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Is it wrong to be excited that I'm beating you Nathan? :) I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

I've received three queries from someone despite the fact that I am not an agent and haven't been published. And they were really bad.

Playing catch up for the entire week and now this post? Yikes! I'll be here all day. : ) Thanks though, very good stuff. Of course I had to click on the link to Jeff's pup first. Love Corgi's.

Mark: My Corgi is a purebred Cardigan (the Corgi with the tail). Cardigans come in black/white, brindle, tan, brown/white, and gray. Pembrokes (the Corgi without the tail) have a more limited color range. Cardigan Welsh Corgis and Pembroke Welsh Corgis are considered two distinct breeds. (and for anyone considering a dog, Cardigans are a fantastic choice. Sorry for the plug.)

We now return you to your regular publishing discussion. Have a good weekend.

Hey, I just tried to register for the contest. I'm alittle late, but I remembered that I wanted to win. Have to play to win. Someone already signed up with my e-mail.

Whose using my e-mail?

Stop that. Stop that right now.

E-mail stealer.

Free ebooks, muahahahahaha.

I've had my Sony reader for a week, and for everyone who's hesitant to try one, GIVE IT ONE HOUR. I think the eink is made out of crack.

Not that I'm planning on giving up paper books, of course. But the reader is awesome and very easy on the eyes. I keep forgetting it's an electronic device and try to turn the page as if it was paper, which makes me look sort of eccentric to anyone watching me.

Jeff,
I've always loved corgi's. They remind me of that video game, Star Fox. In our house it's referred to as the Star Fox dog. Never seen one that color before. Too cute. :)

I love that anti anti-agent rant, sooooo true. My sentiments exactly.

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEKEND.

Wow, lots of good stuff this week! I've only read through part of it so far; can't wait to read the rest!

And I'm doing fabulously in the bracket challenge... for now :) I have Memphis beating UConn for the final four, and after yesterday's performance, I fear that was a huge mistake...

henry-

Sorry, some readers are touchy about language, etc.

I loved that caterpillar.

Rats, I'm older than the Hungry Caterpillar, but we share the same birthday.

I'm not anything approaching an agent, only a lowly author, but I've received an entire manuscript from someone seeking publication. It was an emotionally disturbed young person's memoir about being supernatural. I ponied up the postage to return it with as many kind suggestions as I could muster.

Happy Solstice everyone!

Maya Renolds - great Rant! She was right on! The world is unfair...suck it up and move on.

Victoria Strauss - HILARIOUS. What idiots. Especially the spammer. jerk.

Seth Godin - good points. Would love it if real estate agents were anything like that...lol. As for literary agents I think Nathan you were making a point in your comment about this a post or two back...you have to pass on lots of good stuff but take the stuff you believe in 110% or something. Totally agree...good marketing, wise time mgt.

Bush - should be interesting to see his explanation...but I bet that book will need HEAVY grammatical editing even though he'll still be using a ghost writer I'm sure. ;)

Obama - DANG. What are the requirements to run for pres again?? I think I may try...lol.

Jeff Abbots pup - Too cute! Definitely worth the lengthy read...haha.

But alas, I will have to catch up on the other links later. ;)

Nathan,

I have a follow-up thank you for mentioning my query blog last week (http://openquery.blogspot.com).

In the past week the site had 5,450 page views. That's 2,170 visits, with an average of 2.51 pages per visit (each query is its own page).

Average time on the site is almost 4.5 minutes, which means people are sticking around to read and comment.

Compare that to the inaugural week prior, which had 617 pageviews and 288 visits...

Several people have posted their thanks to me for starting the site, but I have to share it with you because it wouldn't be a benefit to anyone if it went unknown.

I'm officially on link overload. Thanks for fulfilling my link quota for the month. No, but seriously, it was like a one stop shop for all the interesting articles of the week. Thanks for doing all the work for me.

Also, Jon Karp is still redefining his views on better books, fewer titles.

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/editors/jon_karp_put_more_work_into_fewer_books_111949.asp

Morgan

Nathan, thanks for the link to the New Yorker tribute to David Foster Wallace. A little heartbreaking, but important reading for me. He played an important role in my evolution as a writer and reading that was a little like finding closure. I'm looking forward to reading The Pale King when they publish it.

I was going to read the McEwan article, but... it sounds like it's even longer than the Wallace piece, and so I need more free time.

Thanks again,
Bryan

Thanks for all the great links, I'll be skiing it up over spring break but hope to read at least a few.

And I hope I never receive a rejection letter from my travel agent to Hawaii. Its where all we Portlanders go. Have a wondrful weekend!

Now Nathan,
I raise you one puppy picture!

Thanks for all the great links. And I agree with Whirlochre; I love that caterpillar too.

Thanks for this treasure trove of information, Nathan.

Nathan,

Just wondered if you're planning more blog posts specifically about writing in the near future. That would be so much fun. The discussions about writing this past week were a blast!

As a represented author and attorney, I can see several parallels between agents and lawyers, in regards to representing clients. I'm certain this isn't coincidence, considering how many agents are, in fact, attorneys.

Proponents of self publishing must come from the same cloth as the clients who walk into my office and ask me to prove why they need to retain my services in order to better their case outcome.

The answer is much the same as why, statistically, you need an agent to publish successfully: because that's how the game is played. I can't see any sort of unlikely total shift to e-publishing changing this.

Although, I have to disagree with your notion that people don't have enough time to try. It seems there is a huge population of publishing hopefuls that have put all their eggs in the book deal basket without regard to other careers or jobs. I imagine they have all the time in the world.

Your links were very informative and interesting; the comments were great as well. It may have taken you half an hour to write this one, but is certainly takes more time to read and click on links. (not complaining)

Reading some of the comments to Maya's blog made me think about an old saying. It is so old that I am unable to quote it exactly.

It was something along the lines of...

The best teachers are those who remember being a student.

The best parents are those who remember being a child.

The best judges are those who remember being lawyers.

...and the list goes on.

In other words, sometimes successful authors tend to forget what it was like to be just writers where their daydreams are filled with stardom and wealth. In their eagerness to be on board the starships, some writers fail to realize they must pay dues (read, research, learn, rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite). Some writers who begin writing late in life feel they don't have time to play the games and forgo the dues.

If a writer earnestly wants success without compromise, nothing will get in the way, not even rejected queries.

But, I really do find it hard to believe that someone would submit a manuscript to a person that is not an agent....even ignorance is smarter than that.

Thanks, Nathan, for all your wonderful research and information you give us with this blog. I read it every day even if I don't post. (I think my long-winded response this time makes up for all the past lurking)

Lucinda

Thanks for the linky love, Nathan! Tina was an awesome interview. And there's another killer interview with Curtis Brown's own Ginger Clark here: http://gretchenmcneil.blogspot.com/2009/03/interview-with-ginger-clark-literary.html

If you don't keep an eye on the market, how exactly are you supposed to help the writers? If you "take on" a book, but can't find anywhere to sell it, who exactly does that help? Sheesh. :)

Great interview with TINA WEXLER... loved it! Thank you.

Haste yee back ;-)

That's unfortunate news from Hatchette. Makes you wonder about the bottom-line vs. love for books ratio at the top of the corporate publishing ladder.

BTW, it's really great that you do this each week, Nathan. I look forward to your friday blogs.

Oh my heck.
Nathan, I love the travel agent rejection letters.....
That is just TOO good...

Here's another link you might find interesting:

Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable

It's about the problems that the newspaper industry is currently experiencing, but I think a lot of what Clay Shirky says can also be applied to the publishing industry.

Ha, the Bush book should be fun to read! Definitely will be written by a ghost writer, and I'd say it would have to be approved by publicists, legal team and the rest of the entourage before it hits the shelves, but I'm sure it will make great critic fodder when it comes out.

On the flip side, I would love to read the Obama book (major crush on the president!).

Regarding the bunch of writers who go off on anti-agent rants, I think it's their loss. I think it makes perfect sense to have someone who knows the industry on your side and I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want an agent.

And, in conclusion, I signed up for the MM competition on the work computer and I can't remember my user name, so I can't see how I'm doing until I get back in on Monday. Which is probably a good thing. I need to write this weekend, not obsess about teams I don't know in a game I don't watch!

PS Nathan I want you do do well in the comp because you and I picked the same team to win...

Agents do stand for something already. First n foremost their personality - which shines thru in the words they put out there. Just like there are complaining authors, some lit agents are so negative - going on n on about what n who they do not want instead of clarifying what they DO want.

I agree with the advice that one should see a fit with agent before sending a query. And I always first check an agent's personality and then the genre. If I don't like the former I drop him. Simple! O lucky him/her one should say. But so far out of about 100 agents I may have researched, I've found only 6 that I liked. This is not a good strategy but it keeps the mood good n positive. But a whole lot there are so offputting and crazily bitter (pray why)that u feel i don't want to put my work in the hands of this A**. I bet most writers feel that way. So while the agents are always going to be there but these ranting sort will find themselves out of business - actually not but no harm wishing.

Bad badgers - go make cheese :(

Congrats to the kings for finally beating an eastern team, even if it was the knicks.

Rich post, Nathan. Thanks.

I agree with Godin: agents need to lead. However, there seems to be an altruistic element to that which, in these times, I can't see becoming popular or possible even when the prevailing determinate is survival. That said, hands are being forced to find value for money on both sides, so who knows? I think a blog is a great way to differentiate, as well. Keep it up!

My girlfriend and I also spent the better part of an hour in total walking in and out of bookstores in Cambridge and Paris (the famous Shakespeare & Co. among them) smelling the old pages, feeling the matte finishes of some of the covers, and gliding our fingertips over the soft pages as they sifted. I'm still not sure if we were indulging our senses or saying goodbye.

And Wallace seemed his own worst enemy. It's not unusual, I think, to seek a direction in an art form that will bring deliverance, but to have the courage to surrender all in its pursuit certainly is. But it is very calculated, and I'm not sure that isn't in itself the stuff of madness, or at least, frustration. He sought to bring the world to his understanding. Time easily runs out in those instances, one has to think. In the end, I hope his legacy is more than unfinished work and sadness. RIP, David.

And, as I said, it's always lovely to say in retrospect how we all knew what would happen. In truth, no one knows what will happen or what would have happened had different decisions been made.

Alternative histories only exist in fantasy even though we would like to think we all knew better.



Actually, a lot of people correctly predicted how those big decisions would turn out.

Hi Nathan, I’m a regular visitor to your blog - fair play to you for making your knowledge of the publishing world so accessible and non-exclusive.
In relation to your mention of We tell Stories, I’ve just started a fictional blog,(Pure Fiction, at www.fictionalfictionwriter.com), featuring a fictional, newly separated writer struggling to get to grips with her brand new life on the west coast of Ireland.
My hope would be to try and maintain the structure and tension of a novel through the blog, while incorporating any messages, comments, or feedback I get into the story.
This has probably been done many times before, but as a novice blogger, the possibilities seem endless – twitter updates as the story develops, you-tube links featuring characters featured in the blog. Do you know of any examples of this kind of thing?

An Irish blogger

Pure Fiction, that's a great idea, but if you plan to publish that work, be aware that by posting it on a blog, you've given away first publishing rights.

That doesn't mean you can't sell it, but it would be harder to sell, and you'd miss out on the part where the publisher pays you for first publishing rights.

It sucks, but that's my understanding. If I'm wrong, I hope someone will let me know. I'm fairly sure I'm right though.

The West Regional is killing me. Wake, oh Wake... how could you do this to me? Havne't I always been fair? Haven't I always loved you?

Wallace wrote to Franzen, shortly before the book’s publication. “I don’t think it’s very good — some clipping called a published excerpt feverish and not entirely satisfying, which goes a long way toward describing the experience of writing the thing.”

I've had "Infinite Jest" on a side table for several months now. I've skimmed it. I've read other books cover to cover in the meantime. The library's going to be wanting it back soon . . .

I can only think that if he'd had more fun writing it, that maybe people would have more fun reading it.

Personally, I write to amuse myself. Oh, I'm just a happy idiot. Or at least, I try to be.

There is an interesting entry at Janet Reid's blog called: "Some Query Letter Fundamentals."
In that entry she states:
1. if you send her a CD of your work she will throw it away unopened
2. if you send her an E-mail with a reading receipt she will ignore or cancel what she calls the "annoying" query

I commented at her blog and she has comment moderation in place. My comment was not published. I am confused as to why, because I asked a good question which I think should be addressed. Here is my comment:

"Who is hurt when a CD is thrown away? The CD might contain the next Pulitzer. Seriously.
And why get the whole package off your screen just because it contains a reading receipt? Who would be the loser if you clicked "cancel" and the material was sent by (for instance) Jack Kerouac?
All these rules seem silly and they appear to come from a place of anger and spite. They seem designed to punish the writer, when I would think the agenda should be to objectively look at the project and decide if it is worthwhile pursuing. All the rest seems to be petty horseshit.... even in a very busy and bogged down work day."

I do not understand why my comment would not be published. A blog should have a good mix of commentary, not just comments that are singularly dimensional and flatter the blog author.
And let me add that for a literary agent to auto reject queries based on a personal annoyance level seems a bit self-defeating.

corrrected comment:
There is an interesting entry at Janet Reid's blog called: "Some Query Letter Fundamentals."
In that entry she states:
1. if you send her a CD of your work she will throw it away unopened
2. if you send her an E-mail with a reading receipt she will ignore or cancel what she calls the "annoying" thing
(not sure if she ignores the query or just cancels the receipt)
I commented at her blog and she has comment moderation in place. My comment was not published. I am confused as to why, because I asked a good question which I think should be addressed. Here is my comment:

"Who is hurt when a CD is thrown away? The CD might contain the next Pulitzer. Seriously.
And why get the whole package off your screen just because it contains a reading receipt? Who would be the loser if you clicked "cancel" and the material was sent by (for instance) Jack Kerouac?
All these rules seem silly and they appear to come from a place of anger and spite. They seem designed to punish the writer, when I would think the agenda should be to objectively look at the project and decide if it is worthwhile pursuing. All the rest seems to be petty horseshit.... even in a very busy and bogged down work day."

I do not understand why my comment would not be published. A blog should have a good mix of commentary, not just comments that are singularly dimensional and flatter the blog author.
And let me add that for a literary agent to auto reject queries based on a personal annoyance level seems a bit self-defeating.

Marjorie - I would assume it was the mild profanity in the end about horse do-do that might be the reason it got kicked. While some would be okay with that, they like to appease those that are not.

JMO.

As for your sentiments - I might not necessarily agree with them but that wouldn't prevent me from posting your comment. Although it IS her blog and she can choose to not agree to disagree.

marjorie-

What PurpleClover said.

Also, I'm sorry, but if someone is misguided enough to send their manuscript on a CD they probably aren't equipped to be an author in today's publishing world.

We can lament that Dead Author X would have never been published in today's time or recognize that the marketplace is so tough that authors need to use every tool at their disposal, and that includes a recognition of submission guidelines and basic technological competency.

Purple Clover:
Her blog is peppered with similar language. I have met JR. I attended a panel discussion here in NYC that she moderated. She names her blog and cautions those of the "faint at heart" that she uses those words at her blog.

I want to add that she may not delete entire queries based on an annoyance level. She may only remove the reading receipt. But nevertheless, she still seems to come from a place that is anger driven.

Mira, thanks for your comment and for letting me know about the publishing rights thing - my aim would be to have a manuscript at the end of it (I'd probably give it at least a year first), but I'm getting such a kick out of writing the blog right now, I think I'll just keep ploughing away.

Your comment about superior technology got me thinking about the Kindle, of course. I love that you love your Kindle. I really do! But I was a library kid. Lived at the library. And my parents never would have bought me a Kindle.

I just hate to see an expensive device be the gatekeeper to reading. If there are no more books, what does that mean for libraries? And what about all those people out there who can't aford the gatekeeper?

Sorry if this has been brought up before. But I figured if there was anyone on the planet would could make me feel beter about a Kindle World, it would be Nathan.

I second that - if you can't follow simple query directions, how are you gonna be at taking an agent's guidance?

macaroni - eventually, libraries will go away or morph into digital kiosks - digital copy will be the standard and there will be multiple gatekeepers and some will be free to rent.

It may be uncomfortable for everybody born pre-1980, but it is inevitable (and now I'm thinking of Team America and Kim Jong Il :)

Bane of Anubis,

I kinda think the people born Pre-1980 will all be dead before e-books have completely taken over from paper books. So, you know, discomfort won't be too much of a problem. :)

True - but if we inure ourselves to it now, we won't have to roll over in our graves :)

uh-oh - UCLA's gettin' annihilated.

Damn the Bruins. If they go... I'm pretty much being handed my hat. I thought Collison and Shipp had the experience and would want to go out on a high note, living up to the last three years...

Mighty breezy here with the door open...

Darn, it's cold out here. You didn't actually have to kick me in the ass. I was leaving, I swear. Hey, where's my coat?

"Actually, a lot of people correctly predicted how those big decisions would turn out."

And a "lot" of people can refer to anything at any time. Right now for instance. You have multitudes of predictions about how things are going to turn out with our current administration. Some of them are going to be right and others are going to be wrong.

Then you are going to have the multitude who predict numerous things and some of them are going to be right.

This is not something new. You can go back to the oracles of Delphi with this argument. The fact remains, If a person does this we don't know how it would have turned out unless we lived through it. We can't just say, "If Lincoln hadn't been elected we would still have slavery." Nothing, absolutely nothing, is set in stone until it happens.

What would have happened if Clinton, Gore or Kerry had been president on 9-11? We can theorize all we want, but it's still a fantasy.

On a literary note, thank you, Nathan, for that link to the McEwan profile. It was long but definitely worth the read. I mean, a great article on David Foster Wallace and another on Ian McEwan... well, that's aces in my book. I don't know how your tourney picks are going, but you're batting fine on the linkage. Quite the slugging percentage on this week's TWIB.

Thanks,
Bryan

"I want to add that she may not delete entire queries based on an annoyance level. She may only remove the reading receipt. But nevertheless, she still seems to come from a place that is anger driven."

I can see how you'd take JR's posts that way; some people do at first.But as a longtime reader of her blog, I don't think she comes from a place that's anger driven at all. It's more of a place that's reality driven. Reality driven with respect to the publishing industry.

No one is arguing that this is anything new, Julie. But I think the examples you've given are more along the lines of conjecture - not prediction.

People who accurately predict an event usually have the information to do so. It isn't just something pulled out of the ether, nor is it an "if - what if" statement. The economist Paul Krugman predicted the meltdown of the housing bubble a couple of years before it happened. He had the numbers and he knew how to glean the information he needed to make a prediction. He didn't just say "Well, if Kerry had been president, this never would have happened." You see the difference?

This is a fascinating discussion, actually. : )

No economists in the argument, please :) - historically, they tend to predict recessions after they've begun... Too bad Krugman didn't predict the meltdown when Fannie and Freddie were ordered to loosen their lending practices in the late 90s.

We can all point fingers or we can try to Rodney King our way toward a less dismal future (I admit, pointing fingers is more fun for me :).

Nathan,

Don't know if you will answer this question this much later after the original post, but I've been thinking about this all weekend...

On Thursday (3/19), you commented:
Yeah, with the tightening marketplace I'm passing on things I might not have a few years back. I'm seeing really good stuff in my inbox, but it has to just be a 110% no brainer, "I'd walk through fire to represent this" type of situation before I can take it on.

In the case where you pass on something that's really good but the market's too tough, do you let the author know how good their writing is? Lots of times, authors submit their work to agents and, after a certain number of rejections and not knowing why their work was rejected, decide to self-publish or publish through a small indie press. I'm thinking that, if an author knew their stuff was really good but just a tough sell in the present market, maybe it would be better to put away the manuscript and resubmit it to agents when the market improves (maybe even starts booming) again. Do you think that's true? Also, if you turned down a really good manuscript only because of a tough market, would you reconsider that same manuscript after the market improved?

I can see how you'd take JR's posts that way; some people do at first.But as a longtime reader of her blog, I don't think she comes from a place that's anger driven at all. It's more of a place that's reality driven. Reality driven with respect to the publishing industry.

Up until about 6 months ago I was the State Manager for a retail chain, and in charge of all of the hiring for my state. Janet's attitude reminds me of how I felt when I was doing that. People made so many mistakes - cover letters addressed to other companies, putting the wrong phone number on their resume, having spam filters that wouldn't let my emails through, resumes in 8 point font that I couldn't read and so on and so on.

I normally received 150ish applications for every job I advertised, and it took ages to go through them. Not to mention that I had a bunch of stores to run as well, my phone was going off every 2 minutes with some problem or customer complaint, and I often had to work in the stores myself if we were short staffed.

So, the way Janet feels resonates with me. I wanted to give everyone a chance, but my feelings were that if you couldn't even get your head around sending through a readable resume addressed to the right person, were you really the sort of person who I wanted working for me? Would you be more trouble than you were worth?

Those feelings didn't come from a place of anger, they weren't petty. If anything it was disappointment that people were shooting themselves in the foot. But at the end of the day, only one person could get each job and it was my responsibility to whittle down the pile until I got there, any way I could. This, I think, is what Janet probably goes through too.

(Man, my comments are getting longer and longer... *looks up brevity in the dictionary*)

This is really one stop shop for news on publishing - very helpful.

I used the other advice - u know not responding to someone's nasties with passive aggressive etc. recently - and actually struck a chord with the person.

This is the most rich,useful and awesome blog - my no. 1

But I think the examples you've given are more along the lines of conjecture - not prediction.--

I'm going to challenge you right now to preserve ten "predictions" from experts regarding Obama's handling of the economic recovery. I want you to find five who think he is dead right and five who think he is leading a charge into further disaster.

I will do the same. In five years we can both toss out whatever "predictions" support our beliefs and say, "See, I told you so."

The problem with predictions and experts is like someone arguing the bible. You can prove anything you want if you use the right excerpts.

Ought to make for interesting reading in a completely revisionist sort of way.--

I'm curious as to whether Clinton divulged all the juicy details of cigargate in his memoir or did we get his version of it.

"I want to add that she may not delete entire queries based on an annoyance level. She may only remove the reading receipt. But nevertheless, she still seems to come from a place that is anger driven."

Not really.

Janet is pretty blunt, but that isn't the same as anger driven. Unless someone pushes her past her tolerance level.

I eavesdrop on Colleen Lindsay, Janet Rachelle Gardner and some other agents quite a bit on twitter. It's interesting to see the numbers of queries an agent approaches each day. By sheer volume, that means they have to have some sorting guidelines.

Any agent will have a "please read submission guidelines first," posted somewhere. They usually give very plain, concise instructions and, quite frequently, instructions or hints about how to write a query, synopsis, etc.

Nathan's guidelines are very good as are the other agents.

Janet is very explicit about how to submit to her.

If you can't be bothered to adhere to a very plain, detailed set of instructions about how to submit a query letter, what confidence does that instill that you can follow instructions about what a publisher wants you to do?

Think of querying as a test. Can I write a good query letter to go with my awesome novel? Can I follow instructions.

As for not posting your comment, I have my theories, but I will let Miss Janet explain if she feels the need. None of it involves kissing anyone's ring or anything else. It boils down to respect.

I can, and have, disagreed with her publicly before and we still respect each other. Like comedy, a lot of it depends on the delivery.

And, frankly, as much as I admire and respect Nathan and drool over his, "when in doubt, query," mantra, I would imagine he is about sick of my blathering. Sometimes personality also goes into the query process. That's a decision you have to make if you want to express strong opinions in public. Some people aren't going to care much for what you say.

Marjorie,

It might just depend on when you submitted your blog comment. I've noticed that it can sometimes take a few days for comments to appear on a moderated blog site, especially over the weekend. It once took quite a while for one of my comments to get posted on an agent's website...turned out his wife was giving birth shortly after I posted! I found my comment posted a week or so later. :)

Bane - this is a little OT, but Freddie/Fannie making loans to poor people was not the precipitating factor in our current financial crisis. Blaming the poor for this is like blaming, I don't know, the roadkill for getting in the way of the semi-trucks on the freeway.

In other news, I think I'm going for the iPhone for my E-Reader - just as soon as Pleco finishes development on the iPhone version of their top-notch Chinese dictionary.

I'd love a response to Marilyn's question about query feedback that rejects, yet qualifies the idea/writing/etc. as promising in other economic climes. I've received one or two responses recently that felt my idea had merit, and it definitely helped shape further querying activity, not to mention gave me some much appreciated warm fuzzies. :-)

I'm wondering if Bush's Random House book about Decision making will include appointing "Brownie" and why (don't want to get too political here)
Re the JR blog, I don't know anyone who would take a CD from some unknown and place it in their computer risking God knows what virus.
I have seen, on occassion, some AD's saying they will accept art sample submissions on CD and that just seems very strange.
I sure wouldn't take the chance on a CD in the mail.

Nathan,

Are you representing the book Pellham 1, 2, 3, or the screenplay? Re-release?

Anyway, I saw the trailer last night. The new movie looks fantastic. Can't go wrong with John Travolta and Denziel Washington.

Can I also second the motion about Marilyn's question? I was wondering the same thing.

Marjorie,

I don't know about Janet in person, but I think her persona is that of the type of 'tough' agent that you'd like to fight for you.

Moderating the space, and controlling what is said, would be part and parcel of that persona. I wouldn't take it personally.

Also, you 'published' the comment here, which is just as good.

For the record, I agree with you. I know that I'm in the minority, but I think over-focusing on the form of the query is really problematic, and agents may be unknowingly passing on something they'd really regret.

Fortunately, with self-publishing and e-books, authors have more options nowadays.

"Blaming the poor for this is like blaming, I don't know, the roadkill for getting in the way of the semi-trucks on the freeway."

It isn't blaming the poor for the Fannie/Freddie fiasco. I sold real estate for years and I specialized in the non-conventional programs for low to medium income families. I also sold my share of country club properties. Financing was my forte. Even so, I would never encourage a buyer to think about purchasing a property they couldn't afford. Most of the time, in the counseling session I encouraged the buyers to think about what would happen if they couldn't work for three months, although six months is preferable. If they can't afford to even be out of work for one month, they have no business buying a house.

The guidelines were already very generous. Un-restricting them even further and threatening banks if they didn't make loans that weren't fiscally responsible was an invitation to disaster.

Regardless of how good it looks in the polls to "help" everyone buy a home, it isn't always the best solution. If you can't afford to pay for it and maintain it, you don't need to buy.

"I don't know about Janet in person, but I think her persona is that of the type of 'tough' agent that you'd like to fight for you."

I do know Janet. She probably got tired of having yet another attack leveled on her practices in her blog by the same person.

Janet is a big proponent of following the instructions. She posts every single detail you need to submit to her. She explains at great length how to submit. I have to assume if someone is submitting things outside the guidelines they either can't read, rules don't apply to them because they are a special little snowflake or they simply don't care enough to spend a minute looking at the guidelines. Any of the above reasons should be an alarm this person is someone an agent doesn't want to deal with.

They have hundreds of queries a week. It's the author's job to apply correctly not the agent's job to correctly divine which person has a blockbuster even though that person has already demonstrated a distinct lack of respect for the industry they are trying to break into.

I linked to several agents in my blog post today. Every single one of them has very concise directions on how to submit to them. Some have gone to the trouble to even post helpful hints about correct formatting, how to write a query etc. I think they've gone above and beyond the call of duty. At some point people need to quit blaming the agents and take responsibility for stupidity.

Agents shouldn't have to post warnings about not using your laptop in the bathtub, but that is just about the point it has gotten to.

Julie,

I've read Clinton's Memoirs, and while there is a lot of great stuff in it he's also rather, ah, circumspect on certain topic. A very careful handling of some subjects (though much worth reading, still).

Ink,

I tend not to read political books or most memoirs. I read voraciously about historical figures, but not current politicians. It's rumored Mark Twain was the ghost writer for U.S. Grant's memoir or at least helped him a lot with it.

I would read it simply because I'd like to see the style and I am a Civil War buff. Plus, I think it's just incredibly sad he struggled to write the book even while battling cancer to leave his family some kind of income.

I would read Reagan's letters to Nancy, but I like reading letters.

Julie,

I don't want to get into a big argument with you, and I think you have some valid points.

Especially about the type of person an agent will want to work with. That can very much come through in the query.

However, I want to point out that if an agent passes on a 'blockbuster' because the author didn't read the instructions, the agent lost out too. Big time.

I know not everyone agrees, including Nathan, but I've said before that not everyone who can write a good book can write a good query. It's more than that. I have a friend who is an extremely good author. But she's not computer savvy. She would be happy just to be able to send a query, but clicking on links and figuring out how to do that might be beyond her.

When I first read her work, I thought to myself, this is such beautiful writing, when she's published, I bet she'll win awards.

In my opinion, it's an artificial gate-keeping device to focus so much on the query. And people on both sides miss out.

Sending the first few pages would give the agent so more information.

I was so impressed with Nathan when he changed his policy.

Marilyn:
I know my comment was not published because I know the time it was sent. Comments with time stamps later than mine are there.

And in general:
I realize literary agents have clear and specific query guidelines. But, it is the way the guidelines are enforced that reveals an anger level. I feel this is part of a transparent power trip: (sort of a: I have the power to get you published and make you a star. Now bow to me and kiss my behind and maybe I will sign you up) I have yet to see one agent who dislikes his client but yet represents him because of the quality of his work. Who is J.D. Salinger's agent? I bet that was a difficult relationship.

I know there must be many writers who agree with me, but they won't openly admit it because they want to remain off agents' sh*t list and keep their dreams alive. It's a real lemming mentality at agents' blogs. All the comments are layered with flattery and hope. I won't do it. My book is at my blog and I always have the option of self-publishing. I don't give a hoot about the money. I am a retired teacher on an excellent NYC pension. I taught sixth grade for 34 years. I do stand-up comedy in NYC comedy clubs and I can rant on a club stage, so having comments published really doesn't matter that much. I have my vent arena.

As an aside: when I was a teacher I told all my students that their work had merit. I had rules, but I never dismissed work that was submitted on a piece of paper ripped out from a spiral notebook (against my rules) instead of a piece of looseleaf paper (as I preferred). And all the work was placed on the bulletin board.

Literary agents are not elementary school teachers... but guys? You have so many options out there. Why even query an agent who will work you like her own personal marionette. It seems so stress inducing.

Aw geez. I had to delete that. I swear, I get so argumentative. It's a bad, bad habit.

Julie, you seem like an intelligent woman, who is putting a great deal of energy into her writing. That's very cool. I don't want to be all in a fight with you, so if it's alright, I'm going to stop now.

Let's agree to see this differently.

All right, Marjorie. Let's be honest. You have ripped Janet several times on her blog about what an @ss she is. Are you really surprised she finally got tired of publishing your posts?

I'm frankly surprised Nathan hasn't banned me and I don't even attack him.

You insist you are special and don't need to bow down and kiss anyone's ring because you can self-publish. No one asked you to. You don't like writing query letters? Don't write them. You want to send your work on a cd? Do it. No one will read it, even other agents, but go ahead. No one is forcing you to do anything.

I think your first rant at her was because she wants people to send her query letters and you are going to shake your fist at the "man" and be a rebel. Every agent wants query letters. This isn't Janet Reid's personal torture device. You won't hear an ad for the Reid Query Letter Rack complete with thumbscrews and iron maiden. Well, you might, but all agents have the query letter torture device, so hers would have to be special.

This isn't rocket science. If following instructions is so difficult then get in your rebel mobile and fight the system. I'm sure some agent out there somewhere will find your spunk charming. Personally, it comes across as someone who is so bullheaded they are going to be a complete pain to work with.

I've disagreed with Janet on several things, but we still maintained respect while doing so. There's the difference.

I asked her on Book Roast if she would ever consider representing epic fantasy. We had "known" each other for a while then. She said no because she didn't know enough about it to feel comfortable repping it. Fair enough. She's honest.

I already knew she didn't, but I had to ask.

I sent her a query for the SIWC query workshop. Then I ditched her workshop for another one. She sent people out looking for me and said she wanted pages. I thought she was joking. Turns out she was serious. I asked her later what she wanted me to send and she said just send the whole manuscript.

Am I all that and a bag of chips? Hardly. I worked for months on that stupid query. Plus, if you actually read her blog you will notice she no longer requests partials. If your query and sample pages interest her, she just asks for the full.

How many agents do that? If you think that is someone on a power trip, then I'm afraid publishing is going to be filled with demons for you.

Mira, I don't want to debate with you either. The Marjorie/Janet thing goes back a while and this is just the latest salvo.

Janet's a grown woman and can defend herself if she feels so inclined, but I am guessing she's tired of trying to validate the query letter system. There are just so many ways you can try to explain it.

Mira, your friend can submit to several agents w/o need of a computer. If she's use a typewriter and can send mail, there are still several agents who accept snail mail... and, it would behoove her to do some e-learning in this digital generation...

An agent could very well sacrifice the next big thing through his gatekeeper practices, but they don't have time to wade through the query slush pile to do this - if you're a writer committed to pursuing publication, you should adhere to guidelines; once you've made it big, then you can be pretentious and stick up your nose to the establishment.

OL - pretty much what Julie said... Somehow, whenever loose lending practices are brought up, somehow it's blaming the poor - it's not (it's blaming the govt for not doing its job of protecting people from themselves). But that wasn't my point either or even that F/F's loosened practices were the lone cause, though they were definitely a catalyst and to deny that is foolish; yes, there were multiple catalysts - way too many for anybody to predict what the final outcome would be or which domino was the first to begin the cascade with any certainty (as Julie alluded to)... ultimately, my point was: saying "I told you so" isn't a way to resolve anything, which is partially why our govt is inept.

Julie:
You miss my whole point. I am not against queries. Queries are necessary for an agent to determine which projects he chooses to represent. I queried Nathan. I was rejected in a professional and respectful manner. I get the process.

It is the way Janet interacts with those who query her. She chastises them and often ridicules them at her blog. I can recall a poor guy who sent her a well-intentioned but offbeat query and she posted it and used it as a vehicle for a "funny" reply. The poor guy seemed humiliated in a comment she posted at her blog.

I understand there have to be rules. It's just how the rules are applied in blog entries that seems to reveal a personal agenda.

So, I sort of feel bad for the writers who are revealed as the rule breakers who are, yes, nameless but to themselves identifiable. To use an often said quote: I feel their pain.

I can recall a poor guy who sent her a well-intentioned but offbeat query and she posted it and used it as a vehicle for a "funny" reply. The poor guy seemed humiliated in a comment she posted at her blog.--

Marjorie you got a burr under your tail about her a long time ago and it just seems like a festering wound.

I missed her posting a query on her blog and using it as a vehicle for a funny reply. She's pretty adamant about not posting queries unless it's Query Shark where people send with the intention of having them posted.

Her latest list of don'ts was don't send your work on a cd. That seems like common sense even if there weren't specific instructions about how to submit.

Telling her you don't want any money for your book. You just love to write. Why do you need an agent and how do you intend to pay said agent if you don't want money?

Don't send queries with receipts. That goes along with don't send snail-mail registered so people have to sign for it. It's
irritating and time-consuming.

Nathan's own words.

**If you are interested in submitting a project for representation, please e-mail me a query letter describing your project and the first five pages pasted directly into the body of the e-mail at [email protected]. **No attachments, please.**

Before you submit, Google the agent and the agency to try and find their submission guidelines. If you find it, go precisely by what they ask for. If you do not find any information online, the default procedure is to print out your personalized query letter, send it in the mail to the agent, and be sure and include a self-addressed stamped envelope.**

I'm going to venture a guess you followed his instructions when you submitted to him and didn't send him an attachment, a cd or a thumb drive.

Honestly, I think it's become more of a personality conflict than anything else. Perhaps it would be less stressful if you just stopped following her.

http://tinyurl.com/searching-for-author

How many agents would go to this effort to find someone who sent them a query?

corrected comment:
Julie:
The blog entry about which I was referring is dated January 27th, 2009 and is called: "Why You get Form Letters."

The guy wrote: "You may be an important person, and I may just be a c-grade Larry Flynt, but don't try to fool yourself into thinking there was anything resembling jest in your response. It was just plain mean. Small-town cop mean..."

I have met Janet. I attended the panel discussion that she moderated on Feb. 18th in NYC at the Jefferson library. I thought the evening was very interesting and enjoyable. When it was over, I introduced myself to Janet and she was charming and personable.

I just cannot stand that blog snark. I am not stressed by it at all. I just don't get why.

Mira,

I posted two entries from the point of view of one of my characters at your Come in Character blog that you announced in this thread on Friday. What a blast! I had so much fun posting comments from one of my fictional characters. Eventually, I'm going to try posting comments from some of my other characters.

Marilyn,

I saw - thanks so much! I appreciated it.

I have to be honest about the blog. On Saturday, I was out for most of the day. I was thinking, okay, this is nuts. No one will be interested, and I'm going to stress out. I'm going to delete it when I get home. Let's kill this thing early.

Then I got home and there were posts! Posts!! It was so exciting.

I was on a forum like that once. It was so much fun. And it was incredible practice for writing. I still use character voices I developed on that forum.

Anyway, sorry to go on, but you caught me at the right psychological moment.

Anyway, thanks for posting and letting me know that you enjoyed it. :-)

Mira,

You may end up having a blog that grows quickly. Give authors a chance to talk about their writing, or to speak once again in the voice of characters they spent so much time bringing into the world...and, well, you might just never get us to shut up. :) I love that you're going to post questions that characters can answer. This will be so much fun!

Mira, Books and Writers just had a writer's exercise where the author had appointments with a psychiatrist, played by some mods.

It was a fascinating character study. I'm going to predict the blog will be a huge success.

Julie

Julie and Marilyn,

I hope you're right. I'd like to recreate the experience that I had on that other forum for other writers (and myself.)

I'm open to any suggestions, by the way. I was thinking of posting questions, but also challenges. (Example challenge: post anti-character. What would your character never say?) Things like that.

I don't want to take up too much space on Nathan's blog, but I do want to thank Nathan. I'd never have gotten even one participant without being able to post it here.

I'm all excited. Can you tell?
:-)

Marjorie -

I must echo what Nathan said re the CD. Sending a manuscript and query on CD is a singular mark of someone who doesn't take his or her writing career very seriously.

'Nuff said.

Colleen (who deleted her previous comment because she is apparently unable to cut and paste like a normal human being...)

Re: Janet Reid's blog entry (which is taking up a whole lot of comment space--this one included--for a topic that wasn't even part of Nathan's post).

Some writers may read agents' blogs religiously because they find agents dreamy (Each and every one of them! Oh, squeal!). Or perhaps it's because agents are, as a rule, erudite to the point of titillation. Agent porn. Awesome.

I'd wager, however, that the bulk of agent-blog readers (a good 53.5% or more, by my calculations) are looking for info on how to join the ranks of the forever-not-unpublished. So learn or don't learn, but WTF?

If an agent says "don't send me a CD, which goes against my clearly posted submission guidelines, as it will be tossed out," then save yourself the price of the disc and added postage and just send it off to Al's House O' Agents. Janet Reid doesn't want it, and she's taken the time to spare you that foible.

And the old "a Pulitzer winner could be languishing in the hoards of inappropriate submissions" chestnut is old and tired. Future Puliter winners are either 1) intelligent enough to learn the process, or 2) already (or soon to be) identified, and will find themselves on the radars of professors, journalists, other writers, etc. The genius in mother's attic may exist and may be overlooked, but they existed and were overlooked before Janet posted her "CDs will be thrown out" edict.

Yeah, and when all the bantering bs is set aside and the guidelines are strictly followed by the querying masses... you still have agents who are transparently high on their own sense of power and prove it in the style of their entries at their own personal blogs.

'Nuff said. At least for now.

I'm sorry, but I'm sensitive to the whole, "the Government MADE those banks issue bad loans to irresponsible poor people!" argument. I'll agree bad loans were a major factor, but it had a lot more to do with banks that went way beyond any government mandates and issued loans that were out-and-out-fraudulent (and at times usurious) than it did with trying to extend credit to working and middle class people.

I could go on (and on) but I've already taken this way off-topic, so I'll shut up now.

Back on topic, I don't know if sending a query/MS on CD is an example of someone who does not take his/her career seriously, but it certainly is an example of someone who is seriously deluded about the business he/she is trying to enter.

Good luck to you, Marjorie!

The govt didn't make them, but it encouraged them. And the banks were greedy, too, and irresponsible... The blame can readily be shared across the spectrum, but the govt's got the fastest and biggest horse in the race.

Freakin' brackets - should have gone w/ the s.q. 1,2,3,4 (except for AZ and Purdue it would have been nearly prfct)... Darn you Marquette and USC for your big feet.

Julie, I wouldn't try to find opposing predictions because it goes against the whole point of why I'm trying to find or make the prediction in the first place. I'm trying to be accurate (and thus figure out what I believe), not save that prediction for the future use to say "I told you so."

The importance of accuracy is so that we prevent repeating the same mistakes we made in the past. Yes, yes, I know. History repeats itself. But that's no reason to throw up our hands and claim predictions are useless. I think we still have to try to predict, even if those guesses turn out to be off-base. The trick is to not make the same mistake again and again and again, or worse - never admit you made a mistake in the first place. You can say it's easy now for people to point that out as it pertains to Bush (or any other past president, for that matter), but there were plenty of people who pointed out his mistakes "in the midst of the battle," as you put it. No one listened because they had no political clout, but it turns out they really did know what they were talking about.

Certainly there are times when we gotta just throw the spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. But that's not a method I'd want to rely on all the time.

That's all I'm sayin'.

You mean someone sends a CD to all the agents? hell why when spamming 100 with a bcc is much simpler.

I'm sorry I mean no rudeness but Colleen is a man? Lindsay is a woman's name too right?

I'm sorry I mean no rudeness but Colleen is a man? Lindsay is a woman's name too right?

Colleen is a woman. Where did you get she's a man? I know for a fact she's a woman. She cleaned her bathroom today.

Here's a link to a phenomenal article by Matt Taibbi about the Wall Street meltdown:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/
story/26793903/the_big_takeover

Re: Military hindsight being 20/20, and so on - Donald Rumsfeld himself believed he had 20/20 military vision (like night vision goggles I wonder? Special military issue hindsight goggles?). Rumsfeld believed the mistake of Viet Nam, why we didn't "win," was that there were too many casualties, which caused too much protest at home, etc. So his idea was, to cut down on casualty rate (and therefore have a "successful" invasion) by only having what he called a "light footprint" in Iraq - really ramp up the use of high tech, keep down the number of "boots on the ground" (I HATE that phrase - also "embedded with the troops," "light footprint," militaryspeak, I hate it, hate it) - less boots, less casualties, voila! we can stay there forever! Also reason for policy of no photos of soldiers returning in caskets.

The point being, generals (Secretary of Defenses, etc) are constantly making judgments about past wars and drawing conclusions, which they then apply to future wars. Do they always agree? No. Were there military people who BEFORE the troops even invaded, saying the "light footprint" theory (and it is a theory) wouldn't work? Yes. Were they listened to? No.

So it's not as simple a division as the military on one side and "newspapers" on the other. As well, the US mass media was busy banging out what they called (another bit of ugly militaryspeak) the "drumbeat of war" for Iraq - all a matter of public record, not opinion.

I look forward to a number of books dissecting what went wrong in Iraq - and also books that link "philosophically" the Iraq and Wall Street disasters. Here's a link to an interview with Naomi Klein, author of "The Shock Doctrine":

http://www.naomiklein.org/
meet-naomi/interviews/
monday-magazine

Finally, here's how I understand the "great mistake" Robert E. Lee ought to have been referencing -

[W]e made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We thought it was okay to own other human beings. --Robert E. Lee

Just sign me -

Not a fan of Gone With the Wind

Julie,

That CLindsay picture looks like a man to me.. just confused..

I don't believe I've ever been rendered by a blog comment before.

I'm feeling kerflummoxed and may need to go lie down for a spell...

Hello Nathan. Soo off the post topic, but I thought you may be interested in this weekend's Authonomy happenings, as I am sure we are all interested to see where the brave new world of internet slush piles is heading.

A group of gamers following a guy who calls himself Klazart, flashmobbed the site. He is backed by 880 people, and on 233 watchlists. He is now ranked nineth. Not bad considering he only posted his ms on the 19th. Of course the flood managed to jam the site and create an enormous uproar.

I have heard of flash mobs being used as cheap promotion for books, but this is the first time I have heard of it being used for an ms. I've been oblivious to this whole gaming thing. I can't help but wonder if bloggers with large fan bases won't follow suit and swarm other sites. Just pondering what kind of worms are in that can that has now been opened.

I sort of hate to give this more attention taht it has already received over at Autho, but I think essentially the meat of the issue is: Will a large fan base and potential sales triumph over quality writing. You can't have more than 900 fans willing to take the time to sign up to a site in support of you and not garner some attention, while brilliant works float in the oblivion of higher numbers. Thank goodness there is still the traditional route, which looks a lot prettier over at Autho this weekend.

Enough rambling. Just thought there were some implications here you may be interested in.

[W]e made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We thought it was okay to own other human beings. --Robert E. Lee

Ah, I love it.

Perhaps you would like to know the truth?

The last civil war generals to own slaves were...union generals. William T. Sherman for one who didn't free his until late in 1865, months after the end of the war.

Of course, the emancipation proclamation only freed slaves in the south not the north so they didn't need to.

There are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil. --Robert E. Lee

And in the same letter he wrote in 1856.

Is it not strange that the descendants of those Pilgrim Fathers who crossed the Atlantic to preserve their own freedom have always proved the most intolerant of the spiritual liberty of others?--Robert E. Lee

Lee advocated not only freeing slaves, but also that the slave owners should educate them so they could properly support themselves once freed. Lee wrote more than one editorial before the war about slavery and how he felt it should be abolished. He freed his wife's slaves, which had been inherited with her plantation, in 1862.

Julie,

Is it kinda getting a bit late for u? or are you suggesting writers are like slaves? Come on then thats not fair, slaves are wanted!

..and what was this blog post about again!

'The taking of Pelham 123' sounds like a v powerful title. Intriguing. Best wishes!

I read your comments on the link you provided on self publishing review and your honesty and dedication to books and authors is touching. I was really moved by some of your statements there. I wish you so so sooooo very well!

But then why did Robert E. Lee head the Confederate Army? That's kind of a sticking point for me, regardless of his personal views and behavior. I mean there are tons of examples throughout history of military people aiding and abetting injustice...for all the militarily "right" reasons...

Don't know if such a book has been written yet, but I'd love to see an alternative history novel about Robert E. Lee changing his mind and heading on up North to help the Union Army defeat the Confederate Army. You could call it, "The Liberation of Robert E. Lee." It could start out he's looking in some mirror in some hideout in New York City (he hasn't made his presence known to the authorities yet), and he says: "Haven't felt so good in years."

Robert E. Lee stayed with his home state of Virginia, Arlington National Cemetary was once his home...

Morgan

But then why did Robert E. Lee head the Confederate Army?--

He was asked to command the union armies and considered it. However, he loved Virginia and could not turn against his family, home and friends. He did not accept the position in the Confederate army to maintain slavery. The states seceded over states rights, slavery was a secondary issue.

The point remains, your amended quote was completely against what and who he was.

My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union.--Abraham Lincoln to Horace Greely

Lee was not the only one who loved his home and country.

This was a very complex issue.

I'd love to see an alternative history novel about Robert E. Lee changing his mind and heading on up North to help the Union Army defeat the Confederate Army.--

As I said in the other post. Lee was offered command of the Union army and declined. He was an officer in Texas when the war broke out. All but one well-known Civil War general served in Texas, so they were friends and fellow soldiers who mostly chose to defend their homes and families.

Nathan-

I'm with the majority here...your blog is a terrific source of news, and positive to boot. Now, is that enough flattery so that when I sent my submission, it'll get right to the top of the pile? :-)

Seriously, no flattery needed here. Great stuff. I read this blog at work, too...(!) Only in free moments. Honest.

Janny

P.S. Verification word: "urdst." Love it. Sounds like a description of Monday. "It's an udrst day here on the job..."

Re: "The point remains, your amended quote was completely against what and who he was."

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on "what and who" Robert E. Lee was, even given the further information you provided.

Also as a writer, I kind of cringe at phrases like "love of home and country" and "defend their homes and families." Too much like boiler plate to me.

I also read a review yesterday about a new biography of Ida B. Wells - I wonder what her take on Robert E. Lee was.

http://www.freep.com/article
/20090322/FEATURES05
/903220309/1025/rss05

W]e made a great mistake in the beginning of our struggle, and I fear, in spite of all we can do, it will prove to be a fatal mistake. We thought it was okay to own other human beings. --Robert E. Lee

Wanda, that was your original quote. Now if you want to automatically assume anyone from the south supported slavery and everyone from the north opposed it, that's a pretty erroneous assumption.

Lincoln said he would do whatever it took to preserve the union, including not freeing one slave and Lee said he could not bear to rise up against Virginia. Perhaps there was a bit more love for their homes and country then, I don't know. However, inserting your comments about him supporting slavery was wrong.

Regardless, even those Lee's views are well documented, I doubt you will change your mind so I am not going to waste my breath. I would just suggest in the future not putting words in a person's mouth that are completely contrary to character.

Yanno, it would help if, even on a Monday, I could have typed well enough to not make one, but two, errors in one post....

I promise I type better in "real life." Honest.

(sigh)

Janny

I love your number (3).
And of course the picture...and the matching title.

I'm hoping to see Ian McEwan as he's going to be speaking on my campus next month.

You don't know how much your son's friends are going to love you for those brownies. One of my neighbor's mothers makes the best brownies.

PJ... :)

Liv: Oh, I hope you are right (about those brownies). And about McEwan: Do go and see him. I saw him a few years ago on the Bryn Mawr campus—the room packed out, the lighting interesting on his face. He was captivating. Very genuine.

I like #4. I often turn to reading as a way to escape the long to-do list. Especially when the to-do list involves washing the dishes. :)

It all depends on whether I show up early enough for a seat.

Yes! I love that quote!

And, as always, I love this post...

XO

Anna

Chasing birds at windows, the world opening for a moment, reading what you were meant to when you most need to, getting a handle on what makes you envy...
life is gorgeous.

I decided to read some Blaylock because my wife loves his work, and I'm a fan of Tim Powers. I picked up Winter Tides, but it's been slow going. I'm not a horror reader and it's taken me all of March to get about 1/3 in.

ICE STATION, by Matt Reilly.

At the moment I'm really into the Repairman Jack novels by F. Paul Wilson (there are ten of them). He tells an exciting on- the-edge-of-your-seat story that only gets better as it goes along.

I'm also reading Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner (Includes Author's Book of Shadows) for research for my next book. What strange places we writers go for the sake of the story.

TWISTED by Laurie Halse Anderson and ALCATRAZ VERSUS THE EVIL LIBRARIANS by Brandon Sanderson and SKIN HUNGER by uh, I can't remember right now.

Oh, Enduring Love. Another great one by Ian McEwan.

I'm busy reading the newest translation of War and Peace for the first time. It's definitely LONG but incredible.

Enduring Love is great. Have you read Black Dogs? Even better -- and short. I'm reading the whole Len Deighton Bernard Samson chronicle now --
Berlin Game, Mexico Set, London Match, Winter, Spy Hook, Spy Line, Spy Sinker; Faith, Hope & Charity

ten books that take you from the end of world war one to the fall of the Berlin Wall, packed with fascinating characters, sharp description, gritty tradecraft and complex plot twists. A drastically underrated writer. These books are the equal of LeCarre's best.

SLAM by Nick Horby.

Everyone has to read it. It's like Sammy, the main character, is talking to you. It's so painfully honest. It's very wonderful insight into the boy's mind. Before that it was THE ALMANAC obviously. Hense why I swept the Jepoardy board.

Nathan you're always reading Iam McEwan! The last one of his that I read was ON CHESIL BEACH. It was brilliant. Thank you for the head up on that by the way.

MUSICOPHILIA by Oliver Sacks.

Amazing. He manages to be a great storyteller within all the highly scientific stuff that I might not be intelligent enough to understand... So it's been a slow read.

And yeah. Getting story ideas.

*Hornby

Short Trip to the Edge: Where Heaven Meets Earth--A Pilgrimage by Scott Cairns. A memoir of a man who went to Mount Athos (a completely monastic peninsula in Greece) in search of prayer, and found it. A beautiful book.

The last fiction I read that I really enjoyed was Elizabeth Berg's Katie trilogy (Durable Goods, Joy School, True to Form). Also her Pull of the Moon.

Exposure, by Kurt Wenzel, after which I'm going to read Gotham Tragic. Also, a bunch of werewolf/vampire books for my next few projects.

I'm reading RATS SAW GOD, by Rob Thomas (he who created the TV series Veronica Mars). RATS was his debut YA novel, published in 1996. It's fantastic.

For work I'm reading a book on Persian linguistics. Yay for fricatives.

Adaora A., I really enjoyed SLAM, too. Even my non-YA-reading husband enjoyed it. I told him it was a Nick Hornby book, but skipped the YA designation until he was about halfway through.

I read Skin Hunger, by Kathleen Duey, a while back and found it riveting. Very original and dark.

I just finished Airman, by Eoin Colfer and really enjoyed it. I'm ready for some grown-up reading, so this list will come in handy!

Yeats: Selected Poetry.
Also, Imagining Anne: the Island Scrapbook of L.M.Montgomery by Elizabeth Rollins Epperly
(a suprise Spring present)

Just finished Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Pretty good, fun read.

@natalie - INK EXCHANGE is coming out soon...next month actually. Just a heads up.

A CURSE DARK AS GOLD
by Elizabeth C. Bunce

...just finished it and because I loved this creepy but beautiful and romantic retelling of Rumpelstiltskin so, so much, I'm now reading JANE EYRE(yes, for the first time evah!!).

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

I just started Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard. The beginning was slow, but now I can't stop reading.

Ha! Caught me at a funny time.

Reading "The Once and Future Celt", due out in a month at Scarletta Press (and I highly recommend it as a memoir).

Also reading through the "Warriors" series by Erin Hunter so that I know what my daughter is reading. :-)

IN FOR THE KILL - John Lutz with CONSENT TO KILL - Vince Flynn on top of the stack.

Two currently: Kim Harrison's "The Outlaw Demon Wails," an urban fantasy; and
Denise Shiffman's "The Age of Engage: Reinventing Marketing."

Young Goodman Brown and other short stories- - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Then on to Edgar Allen Poe :)

SMONK by Tom Franklin. Fun fun fun...

Fanny Kemble A Passionate Victorian

By Margaret Armstrong

The Uses of Enchantment, by Heidi Julavits

Ines of My Soul, by Isabel Allende--historical fiction account of the conquest of Chile through the eyes of a Ines Suarez, a conquistador in her own right as well as the mistress of Pedro de Valdivia.

It took a little slogging for me to get involved in the story (lazy American reader that I am), but once engaged it held me spellbound.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. I'm about eight years late to the party and if I don't read it, they're going to take away my reader's card. But I'm loving it.

@kate h -- The Pull of the Moon was one of my favorites for a long time. I need to reread it.

I am laughing because I am reading...should I be paying you Royalties??? I am printing out some of your info and I stopped to read *How To Write A Synopsis*. Like you, I have wondered what a Synopsis actually is because I have seen the word used for a bunch of dif Agents, and they have dif definitions. Next week (actually the end of this week) I am going to redo a Query and send them out. Is this where you get on your knees and beg me for a Query Nathan? ha ha...I am half way through writing my book for the last time. God help anyone that suggests they find an error (my streets are gold, honest)

I just finished TREASURE ISLAND, which I loved! Just starting ARTHUR AND GEORGE, by Julian Barnes.

CIVILWARLAND IN BAD DECLINE by George Saunders

He is clearly one of the most underappreciated writers of our time.

The Ruins, by Scott Smith.

LOVE it.

I just started reading ENCHANTER by Sara Douglass after finishing SEEKER by Jack McDevitt.

Next it's on to several works of the Hugo nominees that I haven't read yet, so I can make an informed vote and all that. :-)

I'm reading CLANDESTINE, an early James Ellroy. It's interesting to see his style in its early development. There are many things that have changed, yet many things remain consistent with his later work.

I recently enjoyed the first two books of a trilogy, BUST and SLIDE, co-written by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr, as recommended to me by Chris F Holm. Great, trashy, nasty, funny neo-noir from the Hard Case Crime imprint. Well worth checking out if you like hard-boiled fiction.

This "what are you reading" question, reminds me of the book CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET by Sophie Kinsella (my personal favorite of hers). Emma pretends she's reading one by Jane Austen and a vile co-worker says she's reading an original work in French. It's funny how they were trying to use books to make themselves look bigger then they are. Here are most of us, actually writing them. Funny.

I'm working on two or three at the moment (yes, I lose track of them all).
Counting my Humanities reading, I'm doing Symposium by Plato, and "Goblin Market" by Christina Rosetti in English...I'll be reading The Left Hand of Darkness soon, which I'm looking forward to.
In non-school related reading, I'm on The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson, and I'm loving that one! I'll read Jinx by Meg Cabot next, which I'm really looking forward to.
Hitching Rides With Buddha by Will Ferguson (go, Canadian authors, go!) is awesome, if you haven't read it. I met him in September and he's really nice, too. Hehe
ManiacScribbler

@ Adaora, *sucking in breath* you mean you don't take we writers seriously??? lol, well, I never...

Nice to see somebody mention Scott Cairns. His "The Theology Of Doubt" is one of my favorite poetry books.

As for my own reading, last year I tracked my reading and made a game of it, and that made me a little more disciplined about reducing the number of books I read at once. I'm not doing that this year, so my pile of current reads is getting big.

My main reads at the moment are The Grapes of Wrath (a great example of how to do omniscient POV right to get the big picture while still remaining close to the main character), The Canterbury Tales (original language edition, of course--the language is at least half the fun), Make A Scene, Emotional Structure (for screen writers, but very useful for fiction writers as well), and The Everything Guide To Magazine Writing. There's other stuff mixed in as well, but the last few days, I've usually reached for one of these.

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, by Phillipa Gregory; FAIREST by Gail Carson Levine, THE DOOR IN THE HEDGE by Robin McKinley, and somewhere in there I'm going to start THE ROAD by Cormac McCarthy soon. I like to read a lot of books at once (I keep one or two in each room of the house to read whenever I go into that room) and read sporadically, sometimes only a page or two, sometimes several chapters at a time. As you can see, I like variety!

ONCE UPON A TIME ON THE BANKS - Cathie Pelletier.

Wicked funny book. These characters will stay with you forever.

Nathan, have you gotten to the scene in the restaurant yet? Harrowing! Don't worry, I won't spoil it. That opener with the balloon was quite the unique set-piece.

I always thought ENDURING should be required reading in my forensic psychology classes.

You might enjoy CEMENT GARDEN as well. I thought it was a terrific first novel.

I just stopped reading THE COMMONER (sorry, Ello) about halfway through it. Just picked up Orange Prize nominee, THE KEEP by Jennifer Egan. Interesting so far (I'm on page 4). I'm also waiting on the Washington Irving bio, penned by Jonathan Lyon's client.

These are, of course, all library books.

GILEAD by Marilynne Robinson.

BLUE NOON (3rd book in the Midnighter's series) by Scott Westerfeld.

THE FALL by Albert Camus.

Wow, what a weird group of novels. LOL. One's for class, another for a reading group, and the YA's for fun.

step back a notch Scott, I am still scratching my head at Old English and am totally accepting that, yup, these are the people I descended from

A Guinea Pig's History of Biology by Jim Endersby.

The too cute title was a mistake and because of it I almost missed a really interesting history of how geneticists (and protogeneticists) have used various organisms, from evening primroses to phages to reveal bits and pieces of the process by which genes work.

Excellent read for those of you who enjoy well-written history of science.

I'm reading two novels at the moment:

My mother sent me Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Interesting take on the Circus biz/life. She's done a lot of research.

My book group is reading Talk Talk by T.C. Boyle. So far I am enjoying it!

"Black Widow" by Randy Wayne White.

So far so good. Very engaging.

Also, on the nonfiction front:

"House of Rain" by Craig Childs. It's a little dense, but beautifully written, albeit a bit odd. Childs basically wandered around the southwest for a few years visiting Anasazi ruins and interviewing archaeologists to get a grip on what happened to them. Fascinating, but it covers a lot of ground.

Beowulf and The Hounds of Baskerville might prove interesting

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky and Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo.

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks--quite entertaining so far: nice, dark-humored MG book

Safekeeping, Abigail Thomas - a strange, beautiful bird that one.

I just lost a friend a few days ago. The form distracts me, and the content keeps me company.

Anyone else a fan?

@ Mellissalo...I lost my nearest and closest friend 28 years ago. I stepped out of my person not even realizing it until this past year. Face the pain and always cherish the memory of that friend first and foremost...don't lose yourself, allow diversions but stay grounded

REFRESH, REFRESH by Ben Percy. Just finished TREE OF SMOKE a few days ago and COLTRANE weeks before that.

A short-story collection, Harrowing the Dragon, by Patricia McKillip. If you like fantasy at all and haven't read her you're missing out. Her prose is so gorgeously crafted.

Enduring Love is my favorite McEwan. (BTW: If you love McEwan, you'd probably also like Kate Atkinson if you haven't read her yet.)

I just finished "The Monsters of Templeton," by Lauren Groff, which was a completely fun first novel. And I just started Laura Lippman's newest novel. Also re-reading Nabokov's "Pale Fire" for the class I'm teaching this semester. Good times all around.

THE LULLABY by Sarah Dessen

As market research for the YA novel I am writing.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. She breaks all the rules - omniscient narrator, head-hopping, lots of telling - and does so absolutely magnificently. It's a keeper.

In my to-read pile, among others: The Longevity Thesis by Jennifer Rahn, Liar's Diary by Patry Francis, Stones of my Accusers by Tracy Groot.

Bloggers...
How often do you read books in your target genre for market research while writing/editing your own book? Do you find that it helps you in writing to get into that frame of mind (i.e. other YA books helping you think like a teen)? Or does it distract you away from your own voice?

Nathan,
Would you recommend it to your authors? Or to unpublished authors? Does it help to mention to a potential agent that you are well-read in your target genre?

DEAD OVER HEELS by MaryJanice Davidson

Had to know how Betsy and Eric's New York honeymoon/shoe shopping trip got fubar'd.

Recently, I read:
"Saving Fish From Drowning" -Amy Tan
I thought the characters and story undeveloped and the book longish too much like a tour that could have been tightened. It bored me.

"Oh My Stars" by Lorna Landvik
It knocked my socks off. Wow.

Thirteen Moons" by Charles Frazier
He also wows me!! This book made me grow with his protagonist! What a full on characterization! I only wished he would have done the same for the female, who he keeps cloaked.

Usually I read 3-20 books at a time.

Currently I am reading:

"The Truth" - Terry Pratchett
I am SUCH a fan!

"Living Your Unlived Life"-Robert Johnson and Jerry Ruhl
"Ecstasy" - Robert Johnson
(above two are Jungian nonfiction)

and
"In the Night Garden" by Catherynne Valente
(because a friend recommended it, but have to say,it is tense, requires a LOT from the reader to keep up with the constantly changing story, and this book could serve as example of the constant overuse of simile, that I now understand, can, even when well suited to a read, exhaust the reader.)

BTW, Nathan, I always gleam a new reading list from these blogposts!
Thanks!!

To Anonymous,
Yes. When writing a YA novel, I read a whole bunch of YA. Not exclusively, though. Reading popular YA is research. Reading great authors in general is inspiring. I have certain authors I pull off the shelf whenever I need to hear a strong, well-defined voice. Ian McEwan is one such writer. So is Sherwood Anderson, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They get my mind turning on a more creative level.

As for what I'm reading right now, Away by Amy Bloom. I took a personal writer's trip to Orcas Island last week, and Away jumped off the bookshelf, wrapped its legs around me and wouldn't let go. I have to finish it because I feel silly walking around this way.

I recently read The Old Man and The Sea by Earnest Hemingway.

It was long overdue.

The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont

I'm in the middle of Spillane's I, The Jury, and I've got Roxanne St. Claire's First You Run on deck.

The Road.

Just finished The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer, during which I found myself LOL-ing a lot. My poor husband got to hear a lot of passages until he finally relented to read it himself.

I don't usually read more than one book at a time, but currently I am reading Bram Stoker's Dracula and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Weird combination, huh? I guess I'm in a yin and yang mood.
Chris

@Jacky - LOL! No...what I meant, was that people who aren't big readers - as most writers/agents/publishers/random people - tend to be, have to join the 'office writing pool' of sorts at work, they fib. It's a COLES NOTES sort of thing. I adore Sophie Kinsella.

I'm about 12 pages from the end of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Amazing book! The kind I'd love to write.

On the note of Sophie Kinsella,

My next book to be read will be REMEMBER ME? Has anyone picked it up yet? It's her latest, and it looks amazing - as per usual.

Chock full of fuzzy memory, cocktails, a hottie husband, 10 millions + dollars, and Louis Vuitton. Therefore, it has to be good.

Admittedly, that famously dodgy $20,000 or so patchwork bag by Louis Vuitton was so ugly it couldn't have been dreamed up; Louis Vuitton is Louis Vuitton.

The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. It's probably the most beautifully written book I've ever read, and I've gone through most of the Booker Prize winners and half the pultizers

Last night I finished reading Hades' Daughter by Sara Douglass. Today as I visited my local library I saw a copy of volume 2 of the series God's Concubine for sale in hard cover. I snapped it up and plan on reading it soon.

It is epic fantasy with loads of Greek Mythology entwined in the story.

I loved it.

Linda

:) glad to make you laugh Adaora...
we are all aspiring to create an environment that people will want to escape in, I hope I get the honor to achieve that

glad to make you laugh Adaora...
we are all aspiring to create an environment that people will want to escape in, I hope I get the honor to achieve that ;)

Recently read -
DUMA KEY by Stephen King (loved it!)
CHANGE OF HEART by Jodi Picoult (excellent!)
THE MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON by Lauren Groff (enjoyed it)
OBEDIENCE by Will Lavender (Could not put it down!)
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks (just started but like so far)

I just finished GRIMSPACE by Ann Aguirre, a fabulous scifi, that is going on my top reads of 2008, and am now reading MADHOUSE by Rob Thurman, the third in the series about two brothers in NY that fight against creepie crawlies that nightmares are made of. Love Rob's writing!!

I'm reading Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, because I finally hit a point where I'd read enough stuff that quoted Nietzsche, paraphrased Nietzsche, referenced Nietzsche or mocked Nietzsche that I figured it was about time I got some primary source knowledge.

I recently finished Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, which is about the impact of new networks on the way we communicate. It might be of particular interest to anyone in the publishing industry, because it faces the changing definition of "publish."

I just finished 'Slip of the Knife' by Denise Mina - the 3rd in a series about Paddy Meehan. Mina also writes about character Maureen O'Donnell, three in this series too. Talk about character driven novels - these are incredible, set in Scotland, a definite must read if you like mystery/ suspense type stuff.
strong 5*

I'm finally getting around to reading Robert Jordan's THE EYE OF THE WORLD. Fantasy is the genre I write, and I thought it was high time I checked out Jordan's work. I have to say I'm underwhelmed, though; I'll finish this one, but I won't be reading the rest in the series.

I'm also reading a book on deserts for novel research, THE RIGHT TO WRITE by Julia Cameron (recommended if you like that sort of writing book), and THE ART OF WAR by Sun Tzu.

Next up is SOLITAIRE by Kelley Eskridge.

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes.

I italicize instead of all-caps. I'm MLA that way.

I was reading the second Squad book by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (KILLER SPIRIT) for this site I'm a reviewer for. Interesting promise, albeit a little ... familiar?, but the writing didn't match up. Too matter-of-fact when it should've been flamboyant.

I'm doing a big book order soon, and amongst those are:

- THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher (It sounds amazing!)
- STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr (Again, sounds amazing!)
- LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green (I've heard so many great things about him and this book, so...!)
- DEVILISH by Maureen Johnson (Because she's awesome. It'll be my first book by her; it was the one that appealed most to me.)
- SECOND HELPINGS and CHARMED THIRDS by Megan McCafferty (LOVED the first book. Mustgetmore.)

(I'm almost an exclusive YA reader, it seems. :D)

And I wish I could get CHANGE OF HEART by Jodi Picoult, but I'll have to wait for the paperback--the hardback is too expensive here in Brazil. :( I love Jodi, though. I own almost all of her books.

- Steph

Wow. I went to Amazon.com and read the excerpt of Enduring Love and am hooked. Language and Story.

Just like Beth, and a lot of others it seems, I like to read many books at once. And I do keep a few in each room for ease.

I am currently reading A YEAR IN PROVENCE by Peter Mayle, SIR THURSDAY by Garth Nix (book 4 in his Keys to the Kingdom series), CHRIST THE LORD: ROAD TO CANA by Anne Rice (book 2 in the series), LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding (because I've never read it!), THE AMBER SPYGLASS by Philip Pullman, and THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH by Norton Juster (because I love it and will never tire of it). I'm enjoying them all so far, though I'm not entirely sure about the Anne Rice book. I do admire her courage for writing Jesus in the first person, however.

DUST by Elizabeth Bear

Nonfiction: Confessions of a Political Hitman, by Stephen Marks. Fascinating and somewhat terrifying account of the daily work of a Republican "opposition researcher" (read: negative campaign dirt-digger).

Fiction: Dashiell Hammett, The Dain Curse. Hammett never gets old. Also just finished Red Cat by Peter Spiegelman. Pretty good.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS

For the 50th time : )

ALL THE KING'S MEN by Robert Penn Warren. Modernism with a capital 'M'. Moral Ambiguity and Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all! Muahahaha!

MOMMIES WHO DRINK, by Brett Paesel,and PUTTING YOUR PASSION INTO PRINT by Arielle Eckstut & David Henry Sterry (rereading chaps 2 & 3).

501 Minutes to Christ, by Poe Ballantine---endorsed by Thomas Aquinas *and* Barabbas!

If you read only one essay, read "Blessed Meadows for Minor Poets."

Linda

I am all about Jasper Fforde. Brilliant.

"Regeneration" by Pat Barker. The first in her WWI trilogy. One of them won the Booker.

I'm still too early in to offer an opinion.

I just put down A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb and picked up The Brightonomicon by Robert Rankin. The first was a well done love story from the perspective of a ghost. The latter is a silly romp pretending to be... uh... science fiction?

TITUS GROAN (first in the GORMENGHAST trilogy), Mervyn Peake.

I've been on a bit of a history kick lately. I just finished Claudius The God by Robert Graves, and now I'm reading the nonfiction book Ike & Monty by Norman Gelb.

Kathryn Harrison's SEEKING RAPTURE. I have read several of her books and although they often explore very disturbing issues, her writing is first rate.

Anybody who can get me completely engrossed in the execution of a tick is an amazing writer. After I read that, I was like I can't believe she sucked me into the scene like that!!

love robert jordan and jasper fforde too

SIR THURSDAY by Garth Nix
HELLBOY Seeds of Destruction
BLINK Malcolm Gladwell

CHARMED AND DEADLY by Candace Havens, lots of fun =)

THE UNCOMMON READER by Alan Bennett. Queen Elizabeth II meets the local bookmobile.

hey nathan! i'm reading a graphic novel and some military nonfiction:

Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
and
The Fighting 69th: One Remarkable National Guard Unit's Journey from Ground Zero to Baghdad by Sean Michael Flynn

Fic: Plowed through Harlan Coben's "The Innocent." His pacing's almost a bit too fast, but it kept me from pondering the thin spots.

Just picked up Pete Hammill's "Forever."

Nonfic: "The Stuff of Thought" by Stephen Pinker. (Glad to see somebody's reading the Guinea Pig's History of Biology; I'm waiting for it to come into the library)

>Jackie said...
>
> step back a notch Scott, I am
>still scratching my head at Old
>English and am totally accepting
>that, yup, these are the people I
>descended from

Old English is fun to try to sort out. I've read Beowulf at least once a year (skipping a year here and there) for a long, long time. I read it in modern translations, but i also like to play around with the original. I used to be better at it, but I can still work my way through sections for the fun of it.

Speaking German helps, and so does understanding the sound shifts that have taken place over the centuries.

But it's work. Chaucer's Middle English is pretty easy for me (again, German helps). Other ME authors, especially earlier ones, are tougher, but enjoyable. The thing about Chaucer in the original, is that the guy was often very ironic and funny, and modernizations don't always pick that up because they have to miss double meanings.

OK, I guess I sound like a boring English nerd right about now. But I love language, and I have fun with it.

"King Dork" by Frank Portman, just finished reading "Feed" by M.T. Anderson, also reading anything and everything having to do with extraterrestrials.

LOVING SABOTAGE by Amélie Nothomb. And THE BOOK OF BOSWELL: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A GYPSY by Silvester Gordon Boswell, which I bought second hand, and can only read in short stints because it reeks of cigarette smoke. Otherwise, it’s amazing!!

Making Fiends by Maureen Child-light and funny.
The Chase by Clive Cussler- pretty good so far.
Judgment by Peter and Paul Lalonde Strange.
The Curious Incident of the dog int he night-time by Mark Haddon-given to me by my daughter, barely started.
Thats all for this week. There's just not enough time for all the books in this world.

I am not reading anything at the moment. I'm YouTubing the Metal Gear Solid series and watching Foyle's War. Metal Gear Solid is a little loopy, in more than one way, but Foyle's War is outstanding.

I know this doesn't exactly answer the question, but I thought I'd post it anyway. I'm not reading, but I'm still getting a regular dose of story, which is what I think counts.

this is sort of random. sorry. although i am going to read Eva Schloss's 'The Promise' tomorrow on the plane.

but the plane - that's just it. i'm one of the query crit master's willing victims :) and i won't get to read what he's going to say for several days - maybe a week or so - since I'm out of the country. so thanks a BUNCH - a huge bunch - Nathan, for doing this! it will not only help me, but other people, too. I know I've learned a lot from your previous query critiques. thanks in advance :)

(attn: Jackie)
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate that.

Sophie Kinsella makes me speak in British English for weeks (ie: my glasses have got all wonky, and I can't find my bloody little screwdriver! Great fun!)

Dave Barry makes me laugh, as does Stephen King's non-fiction - he's actually my dad, only with poorer eyesight and a slightly better record collection - though I don't care for his fiction. History of the Millenium (So Far) was a had-to-put-it-down-so-people-don't-look-at-me-funny-for-laughing-out-loud funny.

Um rereading Lynne Rae Perkins' book CRISS CROSS. It won the Newberry a few years ago... 2007 I think maybe? Anyways, it's amazing.

I just read that Spencer is writing an advice column. Among the reasons this depresses me is that it means he has a better writing resume than I.

Sob.

Anonymous 12:34 PM

Before I write, I read a lot of the genre to get me in the mood. However, when I'm actually writing, I can't read in the genre I'm writing. It's too distracting
[shrug].

Try "The Human Stain" by Philip Roth. The movie with Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman just did not do it justice, the book is SO much better! But, if that's not your forte, try The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. She's good!

I am reading Forever by Pete Hammil, which is wonderful so far.

I am very hesitant to read anything else by Ian McEwan, because I just don't see how I could love it as much as I love Atonement.

I'm reading GRIMSPACE too and loving it ...and KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON by Carrie Vaughn

Anonymous I don't read in my genre (erotica/erotic romance) more to save my sanity than anything (all that comparison is so unhealthy). Maybe wrong of me but it keeps me writing LOL

Thanks Jackie!

I agree. It's what we all want isn't it? Our books in print so that people will fall in love with the characters and the stories.

I would love for people to love my books, as much as I love my MARC JACOBS - red frame and grey lensed - sunglasses...and er, my family and friends of course!

I just finished reading The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison, which I enjoyed.

I am currently reading Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz, which is making me snicker a lot. I think I like it even more than her first book, The Spellman Files.

I just finished The Outlaw Demon Wails as well--I think it is the best book in the series so far. Read The Sword-Edged Blonde by newcomer Alex Blesdoe. This is one of the most original, well-written books I have ever read; a combination of "classic" sword and sorcery and "noir" detective novels. No, I'm not kidding. It is great! And catching up on Jim Butcher's Dresden Files novels.
And, of course, the Writer's Digest Guide to Literary Agents, which I mar with yellow highlighter, bend the pages down on and tag with little sticky notes. Sigh.

Agent Janet Reid has mentioned Author Lee Child and his primary character over & over in her blog posts. 2 weeks ago I decided to give the guy a try. Pretty Awesome - to the point, almost terse - lots of twists. Jack Reacher is one big time BadAss, even if he is imaginary. So I bought 6 more - now have 1 left (after tonight) & plan to buy the last 3, since I'll be on vacation next week. Also - can't go wrong with Vince Flynn or Ted Bell - but I've already bought & read all of their books. Get busy guys!

I am in the thick of ATONEMENT, also wonderful (and no, I haven't seen the flick). Just finished BODY SURFING by Anita Shreve, which uses an interesting mini-scene/vignette approach. Rereading THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Niffenberger for first person voice in two protags. And the latest THE SUN. (Books, they're like Lays' potato chips - you can't read just one). Peace...

Just finished Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison (which has redeemed my faith in her), and currently reading Peter F Hamilton's A Second Chance at Eden (I LOVED Night's Dawn Trilogy!).

@ Mellisalo, yw

@ Scott, English humor is dry humor and there are not a lot of people that catch it, German has a bit more colorful humor but still can be dry

@ Adaora, :) it takes family and friends to truly understand and accept our intravert ways, and we are always game for a thought provoking convo!

Nite all, I am on the East Coast, have had my dishes screaming at me all day and then me and my faithful fuzzy friends (as long as I keep feeding them) are off to bed

oh yeah, most importantly, I have to Final Edit chapter 6 before I cash it in

I just finished AT RISK by Patricia Cornwell...and have to say I thought it royally sucked.

@ maya reynolds: i do the same thing, read heavily in the genre i'm going to be writing about, then avoid it while i'm actually writing the early drafts. i particularly like going back to the classics, ie Dashel Hammett, Raymond Chandler, GK Chesterton before this current mystery I'm working on.

I'm reading mostly YA and MG stuff right now because of a MS I'm working on.

My current list:

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (almost done and I love it)

The Prophesy of the Stones by Flavia Bujor (listening to CD in the car. It's OK. A bit heavy on the adverbs)

The Light Princess by George MacDonald (just started it. Very clever.)

THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold

I just finished ASK AGAIN LATER by Jill A. Davis. It's an ARC sent to me via Authors On The Web. It's also Women's Fiction. Although it's very good, I'm a Science Fiction kind of girl. I decided I needed something really out of this world for my next read.

I'm starting NETHERWOOD by Michele Lang in the morning after I post the ASK AGAIN LATER review at Enduring Romance.

@ "Anon" at 12:35 - We have similar lit tastes... I concur on Amy Tan's SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING. Last year, I fell asleep after three tries and finally decided life's too short and re-racked the book. Then I read THIRTEEN MOONS and absolutely LOVED it! Given our similar tastes, I'm going to check out "The Truth."

Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
1001 Places To See Before YOu Die by someone whose name I can't recall offhand and I'm too lazy to go get the book and find out.

I just finishes Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer and I have Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr waiting in the wings.

Immortal by Traci L. Slatton and Helen of Troy by Martha George.

Both are first person -- not my choice, but the first is for review and the second is for research. Ms. George paints a spell binding story.

Just finished HUGO CABRET with my 10-year old!

AMAZING!

1) Windows Vista The Missing Manual

2) Windows Vista Annoyances

3) The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies This one is very good. If you've got some aches and pains, maybe from sitting too long, there are self-applied techniques that can help you. Moose sez check it out.

4) Bullseyes Don't Shoot Back by Col Rex Applegate. Another very good book, this one on point shooting as taught to the OSS and others.

I read several chapters of Northanger Abbey to two girls I tutor. Reading aloud seems almost extravagant in a busy day. Perhaps that's why I love it.

I've started reading this blog- just discovered it.

Recently finished Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. Enjoyed it almost as much as The Goose Girl.

Someone loaned me Garden Spells. It won't be a favorite, but...

I love anything by Terry Pratchett. Going Postal and The Truth are favorites.

urvlI'm re-reading my MS, for the umpty-umpth time.

Arjay

Just beginning Playing for Pizza by John Grisham ... a friend said it had wonderful descriptions of Italian cafe's and the food. I wanted to relish my Italian experience as long as possible!

Rereading Sex, Art, and American Culture: Essays
by Camille Paglia. If you want to get in a fight with a feminest (and who doesn't?) its the place to start.

Kings Durma Keys and Matrimony by Joshua Henkinhas.

Wow how'd I miss Nick Hornby's Slam???? I love him. Love these run downs as it adds to my must reads list!

Nathan -

I was just checking out Enduring Love ... can't wait to read it!

I love hotair ballooning ... got my husband to go up with me once!

And Keats museum in Rome is amazing

OBEDIENCE by Will Lavender, I too just loved this book. For once it kept me wanting to read it until the end. Nice twist and plot idea, something different then the normal mystery.

Also just finished The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Laughed so hard in parts and loved the ending, bought the next book in that series and am chomping at the bit to read it.

Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon

Princess at Sea by Dawn Cook- well, finished that actually and really want Dawn to get the third book out *now*. That was a terribly wicked way to end a book, lots of promise and no third book on the shelves!

Hi Nathan,

I'm reading all the old Erma Bombeck books which are crazy good. And I'm reading Cynthia Kaplan's "Leave the Building Quickly" - also brilliant.

Nettie Hartsock

Getting caught up on some Sci-Fi lately, have stacks of classics picked up over the years I've never gotten to: Gordon R. Dicksons, Encyclopedia Series, been reading non-fiction before that. "Inside the Wire" was eye opening and "Sole Survivor" was riveting.

Since so many people here are well read maybe one of you can help. I read about a soon-to-be-published true story whose film rights were bought; a hitman for the Jewish Mob goes to Germany to rescue people on their way to a concentration camp. I never saw it or heard the title again...anyone?

I'm rereading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

Plague of the Dead by Zach Recht.

A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.

The Templars by Jack M. Driver

Battlefield Of The Mind by Joyce Meyers.

The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley. Wonderful.

Rereading War and Peace.

Jane Addam's Twenty Years at Hull House

Marianne Moore's Collected Poems (not a very big book, compared to Edna St. Vincent Millay's)

Theodore Rothke's Collected Poems

Robinson Jeffer's Collected Poems

Hmm, I seem to be a bit heavy on the poetry...

Just started The Great Man - although I loved the excerpt of Enduring Love on Amazon, wow! I will justify buying a cheap used copy this time, by the eventuality of buying some of his books new.

Short stories by Gogol (Russian writer) - he wrote "The Nose."

Robert Lowell "For the Union Dead" & "Life Studies" (more poetry)

I wish someone would show up on my doorstep with a basketful of Michael Crieghton (post-midnight spelling of last name, sorry) paperbacks - ditto John Steinbeck.

I just finished the Glass Books of the Dream Eaters and loved it up to the last page, which felt more like a chapter ending than the end of the book.

'Zahrah the Windseeker' by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu. It's children's speculative fiction, set in an African-like place. Zahrah has funky hair with vines growing in it. That's about all I can say so far, as I'm not too deep in. So far I like it.

Okay, finished Pat Barker's REGENERATION. The first part, with all of the WWI horrors recounted, I kind of didn't buy. The atrocities just seemed sort of recited from history accounts, not something that I viscerally believed. And there's something a little didactic about it, and some of the historical characters (as opposed to the made-up ones), their place in the book feels sort of forced.

The last third of the book though I found really powerful, enough so that I think I will have to read the next book in the trilogy.

Right now I'm reading:

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
It's excellent. Not my favorite, those being Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but still good.

Death of an Old Girl by Elizabeth Lemarchand
It's slow going, I've been plugging along on this one reading a page here and there for a couple months.

The Gentle Axe by R. N. Morris
It's just a magnificent book. I'm in awe of how Morris managed to bring to life nineteenth century St. Petersburg and Dostoevsky. I actually picked it up because the reviews for A Vengeful Longing were so good, but I didn't want to start with the second book.

Well I read several at a time so:

Lord of the Isles, David Drake. Ummm not getting very far. 150 pages in, not much has really happened. The completely irrelevant details are bogging it all down. I can't see me getting much further unless something big happens.

A Lions Tale, Chris Jericho. Yeah I like the wrestling, and this has had me snorting tea out of my nose a couple of times.

The Rites of Odin - need to brush up.

Working my way through The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher. I love these!

I'm always reading half a dozen books, mostly as research for my own books. For pleasure, right now I'm rereading THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X, which is affecting me very differently than it did when I read it almost twenty years ago. Then I was amazed by how often he changed his life, from hick to hustler, from anti-white to anti-racism. This time around I'm struck by how little of the book I can actually disagree with.

The other book I'm reading for pleasure is GHOSTS OF SPAIN. I live in Madrid, and picked it up in a local used book store. This sort of expat expose is trendy of late, and this is one of the best of the lot. It mainly deals with the unhealed scars of the Civil War, something I see in my own in-laws.

I just finished The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy and will look to finish the Ursula Le Guin classic The Dispossessed next.

And I think my next book will be How Fiction Works, by James Wood.

I'm re-reading "Watching the Tree Limbs" by Mary DeMuth.
I just finished "Julia's Chocolates" by Cathy Lamb and Perfect Match" by Jodi Picoult.
Up next, "My Name is Russell Fink" by Michael Snyder.

I'm currently reading "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher.

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY is pretty amazing.

i just read Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. Started about six yesterday evening and did not stop until I was through-and then kept thinking about it!

Excellent and this is her debut novel. A Dark, edgy, psychological thriller, but there is humor to help you bear it all. I thought because she writes for Entertainment Weekly it would be a bit of...fluff. Cushy at least. Talk about judging a book by its author's first job-I willingly and happily loved the surprise of being completely wrong. Nothing wrong with a cushy mystery, but this was stunning.

I decided to read something classical and artsy so I'm reading HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. My wife's been bugging me to read the books for a while, and since it had been about two years since I read the first one I decided it was time to read the second. At this rate I should read all 7 by 2020.

I'm constantly reading something, either for work or pleasure.

For work, I just finished The Woman Who Can't Forget by Jill Price and Bart Davis. It's the true story of a woman who literally can't forget the details of her life. Watch BookPage for my review (I think the May issue).

For pleasure, I just finished, at roughly the same time, Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett ("Crivens! Tha were a gud bit o' readin', laddie!"), Command Decision by Elizabeth Moon (sci-fi action novel, 4th in her Vatta War series), and Sword Song by the incomparable Rosemary Sutcliff. (If Sutcliff wrote it, I love it. She's the first author to make my own blog.)

I'm in the middle of Garth Nix's Sabriel, which is turning out to be far better than I expected.

Next on my shelf is a block of Father's Day books for a review (10 books in a month. Yowza. 8-o). Somehow I'll try to squeeze in another book for pleasure or two, but it's gonna be tight...

Thanks for the great blog, Nathan.

I just started the second book in Gail Martin's Chronicles of the Necromancer, The Blood King. I'm also in the middle of Robin Hobb's Renegade's Magic, and a few months of Newsweek back issues.

"What HO!", a PG Wodehouse collection.

Cam:
Thanks for the feedback on the two books we have in common.
Terry Pratchett is VERY different from the other books I listed. I confess to needing to feed eclectic tastes. My favorite Terry Pratchett book is Soul Music. Try that one.
It is a scream, funny!

SCHUYLER'S MONSTER by Robert Rummel-Hudson. A moving and surprisingly funny memoir about raising a mute little girl.

'Zen in the art of writing' by Ray Bradbury. Very, very inspiring.

I can't seem to put down The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I spent all my money from selling books at the used book store (which pays diddly) to buy it USED. Reading does not pay.

Victory Conditions, by Elizabeth Moon. I've really been sucked into the whole Vatta's War series.

Savage Detectives, by Bolano, and Love's Executioner (nonfiction) by Yalom.

Right now for pleasure it's "Jingo" by Terry Pratchett. The man cracks me up!

Amy, thanks for writing about our new Bookshelf features! Regarding the display order, I think we've made a change now that should display them in the same order as they were on Shelfari. It turns out that Shelfari doesn't include the date added in its export files, and that's why the order was different in JacketFlap. We've made a change to display your books in the order that they appear in the export file. Please take a look, and let me know if it's right now.

Tracy

My story is pretty boring-I ordered it on Amazon and it came Sat. afternoon. My friend who is visiting from NY had hers sent here.

I did notice a couple of our teenagers with their copies in church. Not all churches have banned HP. ;)

Borders lost my on-line reservation - so I was stuck to non-pre-order status which was horrible. Borders would not guarantee me a copy that night, so I had to go over to B&N who did.

However, the catch was that I was last of what felt like all 8.3 million people.

Jason and I ended up picking the book up from Ralphs after I took Jason out of the B&N environment, where I was afraid he would start beating people.

By any wild chance, have you tried goodreads.com they are like myspace, but with a purpose.

Thanks for mentioning Shelfari. I work on the web site and love the community there. You'll see my shelf at www.shelfari.com/dhanley

Don't know if you saw the Harry Potter contest on Shelfari though. You could win an author-signed first edition of Sorcerer's Stone. Just submit your review and have your friends vote for it.

www.shelfari.com/harrypotter

I didn't work that night but the brave souls who did said we closed our doors at 2:30 AM and they stayed until 4:30 trying to straighten up. We had a big reserve list but by Saturday morning we chucked it. Anyone who wanders in with $22.75 can have a copy.

I'm trying very hard to avoid spoilers since I won't get to read it for another week.

"Not all churches have banned HP."

Local church here not only wrote a fantastic pamplet based on HP, but served the queue with free coffee, and gave out bookmarks.

I was very impressed. (Though it's a mistake drinking coffee that close to midnight - v. hard to get to sleep afterwards.)

not so big on Potter mania, so skiping that,

>I'm interested to hear how people think Shelfari measures up to LibraryThing.


don't know Shelfari, but am liking Librarything. Do a follow-up post in a couple weeks, maybe? compare the two.

Facebook is stupid, IMO; gives me an opportunity to interact with people I know in real life...online.
bah.

Harry Potter? Never heard of him. Just kidding. I'm waiting my turn, as we are passing around the book. My God-child (who waited on line at midnight to purchase it) has it now and is almost finished. One other person in the queue next, then me. I wonder how long I can go a-blogging without stumbling across the ending.

I work at a Waldenbooks in NY, and our Harry Potter party was fantastic (despite the overwhelming number of loud, loud, children, but I suppose that's how they are). I was impressed to see so many adults in costume with or without kids in tow. Our reservation list was almost picked up completely within the first 36 hours.

When another store closed, their reservation list transferred to us, and we had a lot of people drive in to our Potter party from the area of the other store. Since there's not a B&N near us (or a Borders Super), our only local competition was Wal*Mart & the grocery stores--most of whom were sold out by Sunday morning (we still had plenty).

As a bookseller, the actually event was fun (I was on register all night), but the preparation for it was miserable.

We went to the one chain bookstore in town (I know, power to the indies, but I'm not even sure if we have an indie), a Books-a-Million, and it was fantastic. Maybe a third of the people there were under-eighteens.

They didn't do reservations at the BaM: in the month leading up to it, you could buy a voucher. Then, on release night, you just handed in the voucher and got the book. My mom was near the end of a line that snaked through the entire store and we got out of there in less than thirty minutes.

We went around 9:45 just to be involved in the Pottermania, and at 11 I busted out the video camera and asked people who they thought would die and whether or not Snape was evil. The atmosphere was pure fun, little kids weren't screaming any more than big guys dressed as Slytherin Quidditch players, and I think we waited longer in line for mocha frappes than we did for the book. Apparently two of my best friends were there, but it was so crowded I never saw them.

I know, as far as costumes go, we had an amazing Dumbledore, an equally amazing Voldemort, two very good Trelawneys, a hilarious Mad-Eye, and several rather halfhearted Tonkses. But it was a blast.

I've been happy with library thing, but would be interested to hear what people like about Shelfari.

I am a pariah. Alas! I have never read a Harry Potter book.

::: ducks head in shame :::

I went to my first Harry Potter party in Northfield, MN. They blocked off four blocks of the main street downtown and had their own version of Diagon Alley. There were alot of people dressed up, I even brought along a cloak from my renaissance costume and wore it later when the evening began to cool. There are pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/northfield_mn/sets/72157600931491260/

The children on the right (boy & girl) in the first photo are my friend Kirsten's kids who I was with. I had a lady borrow my cloak for a picture because it was her 70th birthday that day. We watched the first movie on a large blow-up screen in the middle of the street until almost midnight. Kirsten, who had gotten her ticket in line earlier in the evening, waited to get her copy of the book that night. I went home and bought mine the next day at Target in Northfield, even though I had one delivered to my home too. I started it Saturday night after getting back from my high school reunion and finished it in the wee hours of Monday morning.

I'm on goodreads - let me know if you're there!

I was thinking about you as Kath, Angel and I stood in line for our book that night! I told them all the story about you having Book 5 thrown at your head by an angry customer. *happy sigh* Why is it that story amuses me so much?

Lauren and I also reminisced about how you helped us get through that last day or so before Book 6 was released.

I bet that night you were sitting around thinking, "Gee, I miss dressing up like a witch, working till 2am, and then coming in again early the next morning to sell more Harry Potter books!" Admit it.

I work in a bookstore in Malaysia, but wasn't working on the release date. The night before I did go to a pre-launch party hosted by a rival bookshop, though. They had lots of games in which you could win HP goods, and a Best Dressed Witch contest. I didn't stick around, but I noticed that there was a really impressive Mad-Eye Moody in the crowd. As for my own store, on the release date we had the Fat Lady at the entrance, and the first 13 people to give the correct password (hints were given in the local paper) get free books. The first 1000 customers get a quill pen, and I'm sure there were more stuff, but I was just too eager to go home and start reading by then.

Shelfari doesn't measure up, to me.

Import functions don't work. They don't answer queries, etc.