). As Californians, we didn’t get the obsession with cheese, but we got the concept. So what, you say, what does this have to do with me? Why am I reading this? Well, little grasshopper, in the day, newsgroups were a bit like blogs. Which is why we drifted into this world so readily — we were preconditioned. On one level, MediaBistro’s

Books/Mags/Blogs

It’s A Southern Thing

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While we prefer our tea bitter and cold, some parts of the world think it’s just fine with sugar. We don’t understand this. If you do, you may be the write (get it?) person to contribute to Belle Books’ latest collection of stories. Not-surprisingly-titled More Sweet Tea, the book will feature short stories about growing up in the South. Queries only at this time. Belle Books Website

Publishers and Editors

Uh Huh Files: Use a Map

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As we predicted, our fascination with all things Star was short-lived (as could be expected with a publication we never actually opened), but this tidbit from the New York Post made us roll our eyes. Literally. At 8:30 in the morning, we were so “yeah right” about something that our muscles moved of their own accord. According to family records, this hasn’t happened since the last major earthquake awakened us from a deep slumber. What amazed us? The fact that when Bonnie Fuller toddled down to Miami to placate a certain superstar, one of her publication’s attorneys rode along so

Books/Mags/Blogs

Writing Through Soccer Practice

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We don’t mean to enter the dangerous world of sexual politics (frankly, it’s too early in the morning), but there is an interesting theme we find in interviews with female authors. Rarely do we hear of a man who slips his writing time in between preparing meals and shuttling kids to all the things kids do (we’re not entirely sure what this encompasses — our recollection of childhood revolved around books, books, and more books. And a disastrous foray into softball.). This omission continually fascinates us: both men and women discuss getting up early, staying up late, working through lunch

Square Pegs

And They Say Authors Don’t Have Lives

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Something about this article about Donna Leon gave us pause. We can understand her writing schedule. We (sort of) get why she doesn’t publish her books in Italy, despite making her home there. We even appreciate her reaction when her dissertation disappeared (revolution does that to things). It’s the opera thing we don’t get. It is rare to find an author so consumed by another passion, yet apparently that’s what is happening here. Death (and divas) in Venice

Square Pegs

We Thought We Were Getting Along

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Despite great strides made in the past decade or so, it appears the Los Angeles and New York literary communities have not merged and mingled. Sure, the Rockies deserve a lot of blame, but never underestimate the awesome dividing power of the Mississippi River. The Elegant Variation interviews Leelila Strogov (ah, there’s an editor whose name very nearly equals ours in typing difficulty), editor of Swink, a new literary magazine devoted to bringing our continent-separated literary communities together. Plus they’re dedicated to publishing good works (and, as revealed in the extensive interview, very thoughtful about submissions). By the way, Leelila:

Books/Mags/Blogs

Did We Mention Pencil?

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Suzanne Kirk is retiring from Scribner, effective, well, soon enough that you probably shouldn’t try to sell her anything. Apparently the retirement will allow her to do her full duty by her cat — we have some experience in this area and assure Suzanne that the needs of cats grow directly in proportion to the amount of time you devote to them (i.e., you will never reach the level they deem appropriate for a species of their stature).

Publishers and Editors

Help Has Arrived

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Editor Michael Seidman clarifies literary fiction. Phew. Okay, perhaps he doesn’t answer the question (we, once again, refer back to our original thesis). But he offers another look at the subject. For every book published, a genre (call it a slot) is required. Marketing and all that. Sometimes you slide into your round hole without discernible friction, sometimes you simply don’t fit. We’d draw a conclusion here, but after a lifetime of the latter, we’d rather not. Occasional Thoughts from the Editorial Side More Summer Reading (thanks for the above link)

Books/Mags/Blogs
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