tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post4942285938690434..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Week in Review June 14 Janet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-8095250871964098942015-06-15T12:39:09.859-04:002015-06-15T12:39:09.859-04:00Thank you, Janet! Great WIR.Thank you, Janet! Great WIR.Stacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365582623380288038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68989964552011944332015-06-15T05:27:25.794-04:002015-06-15T05:27:25.794-04:00Great WIR.
Awesome subheader.
And, it's all a...Great WIR.<br />Awesome subheader. <br />And, it's all about the out-of-it sweet pup.<br />Oh, congrats to Donna again. IMHO your FF was one of the best ever.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-12460218937556843652015-06-15T03:55:40.302-04:002015-06-15T03:55:40.302-04:00What you don't see at night, you see in the mo...What you don't see at night, you see in the morning. I should've said, "...but what could I do.<br /><br />Gee, where is everyone? I didn't realize flag day was such a big holiday, everyone's out celebrating. (Btw, love the flag.)LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49875106861549413682015-06-14T21:46:19.167-04:002015-06-14T21:46:19.167-04:00The phrase "drive-by signings" reminds m...The phrase "drive-by signings" reminds me of a strange experience I had in a bookstore once. I was browsing the selection of new books. I pick up one, and noticed the author had signed the title page. I flip back to the cover to see if it was marked as an autographed copy. It was not, nor was there any indication on the display that these were autographed. I flip through a couple others, and see that they are all autographed. <br /><br />I decided to alert the employees. They were as surprised as I was. The person behind the counter at the time happened to be one of the managers. He explained that the author was local. Apparently, the author had come in once and, without informing them, decided to autograph all the copies of his book. The manager shrugged and said they would mark the books accordingly.<br /><br />I guess it's nice that the author was giving away free autographs, but what's the point of promotion if no one knows you're doing it?Beth H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14281003524857655329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-71244106214189185932015-06-14T20:55:01.441-04:002015-06-14T20:55:01.441-04:00So, don't give away the goods for free, huh? Y...So, don't give away the goods for free, huh? You're such a stickler. I can't imagine even one reader contacting me like that, but I hope that if it happened with any frequency, like twice, I'd find a way to direct people to an outlet where they could BUY the book.<br /><br />I somehow missed the thread about comments in other places. It's funny, I'd just had a conversation with a friend telling her I must be the only person in the world who writes a blog post and gets comments about it on a completely different blog (of which I'm admin, but it's a group effort). Thing is, it's a "private" blog. Well, not strictly private requiring sign-in, but way off the beaten path and not available to search engines. That's part of its charm and everyone over there values that sense of seclusion, however tenuous. I'd never give anyone a link to it just so they could assess some fucking platform. Those readers have supported and encouraged me from day one of this writing effort and I'm fiercely protective of them. Might that reluctance someday hurt my chances with an agent or publisher? I don't even care. Some things are far more important.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-36032981691179588022015-06-14T19:35:19.831-04:002015-06-14T19:35:19.831-04:00As I've had another one of those weeks and hav...As I've had another one of those weeks and have had to miss and skim posts and comments I'm super appreciative of the time and effort Ms Reid puts in to bringing us the WiR.<br /><br />bjmuntain - thanks for sharing the story of 'the missing first sentence'. A perfect example of how to turn a negative into a positive and make it work for you. A very professional response, and yes, great marketing!AJ Blythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04529233142099749005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-50958717409300790582015-06-14T19:29:49.861-04:002015-06-14T19:29:49.861-04:00Congrats Terri as sub-header of the week.
I am ...Congrats Terri as sub-header of the week. <br /><br />I am just back from a weekend away, 9 months in planning, with the marvelous Dr. Jennifer Harvey, professor at Drake University, Iowa and author of "Dear White Christian: Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation." Vibrant energy, wonderful keynote presenter, thought-provoking challenges held with hope. <br /><br />And, now to wind down, it was great to sit and read this Week in Review. Lisa Bodenheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17809067722921953857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21520547836916961052015-06-14T18:36:56.389-04:002015-06-14T18:36:56.389-04:00As always the WIR gives me a huge happy and helps ...As always the WIR gives me a huge happy and helps with the niblets I missed. <br /><br />Thanks for including my cautionary tale. The morale of the story is to have a back up in case your main platform is interrupted by reasons real or imagined. For example, had I been benched for a week (the typical hand-slap,) my best friend was going to broadcast that I could be found at my blog. <br /><br />As for the platform thing, damn, tis tricky. <br /><br />Someone asked Chuck Wendig when his blog took off and became a community that required thought and curation rather than just him and a few friends talking with the occasional drive-by spam. He said is was about 2 years ago. No big surprise, it was when his Mirian Black series gained traction. But he put in a crap ton of work to get it there and he social medias well.<br /><br />Love the sub-header! And I love that it rotates. And yes, I screen-shotted it when I occupied that vaunted virtual real estate. Don't judge . . . <br /><br />I will be on the road and at a massive toy show next week, so the WIR will be even more important to keep me up to date on the doings in the shark tank. <br /><br />Back to packing the van: TerriTerri Lynn Coophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07290316565247120848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-33705866974560693952015-06-14T18:03:54.765-04:002015-06-14T18:03:54.765-04:00Me too and I wouldn't blame her.Me too and I wouldn't blame her.LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61360834590824135102015-06-14T17:18:48.760-04:002015-06-14T17:18:48.760-04:00Squee! I am back in the WIR again. :)
Lynn, I'...Squee! I am back in the WIR again. :)<br /><br />Lynn, I've wondered whether Janet ever repents the time this must take.DLMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08768285199864217885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-46069758286702836242015-06-14T16:47:14.446-04:002015-06-14T16:47:14.446-04:00Whoohoo! Typing on my smartphone with one finger a...Whoohoo! Typing on my smartphone with one finger and no mistakes. None that I can see, so if there are, don't tell me.<br /><br />Congrats, Julie! LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-48700009053807703262015-06-14T16:40:02.189-04:002015-06-14T16:40:02.189-04:00Janet, I wonder if you ever say to yourself, "...Janet, I wonder if you ever say to yourself, "why did I start this week in review?" If it's any consolation, at least you know all of us are aware of the time you put into it and we appreciate it so much.<br /><br />I'm not sure about being in this WIR. This past week I didn't have time to comment much, so mine were very short and to the point. I still think, although the person was clueless, they thought they were doing the author a favor. Or (this also crossed my mind) they may have done it for their own means trying to get chummy with the author. Who knows?<br /><br />BJ, I love how Ms. Kowal handled that. Decades ago, I use to be a cruciverbalist for a newspaper here in Paris. My first one had several mistakes because it was set wrong. I was not a happy camper, never mind I'd never been camping before. Oh, I take that back, I did go to summer camp as a kid for a couple of years. Where was I? Oh yeah, anyway, I was pissed, but what can you do? "Stop the presses!" Hell no, it went out like that with an apology when the answers appeared.<br /><br />Donna, I loved the Keys, especially Key West, but that was before my boating accident. Even then I wouldn't have gone in the water. You're a brave lady.<br /><br />LynnRodzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796099106913990163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-13673804673266778962015-06-14T16:16:54.305-04:002015-06-14T16:16:54.305-04:00Yay Julie! Congrats for Sub-Head of the Week! :)
...Yay Julie! Congrats for Sub-Head of the Week! :)<br /><br />It's funny how many of our writerly dilemmas boil down to one answer: Write a durn good story, write it well, and write with integrity. That advice addresses so many concerns, not to mention social commentary, preachiness, politics, character names, genre, and so many other things. It's so easy to worry about these and forget what this whole fiction writing thing is about: writing great stories with compelling, believable characters, and writing them well. That's the perfect antidote to being preachy, or caricaturing, etc.<br /><br />SINGER FROM MEMPHIS!! I love it already. OK, I'm too old to fanboy, but thanks for sharing this, Janet. What I really want to know is where I can get merchandise--Nico and Diotima action figures, mugs, t-shirts, video games...? :)Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30740813636305557852015-06-14T15:40:38.750-04:002015-06-14T15:40:38.750-04:00The thorny question of political commentary throug...The thorny question of political commentary through fiction, mmm? Yeah we call those publications newspapers here and that's the problem, most views termed political, are received -wisdom- and if the organs that dispense your wisdom, work in a manner typical in mainstreamer media, then you're in trouble. Genuine insight into complex cultural and social issues, that's a different barrel of monkeys and it's usually worth having a gander at what an author can pull out of that ferment. But, complex issues tend to be -- complex and wedging 'em into narrative form is fraught with the risk of the same simplification and narrative stereotyping that occurs in the media. I wouldn't say don't do it, well yeah I would actually, cos you're gonna get it wrong, everyone does, it's just a question of how wrong you are.<br /><br />I do have a tip for pseudonyms, pick a surname that occurs before S in the alphabet and has A for the second letter but don't go too extreme, Aaron A Aardvark will get you laughed outa town.DeadSpiderEyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07687178085803686186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-54295665129491855072015-06-14T14:27:50.636-04:002015-06-14T14:27:50.636-04:00Yay! I made it to WiR!
I know that Janet spends a...Yay! I made it to WiR!<br /><br />I know that Janet spends a lot of time on the WiR. I first saw the change in blog header (yay, Julie!), then spent the next hour or so refreshing the screen to see when it changed (not constantly, but periodically). It hadn't changed by then, so I went for a nap. I came back to see my name in print. :) <br /><br />Regarding mistakes in a printed book:<br /><br />Mary Robinette Kowal was shocked - and angered - to find that the first line in <i>Glamour in Glass</i> was missing from the print version of the book. Not mis-edited but MISSING.<br /><br />I remember when she found out about it and was complaining about it on Twitter. Of course, the first edition had already gone out to the bookstores by this time. What could she do?<br /><br />She created stickers with the first line on them, that she could give to anyone who bought her novel so they could stick them in the book where the first line should have been. When I was talking to her with a friend of mine - who works in a library - she gave her a bunch of stickers and said if my friend's library system needed more, she'd send more. You could tell that she was still perturbed about it, even a couple years later.<br /><br />She also has book plates and bookmarks and even T-shirts with that first line on it now.<br /><br />Here's her blog post about it: <a href="http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/new-beginnings-or-what-happened-to-my-novels-first-sentence" rel="nofollow">New beginnings – or – What happened to my novel’s first sentence?</a><br /><br />That's how one author fixed one (very huge) publishing error. And - I'm sure - managed to sell more of them with her ingenuity. That, my friends, is marketing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-81001152676514440482015-06-14T13:02:48.732-04:002015-06-14T13:02:48.732-04:00A sublime WIR, and thank you for a re-mention of t...A sublime WIR, and thank you for a re-mention of the FF win. Feeling all tingly again. <br /><br />Hey, last time a shark did that for me I was snorkeling in a sanctuary down in Key West. I should have known all those zillions of feeder fish were scurrying by post haste for a reason. Up from the murky depths rose a "nurse" shark. I don't care that it was called a nurse shark. It was BIGGER than me and DIRECTLY below me. <br /><br />Can we say freak out? <br /><br />Congrats Julie W on the sub-header for the week! Donnaevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09026536210749494257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-87240317803328025142015-06-14T12:59:18.447-04:002015-06-14T12:59:18.447-04:00In addition to being Flag Day, today is my Navy so...In addition to being Flag Day, today is my Navy son's 21st birthday. He's promised to Skype us this afternoon before he gets snockered.<br /><br />I have three mentions in today's WiR! And I see I'm now memorialized for all eternity for my inability to count past the number 5 =)<br /><br />Have a great week.<br />Dena Pawlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-2914479511956253592015-06-14T12:45:10.507-04:002015-06-14T12:45:10.507-04:00I didn't chime in on this originally because i...I didn't chime in on this originally because it's been a long week of 100 mile drives to an offsite office and I was just brain-mush for the week however, the post about the Facebook comments thing was very interesting to me because I despise Facebook and am only there because at one time, I needed to be. I was a sheeple... If I am required to post replies on Facebook or read articles on Facebook or any one of a dozen other ways authors/readers/others use it as their platform, I skip the whole thing. I much prefer the blog/forum format to Facebook.nightsmusichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05984119792540771870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-61818764037196011172015-06-14T12:37:37.301-04:002015-06-14T12:37:37.301-04:00Great week in review as always. That cute puppy. H...Great week in review as always. That cute puppy. He is zoned out.<br /><br />"Criminy, now I wonder, should I change the names of my horse trader Jetreid and my renowned madam Tawana F'Enske? <br /><br />absolutely NOT! (except you know Tawna has only two As in her name, right?)"<br /><br />Yep, but remember the discussion about how names should fit in with the cultures of the stories? Tawna just sounded too modern to my ear. I'm hoping savvy readers will connect it. I've even got readers complaining about the name Amanda even though it appears on birth records in 1212, but perception matters. I'll fool around with it before I'm done I'm sure on both Tawna and Amanda.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90487246452614762072015-06-14T12:32:43.187-04:002015-06-14T12:32:43.187-04:00Another lovely WIR. Thanks!
I happened to notice,...Another lovely WIR. Thanks!<br /><br />I happened to notice, once, John Green on Twitter talking about having gone into a book store to sign books they had on the shelf (at least I think it was him?), and the employees....were just totally unprepared for such an event. They didn't know if they should let him. They just could not countenance what he wanted to do. It was the weirdest thing, to me, to read. I'm sure much weirder for him.<br /><br />And, <i>Rebecca</i> is one of those books I read once, and after the last page flipped back to the first page and read again (<i>Song of Solomon</i>). I've read it so many times since then, maybe ten, I don't know. The mood, the characters, the layers...it's on my shortlist of Things I Recommend when people come to the library front desk and ask "What should I read?" (don't worry, I recommend new things too, and all across the genre charts, but "new" frequently means "not on the shelf, so we'll reserve it and give you something else in the meanwhile")Jennifer R. Donohuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00363886899308588391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-43048761123612703242015-06-14T12:11:54.323-04:002015-06-14T12:11:54.323-04:00I hope you love writing the WIR as much as I/we lo...I hope you love writing the WIR as much as I/we love reading it. It's just too hard to circle back to all the comments some days, and the points you capture really, really help.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09087693502586757266noreply@blogger.com