Category Archives: feedback

June 23, 2011   DG&B   authors, feedback, Jessica, relationships, writing  
14

First Readers

 

Yesterday I was doing some research on an author whose scholarly works I find interesting, and my online search landed me on the acknowledgments page of her book, where she thanked her husband, whom she described as her first and most careful reader.

I’m not a writer per se, but this line of work calls for a good deal of writing–pitch letters, edit memos, correspondence that attempts to strike that fine balance between “authoritative and rude” (see Jim’s very funny post)–and if I can prevail upon him, my husband is my go-to reader, and vice versa. This is not always the case. In fact, I know plenty of writers who believe that romantic partners, married or otherwise, ought not be part of the process. That talking shop, evaluating drafts, and giving candid feedback is best done by a person with whom there exists some emotional distance. 

How about you? Who is your first reader? If you have a significant other or a family member who reads your work in progress, is her role as a booster or a critique partner? There’s no shame in the former. Frankly, I think all writers could use at least one of each.

June 20, 2011   Jane   feedback, inspiration, Jane, opinion, writing  
21

Why do writers write?

The other day, I was challenged by a friend to answer the question of why authors write.  He maintains that “pain is the reason that authors write. All stories must have a conflict (pain) or a series of conflicts to resolve or else there is no story.”  He added that authors write because of “the pain of not being published, the pain of not making a living or the pain of not feeling worthy.  Insecurity is pain.  Good storytellers have to tap into the pain of the characters in order to ‘color’ their personality and make them real.”

He and I have been around this in subsequent conversations and frankly I don’t agree and I don’t “get it.”  I think people write for many reasons (one of which might be to get rid of their pain): they have a story to tell, they have information to impart, they have an experience they want to share, etc.

I found this link on the subject, which adds to the discussion.

I would be very interested to know what you think.  Why do you write?

June 13, 2011   Jane   advice, e-books, feedback, Jane, technology  
10

E-readers keep having babies

Just when I think I have it down as far as whether the Kindle, the NOOK, or the iPad is what I want to use to read my books on, things change.  In fact, these changes can be really dizzying and confusing.

This week, though, there was a development that could simplify things for those of us who use e-readers.  Barnes & Noble and Kobo introduced nearly identical readers that appear to be superior to the bestselling Kindle.

Both the “All-New NOOK” and the Kobo Touch have a number of similarities and some differences.  But both of them have features that make them more attractive to the reader than the Kindle. This of course will force Amazon and the other manufacturers of e-readers to improve their products, and on and on and on. And even though many of these are becoming less expensive, they are still an investment of sorts, and how many do each of us really need?

I guess my question is, which e-reader do I buy next?  I have used my Kindle successfully for two or three years and am feeling it is time for an upgrade.  But I am totally confused by all of the choices available.

I am searching for opinions and advice.  What would you choose?

April 20, 2011   Stacey   feedback, fun, reading, Stacey  
5

How do you decide what you want to read?

I saw this week that Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad won the Pulitzer for fiction. Miriam read it here for a recent book club and liked it a lot. It’s on my reading list, and has been for some time. I’m a fan of Egan’s, and she and I passed through the halls at The Tribeca Film Center many years ago when I was an intern there, even before she became a published writer. Then this morning I saw this article about what sounds like a fascinating new popular science book that explores an eight decade study of longevity. I’ve added it to my list as well.

It got me to thinking about what influences a person’s buying decisions when it comes to books and where they are learning about the books they want to read. Personally, I pull my reading list together based on many sources, including reviews, articles, bestseller lists, and word of mouth. But since I work in the publishing industry, it’s a different sort of research. I just ordered, for example, copies of Patti Smith’s memoir, Just Kids, which won the National Book Award last year, as well as Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which was universally praised as one of the best books of 2010. For me, it’s not just about reading a good book, although that’s certainly a fringe benefit. It’s about researching the market and learning precisely what makes a book great. There are lessons to be learned from these examples that I can apply to projects I’m developing, and those I’m considering as well.

So, I’m curious to know more from our readers about their buying habits. A few questions:

Does anyone out there wait all year to see what the Pulitzer for fiction is and then buy it if you haven’t already read it? Or do you not care at all about the prestigious prize? Are there any other literary prizes that matter to you?

Do reviews sway you in a direction, and if so, from which publications? Do you swear by one reviewer over another whose taste you feel is in sync with your own? Do you wait each year for the annual best-of lists from the New York Times and others, and pick a handful from there?

Does the occasional ad on tv remind you to go out and buy the latest commercial blockbuster (I always find books ads so painfully awkward and not at all convincing)?

Or do you simply walk into a local bookstore and peruse the shelves? If that’s your preference, do you look at the new and noteworthy tables, the bestsellers, or the general fiction or nonfiction shelves by genre or category? Do you spend 10 minutes looking or 2 hours (and do you sometimes start a book in the store and put it back if it’s not working for you?)?

So many questions to think about what brings us to the books we read. Thanks in advance for the feedback. And whatever way you come to your choices, keep on buying books!

March 30, 2011   Miriam   feedback, fun, Miriam, opinion, reading  
10

Why read?

Picking up the thread that Jim began unspooling on Monday and that Steph commented on yesterday, my question today is why read at all?

We all know that reading and writing go together like peanut butter and bananas (in case you hadn’t picked up on it from earlier posts, I’m an Elvis fan) and that the two activities are inextricably linked.   Reading comes first, though, doesn’t it?  You have to know how to read before you can write with meaning.  We write because we read, in other words.

Given all the competition for our attention these days (endless cable channels and Wiis and iTunes), it feels like reading is becoming more of a choice than an absolute necessity.  Which, of course, is part of the problem the publishing business is facing.  Why read when you can waste time playing Angry Birds on your iPhone?  Why read when you can go to a movie?  Or make small talk on Facebook?   Why read when you can spend hours downloading useless apps for your iPad?

Reading is solitary.  It can be intellectually taxing. It makes you flex numerous muscles including your imagination.  It is a singularly subjective experience (all of us have faced the disappointment of sharing a book we love with someone only to hear them opine that it’s just okay or, worse, pan it outright).  It entails a time commitment of hours, days, sometimes weeks.  And in some circles, it can even get you labeled a nerd.  So, why do we do it?

Personally, I’m a huge fan of film and tv (I have strong couch potato tendencies) and I thoroughly embrace each new technology that delivers information and entertainment more quickly and easily to me.  But, none of it compares to the thrill I get when flipping open a book to the first page.  There is something so intimate and special about entering an author’s mind and the universe she or he has created especially for me, knowing that for the duration of my stay in that universe, I will enjoy a deliciously private experience.  I won’t have to compete against the highest score on a video game.  I won’t have to laugh at the same punchlines my neighbor with the supersized popcorn bin finds hysterical.  I won’t have to do anything, in short, but allow the story and my imagination to carry me where they will.

I read for knowledge, for comfort, to relieve boredom, to make sense of the world and to be entertained, surprised, sometimes awed.  Why do you read when you have so many other pastimes to choose from?

March 22, 2011   John   audience, children's books, feedback, John, middle grade, opinion, YA  
29

Whatever Happened to Middle-Grade Fiction?

I had lunch with an editor yesterday, and toward the end we got to talking about the sorry state of middle-grade fiction. Both of us have been around the block long enough to remember when Harry Potter and A Series of Unfortunate Events launched, and at the time it seemed like we were entering a new golden age of middle-grade. Indeed, a number of notable MG authors and series appeared in the wake of Harry and the Baudelaires—Percy Jackson, Mysterious Benedict Society, Eragon, Cornelia Funke, Kat DiCamillo, to name a few.

But then, of course, Edward and Bella showed up, and almost overnight the party went from PG to PG-13 (if not R).

Now, children’s book authors have traditionally worked across genres and age-ranges, Judy Blume being the prime example. And it’s understandable that writers would gravitate toward YA when YA seems to be the biggest thing on the planet. But what confounds me is that how writers are focusing on YA to the exclusion of middle-grade, rather than complementing it as they did in the past—think about Judy writing Are You There God at the same time as Tiger Eyes. Hence, what passes for MG these days are either non-traditional formats like Wimpy Kid, or mass-market school stories that recall the days of Goosebumps and the Babysitters Club.

So to all you YA writers out there—how about some middle-grade? I see so many creative concepts and storylines in YA that would easily translate into middle-grade, especially in fantasy and sci-fi. The audience is there—really, I can’t think of any traditional series that commands the MG market right now—and from my informal survey of editors, it seems like they’re hungry for it, too.  All we need are the writers…

Or am I missing something here? Are there other reasons for the dearth of middle-grade? Have any of you tried MG and met resistance? I’d love to know!

March 01, 2011   John   feedback, John, opinion, retailers  
6

Would you like a book with that pancake mix?

I know, I really need to link to other sources than the New York Times, but damn, if they don’t make it so easy!

On Sunday, the Times ran a short article in the Business section on how publishers are increasing their efforts to get books into non-traditional retailers like Urban Outfitters and, yes, Cracker Barrel.

Talk about a slow news day—please, oh great and powerful NYT, tell us something we don’t know! Reaction has been appropriately snarky, from the mild sarcasm of the “Breaking NYT news” rejoinder on Publisher’s Marketplace to the more acerbic response on Gawker—though, surprisingly for Gawker, there’s a pretty cute photo that accompanies the article. Mmmm, pancakes…

But kidding aside, here’s the question: Have you ever bought a book at Cracker Barrel? Or, more broadly, have you ever bought a book at a non-traditional retailer? If so, was it an impulse buy, or did they carry something you had actually wanted in advance? Did price factor into the decision? Would love to hear your stories, because while the Times article isn’t exactly a revelation, non-traditional retailers are indeed an increasingly important part of the business, yet one that’s very hard to measure. So any anecdotes would be much appreciated!

January 18, 2011   John   advice, conferences, feedback, fun, John  
2

Conference advice

Short post today, because I’m off in a couple of hours to New Jersey for an SCBWI-NJ first pages session. And I have to confess, I’m a little nervous—even though this should be a very low-key event, I haven’t done a writer’s conference in several years. As a junior editor, I attended my share of conferences and I was lucky enough to have a few writers and illustrators come out of them. But between a full roster of authors, a growing family, and a decline in invitations, I pretty much dropped off the speaking circuit.

However, now that I’m building a new client roster, I’m back on the conference train, and I’d love to get some feedback on how things are going these days. Have things changed much in the last few years? Has ebook publishing had any effect? What do you look for in a conference speaker? Do you have different expectations from agents vs. editors? Whatever your experiences, I’d love to hear—I’ve got SCBWI Metro in two weeks!

January 10, 2011   Michael   advice, conferences, feedback, Michael, opinion, social networking  
3

Miami this weekend!

I’m really looking forward to my first conference of the year, the Wizarding World of Writing conference held by SCBWI Florida (which you should know I’m attending because it’s on our nifty new calendar over yonder).  I’ll be doing some manuscript critiques, a fantastic “Psst! Wanna Know a Secret” agent panel with fabulous agents Erin Murphy and Sarah Davies, and a workshop on social networking.  I’ll also be spending time with the amazing faculty, which includes editors and authors I very much respect and admire.  What can I say?  I love publishing!

But I’m really here to ask for your help.  As I mentioned, I’m doing a workshop on social networking, officially titled “I’m Mad as Hell, and I’m Not Going to Tweet It Anymore!”  I have a good presentation put together about my perspective, but I’m wondering if our amazing blog readers have any questions they’d like answered or wisdom they’d like to share.  I want to make sure I’m addressing what writers are thinking (and worrying) about, not just what’s on my mind.  I have a lot of opinions, as you know!

Send me your thoughts in our new comments when you have a chance.  Doesn’t the redesigned site look great?

January 10, 2011   DG&B   about us, advice, calendar, changes at DGLM, conferences, DGLM Recommends, Facebook, feedback, fun, Jane, Jessica, Jim, John, Lauren, Michael, Miriam, opinion, our blog, our clients, our website, Rachel S., Stacey, Stephanie, technical help, Twitter, what we're looking for, What's New at DGLM  
9

Welcome to the new DGLM blog and website!

Welcome to our shiny new home, blog readers!  For the new year, we bring you a new DGLM site, a merger of our website and blog.  Thanks to everyone who made suggestions a couple months ago on features and tech questions—where possible we’ve incorporated your feedback, and other things we’re keeping in mind in case we can implement them in future.

We’ll be blogging as usual over here at www.dystel.com now instead of at Blogger, and there are also some other things for you to explore over to the right (unless you’re not currently reading this on the site itself, in which case you might want to just poke your head in and take a look!).  You might be interested in learning more about us and our clients.  If you’re an author looking for representation, perhaps you’ll want to peruse our FAQ, Submission Requirements, Who We Are and What We’re Looking For, and Nonfiction Proposal Guidelines.  Need something new to read?  Check out our Staff Recommendations, Recent and Forthcoming Titles, and What We’re Reading in the column on the right. Maybe you want to know where we’ll be?  We’ve got a calendar with our upcoming conferences and events in that sidebar as well!  Of course, if you’d like, please feel free to use the links over there to Subscribe, Follow, or Like us and share our site with others!  The new blog should start feeding into our Twitter and Facebook accounts today, so if you’re already following us there, you don’t need to do anything.  If you’re reading us in a blog reader, please subscribe to the new RSS feed.

Make yourselves at home!

As always, we want to hear from you!  What do you think of the new digs?  Any suggestions for improvement?  Glitches we may not have caught?  (We hope not, but let us know if so!)  New features that you’d like us to consider?  We can’t always implement everything recommended to us, but we’re always open to hearing your ideas.

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