As predicted, we grew bored with tracking quarterly publisher’s results. And we think we will continue our boredom unless something catches our eye. Something we simply cannot let pass without comment. Like this article from PW. The enthusiasm exhibited in the headline made us tilt our heads and want to scroll rapidly past the article. Houghton Mifflin Has Okay Quarter
We briefly considered covering the Sean Connery memoir thing, but couldn’t work up the energy. Word on the street is he’s sold his past for a very nice sum. We presume that, like Bill Clinton, Sean will be feverishly reliving his past escapades right up to the moment the book is supposed to go to press. We also hope he writes them himself.
We understand the trials and tribulations of selling one’s book to the public. You’d think the work stopped with finding a publisher to give you money for your blood, sweat, and tears, but it doesn’t. That’s only the beginning. But, as Newsday’s Paul Vitello gently points out, members of the (news) media who pen tomes have an unusual advantage when it comes to hawking their wares: in addition to the shows of all their friends, many in the media have, wait for this, this very own shows where they can sell themselves. Over and over and over. We find it
We are not the cruel sort (please see previous posts about our karma), but something about this story tickled us. And saddened us. We must be growing up. New Millenium, the publisher that actually gave Jayson Blair money despite his little problem with the truth (ah, we do so love our celebrities in this country…even when said celebrity is of extremely dubious and tenuous nature), has entered the liquidation phase of bankruptcy. New Millenium’s assets, which sound rather like a blur of National Enquirer headlines (and we don’t mean this in a good way), are on the block. Get yours
Dubravka Ugresic has published Thank You for Not Reading a collection of essays on, well, we’re stumped on this category, literary trivia. Ugresic, a serious author and thinker, understandably questions an industry that fetes Joan Collins while missing the irony (please, please, put your hand down — we didn’t mean you. Of course you smirked into your white wine.). We think there’s some sort of connection with other posts this week, but we are lacking sufficient caffeine and allergy medicine to make it. Joan Collins and the decline of the west
Amy Moore Benson has left Mira Books. We don’t know who will swoop in to claim her recently vacated office (but, given our extensive background with this type of thing, we feel confident that her good furniture has already been confiscated and replaced with someone else’s worn chairs). Update: We have heard that Benson is opening her own literary agency. Alas, no further details could be found. We’ll keep our eyes peeled on the off chance she heeds our call for agents to put up websites. In the meantime, we’re going to assume Manhattan directory assistance will be able to
We have spent the week talking ourselves out of posting a lecture on the importance of understanding contracts. After all, no author would sign a document without full and complete understanding (or, barring the ability to understand legal mumbo jumbo, hiring a lawyer). YEt we find that some are so eager to be published, they’ll sell their souls to the devil. We don’t necessarily discourage this, but still caution: know what you’re signing (we’re doing a little research on a related topic and may actually give a little lesson on an arcane concept soon). In the article below, the Author’s
We had no idea there was a publisher devoted to works by mothers. We’re not even sure how that works — is there some sort of test? And why, pray tell, do moms need their own special publisher? Give us a chance, we’ll come up with even more stupid questions. However, the publisher does exist and they’re donating a piece of every book sold to breast cancer research. We think that’s a grand idea. Walking Their Talk – Moms in Print Supports Breast Cancer Research and Mom Writers Moms in Print
We know we make fun of the synergy concept. It’s like a big, fat target right in front of us. We couldn’t miss it if we tried (despite our notably lousy aim). However, we felt, well, not applause, but something like it, coming on as we read about ESPN’s new sports publishing unit. Not that other publishers don’t know anything about athletics; we just feel ESPN might have a unique perspective. Oh sure, we expect lots of pictures and glossy pages, but, then again, we like that sort of stuff. ESPN Sports Publishing Unit
We cannot force you to pay good money for an AvantGuild membership at MediaBistro. But we can tell you they’re making more content available to paying members. We see it as a subscription worth our while — you may decide for yourself. For instance, we were able to devour the article on pitching to Lowenstein-Yost Associates, while you may be in a position to only hear about it from us. We can tell you it was good and thorough. You, of course, know what needs to be done. Pitching an Agent: Lowenstein-Yost Associates (AvantGuild members only) Lowenstein-Yost Associates (we are,
