RIASS stuff:
Veronika Carnaby: Audiences are wary of new concepts and techniques in fiction
Business casual in business books: is Velocity trying too hard to be cool?'(a guest review from my husband)
Would you quit the law to follow your writing career? Prominent lawyer Paul Batista did'
Other bookish stuff:
Freud on creative writing and daydreaming'[A] piece of creative writing, like a day-dream, is a continuation of, and a substitute for, what was once the play of childhood.
Gabrielle Prendergast on the websites she uses for reference/research when writing'She lists sites for character names, online editing and critique, helping to hone queries, and also online communities for writers.
You might have read about the Humble Bundle project in my bookish news last week. Its a project involving a whole bunch of authors who have got together to sell their books in bundles at a price of the readers choosing. Readers can choose how much of their buying price goes to the authors, charity, or to Humble bundle itself.'The latest news is that its made almost $1m in revenue, with 68,000 buyers so far.
Ten science fiction novels you might pretend to have read, but probably havent'Ive read 2 and two halves of these, so I guess three in total. I own a few more, though. Does that count? One day, one day
When should a writer stop marketing a book?'Jody Hedland talks about that all-important initial marketing push when a books released, as that can often dictate sales. She also talks about targeting your marketing efforts, and trying to do one small marketing thing a dayit doesnt need to be anything huge, but might be something like dropping off bookmarks at a bookshop. Theres some interesting discussion about other authors experiences in the comments, too.
Ooooooooo (thats me being a ghost): 10 haunted libraries in the US
Delphine Schrank on being a female journalist'If I seem suspended between opposing poles, it's partly the result of two clashing Western views of feminine sensibility. My first is refracted through a decidedly French worldview, which celebrates the differences and appreciates that women inherently have an equal if complementary role to playThe other view feels more quintessentially American'or Anglo-Saxon, as the French would say'wherein gender is an imposed and often frustrating accoutrement that feels, at times, largely irrelevant to the work we do, and should be treated as such.
Tove Janssons first ever'Moomin book will be released in the UK next month'I loved these as a kidmy mum passed hers along to me. (Also, apropos of nothing, theres a huge Moomin obsession in Japan. I bought all sorts of Moomin stuff from a specialty Moomin shop when I was over there)
Ian McEwan says that the novella is a superior form to the novel''If I could write the perfect novella I would die happy, he has been quoted as saying.
Should you keep your agent if you decide to move into self-publishing?'An author whose book was submitted to the major houses by her agent has since decided to go the self-publishing route, and has brought her agent along with her. I was curious to read about their new working agreement: The agent's strategy is to partner with McLaughlin to provide professional and legal advice. If she sells books and gets picked up by a publisher for a future novel, he gets his commission and she gets her foot in the traditional publishing door. He might also secure additional and subsidiary rights for the self-pub book, and generally represent her best interests.
Editor Cheryl Klein has put together a revised plot checklist
A Q&A with Iris Anthony, author of'The Ruins of Lace, (which Ill be reviewing later this week).'The novel is one thats told through multiple points of view (seven, in fact), one of which is from that of a dog. I was intrigued by this, particularly after reading last week TS Eliots comments about not writing about dogs. The dog is so important, so essential, exactly because he doesn't have a voice. Like most victims'of abuse, he can't tell anyone what's happening, says Anthony.
Like to read before bed? How about this book headboard?
Childrens and young adult literature revenues are up nearly 41% this year
I love that book headboard- so funky!
Just so long as the bindings are strongI wouldnt want to be bopped on the head with a hardcover in the middle of the night!
Thanks for the plug!
My pleasure! Thanks for the handy post. :)
Ive read 4 (yay!) with one on my TBR (Dune) but Ive not heard any of the others *scratching head* (yay, more to read?)
It is an interesting choice to write from dogs POV. They are like a silent witness as they just dont have the same language, do they? And whilst not all of them are helpless, if they respond violently, they are condemned anyway so sad, really!
Anyway, reminds me that Ive also read one humourous book with a dogs POV (A Dogs Life by Peter Maybe) which was totally entertaining.
Wow, youre doing better than I am, Tien! I have a copy of Dune, too, but still havent read it (and I bought it about ten years ago!)
Ive read a few books from a canine POV now that I think of it, but I do think that its difficult to do well. I think its hard to ascribe motivation/feeling to an animal in a way that rings true. I think there might be a post in that! (Ill add it to my enormous list of posts I want to write.)