Category Archives: authors

May 25, 2011   Miriam   authors, bestsellers, buzz, digital publishing, e-books, fun, Miriam, self-publishing, technology  
6

If you get it for free…

Conventional wisdom (and mothers concerned about their daughters’ virtue) holds that if you give something away for free, you’ll never find someone to actually pay you for it. That is so clearly not the case in the e-publishing world that it seems almost suicidally pigheaded to hew to that line of reasoning.

This morning, Jane and I sat with longtime client, author Joe Konrath, at Coffee Shop on Union Square for a very early breakfast. As usual, the waitresses were rude and inattentive and the coffee only okay. But, I digress. Some of you might know Joe as one of the founding fathers of the electronic self-publishing movement. He is also a very smart man who made it a point to educate himself about traditional publishing prior to heading out into the then uncharted e-book waters. He is an evangelist who knows whereof he speaks, whatever your opinion on what he has to say.

Anyhow, we were talking about file sharing and free content and the subject of Go the F**k to Sleep came up. The book is, of course, a publishing phenomenon. Currently #4 on Amazon on the basis of pre-orders alone, film rights are already sold and an article about it in New York magazine this week attempts to analyze what particular nerve it’s struck for harried parents. The book is putting Akashic Books, a small Brooklyn independent publisher on the map.

The interesting thing about this story is that this 34-page book has already been read by, well, everyone. The .pdf was leaked weeks ago and went viral so fast it was back in your in-box before you’d sent it out to all your friends. It’s funny that the e-version is just now being announced. Did I mention that everyone has already read this on their computers?

To me, this only supports the theory that offering free content and file sharing is a good idea in order to get people to buy books. Yes? No? Maybe in certain cases but not others? What do you all say?

May 10, 2011   Stephanie   advice, authors, optimism, Stephanie, suggestions, writing  
3

Try, try again

There’s a reason for the saying “practice makes perfect.” Nobody ever said “just try it once, it’ll probably work out.” So it’s no surprise that the same goes for publishing. Because for the most part, almost no writer gets their first book published. In fact, with very few exceptions, first-time authors have quite a few books written, sitting on a shelf or hard drive perhaps, by the time they sign that contract.

There are several reasons why this is a good thing. And today I wanted to link to this blog post by Rachelle Gardner from one of my favorite agent blogs, Rants & Ramblings, to help explain why. I think what Rachelle says makes perfect sense—the writing process undoubtedly teaches a considerable amount about what works and what doesn’t. And beyond the business aspect of her argument, up-and-coming writers can only benefit from spending as much time as possible exposing themselves to the craft.  One of the best things for aspiring authors to remember is to not only write every day, but also read every book they can get their hands on. Improved skills can only improve those chances.

How about you? Do you fall into this category of having multiple manuscripts floating around, whether in your head or on paper?

May 10, 2011   John   authors, celebrity, controversy, favorites, fun, John, opinion, scandal  
3

Remembering Woody

Found this reading list in The Guardian today from an author for whom I have deeply mixed feelings—yep, it’s the Woodman, doing a typically odd bit of press in advance of his new movie.

Back in middle and high school, I absolutely loved Woody Allen. Sleeper and Bananas were two of the funniest movies I’d ever seen, plus Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (a little confusing to a sixth grader, but no less fun). Yet nothing cracked me up as much as his short story collection Side Effects—one of the few books I literally read to pieces. The opening story “Remembering Needleman” probably influenced my high school creative writing more than any other work—which didn’t always fly so well, especially in a certain 19th century lit class…

And then, the Soon Yi news broke. Man, wasn’t that a huge deal? I remember being pretty creeped out by the news, not least because growing up in Manhattan I had friends who went to school with some of Mia’s kids. And yet, when I got an invite to see Woody play the clarinet soon after, did I turn it down? Nope, sat at a table right near the front—even waited afterward to see him get into his car.

Time and apparent fidelity to Soon Yi have certainly helped Woody’s rep, but they haven’t exactly exonerated him. And it’s pretty depressing to see two of his book picks are Catcher in the Rye (misunderstood outsider) and a bio of Elia Kazan (persecuted auteur), as if he still sees himself as a victim. Still, I have a huge soft spot for some of his later movies like Everyone Says I Love You and Match Point. And when his most recent story collection Mere Anarchy came out, I faithfully got my copy.

So I’m still pretty torn about Woody. What do you think? Am I cutting the man too much slack? Or is this a question of drawing a line between the author and his work? Do you make similar distinctions for other controversial authors?

May 05, 2011   Michael   about us, agents, authors, Michael, why we are agents  
3

Why We Do What We Do

Being an agent can be frustrating.  Amongst all the wheeling and dealing, martinis, and fancy lunches, we also have contracts, editorial disputes, staff changes at publishers, authors on the ledge, overworked editors, and a constantly changing marketplace.  Especially as careers mature, much of the day-to-day focus becomes about management and business, and less about discovery and art.  And for me, at least, there has been so much business this week.  And while I do love that part of my job, it’s not exactly what drew me to being an agent.

But in the midst of all the craziness, two things happened.  An author of mine delivered a new work that blew me away.  It felt like I was reading her for the first time, and I found myself devouring the pages.  When the sample came to an end, there may have been some out-loud cursing her for leaving me hanging.  It doesn’t matter who the author is.  It actually reminded me that this is how I feel whenever my authors send me something new and exciting–I feel invigorated!

The second thing that happened is I read an article that blew me away.  It was investigative reporting with a very personal edge, and it was more thrilling than any novel I’ve read.  I rarely read anything over a page long in the middle of my day, but I dropped everything to finish the long piece.  While I discovered that this author already had representation (drat!), it again reminded me that the good stuff is always out there waiting for when I’m ready–or even when I’m not.  Good writing, even from people who aren’t my authors, is always inspiring.

And that’s why we do what we do.  To help give voice to the people whose words invigorate and inspire us.  To connect writers with readers, whether on the page or screen, whether through a publisher or directly.  So even on the most frustrating day, I can easily say that I love my job.  I can’t imagine anything better.

May 03, 2011   Stephanie   authors, optimism, questions, Stephanie, writing  
22

Staying Strong

There are certain things in life that I realize I will never understand. Corporate auditing; veganism; the Neti Pot. It will just never happen. And that’s okay–honestly it is. It’s a fact that I’ve accepted, and I’m ready to move forward with my life.

Now that that’s taken care of.

If there is one thing that I still do not understand—but that I am actively trying to gain a better understanding of—it is how you, as writers, keep your focus, keep your drive. How do you do it? When you enter the revision process and realize that certain things do not work and you will need to cut characters or scenes you’ve painstakingly developed and come to adore; When you feel as though the query process has you running around in circles—between the rules, the do’s, the don’ts, the waiting, the wondering; When you come across someone who has multiple agents vying for their attention after submitting their first novel, yet you’ve been in it for what feels like forever; And don’t even get me started on the amount of rejection that can potentially hit one inbox.

I’m just not sure I could do it, quite frankly.

So I wanted to turn it over to you as I have in the past, and ask: What do you do to keep your head in the game? What do you do when you get that feeling that maybe it’s time to give up?

April 26, 2011   Stephanie   advice, agents, authors, fiction, Stephanie, writing  
2

I really love lists

Evaluating a manuscript is always an interesting thing.  The fact is, when an agent or an editor considers a novel, every detail really does matter. This is an important thing for any hopeful writer to consider, because in the end it could affect that final answer: yes or no. Some thoughts:

  1. In keeping with what John spoke about earlier today, make the premise of the story clear from the beginning, and throw conflict in early on. If it takes too long for the reader to become invested in what’s happening, or even know what the story is about, they likely won’t continue reading.
  2. Give your characters desire and agency. Understandably, characters that are not driven—either positively or negatively—become boring fairly quickly.
  3. On the topic of characters, avoid introducing everyone all at once.
  4. Be mindful of your point of view. Often, a story is stronger when the action is experienced through the perspective of the main character. This is certainly not imperative, but something to consider.
  5. Most importantly, try to avoid over-writing.  Making your writing stand out is important, but can also be tricky. Don’t let your writing get in its own way.

Can you think of any other important tips to keep in mind?

March 23, 2011   Stacey   authors, children's books, Stacey  
0

A Who’s Who in Children’s Books

I just signed up a new YA novel by a talented author, and in researching some history on the project, I found my way to a really cool author website I wanted to share. Wendy Mass is a prolific children’s book author, and I found myself drawn to her Author Pals section, which is like a who’s who in the children’s market. Her connections to a very long list of prominent and well-respected authors are impressive, and what I love even more are her personal suggestions for favorite titles from each author to check out. I found myself taking notes and going online to order copies of some of the suggested books. It’s a little like having a personal shopper for a wide range of children’s books! If you have an interest in this category, it’s well worth checking out. Take a look and see if you have any favorites to add–let us know.

February 15, 2011   Stephanie   authors, editing, Stephanie, writing  
12

It’s a process

One thing that has always fascinated me is the writing process. Broad, I know, but what I mean is I find it very interesting to learn how different writers go about constructing and creating books in very different ways—I can tell you that no two writers seem to approach it the same way.

Some writers create meticulous outlines, breaking down each chapter to the last detail.  Sometimes these outlines can be so extensive, that the book is virtually complete before the actual writing has even begun.  Some writers simply sit down and write.  A stream of consciousness kind of thing, the words flow onto the page (or screen) in rapid succession, only to be followed by an extensive edit process after the book is completed.  And still some writers will lay out the entire book in their heads before composing even the first sentence.

These are just three of what I can only guess are a countless number of ways writers develop, create, and construct their stories. And it seems that with every new writer comes a new technique.  Which I think is fantastic, because at its core, writing is a creative process, and with something like that, the fact is there is no right answer to the way it should be done.

What’s your method? Do you find yourself looking to improve or modify it?

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