Very funny infographic…because it’s true! I connect with the pathway that works with corresponding with friends according to your favorite genre.
Just for Fun: Book Publishing Infographic
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Monthly Archives: March 2014
Book Agent Info
Meet face to face with an agent at the Wyoming Writers Conference June 6-8. Held in Sheridan, WY, the conference offers Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary and Jessica Sinsheimer of Sarah Jane Freymann Literary.
Book Agent Info
Lara Perkins of Andrea Brown Lit likes smart, raw YA fiction, character-driven middle grade, and picture books; she loves mystery and “the wonderfully weird, the idiosyncratic, and the entirely unexpected.”
How Many People Did You Kill Today?
Insight into the life of a writer at this new blog post I added to the Rensing Center blog.
New Review Opportunity
Parnassus Books has launched an online literary journal called Musing. Targeting bookstore employees, the publication will feature reviews, recommendations, and author interviews.
2013 Bestsellers
Great news for authors working with fiction: 2013 again proved that fiction is the top choice among readers.
The books ranged from juvenile lit like books from the Wimpy Kid series to the YA Divergent series. Ebooks also held fiction in the prime spot; the top 20 bestselling Kindle books were all novels.
Writing at Downton Abbey
Here’s a link to a new blog post I added to the Rensing Center’s blog. It’s kind of like being at a Southern Downton Abbey!
Book Clubs for Men
I have posted here before on The Oprah Effect, how authors might rise after receiving a nod from this powerful club. But Edward Nawotka, Editor in Chief of Publishing Perspectives, says Oprah isn’t talking to men.
His book club, he notes, is as serious as any populated mostly by women. They read widely, in a variety of genres…and only read fiction. This goes against the standard wisdom publishers hold out that says women read as much as 80% of all fiction published in the U.S. today.
He asks when publishers will begin to take male readers as seriously as men take themselves.
If you’re writing for a broad type of reader, know that men are just as engaged with your work as women.
The Oprah Effect V. 2.0
Oprah’s book club was rebooted to the relief of many publishers and authors alike. The bump that could come from being selected for the club made a number of careers.
Now it looks like there is the potential to go further with a pick from her team. She has her own TV channel, a popular monthly magazine and digital components that expand on both.
The Oprah Effect didn’t lift every pick to bestseller lists, and it’s likely that not every book in the revived club will benefit. But it is one of the few avenues left for readers to find great books…and for authors to be found.
Just for Fun
List of 10 wonderfully strange libraries. My fav? The burro bag!
Book Agent Info
Nikki Terpilowski of Holloway Lit wants women’s fiction, southern fiction, multicultural literary fiction, upmarket African-American fiction, steam funk, romance, military and espionage thrillers, historical fiction, nonfiction with a strong platform and academic assessments of popular culture, graphic novels, Manga, YA, MG and children’s picture books.
She is especially interested in time travel, reincarnation, mythology, ancient civilizations, magical and animist realism, Japan, American history, military, espionage, martial arts, narrative nonfiction about food and beverage, travel or expat life, international relations and foreign policy, and nonfiction on spirituality, parenting, health and wellbeing.
Artist Colonies
I’m currently on a six-week residency program to work on the first draft of my new novel. Residency programs are offered by a number of organizations, including artist colonies. Having one or more listed on your resume can capture attention from agents and publishers; during the program, you can often expand your network of arts administrators and fellow authors.
Check out the Alliance of Artists Communities for information on many colonies that accept authors.
Support for Female Authors
Recently there has been quite a bit of conversation about how little support there is for female authors. This runs the gambit from fewer reviews to fewer publishing contracts. In 2012, for example, only 16% of reviewed books were written by women. Writers of color are also underserved.
Joanna Walsh has launched the #readwomen2014 project to help correct the imbalance. Daniel Pritchard, editor of the Critical Flame journal, is dedicating the entire year to women and authors of color. Support these projects…and of course submit to Critical Flame to help boost your own writing.
Marketing Site from S&S: Biz Books
Authors of business books can get a little marketing push from Simon & Schuster…even if they haven’t published through that company.
The publisher is launching a “publisher-angnostic” website devoted to business books. The site will feature 250-word essays based on concepts in business books from every house. The essays will be available via a daily email list as well as on the site.
The site is called 250 Words.
The Creative Flow
Here’s a new blog post on the Rensing Center’s blog where I consider the freedom a writing residency brings to the creative flow.
Writer's Resource/Sunspot Lit 