This Week in the Wonderful World of Publishing:
Remember last week when I talked about Word Count and talked about how some people in publishing think that short books are coming into style? This just in from AP Books Reporter Hillel Italie (via Publishers Lunch): short books (especially of the nonfictional varietal) are in style.
I often hear from agented authors who are wondering whether or how to break up with their agent. It's a serious matter and people always need to make their own decisions, and it's not something I tend to give advice on. It's really tricky to offer good advice since every situation is different, it's not my place to interfere with someone's working relationship with their agent, and it's so important to recognize the work agents are doing on your behalf. Luckily Jessica Faust at BookEnds just wrote a really really awesome post about this tricky subject, which offers some great general advice and poses some questions you should be asking yourself. Please check that out, she says it all perfectly.
Bestselling author Tess Gerritsen has a seriously awesome blog, and this week she discusses an author who is suing her publisher because of the cover they chose for her book against her wishes. As aspiring authors are often surprised to know, you have extremely little to no control over the cover publishers put on your book. In this case, because the cover in question features women of color, the author felt it marginalized the book and hurt sales (the author is African American, which either matters or doesn't depending on your perspective on the situation). I shant touch this one lest I get in hot water with any involved parties and get Dooced, but definitely check out Gerritsen's fascinating breakdown and her take on the situation to see what you think.
And finally, in the wake of the fake memoirs surfacing and the less-than-skeptical NY Times profile of Margarat B. Jones/Seltzer, according to Gawker the NY Times Standards editor Craig has put the ixnay on one-source profiles, writing in a memo "Until publishers start fact-checking their own nonfiction books, and that'll be the day, we should remember that profiles of unknown authors should always include reporting from other sources -- not just surrogates of the profilee like agents, publishers, lawyers, etc. -- to verifiy the most important facts." Huh. Funny that they should chide the publishing industry for not factchecking their books, because you know who else doesn't regularly employ factcheckers? Newspapers! Thank goodness no one has ever faked a newspaper article. That would be embarrassing.
Sheesh. Don't these people watch The Wire? And SPEAKING OF WHICH, last Wire EVER on Sunday! Goodbye to the greatest television show of all time.
Have a great weekend!
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By: Nathan Bransford,
on 3/7/2008
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By: Nathan Bransford,
on 3/6/2008
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About that long.
In the last couple of weeks I've received several distressed e-mails from authors who have reputable agents and who have novels out on submission to editors, and really they want to trust their agents and they're trying to be good and non-high maintenance, but seriously could the submission process really take this long?
Yes, it can.
But what if, one of these authors asked, a publisher expressed interest several months ago and then nothing has happened at all. Could they really still be interested? And if they were interested a couple of months ago why in the heck haven't they made an offer already?
Happens all the time.
I always assure these authors to just keep in touch with their agent, be patient, take up knitting, and go easy on the bourbon. Settle in for the long haul. A book might sell in a week or it might sell in a year. You never know.
So why does it take so long for an editor to make a decision anyway? Well, there are many reasons. First of all, it takes a long time to read a book. 6 hours on average, if you are a speed reader (and you'd better be if you're in publishing), and editors receive multiple submissions a day. Do the math and there just aren't enough hours in the day, especially when you already have a full time job while you're not reading. The first major delay is the editor simply sitting down with the book in question for a six hour stretch.
But let's say the editor does read the book, loves it, and wants to make an offer. What then?
Well, unless they are a serious publishing mucky muck, editors have to get approval to make an offer, a process similar to unlocking a nuclear bomb. They have to get it past editorial board, they have to get more reads, these reads have to be good, they have to unlock the failsafe and contact the president to press a button on the nuclear football, the sales team gets a look, some higher up has to sign off on it..... and all of these people have to read the book too. Multiply those six hours by ten, and then maybe the editor gets approval to make an offer of a certain amount.
Now, what's funny about all this is that when there's a hot project all of this goes out the window and people quickly lose their minds and the whole above process can be condensed to a couple of hours. Frankly it's a good thing publishing companies don't actually control our nuclear stockpile -- one whiff of a rock star memoir and bye bye Uzbekistan.
So I know it's terribly frustrating to go months and months looking for an agent and then FINALLY the book gets submitted....... and then wait months and months while you're waiting for editors to read it.
Welcome to publishing. You have no choice but to stay a while.
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 3/5/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: publishing industry, You Tell Me, publishing industry, You Tell Me, Add a tag
This may be the longest You Tell Me in history, but here goes:
What should be done about all of these fake memoirs?
Let that question percolate a little, and then let's see if your opinion changes by the end of this post.
I've been trying to process the news about two more fake memoirs surfacing, one by Misha Difonseca, who admitted that her memoir about her alleged Holocaust escape was fiction, and now Margaret Seltzer (writing as Margaret B. Jones), who concocted a story about growing up in South Central Los Angeles as a half-white/half-Native American gang member (she is white and grew up in Sherman Oaks). These fabrications, of course, follow closely on the heels of the J.T. Leroy and James Frey scandals (NYTBR blog roundup of these four here), and amid investigations by The Australian questioning elements of Ishmael Beah's memoir A LONG WAY GONE.
My first reaction is, of course, outrage that people could actually go through with these shenanigans, and resignation to the fact that the publishing industry will go through another round of beatdowns in the press and in public opinion. But after these initial reactions wore off, I'm left in a bit of a muddle. What really, should be done about this?
First off, as Michael Cader pointed out in Publishers Lunch today, I don't think people are giving enough credit to Riverhead and editor Sarah McGrath for heading this matter off before the book was published. According to today's NY Times article by Motoko Rich, knowing full well what happened in the Frey case, McGrath asked for (and received) several different pieces of corroborating evidence that backed up Seltzer's story. Seltzer's agent met with someone who claimed to be Seltzer's foster sister. McGrath and her agent did not turn a blind eye to Seltzer's fabrications and she did a more than cursory check, it just turned out that Seltzer had a whole lot more time to fake the truth than McGrath did to investigate it. Once the truth came to light, McGrath and Riverhead acted responsibly. I can't fault them on this. The book was never published and no one bought it.
But fine, so you might say, the editor did what she could do without becoming a full-on investigative reporter. So why don't publishers employ fact-checkers?
It's complicated. As Ross Douthat points out, the Atlantic fact-checks their articles, as does the New Yorker. But for the Atlantic this amounts to checking about 600,000 words per year. That's a holiday weekend in the publishing industry. It would take an army of fact-checkers even to do cursory checks of the millions of words published every year, it would be a tremendous expense, and that expense would inevitably drive up the price of books, reduce already slim margins.... I mean, are you willing to pay a lot more for a book just to root out a few bad apples?
One of the lesser-known (at least to outsiders) portions of a publishing contract is the warranty and indemnity clause. In nearly every publishing contract, the author has to warrant (i.e. promise) that they are the real author, that they have the ability to enter into the agreement, and usually when it's a work of nonfiction, they have to pledge that what they have written is true and based on sound research. If a court rules that the author has broken this warranty they're on the hook. Completely. It can seem onerous to the author to be on the hook like this and we agents negotiate the clause so that it's as fair as possible, but ultimately it's on them to tell the truth. And really, isn't this how it should be?
Another lesser-known component of memoir writing is that, from a legal standpoint, sometimes the truth HAS to be fudged to avoid defaming people, such as removing identifying details and changing names, so that the person in question can't point to the memoir and definitively identify themselves. Far from being a genre that is (or should be) held to journalistic standards, memoir is, and always has been, inherently a very squishy medium.
If anything, isn't this is all a byproduct of the drive by publishers, and in our culture in general, to want an author to be the "perfect package?" Someone whose life story is just as compelling as their work, who isn't just someone with a skill for words but someone who embodies their own work, this whole brand thing. We as a culture have become obsessed with authenticity -- it's not enough to just be talented, you also have to BE compelling. You can't just write a good book, you need to be able to sit down on a talk show host's couch and talk about your own human interest story, even if you're a novelist. The fabulists are just filling a cultural niche that we've created and which is nearly impossible to fill. It's so ironic that the more we as a culture want a great true story the more pressure there is to fake one.
Sure -- it's fun to pile on the publishers, but what really should be done about this? Should publishers bite the bullet, raise the prices on their books, employ fact-checkers and just hope that people will pay more for books when there is already incredible downward pressure on prices? Should we just treat these people as the outliers that they are, a few mistakes in an industry where thousands of books are published every year and live with a few embarrassments? Whatever the answer may be, it's not an easy one.
So now you tell me: what should be done about the fake memoirs?
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/29/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: literary agents, Cormac McCarthy, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, literary agents, Cormac McCarthy, This Week in Publishing, publishing industry, Add a tag
This week. Publishing. For real this time.
Don't worry, I won't be changing my business cards any time soon. You may have read the news that ICM and Curtis Brown UK are contemplating some sort of mating ritual, but FYI, Curtis Brown and Curtis Brown UK are separate companies and have been for some time, and thus I would not be affected by any possible joining of the two. As you were.
Editorial Anonymous got in touch with a sales rep for a publisher, who very helpfully answered some reader questions about author brands and in-office signings. Since I am a farmboy I can't help but read "author brands" and think about the horrifying experience of watching my uncle brand cattle with one of those hot iron things, so in case you are feeling down about being an author and all of the new publicity demands that come with it, just remember: the cows have it worse. The cows always have it worse.
The Oscars came and went on Sunday, and needless to say: Cormac McCarthy won. I mean, was there ever any doubt? Anyone who lost their Oscar pool because they didn't pick "No Country For Old Men" need to know just one thing: YOU DON'T BET AGAINST CORMAC MCCARTHY. The man is a juggernaut. Me? I tied for winning the Curtis Brown office pool, and if only "Salim Baba" would have won for best documentary short I would have taken the whole shebang and you really would have heard the bragging.
Meanwhile, you know how they were trying to turn the Quills into the Oscars of Books? Yeah. Let's just say the Quills will not be celebrating their 80th anniversary in 76 years. In the wake of announcing that Reed Elsevier is putting their division Reed Business Information on the block, which includes trade magazines Variety and Publishers Weekly, they have also "suspended" the Quills. Sigh.
And finally, a book ATM? Oh hell yes. (thanks to Publishers Lunch for the tip). Contra Costa County in California is starting a program called "Library a-Go-Go." Stay with me -- I know that with "Book ATM" and the ridiculously great name "Library a-Go-Go" you are being besieged with awesomeness, but STAY FOCUSED. The Library a-Go-Go project will install several book ATMs at BART stations (BART = subway/commuter train basically) so you can pick up and drop off books at a Swedish-built machine containing 270-400 books, all without leaving the train platform. If this is the future sign me up. Now.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/22/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Self-publishing, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, This Week in Publishing, publishing industry, Add a tag
This Week in Publishing is like a simile.
So it turns out that not only are there simile fans, but they are impassioned, like a great throng of warriors as deep as the day is longer than an old man's war story. Follow the carnage in the comments section of yesterday's post, including my prediction of a coming nuclear war over dangling modifiers. All I have to say is: know the rules before you break the rules. Also: don't get mad over similes.
Remember when Steve Jobs said no one reads anymore? Well, reader John Askins was the first to point me to Timothy Egan's NY Times blog post on reading, in which he points out that while disco is dead, reading is not. You know. What with the 400 million books sold last year and all. He also, hilariously, points out that HARRY POTTER and THE DA VINCI CODE both individually sold way more copies than Apple sold iPhones. Of course, I still want an iPhone. So I can read books on it. (honestly)
Reader Cameron Sullivan pointed me to an article from the Guardian assessing the self-publishing boom, which includes the bomblet that self-publishing company Lulu has doubled in size every year. They publish 4,000 titles every week. I think that calls for a "great googly moogly." Make that several great googly mooglys.
In similar but not entirely related news, the Espresso is coming! The Espresso is coming! Publishers Lunch linked to this article about Vermont-based Northshire Bookstore, which is the first independent bookstore to acquire an Epresso book printing machine thingamajig, which produces a finished book in just a few minutes (Maya Reynolds' take on the Espresso here and here). The machine will even print books from the bookstore's own imprint. Northshire General Manager Chris Morrow says, "I just feel that standing still is sure death." So be sure and hop up and down while waiting for your Espresso book to print.
And finally, last week I linked to news about Borders' new concept store. Want to know what said concept store is like? Well, Margaret Yang, aka Original Bran Fan, was brave and awesome enough to venture over to the Ann Arbor concept store and she files this report:
I remember twenty years ago when there was only one Borders store, period. I’ve enjoyed watching it evolve first into a bigger store in Ann Arbor, and then into a chain. So I was excited about this new “concept” store, especially when I found it was right in my own neighborhood. This store, according to press releases, emphasized the digital. Would it have a print-on-demand machine in the store? Would it have a smaller staff, forcing the patrons to type their questions into a computer? Would it have—as Nathan Bransford worried—a robot clerk with an electronic sneer when you downloaded a romance novel? The website, www.SeeNewBordersStore.com told me nothing. I had to go see for myself.
First impression: this looks like a bookstore. “What makes it different?” I asked a clerk.
Go to the travel section, and amid the travel books, you can find a computer hooked up to Expedia, so you can book a trip right in the store. Go to the music section, and amid the CD’s, you can find a station to download songs to your MP3 player for about a buck a song. Go to the cooking section, and you can download recipes. And somewhere in the store (although I did not see where) you can also download a book to your e-reader.
But I don’t want to go to a bookstore to do any of that stuff! Why would I? With a broadband connection, I can do all that and more from home, in my jammies.
What I want to do at a bookstore—amazingly enough—is buy books.
And what do you know? You can still do that here. This store is the prettiest Borders I’ve ever been in. The ceiling is high with good lighting, and the shelves are low, giving a view of the entire store and all the gorgeous books therein. Many, many books. As many as are in any average Borders store. I saw many human clerks around, some of whom actually knew how to find things in the store, and all with a sincere desire to help.
Plenty of books and decent service in an attractive setting. It’s not new.
But what a concept.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/15/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, This Week in Publishing, publishing industry, Add a tag
Busy week in publishing (at least for this publishing employee)!
Did someone say contest? Well, it wasn't me! The very good people over at BookEnds LLC are having what they promise to be a series of contests, and first up is a first-100 words of a mystery contest. Good luck! To BookEnds!
Also hosting a regular contest (of the monthly variety) is Josephine Damian, who recently wrapped up her "Magnificent 7" first page contest, in which she read and critiqued seven first pages and chose a winner. Keep checking for her next contest, which, if my math is right, should be in a month.
Publishers Lunch reports that Borders is unveiling a "concept store" in its hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, which will feature digital kiosks and digital centers and emphasizing digital options in popular categories such as travel, cooking, and children's books. Could a digital employee who smirks when you buy a romance novel be far behind?
Also via Publishers Lunch, HarperCollins is experimenting with free downloads of certain books, including Paulo Coehlo's THE WITCH OF PORTOBELLO, and Neil Gaiman is polling his readers to see which of his title should be included. The experiment is aimed at assessing the impact of the availability of free books on book sales. Care to weigh in with predictions?
And finally, if you DON'T already love San Francisco I challenge you to watch the below video and see if your cold, black heart doesn't change right back to red. Every year on Valentine's Day San Francisco has the world's largest pillow fight. I heart SF!
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/8/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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This! Week! in! Publishing!
We had a contest, heather!anne! won, it nearly broke me, we're back to normal now. Whew.
The San Francisco Writer's Conference is fast approaching, and the keynote speakers include Daisy Maryles, Executive Editor of Publishers Weekly, and authors Clive Cussler, April Sinclair, and Tess Gerritsen. Oh, and I'll be there! Maybe I won't "uh" my name this year.
Jessica Faust from BookEnds has a seriously awesome post up about how to choose the best agent. Once you know an agent is reputable, how do you know they're the right agent for you? This is a really difficult question to answer, and she does (I think) a great job of breaking it down.
Jeff Abbott pointed me to this GalleyCat article about how the Kindle is outpacing Amazon's expectations! No word on what those expectations actually were to begin with, but interesting nonetheless.
Also via GalleyCat, now, I'd like to remind you that this isn't a political blog so please don't..... oh what the heck. Bush's budget calls for the elimination of the Inexpensive Book Distribution program at Reading Is Fundamental, which distributes books to the youngest and most at-risk kids. GalleyCat would like to remind us that the First Lady was an ex-librarian. Hmmm...
And finally, remember last week how I told you about the book already up on Amazon about the Patriots going 19-0? Well.... that link doesn't seem to be working anymore. So weird, right?? I wonder why.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/7/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: literary agents, publishing industry, literary agents, publishing industry, Add a tag
Digression. A few years back, the Boston Celtics were really bad. Their star trio Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish had retired, former Kentucky coach Rick Pitino had taken over as coach/GM, and... they were really really bad. But people in Boston still had all these high expectations for the team, and Pitino was fed up with people thinking the Celtics were going to be as good as the old glory days. So at a press conference he blew up on the media and gave a famous rant about how "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through the door they're going to be gray and old." (clip below in all its awesomeness)
Well, I have something to say to aspiring authors out there: Harry Potter is not walking through that door.
I've been getting SO many queries lately talking about the "void" left by the end of the HARRY POTTER series. Inevitably these are queries from children's fantasy writers with varying degrees of similarity to Harry Potter, who feel that people who are no longer buying HARRY POTTER books are pooling their money to spend on the next children's fantasy book featuring wizards.
Yes, to be sure, in the publishing industry we're all wondering and placing bets on what the next "next big thing" is going to be. But when has the "next big thing" ever been like the last big thing?
Aspiring authors do themselves such a disservice by trying to follow the publishing trends or trying to model their book on the ones that have been successful in the past. Trust me -- Harry Potter is not walking through that door, THE DA VINCI CODE is not walking through that door and THE LOVELY BONES is not walking through that door. The next huge hit is not going to resemble the hits of the past.
The best thing to do is what J.K. Rowling did: she wrote a great book that was fresh and original and not at all trying to mimic what was popular at the time.
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/4/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: contests, Ian McEwan, publishing industry, publishing industry, Ian McEwan, Add a tag
This just in: I am not a seer.
No, really.
Long story short, some anonymous hecklers and some apparently published authors submitted their first pages in the contest, and since they were not chosen as finalists, they feel that this means that either a) I'm an idiot, b) the publishing process is broken, and/or c) well, I'm sure there may have been a c but I deleted their comments because I loathe anonymous snark (as opposed to the anonymous Miss Snark, whom I love).
First of all, don't you know that Spencer is the enemy? Why are you targeting me?
Second of all, welcome to publishing. Pull up a chair. I hope you'll stay awhile. It's an interesting place.
For the people who apparently believe agents should divine the publishing prospects of a work based solely on the first page of said work: uh, that's not really how it works actually. Over 20 publishers passed on A WRINKLE IN TIME when they had the whole manuscript in their hands, let alone just the few words that came after "It was a dark and stormy night." Publishers passed on [insert any bestseller and/or classic book here] a bunch of times. This is a subjective process in which many wonderful books are passed on. Publishing is all about matching up the right book with the right agent and the right editor at the right time. Even if an agent or editor passed up on the next huge book, it doesn't mean they're stupid -- they might just not have been the right fit. Enthusiasm and fit are everything.
But wait, you might say: don't agents try and divine the publishing prospects of queries all the time? Yes! We do -- but this is why the (admittedly imperfect) query process is in place. A query should give a sense of the overall work, whereas judging a book based on the first page is like trying to determine how awesome the Statue of Liberty is just by looking at her toenail. This is why it's necessary to write a good query and query widely. Subjectivity is the name of the game.
So for the people who are getting worked up about a for-fun contest on an agent blog: simmer down there, hot rod. This all goes with the territory. The purpose of this contest was to find some good first pages and have fun in the process. Aren't we having fun?
And oh by the way -- how about those six finalists? Aren't they good?
Some people requested that I speak a bit more on how I chose my finalists, so here goes. There were many awesome first pages, but I found myself drawn to a particular group, and frankly I'm very happy with the choices.
A first page really can do (basically) four things: reveal the setting, reveal the characters, reveal the plot, and/or reveal the style. There were many first pages (just as there are many wonderful books) that started off with a wonderfully evocative setting, there were many that started off with wonderful characters, an intriguing plot and/or an interesting style. You could find all sorts of wonderful books that start with a combination of one, two, three, or four of these elements (ATONENMENT, for instance, begins with a fascinating character, Briony, organizing a play with McEwan's intricate style).
For the purposes of this contest, perhaps because we're judging the first page and ONLY the first page, I, personally, found myself drawn to works that revealed all four elements.
I also found myself drawn to works with a high degree of difficulty. As I mentioned in the comments of the voting thread, at first blush, some of these finalists might seem very straightforward, but it is VERY difficult to capture a pitch perfect voice and a historical setting like Heather!Anne! did (she even used the word reckon well, which is nearly impossible to do), it's VERY difficult to ease the reader into a world while building some spine-tingling suspense like terryd, VERY difficult to simultaneously introduce a strange futuristic world while at the same time eliciting a response like "yup, I know this family" like luc, VERY difficult to master the impeccable flow of kari's first page and then bring a smile to the reader's face with that dialogue, VERY difficult to elicit a sense of place like Charlotte, and such an impeccable and precisely-constructed mood like Julianne.
While I can rule out some works objectively because they're far away from publishable quality -- ultimately it's subjective. I picked four out of 675. There were many more that were good, more that I want to see more of, and apparently a few by some excitable authors taking this contest just a tad too seriously.
I went with the ones that really struck me and that I was most enthusiastic about. And at the end of the day, that's the way the publishing process works.
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 2/1/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Still reading! I tell you what, reading 675 entries while also having a job is quite a task. Holly and I hope to have finalists for you soon, but meanwhile, there was a week in publishing, and it was an eventful one.
In perhaps the biggest publishing news, Publishers Lunch is reporting that, hot on the heels of acquiring Brilliance Audio, Amazon is making an offer to purchase digital audio distributor Audible. My mind? BLOWN. Audible has been the #1 player in the digital audio marketplace in part because of their popular subscription plans and due to their exclusive arrangement with iTunes. Many had thought that Amazon would develop a rival non-DRM model (background on DRM here) to compete with Audible/iTunes, but this seems to signal a different strategy. Should this happen, what does this mean for Audible's relationship with iTunes given that iTunes is a competitor of Amazon's? What does this mean for the non-Amazon/Audible/iTunes digital marketplace? And WHO IN THE HECK WAS IN JACOB'S CABIN ON LOST LAST NIGHT?? This inquiring mind wants to know.
Back when I asked people to propose contest ideas, one of said ideas was to have a Shakespearean query contest. Reader Scott Rhoades was kind (and brave) enough to run with this contest, so grab your quill and make like Will Shakespeare trying to find an agent!
For all you Wire fans out there, May Vanderbilt from Good Girl Lit has a post on seeing God in the Wire. Did I tell you that show is awesome or what?
Reader Chris Dodds pointed me to this rundown of George Orwell's six rules for writing. Somehow George Orwell forgot to mention Rule #7, which is that one should not begin one's query with a rhetorical question.
In addition to endorsing Barack Obama, Toni Morrison just announced.... SHE'S A KINDLE FAN! Wow. I don't know who was more excited, Barack or Amazon.
Via... shoot I can't remember where I saw this. Sorry original finder who deserves credit! Anyway, Amazon has a listing for a book on the Patriots going undefeated, with a publication date of February 11th. One problem? THEY'RE NOT UNDEFEATED YET. Come onnnnnnnnn Giants.
And finally, remember last week how I linked to a New York Times article on the popularity of cell phone novels in Japan? Well, leave it to the brilliant people at The Millions to translate an excerpt from one of the cell phone novels so you don't have to. My reaction: Either something is lost in translation or I'm just getting old.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 1/25/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: contests, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
Well, the votes for what-contest-we-should-have are in, and it's official: you all want me dead. Er. You want to have a first page content. I was never good at math, but let's see... 1 page x 500+ entries = hmm... carry the one... equals... well, multiple organ failure if I've calculated correctly. So tune in next week for that! Just to recap, we've had a title contest, then a first line contest, then first paragraph, now first page. At this rate we'll have a "first three finished manuscripts" contest before the year is out. Rules, regulations, and hyperbolic title will be posted on Monday. It's gonna be fun!
Meanwhile, in publishing:
OMG, my bff reader Diana Williams sent me dis article from da Times re cell phone novels n Japan. Thr ttly kool. LMAO! N e body like em? TTYL
The Wall Street Journal went on a hunt across the globe for DA VINCI CODE AUTHOR Dan Brown's next novel. The verdict: unknown. Also no albinos. But they did interview the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the District of Columbia. How's THAT for thorough?
Reader Christina Parker sent me a link to an article on the website bookcrossing.com, in which people drop books off in random places and then track them on the website to see where they've been. Apparently 625,000 people in 145 countries have signed on, and there are all kinds of maps and things like that. The techie part of me thinks: cool! The agent part of me thinks: the poor authors don't get royalties when the same book is read 20 times. And that's kind of a shame.
Via GalleyCat, author A.L. Kennedy has won the Costa Award (formerly known as the Whitbread). Given the number of awards that are being announced this month I'm sure I'm missing some, so if I haven't mentioned it: congratulations!
And finally, Sacramento Kings fans know Bob Delaney as one of the three referees on the court during Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals in 2002, when the Kings were SO COMPLETELY OBVIOUSLY JOBBED by the refs that Ralph Nader of all people sent a letter to the NBA urging them to review their refereeing policies. Think I'm kidding? Click here . Hmph. Where was I? Oh, Bob Delaney has a book coming out! You see, way before he was a ref, Bob Delaney was an undercover informant who infiltrated the mob. Crazy, right? I guess I'll forgive him. Someday.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 1/18/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Cormac McCarthy, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
Ths wk n Pblshng
Via Pblshrs Lnch, Knpf annced tht bstsllng athr Chrstphr Palini's nxt novl wll b namd BRISINGR, th Nrse wrd fr fire. No wrd on hw he wll spnd hs spre vowls.
Thanks to reader Gerri Baxter for pointing me to an article on destination bookstores (where people aren't reading). I would absolutely endorse their selection of City Lights, Elliott Bay, Powell's, and The Strand (I'm sure the others are swell too but I haven't been), and I will raise them Borderlands of San Francisco, Cody's in Berkeley, Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY (which, randomly, I've visited), and Unoppressive Non-Imperialist Bargain Books in the West Village of NYC, which.... I mean, doesn't the name just say it all? (add your favorites in the comments!)
Maya Reynolds has the goods on how the Directors Guild deal affects the Writer's Strike. Someone is going to have to cave. Couldn't we all just agree on payment in the form of Dwight Schrute bobbleheads and call it a day?
It's award season! Among the notables, the Newbery went to Laura Amy Schlitz for GOOD MASTERS! SWEET LADIES! VOICES FROM A MEDIEVAL VILLAGE, the Caldecott went to Brian Selznick for THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET, the Printz went to Geraldine McCaughrean for THE WHITE DARKNESS, the NBCC Shortlist was announced, and the Edgar Award nominees were announced.
And finally, Nathan Bransford's 2007 Book-To-Film Adaptation Award goes to (who else) Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Brothers for "No Country For Old Men," which scared the living crap out of me. I am still recovering. Slowly.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 1/11/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
Este semana en... um.. publishing.
The Millions took a look at the fiction published by the New Yorker from 2003-2007 and found some interesting trends. 37.4% were written by women, only 52% of the writers hailed from the US, and perhaps more interestingly, a mere 14 writers have accounted for 32% of the fiction, including Tessa Hadley and Haruki Murakami clocking in with 7 stories each.
GalleyCat checks in with oft-Digged (Dugg?) author Charles Sheehan-Miles on the question-of-the-moment: whether online success will actually sell books. The verdict? We'll see. Also, the Cat in the Galley has the scoop that Oprah's next book club pick just might be a $14 Plume paperback. Let the speculation commence!
Some more huge publishing deals went down in this early year -- Tom Wolfe is moving over to Little, Brown for his next novel, and fresh off of the success of THE DIANA CHRONICLES, former Vanity Fair and New Yorker editor Tina Brown will next tackle the Clinton dynasty. This pollster is predicting a landslide bestseller.
And finally, Sean Lidnsay from 101 Reasons to Stop Writing, who is fast becoming more famous than all of us put together, had a hilarious interview with Jossip in which he further discouraged writers, and in which he delivers this priceless gem: "The biggest problem facing the publishing industry today is that the people who should be buying books are instead trying to write them." Yowsers!
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 1/7/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: publishing industry, writing advice, Query Letters, Add a tag
Quick post for a busy day:
- Yes, the weather was seriously crazy here Friday and over the weekend, and no, we were not freaking out solely because we Californians are unused to having weather. The storm? It was big. I saw the bay spilling onto the Embarcadero.
- I'm liking the new season of The Wire. We can discuss further in the comments section.
Now for the main post:
People often ask me how to characterize their own works, and are also stymied by submission guidelines that stipulate certain genres. If you have a YA fantasy novel and an agency accepts young adult queries but not fantasy, can you still query them?
Here's a rough and quick rule of thumb when you're confused: go by the sections in a bookstore. Where would your book be stocked in the bookstore? If it's YA fantasy, it would probably go in the YA section, not the fantasy section, so it's YA first, YA fantasy second. If it's dark urban fantasy with paranormal horror elements, where do you think it would go? Pretend you're a bookstore employee -- don those black glasses, squint knowingly when people are talking to you, and make your best guess about where your book should go. Then write a little card recommending it.
So if an agency accepts YA but doesn't list fantasy as a genre they represent, I would feel free to send them that YA fantasy query -- the section of the bookstore is the most important distinction. This isn't a perfect way of breaking things down, but it will do in a pinch.
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 1/4/2008
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Self-publishing, literary agents, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
This first week of 2008 in Publishing:
Esteemed fellow agent and intellectual property lawyer Jonathan Lyons is going to be giving a Mediabistro course on negotiating book contracts, so if you are going to be in the New York area on March 27th, definitely, definitely check that out. Your future book contract will thank you.
Central Connecticut State University released its rankings of the most literate cities in the US, and coming in first place is San Franc.... uh.. Minneapolis, Minnesota. San Francisco came in 7th. Behind St. Louis. The study's methodology? QUESTIONABLE.
Via GalleyCat, Business Week has an article about the self-publishing boom (Lulu in particular) and benefits and shortcomings thereof. Pros cited in article: Low cost, easy to get published (and then some!), ability to market on Internet. Cons: Lack of professional editing, distribution. Carry on.
Who says publishing closes down over the holidays? Um. Besides me? While we were all sipping egg nog, Santa brought Karl Rove a book deal! Yes, Rove inked a book deal with Threshold, a conservative imprint at Simon & Schuster, for a reported $1.5 million. I would make a joke... but I'm too scared of Karl Rove.
Via Shelf Awareness, not only are the kids not reading, they are BREAKING INTO DEAD WRITERS' HOMES. According to the AP, a wild pack of teenagers broke into former summer home of Robert Frost, destroying furniture, puking in the living room, and discharging fire extinguishers. Then again, maybe the teens had just read AN ARSONIST'S GUIDE TO WRITERS' HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND. Who says literacy is dead??
And finally, the first episode of Season 5 of the Wire airs on Sunday! I'm extremely excited (because IT'S THE WIRE), but terribly sad, because it's the last the Wire season ever. My prediction for the final season? David Simon gets Shakespearean and EVERYBODY DIES.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/21/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: monkeys, The Hills, literary agents, Cormac McCarthy, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
Well, I slapped my head on my way to work this morning because I belatedly realized I should have done an extensive "This YEAR in Publishing" retrospective and put time into a thoughtful look back on the year in publishing and the first year of this blog. Whoops.
So here's the year in publishing, 2007, in hastily-put-together-digest form:
- There were a lot of books published.
- Many of them won awards.
- Most of the awards were won by Cormac McCarthy.
- Vampires are dead as a genre.
- No wait they're huge.
- Ok, NOW they're dead.
- Still huge.
- If you published a dog memoir in 2007 you're probably on the bestseller list right now.
- If you published a dog memoir prior to 2007 you're probably shaking your fist at the sky and shouting, "Why, God, why was 2007 the year of the dog memoir?? Why could it not have been 1998??".
- 2007 will not be the year of the under-contract Lynne Spears parenting memoir.
- 2008 probably won't be either.
- There were lawsuits in publishing.
- (Redacted)
- Perseus absorbed Avalon, AMS went bankrupt and Perseus absorbed PGW, and the debate between US and UK publishers about the exclusivity of the European market dragged on into another year.
- How about that Spencer?
- E-books.
- Queries.
- Monkeys.
- Oh my.
- My heart is in San Francisco.
- But I still love New York.
- We lost Kurt Vonnegut, Madeleine L'Engle, Norman Mailer, Robert Jordan and many other wonderful writers.
- The fabulous Miss Snark retired.
- New agent blogs ramped up production.
- Jessica Faust began her quest for sainthood by doing a million pitch critiques.
- We had a few contests.
- I almost died.
- The blog went from getting about 5 hits a day at the beginning of the year to over 1,000.
- THANK YOU to everyone for reading and commenting and making this year so much fun -- I truly appreciate all the time you have taken to participate.
- I hope you find all of the success you've been working so hard for in 2008.
Have a great New Year!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/20/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing advice, monkeys, publishing industry, Add a tag
I'm going to go out on a limb and say the Internet is pretty awesome. I didn't step into a single store to do my Christmas shopping, there are boundless opportunities to waste time, we can settle petty arguments about who is right about song lyrics, and any medium that gives us instant access to video segments about drunk monkeys is fine by me.
But there's a downside to the Internet: it makes people mean.
You know what I'm talking about -- the anonymous posters who write horrible things they wouldn't say in person, the sniping and the trashing, and the general snarky tone that has become the Internet's stock in trade. We've all probably been guilty of it at one time or another - there's just something about the anonymity of the Internet that makes people lose their minds.
I bring this up because this meanness has become an unfortunate part of the landscape for authors. There have always been bad reviews, and one could make the case that getting trashed in the New York Times Book Review hurts the worst because of the size of the platform (or one could make the case that hey, at least you're getting reviewed in the Times). But nowadays, because of the Internet, everyone can be a reviewer, and now authors of even well-liked books have to deal with an abundance of nasty reviews on Amazon and elsewhere, and lots of mean comments easily available on the Internet. And some of these reviewers, especially the anonymous ones, say things that would make H.L. Mencken blush.
So while everyone has to deal a lot of rejection even to get into the mainstream publishing game, unfortunately it doesn't end when you're a published author. It takes an exceedingly thick skin to be an author these days, perhaps moreso than at any time in the past. And while I'm not an author myself, I work with enough to know that it's not always easy, and getting sniped at, even when it's a stupid snipe, really hurts.
I guess I'd like to make a plea for authors to remember the jealousy that's at the heart of most bad reviews and for everyone to try not to be mean just because no one can punch you through a computer screen.
Of course Longfellow said it a tad more eloquently:
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/12/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: book recommendations, publishing industry, You Tell Me, Add a tag
The Top Ten Books of 2007 Lists are out in force these days, and while it's mind-boggling that people can even do this (no one read all the books published in 2007... so how in the heck do they decide?)..... let's just go ahead and compile our own best-of list, shall we?
So you tell me: what was the best book you read that was published in 2007?
Aside from my books by my clients, my favorite book of '07 was.............
THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie. Just a really awesome, touching, funny novel.
There are still so many books from 2007 I want to read... I'm not ready for '08! Slow down, time!!!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/11/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Hills, literary agents, publishing industry, Add a tag
Hello to those of you who are visiting the site after Googling the words "Spencer Heidi unengaged"!! (I'm currently the second site that comes up, behind TMZ and ahead of Television Without Pity.)
Please stay awhile! We talk about books here. Sometimes.
Now, I know everyone is absolutely abuzz, aghast, atwitter and asomething about the The Hills season finale and.... oh, who am I kidding. Those of you that don't watch the show are skipping this section as we speak, and those who watched it were, like me, left muttering, "uh... that's it?"
In case you're wondering:
Recipe for a The Hills Season Finale:
1 oz. Paris (the French city variety)
3 oz. guy with questionable personal hygiene/career ambitions
5 oz. will she or won't she choose the guy like omg
1 oz. Lauren Conrad, sage (this week: "Everyone has had bad relationships, that's why they end.") Confucius: EAT YOUR HEART OUT
2 oz. "No. Way."
Garnish with drapey dresses and copious makeup
Serve lukewarm
And there you have it.
Now for the actual post: in the comment's section of yesterday's post, Steph and Melanie wondered if being overseas is an impediment to securing representation. In a word: no. I have clients from around the world and am definitely open to all.
But there are some things to think about. I'm often asked by people living in the UK and Australia if they could have a US agent as their primary agent -- yes, you can. But it's very important to think about your work and where its natural market lies. There are some books that are universal (HARRY POTTER, for one big one), but the US, UK and Australian markets are all very different, and the readers have different sensibilities. A book that is successful in the United States might not be successful in the UK, and vice versa. So take an honest look at your work, because even though the US market is the biggest, you may be best served finding a publisher for it in your home market. And for that you'd need a home agent.
But if you want to find a home in the American market -- query away! I can't wait to take a look.
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/7/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: monkeys, literary agents, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
I'm not the only one on an e-book kick. Forbes recently featured a slide show on the present and future of e-books, which includes some pretty snazzy devices. Including this one: the Readius, a device about the size of a cell phone that features a fold-out, flexible e-ink display, coming soon! Yowza. The Readius will also stop global warming, cure ebola and ALTER THE FABRIC OF TIME AND SPACE. Thanks to Shelf Awareness for the tip.
And GalleyCat has another rundown of reactions to the Kindle in the LA Times and Post, including this quote from Jonathan Franzen: "I can see travel guides and Michael Crichton novels translating into pixels easily enough. But the person who cares about Kafka wants Kafka unerasable. Am I fetishizing ink and paper? Sure, and I'm fetishizing truth and integrity too." Just so we're clear: ink and paper = truth and integrity. E-books = LIES!! ALL LIES!!!
Moonrat gives a great breakdown of the terms "sell in" and "sell through" and about how you gotta have the sell in if you're going to have the sell through. Trust me, she makes it make sense.
Via Publishers Lunch, a company called Paperspine is angling to be the Netflix of books, with book rental subscription plans starting at $9.99. No word yet from the company that offers book rental subscription plans starting at $0.00 -- Your Public Library, Inc.
This week's Publishers Weekly features a tremendous article by Oscar Villalon about why Northern California is an awesomer place for books than anywhere else. Among other insightful points about our impeccable literary pedigree, he notes that we Northern Californians spend more money per capita on book purchases and booze consumption than anywhere else in the United States. (Let's just say I'm doing my part on both counts.)
And finally, how could I NOT link to this one. As if we needed proof: monkeys are smarter than you. Also funnier.
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/5/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Hills, publishing industry, You Tell Me, Add a tag
What can I say, I'm on an e-book kick lately. This week's You Tell Me is a poll, but EXPOUND in the comments section like you've never expounded before!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 12/3/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: writing advice, monkeys, literary agents, publishing industry, Add a tag
I read books from nearly every single genre, and I know I'm not alone -- book lovers love books, all kinds of books. And so it naturally follows that when people sit down at the old typewriter they want to write books in every genre under the sun. Sometimes at the same time. I often receive queries from people who are shopping novels in multiple genres, even massively different genres, such as science fiction and historical romance.
But here's the thing -- for the most part (big caveat alert), genre hopping isn't usually the best move.
I know. You have a killer idea for a science fiction novel involving monkey space cannibals and you ALSO have an idea for a historical fiction novel about a group of courtesans in King Arthur's court who are actually monkey space cannibals. WHAT TO DO??
Well, pick one, for starters. And then go all out. Because, as most of you know, it's really, really hard to break out in one genre. It takes mountains of time, effort, luck, perseverance, luck, effort, perseverance... time... I could keep repeating myself indefinitely. I could keep repeating myself indefinitely. Breaking out is really hard to do, and the kings of genre fiction have worked for years to steadily build an audience (and a brand) within the same genre. Heck, even writing a novel within a genre that's saleable usually takes several attempts.
Did I mention it's hard? It's hard. So you make it even harder for yourself when you splinter your time, attention, learning curve, and, eventually, your audience by jumping around to different genres.
But. Genre hopping can be done, and done well. And here's the best method: first you become hugely successful.
Take John Grisham. He wrote legal thrillers that became some of the most successful and popular books of our time. However, his most recent book has nothing to do with the courtroom -- it's about a football team (the American kind) in Italy and it's called PLAYING FOR PIZZA, and oh yes, it's a massive bestseller. Why is he able to do this? BECAUSE HE IS JOHN GRISHAM.
Unless someone could type in one of those TM symbols after your name without anyone blinking or thinking it's strange, chances are you probably aren't there yet.
I know there are exceptions, people who are successfully able to juggle multiple genres, whether it's by using pen names or just following their own drummer. But genre hopping should really only be undertaken in close consultation with your agent and after a lot of soul searching -- are you hopping because it's fun or because it's the best career move? If it's the former, have all the fun you want, but don't forget that a writing career is a marathon, and it's hard to win when you sit down every mile to change your shoes.
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 11/30/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Hills, publishing industry, This Week in Publishing, Add a tag
About yesterday. I totally MEANT to post. But I was really, really busy. Sorry. Please don't be mad. Why are you mad? What did you think I did? I swear I wasn't watching bad TV. There's no evidence. Someone was standing in front of the camera.
YOU JUST DON'T FATHOM ME.
Anyway, the week in publishing went on while I put in 27 hour days, and here's what happened:
The LA Times discovered that books are graying along with the graying boomers who read them. Great. I sure can't wait to read a slew of novels about those darned Internet computer problems and how terrible popular culture is these days but oh my goodness how groovy is Dancing With the Stars I just love that host honey will you pass the merlot?
The New York Times released its top 10 books of the year. And of those I've read exactly.... well, they're on my to-read list anyway.
In other New York Times news, friend of the blog Sean Lindsay from 101 Reasons to Stop Writing was featured on THE OFFICIAL NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BLOG! Wow. We'll all say we knew him when we were still writing.
Via Publishers Lunch, the future is being invented... now. E-ink, which really looks like ink on paper only it involves neither, is moving into color and quickly improving. They're working on making bendable displays and it will even soon be able to render video. The future is coming, and don't say I didn't warn you!
And finally, Norman Mailer posthumously won this year's Bad Sex in Fiction Award for a "winning" passage which, according to the Washington Post, involved the allegedly incestuous encounter between Hitler's parents. You just can't make this stuff up. Although I'm sure the only reason anyone had the guts to give Mailer this award is that they don't have to worry that someday he'd kick their ass. RIP, Champ!
Have a great weekend!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 11/28/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: The Hills, literary agents, publishing industry, You Tell Me, Add a tag
First of all, my apologies for being a day late with my rundown of a rare (these days) non-coma-inducing The Hills episode that not only featured a she-Spencer (!) but also included Justin Bobby.... uh... well, they said he kissed someone who wasn't Audrina. It mostly looked like someone stepped in front of the camera. And Audrina was SO MAD that she HUGGED HIM and WAS TOTALLY NICE TO HIM and GAVE HIM A RIDE HOME and THIS TIME IT'S KINDA SORTA POSSIBLY MAYBE OVER. (Clearly you don't mess with Audrina.)
Justin Bobby was forced to employ his ultimate secret weapon: saying nonsensical catch phrases with his head cocked to one side. I know I'm powerless in the face of phrases like "What do you think I did?" and "You're on hallucinogenics" and "Your friends don't fathom me."
The Hills is back, ladies and gentlemen.
Anyway, lots of people have opinions about the Kindle and with apologies to the people who like to smell their books and turn the pages, I am of the opinion that at some point in the near or distant future the e-books will take over and while sure, some people will always read books on paper (in the way that some people still use typewriters), and illustrated books and heavy-photography books will probably still exist, I feel like the convenience, affordability, readability, environmental friendliness, and eventual ease of e-books will outweigh the residual nostalgia for reading printed books. In my opinion, someday e-books will comprise the majority of book sales.
In this e-book world of the tomorrow:
- bookstores could be largely a thing of the past (much like video rental stores) -- people would browse online and download directly to their cell phone/reader/organizer/thingamajig and find out about books through word of mouth, TV, and the Internet.
- people would have instant access to just about every single book ever published, anywhere, anytime (Google Book Search is helping make this happen). This part is seriously incredible to me
- thousands of trees would thank you
- big publishers would lose one of their major advantages in the marketplace (namely distribution) and would have to adapt to stay relevant
- there will always be literary agents to help authors navigate this increasingly complex landscape and to make sure they are fairly compensated for their content
- authors will be better able to control their own sales destiny, and if they can ride the wave of word of mouth, unknowns could capitalize in a big way because they're not dependant upon traditional distribution
This doesn't scare me! Honestly I think it's amazing and incredible and a major leap forward in human history. Literally the biggest thing in publishing since the printing press. And I'm not the only one who thinks this: just read Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt's post entitled "Why Traditional Books Will Eventually Die."
My question to you is: When will this happen? When will e-books take over? Or will they? Is it coming 5 years from now? 10? 50? Never?
You tell me!
By: Nathan Bransford,
on 11/27/2007
Blog: Nathan Bransford (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: rhetorical questions, publishing industry, Add a tag
First off, a housecleaning matter -- if you e-mailed me between Thursday and Sunday and you haven't yet heard from me, please e-mail me again. Our servers were down and your e-mail has been eaten by the server monsters and is now in e-mail heaven (or e-mail hell if it started with a rhetorical question). But we're back up to speed now.
As promised, here's a post on all things Kindle. In case you haven't heard the news, Amazon has released its own e-reading device, which it is calling a Kindle, and which has sparked (I'm officially the 10,000th person to use this pun) quite a lot of interest, speculation, scorn, praise... you name it.
Here's the dime tour: basically it utilizes similar e-Ink technology used by the Sony Reader, so the screen really does look like ink on paper, doesn't use a lot of power, and the device is cool to the touch and can last a really long time between charges.
Best of all, and the reason the Kindle is attracting a certain degree of breathlessness: it uses cellular wireless technology so you can download e-books anywhere in cell phone range, at approximately $9.99 a pop. No plugs, no chords, no hassle (in theory). There are a whole lot of titles available (about 90,000, including most-but-not-all-bestsellers), and you can also pay (!) to subscribe to newspapers and blogs that you normally read for free on the Internet. Opinions regarding the appearance of the device have ranged from "functional" to less-than-flattering comparisons to the Commodore 64. The price? $399.
And no, http://nathanbransford.blogpot.com is not available for subscription on the Kindle, although if you actually wanted to pay to read this blog, God help you. Save it for the psychiatry bills, sweetheart!
Here are some reactions to the news around the Internet and blogosphere sites I frequent: Newsweek, New York Times, Slate, Thomas Nelson CEO Michael Hyatt, The Millions, Maya Reynolds, and of course GalleyCat (and here, here, here, here, and here).
Big disclaimer: I haven't used a Kindle yet. But naturally I have an opinion (which is completely my own, btw -- you can share it but no one but me is responsible for it).
It seems to me that the publishing industry has wondered if/when e-books were coming ever since the dot com boom. During that span we've all seen the explosion of mp3s taking over the world of music, and in the book world digital audiobooks have seen significant growth. Everyone has been wondering when we'd see the iPod of books. So when will e-books take over?
My opinion? When they're better than books.
Consider the iPod -- it represents a significant advancement in the experience of listening to music. It doesn't skip like CD players, it doesn't require lugging around tons of CDs, it allows the shuffle function so you can use it like your own personal radio (impossible with CDs), it's small and portable... basically it improves every single aspect of listening to music, except possibly the ability to show off your impeccable music taste to people who visit your apartment. Forget about the fact that it looks cool (which it does) -- it's just a major leap forward for the experience of listening music.
But books are tough to beat as a technological device. They're portable, they're easy to read, they're (relatively) cheap, they're durable, you can pass them on to friends, people enjoy the tactile experience of turning pages... they're extremely tough to improve upon.
So far, although they're now as easy to read as books, which was one of the major early stumbling blocks, e-readers are still only handily beating books in one area: convenience. The Kindle can hold many books (but not an unlimited amount) so you don't have to lug around multiple books, and you can get a new book almost instantaneously. They're convenient. But you can't really share your books, you don't have the experience of turning the pages (and in fact on e-readers there's a bit of an annoying delay while the screen wipes), and you'd have to buy a whole lot of discounted $9.99 e-books to make up for the initial $400 investment.
If my math is right, assuming you save roughly $10 per e-book over buying a print edition, you'd have to spend $800 ($400 + 40 e-books) just to break even.
The decision to buy an e-reader, then, seems to me to come down to one question: is the convenience of the Kindle worth $400 to you?
To some people, yes, it would seem so. Since I read a boatload of books and manuscripts every year I'm one of those people, and I want an e-reader for Christmas so I don't have to constantly print out and carry around manuscripts.
But even setting aside all of the nostalgic element of turning the printed page, until e-readers handily beat books in terms of the economics, portability and reading experience, it seems to me that they will continue to be a niche device for people who need and can afford to pay for the convenience.
In my opinion there will never be a widely used iPod of books, a device that people buy specifically for books -- e-books will take off when they can be easily downloaded and easily read on a device like a larger iPhone-of-the-future, something people already have, which evens out the economics since you don't have to plop down a significant chunk of money before you even buy a book. This would give e-books the decisive edge in economics, which might just tip the world of books toward e-books. Until then? Printed page for most of us.
I was going to make a You Tell Me tomorrow about the Kindle, but judging from yesterday's comment section I know people are itching to share their opinions. So let's hear it: what do you think of the Kindle?
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1. Maybe publishers should use the interest in "short" books to sell more short story magazines? But this might just be wishful thinking on the part of publishers looking to save money and time manufacturing the damn things.
2. I wrote a book about how to break up with an agent, but I can't find an agent to sell it. I think someone doesn't want this info getting out? ;)
3. Sometimes you do wonder about the logic behind some book covers. Especially the ones that have absolutely nothing to do with the books in question. My advice. Don't sue, that'll just make the publisher your enemy. Win over the cover designers with food and booze. It's called strategy.
4. Didn't the New York Times recently get in trouble for printing some questionably sourced stories? Pot, meet kettle.
5. I guess The Wire got cut. Do you know why it was cancelled? It didn't hire Cormac McCarthy!
I do not see nearly as big a problem with faked biographies as the rest of the world does.
If the Blair Witch Project scared the heck out of you, then it was a good movie. By keeping the fact that it did not happen out of the publicity, the makers made a better movie. (caveat--I didn't see it).
Newspapers do not need to "call for" publishers to do more fact checking with bios. Publishers will do it automatically if it seriously affects the market for bios. If publishers see that they are losing lots of money on faked bios, they'll start checking.
Just as the NYT (potkettleblack, as Nathan and Wilco said) calls for honesty in bios, they were calling for stricter accounting reporting laws while Ken Lay of Enron was spending his life savings on legal defense and preparing for the perp walk. CEO's didn't need a more serious reminder to get the numbers right than Enron's meltdown and the subsequent imprisonment of their executives. Publishers don't need more of a reminder than marketplace discipline.
Not to contradict you, but I'd like to suggest that perhaps "Homicide: Life on the Street" was the greatest television show of all time, particularly the episode entitled "Every Mother's Son." Brilliant and heartwrenching.
Thanks for TWiP!
I think it would be GREAT business to sell short novels. They would be fabulous for commuting and open a whole market for the novel as a stand alone!
Please, Nathan,let us know when that is all the rage!
I meant novella
As an artist, I have to say, that I would have huge concerns over the kind of artwork used for a book I wrote, even if not my own work.
Yes! I could see airport books and train books. Hour long books!
Books a Go-Go!
Re: the author whose cover was picked against her wishes.
No, I do not think it is okay for a publisher to depict a cover where the ethnicity of the characters do NOT match the actual people in the book.
To think that a novel filled with white chatacters should have black people depicted on the cover (and vice versa) is INSANE!
WHY would a publisher think that is okay? The cover is supposed to represent the novel, not the color of the author!
I'm a female. I write books with female main characters. Would I want some random male on my book cover? NO. Because it would be false advertising.
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh...
I can't resist commenting that, as a reader, I vastly prefer LONGER novels. If I'm going to invest my money in a book, and my time in reading it, I want it to last - I want to immerse myself in the world and swim around in it for a while.
I don't claim to be in the majority or represent a trend or anything like that, but how do the marketing mavens measure the number of times I'm browsing titles and don't even bother pulling out the skinny ones? When looking over the shelves my eyes gravitate to the fat ones every time.
Optimal length, for me, is Lonesome Dove. 363,000 words, per a quick search.
Aside: I tried to find the word count for The Kite Runner, but I got tired of wading through all the essays and term papers for sale that Google kicked out.
'the wire' ending... short books coming into style... and now a white whale spotted near alaska... is the literary world prepared for this?!
Short books are ok. But I prefer a lovely long book that I know I can enjoy for awhile since I do read fast. I have several days off work this week for vacation and I brought only two library books home with me. First one was read the first day and so I have one book to last three days which MIGHT work if I only read an hour or two each day.. *sighs*
Short books do not even cover me when on a train/plane.
Though people do have short times to read these days so maybe that is why short books are doing better because they can actually finish it before they forget how the book started.
How about BOTH short books AND long books.
I mean really, shouldn't a story be as long or as short as it takes to tell it well?
I LOVE my long books and I would not part from my copy of The Old Man and the Sea.
BTW, don't know if it's true, but I heard that the publisher on that book CHANGED the characters to AA too. I hope that wasn't true too!
I mean how could a publisher have the right?
(Hope I heard wrong.)
Aloha,
Ummmm...isn't M.A.S.H the greatest TV show of all time?
And all things considered...rightfully so?
jmho
I'm not so sure that the short novel trend is as wide-reaching as it may seem. Right now, in YA lit, longer, stand-alone novels are huge, as are trilogies/series. For example, Libba Bray's final installment of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, The Sweet Far Thing, is 832 pages. Stephanie Meyer's Twilight saga includes books at 672 and 704 pages, respectively.
I do not mind short novels that are concise and to the point. If a novel is compelling, I do not mind if it is several hundred pages. The point at which I am irked as a reader is if a short novel does not cover all the ground that it could, or if a long novel falls into long, monotonous discussions of what the MC did to start the day. (Ie, MC woke up. MC stretched. MC went to shower. MC got dressed. MC went downstairs and ate a bowl of cheerios. MC looked outside; it was raining.)
I seriously have seen novels that tried to stretch themselves out like that - "sort of stretched, like butter stretched over too much bread". (Kudos to those who catch that quote.)
The important thing to consider is whether the cover is TELLING to the story. I'm an African American woman - Nigerian American to be exact - and my main character is African American. I don't know the book specifically, but I know for mine (I hope it gets published), I would have every need for an African American young woman to appear on the cover. I think this whole thing about race on covers is a bit this and that. If it needs to be there it needs to be there. I'd like to think she wanted to tell a story, and wanted her story to be heard. I would hope she wasn't trying to just closely follow numbers. I'm not trying to criticize anyone, I'm just letting my opinion be known from the view point I present. :::Begs off:::
Nathan, I know you must be heart broken over THE WIRE ending. Buy some burbon, order in some good food , and have yourself a good.
sorry, came out of my newly buried in a foot of snow slumbersome weekend, because I couldn't resist a few comments...
now, which President at the turn of the 19 th century was reported, by the newspapers, to have won the Election but did not? Hence, I am shocked, the news is wrong at times and not always the gospel truth...Orsen Wells, how many people believed that we were being invaded by Martians???
"The Who" said they were done to for quite a while (and I skipped a free concert to see them and it really was the last tour)
Somehow The Wire will be back, wether it is a newly titled show with a new cast, or part of the present cast signs on to another show. Chin up, the fat lady (me) has not sung yet (thank God for that :)
Thank you for the link re. agent relationships. I no longer feel I need to ditch my trusting nature when agent-shopping. I can also see why commenting on the dealings of fellow agents is dicey ground you'd rather avoid.
Re. novel length:
I totally don't care how long a story is as long as it's compelling and effective. I like (or dislike) everything from short stories to epic sagas, depending on how well they come across.
Re: the book cover
That is an interesting conundrum. I feel for the author there... I do think it was callous of the publishers to completely disregard her intentions for her book, and treat it simply as their product. The author has to promote the work, too (and herself as an author). Seems like it would have been easier to just work together.
I can see why this is a trend.
People have less time to read, coupled with rising costs of printing books.
This may be good for novels, however a 200 page biography seems a bit off kilter.
What bothers me about books, TV etc. whenever something is a hit everyone tries to duplicate it, until you get tired of it.
It would be great to have a variety and more choices.
Love the holier than thou crap from the NYT, which recently published a sourceless hatchet job on John McCain that made everyone in America with a journalism degree cringe. Glad to see that the story was met with a collective yawn--not that I am any great fan of McCain's, but COME ON!
I'll be wearing all black on Sunday.
Anon 6:23. So true. Thank you.
Re: the author suing her publisher, I know of a YA author whose book was classified by the big sellers as an African-American book and placed on those shelves instead of the YA shelves. She had to fight to get it moved. (Fortunately her publisher was supportive and helped with that.)
I would never think to go over to the AA section of a bookstore to find a YA book just because the author is black. Yes, the characters in the book (most of them) were black, but it wasn't a book about race. I don't get why it was classified that way. It makes sense for a book that is about race, but otherwise....
Is my book going to be put in the German-American section of the bookstore once I'm published just because my heritage is mostly German? Or maybe the Irish-American section since my MC is Irish? Sheesh.
Nathan, I am assuming that a "critique of your work", mentioned in a contract to sign, is that they are asking the status of where I am with my book? correct?
Hmm, interesting situation about suing a publisher. I realize that they should have gotten the okay on the touchy subject before doing the artwork. But I'm wondering if perhaps the folks at Penguin had believed that, because this author had already established the book in the general fiction section back when she had it self-published, then maybe they would push it in the African American genre to cover all their bases and produce more sales?
A few years ago a horsewoman wrote a book about a cutting horse trainer getting killed. The cover was a gaudy, horrific thing with a pair of yellow, red, blue, green boots with jeans tucked in the tops, sticking out from some brush.
She said in an interview she nearly vomited when she saw the cover art. "No self respecting horse trainer would be caught dead in those ugly boots. Well, I guess mine was."
The only way I would have been able to read the thing was if I tore the cover off.
In the end, it's part of the ride. We don't have much input on covers and just have to hope for mercy.
Best. Series. Finale. Ever.