tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post5286861124699303584..comments2024-03-29T07:29:32.276-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: I'll just be under the duvet, weepingJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81914774641590574522016-10-13T01:53:42.268-04:002016-10-13T01:53:42.268-04:00I'm sure I'm not the only one here who'...I'm sure I'm not the only one here who'd like to hear Julie's 'Ode to a lonely bull' !!MA Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11055543285024785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-25083438470077727162016-10-13T00:21:16.749-04:002016-10-13T00:21:16.749-04:00To me Al conjures a vision of the guy who ran the ...To me Al conjures a vision of the guy who ran the malt shop in Happy Days.Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-89382470425851377852016-10-12T22:18:00.498-04:002016-10-12T22:18:00.498-04:00OK, here is what Wikipedia says about Gottlieb'...OK, here is what Wikipedia says about Gottlieb's editing style:<br /><br />//<br />Gottlieb is widely considered to be one of the greatest editors of the second half of the 20th century. In a 1994 interview with The Paris Review, he described his need to "surrender" to a book. "The more you have surrendered," he said, "the more jarring its errors appear. I read a manuscript very quickly, the moment I get it. I usually won't use a pencil the first time through because I'm just reading for impressions. When I read the end, I'll call the writer and say, I think it's very fine (or whatever), but I think there are problems here and here. At that point I don't know why I think that—I just think it. Then I go back and read the manuscript again, more slowly, and I find and mark the places where I had negative reactions to try to figure out what's wrong. The second time through I think about solutions—maybe this needs expanding, maybe there's too much of this so it's blurring that.[8]<br />//<br /><br />I'm betting that second read took one hell of a lot more time, or he wouldn't have the reputation he does. So when his memoir says he "got back to them" the next day, it's not at all the same thing as when you, an agent, "get back to" writers who have sent you a full ms for serious consideration regarding representation. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-47025932958224461302016-10-12T22:04:19.519-04:002016-10-12T22:04:19.519-04:00Oh for godsakes, Janet, knock it off. First of all...Oh for godsakes, Janet, knock it off. First of all, Gottlieb was an editor, not an agent (as far as I know, not having googled him) (yet). Whole different set of job skills and requirements. And I bet he didn't have the flood of emailed queries/mss coming across his desk that you do. Not to mention, I'm giving some serious side-eye to anyone who claims to be able to give thoughtful and thorough editorial feedback on a novel in one freakin' day. Speed reader or not.<br /><br />I want to say something about speed, since Carolynn's comment has dredged up painful memories. Back in second grade, we had math sheets with 100 problems and had to complete as many as we could in a given time (two minutes, I think). They were simple problems, multiplication or division. Math has always been very easy for me and I knew ALL the answers. But the moment I was given a TIMED test, my brain froze up and I could only complete maybe 30 of them. Every single time. Never mind that I got those 30 correct, I was reduced to near tears by panic and stress. All the other kids finished with time to spare. I felt so stupid and incapable, utterly humiliated. I just could not handle the timed tests, and dreaded the feeling of someone pacing the room and watching me work. I still hate that. I think the teacher finally let me do them without being timed and I finished in less than half the time.<br /><br />My point is that you can put so much pressure on yourself -- comparing yourself to others, putting unreasonable time constraints on yourself, feeling overwhelmed by a large task and not breaking it down into smaller more manageable tasks -- you can easily get so freaked out about a thing, you convince your brain you simply can't accomplish it, at all, ever. Don't do that.<br /><br />I'd send you chocolates and liquor, but they'd come with a swift kick in the rear for doubting your own impressive brilliance and extreme competence. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-39617464035040513812016-10-12T21:00:24.591-04:002016-10-12T21:00:24.591-04:00Steve,
"To put this in perspective, a few ye...<b>Steve,</b><br /><br />"To put this in perspective, a few years ago “AI” meant Expert Systems"<br /><br />To me, AI will always mean artificial insemination. At the ranch I was the Head Honcho In Charge Of AI Cows. The HHICOAIC, aside from someone sounding like they are clearing their throat, was the person stupid enough to not mind getting up before dawn so they could feed their horse, saddle up, ride across two other pastures to get to the AI pasture, and check AI cows shortly after dawn before they started brushing up. If a cow showed signs of being in heat, I'd make note of which cow it was and leave her until the next check that night. Lust is contagious.<br /><br />One day the rep from the AI company came out to see how things were going. They're the ones who sell bull semen. We had two cows ready to inseminate I'd brought in, so he volunteered to do the honors. I sat on Cowboy, my faithful compadre and caballo and watched the proceedings. My stepdad wasn't happy as he thought a young woman shouldn't be watching men AI cows. I, however, had thoughts of being an AI technician.<br /><br />Bud, my stepdad, kept trying to signal me to go away. I kept ignoring him. Cowboy, being the curious type, decided to mosey on in closer so he could watch better. There was no getting rid of Cowboy when he was interested in something. It helped me become a pretty good goat tyer as if I didn't tie fast the horse wheeled around and came back to stick his nose in the middle of things while I was trying to tie the goat.<br /><br />Anyway, that's when I decided to recite, "Ode to a Lonely Bull" a poem I made up to bulls everywhere who were being AIed out of a job. <br /><br />"Julia, do you have to do that?" my stepdad growled. <br /><br />"Would you like to hear Ode to the Outhouse?"<br /><br /> <br /><br /> JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86700946134319728992016-10-12T19:51:45.289-04:002016-10-12T19:51:45.289-04:002N's - there are so many ways of being smart a...2N's - there are so many ways of being smart and speed reading is definitely be one of them. It must be a very handy skill in your profession, and in life in general. Is it something you can put aside when you want to luxuriate in a beautifully written story?MA Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11055543285024785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-16351033460505375942016-10-12T19:46:41.817-04:002016-10-12T19:46:41.817-04:00This is what happens when you send your shark suit...This is what happens when you send your shark suit to the dry cleaners! Go get it, bloodstained or not, and zip it all the way up. Thick, sand-papery skin is what you need when comparing yourself to the outliers.<br /><br />If I compared my writing to JK Rowling, I'd never get out of bed in the morning. (This does happen occasionally but the kids won't stand for it for long.) I have to believe that my contribution is worth something, and if it's only for my own fulfilment, then that's ok.<br /><br />Also, is it possible that when Gottlieb was doing this speed reading, there were a lot less writers submitting? In which case, wouldn't it have been easier to find the gems which in turn were so fun to read he couldn't put them down til he'd finished? I'm sure you've said there's fulls you haven't been able to put down. <br /><br />Donna - glad to hear you're back on the grid and no longer need that noisy generator! Hope there wasn't too much damage and that the flood waters have receded.MA Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11055543285024785889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83670848708600279872016-10-12T19:41:43.622-04:002016-10-12T19:41:43.622-04:00Please don't be depressed. There are very few ...Please don't be depressed. There are very few people who have done more for aspiring writers than you have. So you can't get back with a writer overnight. One of your columns or comments probably helped that writer hone that manuscript and get it submitted. I think I speak for all of us when I say, Thank you, Janet. I know you have helped me. Kaphrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02918743538253768394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-83782255660648832252016-10-12T19:11:06.573-04:002016-10-12T19:11:06.573-04:00Hahahaha...not funny, dumb, I posted this in yeste...Hahahaha...not funny, dumb, I posted this in yesterday's comments. <br />Here’s my reading story.<br /><br />First year of high school I was removed from English class for a ‘special’ reading class. I was devastated. Was I being targeted because I was behind the others? Why was I being taught to read? I told my mother I wasn’t sure why they picked me, I read fine, actually I thought I really read well. Depression doesn’t even describe the sense of failure I felt. <br /><br />A small group of us were given machines which our books fit in. A flat device on the machine traveled down the page, with a slot showing only one line of text. We were taught which words out of each sentence to actually read and which to skim. <br /><br />Pretty quickly the speed of the slotted piece was increased until we were able to “speed read” pages unbelievably fast. Our small group was targeted because we were excellent readers. <br /><br />That was the only time in my life I was recognized as better than the other kids we all called smart.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90134920315118483382016-10-12T19:09:58.370-04:002016-10-12T19:09:58.370-04:00Amazon.com sent me this email:
Hello,
We now hav...Amazon.com sent me this email:<br /><br />Hello,<br /><br />We now have delivery date(s) for the order you placed on February 23, 2016: <br /> <br /> Everhart, Donna "The Education of Dixie Dupree"<br /> Estimated arrival date: October 31, 2016 - November 04, 2016<br />Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86212937639961153522016-10-12T17:10:56.885-04:002016-10-12T17:10:56.885-04:00JulieWeathers- thumbs up for supporting "real...JulieWeathers- thumbs up for supporting "real" bookstores. Sometimes I prefer to go to the store & pay more because I feel I'm helping to fund a way of life I love. I can't imagine a world where there are no bookstores to browse.<br /><br />Janice- It's a lifesaver! I wish I could do it with fiction so I could get through my reading list & justify buying more books. Nom de plumehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01309604252298236431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-27038781135523940362016-10-12T16:59:08.923-04:002016-10-12T16:59:08.923-04:00[PSA]
Hot diggity. I have INTERNET SERVICE. *...<b>[PSA]</b> <br /><br />Hot diggity. I have INTERNET SERVICE. *sings. cavorts.*<br /><br /><br /><b>[End of PSA]</b><br /><br /><br /><br />Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-35347608559499149312016-10-12T15:49:14.722-04:002016-10-12T15:49:14.722-04:00Here's the deal, though. Gottlieb reads a manu...Here's the deal, though. Gottlieb reads a manuscript very quickly the first time just to get impressions. He doesn't want to get immersed in it because then the errors are more jolting. He gets back with the author and says what his general impression is and notes there are some problems. Then he goes back and reads like and editor with a pencil and thinks about the manuscript, what's wrong with it and how to fix it.<br /><br />Janet cuts out the first step and goes directly to edit mode. That takes time, even for Mr. Gottlieb.JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-86110236471982942102016-10-12T15:42:52.249-04:002016-10-12T15:42:52.249-04:00He is obviously a speed reader. Here is something ...He is obviously a speed reader. Here is something you might find amusing. That reminds me of something Woody Allen said, how he took a speed reading course and read WAR AND PEACE in fifteen minutes and said it had something to do with Russia.<br /><br />This is hard to believe, but reportedly computers can now speed read. Yes, this is relevant to writing and agenting. According to a segment on 60 MINUTES aired last Sunday, innovations in Artificial Intelligence have advanced the field to such an extent that computers can now read books, understand their contents, and remember them forever. A super computer can read twenty-five million books a week. I find that depressing. This is worth watching. Unfortunately you have to watch commercials:<br /><br />http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/artificial-intelligence/<br /><br />To put this in perspective, a few years ago “AI” meant Expert Systems, in which someone would unpack a skill, reduce it to a set of rules, and program them into a computer. The program was only as wise as the person who programmed it and it could not learn anything new. By reverse engineering living brain cells and figuring out how to simulate them with virtual neural networks, that has changed.<br /><br />One thing that was downplayed in the segment is that the ultimate goal of companies is to put people out of work using these systems. The original goal of AI was to permanently put computer programmers on the unemployment line. That did not happen yet because nobody knows how to model creativity. All the IT jobs can be shipped overseas, but that is an incomplete victory. Now it appears in due course computers may become creative.<br /><br />I have read that in turn suggests (to some) that computers will eventually be able to crank out best sellers on an assembly line basis. Sorry, I did not make a note of the URL. We probably will not live to see it, but if that happens there will be no more writers, editors, or agents.<br /><br />Pass this on to Jeff Somers. I have seen the future ad it is a dystopia.<br />Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56761601067617449612016-10-12T13:47:19.721-04:002016-10-12T13:47:19.721-04:00Oh my Queen; hang not your head. Rather, rejoice t...Oh my Queen; hang not your head. Rather, rejoice that you have a benchmark you can strive for if you so wish.<br /><br />Life should be about the journey and striving for a benchmark can add to that. If,someday, you surmount that benchmark you would just have to find another for humans don't do as well hanging at a destination.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-45135908718876729292016-10-12T13:47:00.087-04:002016-10-12T13:47:00.087-04:00I echo Collin smith's experiences. As a practi...I echo Collin smith's experiences. As a practicing lawyer and then a law professor, most of my reading was law related for decades (Except when I traveled by air or was snowed in my house for a few days (Which by the way doesn't happen often in Alabama)).<br /><br />I read slowly. I write slowly. (I'm one hundred pages away from finishing Theresa Kaminski's excellent "Angels of the Underground" and am excited I may finish it this weekend.) <br /><br />I am fast book buyer. On my basement shelves I have twice as many "to be read" books as "read" books. (and three more (including Dixie Dupree) on back order.<br /><br />Off topic - Referencing back to a thread from last week, my waking thought this morning was "How wide is the Amazon River at Manaus?" (I can't find an answer by the way).<br />Joseph S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07437663031050410028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-84970354323242080162016-10-12T13:33:01.885-04:002016-10-12T13:33:01.885-04:00Sorry his reading speed depressed you, Queen!
Thi...Sorry his reading speed depressed you, Queen!<br /><br />This book is on my must-read list. He's like Super Editor.<br /><br />I was relieved to read in Vanity Fair's article that he <i>did</i> edit Katherine Hepburn's wonderful THE MAKING OF THE AFRICAN QUEEN and <i>did not</i> edit her ME, which was published after he left Knopf.Barbara Etlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07190731838738606727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-1320580260060901352016-10-12T12:59:39.321-04:002016-10-12T12:59:39.321-04:00DLM, when I'm drafting I post word counts, bec...DLM, when I'm drafting I post word counts, because I need to get to the end. When I'm editing I post time or chapter/scenes worked on. I only do it privately, during Nano, or sometimes on a closed Facebook group. I only feel compelled during times when I have a lot of excuses NOT to write. The concrete graphs show me that I AM writing, because I often underestimate how much I am doing. <br /><br />RachelErinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09510327163701754950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81138811911275007802016-10-12T12:52:50.695-04:002016-10-12T12:52:50.695-04:00Chocolate can solve a world of problems, or at lea...Chocolate can solve a world of problems, or at least make you feel better about them.<br /><br />Still, I don't think comparing reading styles is useful. Did this man go out of his way to help writers every day? And not just *his* writers? <br /><br />We've all got a limited amount of time in this world to do the things we want to do, to do the things we need to do, and to do the things we're passionate about. That often means we have to choose some things over others.<br /><br />Thank you, Janet, for choosing us.BJ Muntainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12977414826388000094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-11216459808292469052016-10-12T12:41:36.124-04:002016-10-12T12:41:36.124-04:00Ah yes but you do so much more than read good book...Ah yes but you do so much more than read good books, QOTKU. You read people's worries and answer those, too. A lot of good writers wouldn't be as good (and we'd be a lot more lost) without you. <br /><br />Plus, (and I'm not downing Avid Reader, still this is true for me), there is something to be said for savoring a good read. Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-15588583004494613672016-10-12T12:38:36.041-04:002016-10-12T12:38:36.041-04:00Bethany and Janice
"It was the only way to s...<b>Bethany</b> and <b>Janice</b><br /><br />"It was the only way to survive. I've never been able to do that with fiction."<br /><br />Agreed with the reason and Janice's comment. Having said that, it took me forever to read <i>Spies Of The Confederacy</i> and <i>Mosby's Memoirs</i> because they were so interesting I was making notes constantly and scooting off to research something mentioned in the book. Both of them had me laughing out loud several times, which is hard for a non-fiction or Civil War memoir to pull off. Spies has so many post it notes sticking out of the pages it looks like a ruffled, multicolored neon hen.JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51132050708435984612016-10-12T11:36:49.129-04:002016-10-12T11:36:49.129-04:00:s
How do you send encouragement hugs to a shark?...:s<br /><br />How do you send encouragement hugs to a shark?<br /><br />I guess you don't. You send choccies...<br /><br />Sending lots of choccie thoughts your way, JR!<br /><br /><br />Bethany Joy- "With multiple books assigned per week, we quickly learned to "gut" a book for the highlights." Agreed-a good survival tactic for future use, esp. when handed a thick document at a tense meeting- been there done that :). <br /><br />Reading comprehension can be taught, but I believe it takes a certain skill to be a good Agent, to recognize what the market desires matched with on par writing. IMO After viewing Queryshark and JR's synopsis of other's flash fiction here, and her list of successful clients, anyone's submitted work would be in good hands er fins for a complete, and honest review.Janice Grinyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14363741660626407979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-4414688368393502642016-10-12T11:31:09.390-04:002016-10-12T11:31:09.390-04:00Bethany,
"I'm watching Jonathan Strange ...<b>Bethany,</b><br /><br />"I'm watching Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell too. The show was supposed to save me time on reading the massive novel, but now I want to read it more than ever."<br /><br />Yup. It's one of the books in my shopping cart, though I will stop at BAM and see if they have it. I like brink and mortar book stores.<br /><br />I can and do read a book in a day, but it has to be a good one. One of the women I'm beta reading for sent me the whole manuscript again. I had already read it over time, but this was all together, and it was...very long. <br /><br />I kept thinking, "OK, I'll stop after I finish this section. Oh, no! Why did she do that? Now I have to find out what happened." Then I got up to get another cup of coffee and wondered why it was so light outside. The street lights must be messed up or it was a really bright moon. Oh, it's morning. You have to get ready for work in an hour. <br /><br />Patrick Rothfuss was my last page-turner author and before that Shelby Foote.JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-41267906581133146572016-10-12T10:40:43.268-04:002016-10-12T10:40:43.268-04:00Dena
"I have learned that a good narrator ca...<b>Dena</b><br /><br />"I have learned that a good narrator can make or break a book, whether or not the book is great on its own."<br /><br />Yup. I decided to listen to the audio book of an author who was handing out some odd advice on twitter. Yikes. He did it himself and was doing these odd little girl voices for three girl characters and kept getting the voices mixed up.<br /><br />Though I am considering doing some podcasts to add to the blog, I don't think an author should consider recording their own book unless they are a voice actor, Sam Elliott, or Jack Whyte. <br /><br />I don't know. We'll see. I don't really care for the sound of my voice. It seems a lot of people are doing the vlog things. I am not doing that.<br /><br />Even professional narrators can screw a book. JulieWeathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01361549099072091350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-44059566478708765262016-10-12T10:29:38.872-04:002016-10-12T10:29:38.872-04:00Cheryl - it's been a long time since I've ...<br />Cheryl - it's been a long time since I've read an actual physical book that wasn't a writing-craft book. I keep craft books in the car so I always have one available wherever I go, and I read them whenever I get the chance, which unfortunately isn't often. And I usually only get 10-15 minutes at a time, which is why it's easier to read that type of book in those stolen moments. It's too easy to lose track of the story line reading fiction in such short bursts. But you're probably right, reading on a tablet is definitely a different experience.<br />Dena Pawlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.com