For now!
If you've arrived here looking for insight into the publishing landscape, digital platform, how to get an agent, self-publishing, or anything like that, please enjoy perusing.
The contact information, bio, and freelance information are all up to date and will stay that way.
Other resources whose authors are not rogues prone to archiving their blogs can be found at:
http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/
http://queryshark.blogspot.com/
http://literaticat.blogspot.com/
http://pred-ed.com/ (With many grains of salt! This is all self-reported by authors like yourself.)
http://brookssherman.com/
http://glasscasesblog.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 15, 2012
Easier said than done?
Whenever a big book deal is announced, especially when the beneficiary is a celebrity, there's always blogosphere strife. People arguing that they were paid too much. That they can't really write. That publishing is a nepotistic, taste-bereft land of the quick dollar.
Here's a very nice video responding to that.
But, is this suggestion easier given than received? After months, sometimes years, of rejection, can one just forget about the book deal and write?
Thursday, October 11, 2012
How to Show, Not Tell
Yesterday, the Anna Karenina movie people released eight new posters for the film and I immediately clicked over to check them out. And I was so, so bummed.
At first, I couldn't figure out why--the sumptuous costuming and overall aesthetic are right up my romantic alley and JUDE LAW. The posters are ostensibly "exploring love" in all its types but...something about it felt cheesy to me.
Then it hit me. On each poster, you've got a caption over top that's all "ADJECTIVE Love." The problem is that the images themselves say so much more than any single adjective ever could. If they'd just put LOVE on each one, it would have been so much more sophisticated.
Is there a lesson here for writers?
At first, I couldn't figure out why--the sumptuous costuming and overall aesthetic are right up my romantic alley and JUDE LAW. The posters are ostensibly "exploring love" in all its types but...something about it felt cheesy to me.
Then it hit me. On each poster, you've got a caption over top that's all "ADJECTIVE Love." The problem is that the images themselves say so much more than any single adjective ever could. If they'd just put LOVE on each one, it would have been so much more sophisticated.
Is there a lesson here for writers?
And here are a series of UNCAPTIONED pictures of the cast that I think say a lot more than these tell-y posters.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Social Media RipOff
I hereby declare this the biggest social media conference ripoff ever. Ok, maybe not ever. But I don't waste my time researching bogus social media conferences (and you shouldn't either). So there.
$1,000. One day. No confirmed attendee list. I don't see any one-on-one time...AND they're promising you you can learn "best practices." Which you can learn here, here, or here. And many, many other places.
The truth is "best practices" of anything are going to be fairly basic--don't spam, don't overuse the hashtag, etc. You can't talk about best practices of the higher level stuff: crafting a campaign or talking to your specific audience, because there are too many variables. You have to be, at a minimum, familiar with the basics to get anything out of a panel or conference.
Guys, panels are hard. As someone who's been on them and listened to them, it's rare that I come out of a panel discussion with much more than one or two insights to ruminate on (which is usually worth it, actually).
This is because you've got 3 - 5 people, all with different agendas, none of whom want to give too much away, plus an agenda-ed moderator, PLUS a crowd that runs the gamut from someone who knows a lot about the topic to those who just heard about it. And, worse, those who just heard about it who think they're in a tutorial on, say, best practices of social media.
This last group is, unfortunately, the most likely to get suckered in to paying a GRAND to go listen to the head of McDonald's talk about their Twitter strategy. Because obviously what works for them, what's even FEASIBLE for them, should be on your radar, too? No.
Here's the thing about panels and conferences: you have to be really well versed in the topic long before you go there. Ideally, you should have dabbled a little in it, too, so you know what the glitches are for your specific situation. That's why we encourage so much research into agents and publishing before just showing up at a writer's conference thinking you'll get an agent or a book deal. If you don't know what you don't know, how are you going to glean the information that will help answer those questions?
For all of you who've walked out of a panel or a whole conference feeling like you just listened to people talk about totally company specific, personally inapplicable things, that's what happened to you.
So as for these social media conferences? Put your cash into a reputable freelancer who works in your industry and can speak to you particular strategy.
Have you been to a conference before? Did you leave filling fulfilled and knowledgeable or confused and downtrodden?
$1,000. One day. No confirmed attendee list. I don't see any one-on-one time...AND they're promising you you can learn "best practices." Which you can learn here, here, or here. And many, many other places.
The truth is "best practices" of anything are going to be fairly basic--don't spam, don't overuse the hashtag, etc. You can't talk about best practices of the higher level stuff: crafting a campaign or talking to your specific audience, because there are too many variables. You have to be, at a minimum, familiar with the basics to get anything out of a panel or conference.
Guys, panels are hard. As someone who's been on them and listened to them, it's rare that I come out of a panel discussion with much more than one or two insights to ruminate on (which is usually worth it, actually).
This is because you've got 3 - 5 people, all with different agendas, none of whom want to give too much away, plus an agenda-ed moderator, PLUS a crowd that runs the gamut from someone who knows a lot about the topic to those who just heard about it. And, worse, those who just heard about it who think they're in a tutorial on, say, best practices of social media.
This last group is, unfortunately, the most likely to get suckered in to paying a GRAND to go listen to the head of McDonald's talk about their Twitter strategy. Because obviously what works for them, what's even FEASIBLE for them, should be on your radar, too? No.
Here's the thing about panels and conferences: you have to be really well versed in the topic long before you go there. Ideally, you should have dabbled a little in it, too, so you know what the glitches are for your specific situation. That's why we encourage so much research into agents and publishing before just showing up at a writer's conference thinking you'll get an agent or a book deal. If you don't know what you don't know, how are you going to glean the information that will help answer those questions?
For all of you who've walked out of a panel or a whole conference feeling like you just listened to people talk about totally company specific, personally inapplicable things, that's what happened to you.
So as for these social media conferences? Put your cash into a reputable freelancer who works in your industry and can speak to you particular strategy.
Have you been to a conference before? Did you leave filling fulfilled and knowledgeable or confused and downtrodden?
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Escaping the Slush Pile
The Slush Pile. Duhn Duhn DUHHHN!
That dreaded place from which it may feel impossible to escape. Particularly after 10 years.
Over at The Atlantic, Dan Josefson talks to my friend and wonderful writer of many types, D.B. Grady, about Dan's debut novel, That's Not A Feeling, which came out yesterday.
Even with a blurb from effing DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, it took ten years for the book to be published.
How long have you been on sub?
Also: watch Dan's book trailer.
That dreaded place from which it may feel impossible to escape. Particularly after 10 years.
Over at The Atlantic, Dan Josefson talks to my friend and wonderful writer of many types, D.B. Grady, about Dan's debut novel, That's Not A Feeling, which came out yesterday.
Even with a blurb from effing DAVID FOSTER WALLACE, it took ten years for the book to be published.
How long have you been on sub?
Also: watch Dan's book trailer.
Friday, September 28, 2012
When to Tweet and Post
Do you use scheduling software to manage your professional social media? You should! My favorite is the exceedingly user friendly Hootsuite. It's free and takes a lot of the burden off of you to get to your Twitter account three times a day.
With Hootsuite and its ilk (another is the notoriously buggy TweetDeck), you can schedule Twitter and Facebook (and even blog, if you have Wordpress) posts out into the future. So you can maintain a presence without interrupting a busy work day every 3 hours.
But when should you schedule? You want to find that sweet spot where your audience's eyeballs are actually on their own social media--otherwise you'll just end up too far down the Timeline. Hootsuite has an auto schedule feature that claims to monitor when you get the most interaction and help schedule posts at those times.
I'm skeptical of automating to that extent. The goal isn't to completely check out from your audience, just to take some of the pressure off. You should know when your audience is active because you're evaluating what gets a response and when. Still, it's something to try out.
Also look at this cool infographic, about when social media as a whole tends to be most active. I was very surprised...anything surprise you?
With Hootsuite and its ilk (another is the notoriously buggy TweetDeck), you can schedule Twitter and Facebook (and even blog, if you have Wordpress) posts out into the future. So you can maintain a presence without interrupting a busy work day every 3 hours.
But when should you schedule? You want to find that sweet spot where your audience's eyeballs are actually on their own social media--otherwise you'll just end up too far down the Timeline. Hootsuite has an auto schedule feature that claims to monitor when you get the most interaction and help schedule posts at those times.
I'm skeptical of automating to that extent. The goal isn't to completely check out from your audience, just to take some of the pressure off. You should know when your audience is active because you're evaluating what gets a response and when. Still, it's something to try out.
Also look at this cool infographic, about when social media as a whole tends to be most active. I was very surprised...anything surprise you?
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Twitter Followers!
Everyone wants that magic bullet. The right Things To Do to make people click the "Follow" button on Twitter. And lots of people have advice, me included. But there's nothing like show and tell.
Here are some people who are doing it right!
Sean Ferrell (author of NUMB and MAN IN THE EMPTY SUIT, which is out next year!)
Emma Straub (author of Laura Lamont's Life In Pictures)
Maureen Johnson (author of many books for young adults)
Lydia Netzer (author of Shine Shine Shine)
And more over at Bookriot.
Here are some people who are doing it right!
Sean Ferrell (author of NUMB and MAN IN THE EMPTY SUIT, which is out next year!)
Emma Straub (author of Laura Lamont's Life In Pictures)
Maureen Johnson (author of many books for young adults)
Lydia Netzer (author of Shine Shine Shine)
And more over at Bookriot.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
New Adult
I was having this very lively discussion about the category (which refers to demographic, as opposed to genre, which refers to content) of "New Adult."
New Adult is supposedly (more on why that qualifier in a sec) a category that would cater to the 19 - 30 category (ish). So filling a gap between the experiences of the mostly high school characters of YA and the largely 30+ protags of "Adult" fiction. Sort of like the Chick Lit of the 90s did--these books would be about "finding one's way" or whatever. But with some other stuff thrown in with the stilettos.
That's not to say that there isn't or wouldn't be a lot of crossover between all of those categories, or that 19 - 30 year old people aren't "adults." It's just an acknowledgement that most people in those age groups have different concerns and life stuff than most 30+. That's what I think, at least.
Now, for that "supposedly," above. New Adult didn't exist as a term until about 5 years ago, when someone in the Biz literally made it up. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Every other category had to be made up at some point. But this is a new one, and it's had a hard time getting any traction.
Why?
Well, the biggest reason is that the categories used by agents and editors to describe something correspond directly to the categories in bookstores and libraries (yes, those are standardized!). This is because the hundreds of bookstores and libraries across the country (and digital retailers, too) order books based on codes called BISACs. They look like this:
or
There are a lot of those. But there can't be too many, because if every subgenre and every potential age group delineation was coded, the codes would stop being useful. If everything got its own unique code...well, that's called an ISBN. And it's unique to each title. And there are millions of individual titles published each year. The whole point of grouping them is to make that number more manageable.
Adding a new category means that this entire system has to change--from how the bookstores arrange their shelves to how the publisher registers copyright. That, my friends, is not simple.
So the term "New Adult" hasn't really captured the hearts and minds of agents and editors because it doesn't exist in the Real World. Definitely the wholesalers and retailers don't use it. Readers don't know what it is, for the most part. Many view it as a cumbersome addition, fraught with the implication that 20-somethings "can't" read adult fiction for some reason (there's a reason Chick Lit is dead--it was boring and condescending after a while. Not all 20-something ladies are Carrie Bradshaw).
So, for now at least, calling a submission "New Adult" to an editor would be like calling it...Elephant In The Corner Fiction (it's, like, suspenseful, but for people who don't like surprises!). It means something, but it doesn't mean anything, really. It can't be sold in to retailers as what you're calling it. And that is a no-no!
All valid points, although I tend to think New Adult could be a real thing...BUT not without a huge shift in a huge system. It might seem like an update in a computer system, but it actually affects every link of the chain.
Questions? Comments?
New Adult is supposedly (more on why that qualifier in a sec) a category that would cater to the 19 - 30 category (ish). So filling a gap between the experiences of the mostly high school characters of YA and the largely 30+ protags of "Adult" fiction. Sort of like the Chick Lit of the 90s did--these books would be about "finding one's way" or whatever. But with some other stuff thrown in with the stilettos.
That's not to say that there isn't or wouldn't be a lot of crossover between all of those categories, or that 19 - 30 year old people aren't "adults." It's just an acknowledgement that most people in those age groups have different concerns and life stuff than most 30+. That's what I think, at least.
Now, for that "supposedly," above. New Adult didn't exist as a term until about 5 years ago, when someone in the Biz literally made it up. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Every other category had to be made up at some point. But this is a new one, and it's had a hard time getting any traction.
Why?
Well, the biggest reason is that the categories used by agents and editors to describe something correspond directly to the categories in bookstores and libraries (yes, those are standardized!). This is because the hundreds of bookstores and libraries across the country (and digital retailers, too) order books based on codes called BISACs. They look like this:
| FIC009050 | FICTION / Fantasy / Paranormal |
or
| FIC043000 | FICTION / Coming of Age |
There are a lot of those. But there can't be too many, because if every subgenre and every potential age group delineation was coded, the codes would stop being useful. If everything got its own unique code...well, that's called an ISBN. And it's unique to each title. And there are millions of individual titles published each year. The whole point of grouping them is to make that number more manageable.
Adding a new category means that this entire system has to change--from how the bookstores arrange their shelves to how the publisher registers copyright. That, my friends, is not simple.
So the term "New Adult" hasn't really captured the hearts and minds of agents and editors because it doesn't exist in the Real World. Definitely the wholesalers and retailers don't use it. Readers don't know what it is, for the most part. Many view it as a cumbersome addition, fraught with the implication that 20-somethings "can't" read adult fiction for some reason (there's a reason Chick Lit is dead--it was boring and condescending after a while. Not all 20-something ladies are Carrie Bradshaw).
So, for now at least, calling a submission "New Adult" to an editor would be like calling it...Elephant In The Corner Fiction (it's, like, suspenseful, but for people who don't like surprises!). It means something, but it doesn't mean anything, really. It can't be sold in to retailers as what you're calling it. And that is a no-no!
All valid points, although I tend to think New Adult could be a real thing...BUT not without a huge shift in a huge system. It might seem like an update in a computer system, but it actually affects every link of the chain.
Questions? Comments?
Friday, September 14, 2012
#FridayWrites
Soho Teen is now running the #FridayWrites hashtag, an unofficial counterpart to the awesome #FridayReads. Every Friday, we'll post a visual, auditory, or written writing prompt for you!
Thursday, September 13, 2012
If you haven't already...
OK, so there's only one thing that could make me take a hiatus from le blog, which I le love. And that's something 1. I'm really, really excited about and 2. I've been working HARD on!
That something is Soho Teen, a brand new young adult imprint coming January 2013 from Soho Press. Find out more about Soho Teen here and go like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
It would make me so glad. If you like and follow us, email me at mbarnes {at} sohopress.com (yes, you just got my real life work email) and I'll send you a surprise. :)
That something is Soho Teen, a brand new young adult imprint coming January 2013 from Soho Press. Find out more about Soho Teen here and go like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
It would make me so glad. If you like and follow us, email me at mbarnes {at} sohopress.com (yes, you just got my real life work email) and I'll send you a surprise. :)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
What Workers Are Really For
Yesterday, I was reading "What Work Is Really For," in my beloved New York Times. I love articles on this topic, and there have been a few lately. They always seem to say something along the lines of "We should work less!" or at least that we should feel less guilty about not working.
Or something like that.
This one takes the "Work is a means to an end, there to give you time to smell the roses" conceit somewhere else though. The premise of "What Work Is Really For" is that we are controlled by the market, as opposed to the other way around (which Capitalims would have us believe). So it is hard for us to tell what would be life-improving for us; we just buy crap because it's there and we can (Snuggie!).
The author concludes by turning his attention to Education, which he says must "aim to produce self-determining agents who can see through the blandishments of the market and insist that the market provide what they themselves have decided they need to lead fulfilling lives."
This assumes that consumers would buy only what they "need to lead fulfilling lives." But whose life are we fulfilling? You might be fulfilled by the purchase of a Snuggie, while I would choose, say, chocolate. Improvement in subjective in all (debatable?) cases.
This is interesting in light of the recent discussion of genre vs Lit-rature. To be sure, there is a "market" for books. And many, many good-ish things don't get published because the market says they shouldn't (with editors and agents being the interpreters of the market which, swallow the bile! they are qualified to do).
But isn't it great that such a wide breadth of fiction gets published? it's not perfect, but the mix of what's available is astonishing. With the rise of indies and self-publishing, that mix only stands to get richer and more complex.
Who says there's any standard (or teachable) way to "lead a fulfilling life," no matter what good or service we're talking about (ChatRoulette!). I say put it out there and let the market decide (you just might not have a publicist).
Or something like that.
This one takes the "Work is a means to an end, there to give you time to smell the roses" conceit somewhere else though. The premise of "What Work Is Really For" is that we are controlled by the market, as opposed to the other way around (which Capitalims would have us believe). So it is hard for us to tell what would be life-improving for us; we just buy crap because it's there and we can (Snuggie!).
The author concludes by turning his attention to Education, which he says must "aim to produce self-determining agents who can see through the blandishments of the market and insist that the market provide what they themselves have decided they need to lead fulfilling lives."
This assumes that consumers would buy only what they "need to lead fulfilling lives." But whose life are we fulfilling? You might be fulfilled by the purchase of a Snuggie, while I would choose, say, chocolate. Improvement in subjective in all (debatable?) cases.
This is interesting in light of the recent discussion of genre vs Lit-rature. To be sure, there is a "market" for books. And many, many good-ish things don't get published because the market says they shouldn't (with editors and agents being the interpreters of the market which, swallow the bile! they are qualified to do).
But isn't it great that such a wide breadth of fiction gets published? it's not perfect, but the mix of what's available is astonishing. With the rise of indies and self-publishing, that mix only stands to get richer and more complex.
Who says there's any standard (or teachable) way to "lead a fulfilling life," no matter what good or service we're talking about (ChatRoulette!). I say put it out there and let the market decide (you just might not have a publicist).
Monday, September 10, 2012
Write and WIN $1,000, a critique, and more!
Soho Teen is getting so close to launch I can TASTE it (and, to tell you the truth, it's not all donuts and honey--but after all this is a mystery and thriller imprint and well...sometimes that don't taste good. But I digress).
To celebrate Soho Teen as well as our many great friends, we've launched a contest with Figment (a great writer/reader community, if you don't know!) linked to our February 2013 title, WHO DONE IT, an anthology featuring John Green, David Levithan, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson...everyone! And edited by the wonderful Jon Scieszka (author of The Stinky Cheese Man!).
In the anthology, authors are suspected of killing the odious editor Herman Mildew and they must provide (hilarious) alibis absolving themselves to our editor/investigator Mr. Scieszka. To enter the contest, you have to do the same!
To celebrate Soho Teen as well as our many great friends, we've launched a contest with Figment (a great writer/reader community, if you don't know!) linked to our February 2013 title, WHO DONE IT, an anthology featuring John Green, David Levithan, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson...everyone! And edited by the wonderful Jon Scieszka (author of The Stinky Cheese Man!).
In the anthology, authors are suspected of killing the odious editor Herman Mildew and they must provide (hilarious) alibis absolving themselves to our editor/investigator Mr. Scieszka. To enter the contest, you have to do the same!
Here are the deets:
In 500 to 1,000 words, following the guidelines on Figment's site, write your alibi in Herman Mildew’s murder. You must be between 13 and 18 years old to enter.
And HERE are the amazing prizes!
- $1,000
- A one-page editorial letter from literary agent Suzie Townsend (New Leaf Literary Agency) who will read up to 8,000 words of your original work. Any form of writing will be accepted: short stories, excerpt from a novel, poems, essays, etc. Both published and unpublished work will be accepted for review.
- An invitation for the winner and a parent or guardian to the SohoTeen launch party in New York City on November 29, 2012, where the winner will get a personal half-hour chat with Jon Scieszka. (If the winner cannot attend, he or she will win a half-hour phone conversation with Jon.)
- Eight runners-up will each receive a copy of Who Done It?.
Enjoy!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
What IS This Captcha Thing??
This evening, brilliant author of FALSE MEMORY Dan Krokos cried out into the Twitterverse "WHY ME, CAPTCHA???" And I couldn't agree more. Captchas are the most frustrating thing, and they always pop up when you're doing something really important and time sensitive, which makes them even more annoying. I've abandoned transactions over Captchas. For SHOES!!
I thought no one could ever tell me a redeeming thing about Captchas. But I was wrong. The Amazing Emma Trevayne, author of the fantastic book CODA (coming Spring 2013, and it's sequel, CHORUS, just announced!), just told me that Captchas are actually real words from hard-to-read, faded, out-of-print texts. So, when you type them in, you're digitizing some old copy of the New York Times!
I quote Emma here: "over something like 3 months, internet users digitized something like 20 years worth of NYT back issues or something" Whoa!!
This is real:
Real on SmartPlanet.com
Real on Cracked
I thought no one could ever tell me a redeeming thing about Captchas. But I was wrong. The Amazing Emma Trevayne, author of the fantastic book CODA (coming Spring 2013, and it's sequel, CHORUS, just announced!), just told me that Captchas are actually real words from hard-to-read, faded, out-of-print texts. So, when you type them in, you're digitizing some old copy of the New York Times!
I quote Emma here: "over something like 3 months, internet users digitized something like 20 years worth of NYT back issues or something" Whoa!!
This is real:
Real on SmartPlanet.com
Real on Cracked
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
July Soho Press Book Club Pick: THE DETOUR
Why, why does it always come back to Hitler?
And it's not just me asking. I've read a lot of WWII novels. Doubtless you have, too. Over on the Soho Blog, we're discussing WWII novel THE DETOUR--which is like no other WWII novel you've ever read.
Head over, comment, and be entered to win 10 copies of THE DETOUR for your book club!
Here's a synopsis of the book. Read an excerpt here!
A variously failed 24-year-old, Ernst is hired to work as a part of the Third Reich’s Sonderprojekt, carrying out the Führer’s dream to collect Europe’s great art in Berlin. At first this seems like a dream come true to laconic, apolitical Ernst, who just wants to catalog art with his mentor, his closest confidant after a horrible incident alienates Ernst from his father. But then his mentor disappears.
Immediately thereafter, Ernst is sent on his first major assignment: go to Rome and collect the Classical marble masterpiece The Discus Thrower and return it to the German border. It should be a straightforward assignment, but something isn’t right about Ernst’s German counterpart in Rome. Many things are not right about the Italian brothers charged with getting Ernst and the statue to the border. One lovesick, both quarreling, the brothers embark on a dangerous detour, taking Ernst and his invaluable cargo along for the bumpy ride. Is it simply a case of trivial personal agendas interfering with the Reich’s will, of small compromises? Or is something more sinister going on?
Monday, June 18, 2012
Ebooks vs Pbooks
GalleyCat (which is a part of the wonderful daily media newsletter from MediaBistro) had an interesting article today about ebook and pbook sales for the first quarter of 2012.
Apparently ebook sales for the adult category (as opposed to the erotic and BSDM genre, mind you :)) have outpaced the sales of adult pbooks by about 23% (which I think is pretty significant). Ebook sales were at $282.3 mil, hardcovers at $229.6 mil
But if you take a look at the YA and children's market, ebooks are still way behind. Hardcover sales for YA/children's were $187.7 mil, while ebooks there were $64.3 mil (even though that relatively small # accounted for an amazing 233% growth over 2011. Which should give you reason for caution when hearing about the death of print books using only percentages and no real numbers for reference, or vice versa).
Why do you think this is? Are teens and adults reading YA just more interested in physical package, things like covers? Are they more sentimental? Adult readers, which side of the line are you on?
Apparently ebook sales for the adult category (as opposed to the erotic and BSDM genre, mind you :)) have outpaced the sales of adult pbooks by about 23% (which I think is pretty significant). Ebook sales were at $282.3 mil, hardcovers at $229.6 mil
But if you take a look at the YA and children's market, ebooks are still way behind. Hardcover sales for YA/children's were $187.7 mil, while ebooks there were $64.3 mil (even though that relatively small # accounted for an amazing 233% growth over 2011. Which should give you reason for caution when hearing about the death of print books using only percentages and no real numbers for reference, or vice versa).
Why do you think this is? Are teens and adults reading YA just more interested in physical package, things like covers? Are they more sentimental? Adult readers, which side of the line are you on?
Friday, June 15, 2012
Speaking of Kickstarter...
Yesterday, I plugged Kickstarter, a crowdsourced funding platform that I think is great. What could be better than a crowdsourced funding site? Two of 'em!Enter USA Projects, which is like Kickstarter, but specifically for the arts. One of our brilliant authors, Andromeda Romano-Lax (also writer of the wonderfully researched, surprising WWII (art) novel, THE DETOUR), is using USA Projects to fund research and writing of her next novel, THE EXPERT.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Kickstarter Projects: Good or Bad Idea?
I saw today in my newsfeed an article saying that a whopping 40% of Kickstarter projects don't meet their funding goals. And I thought...actually, that's pretty fantastic. So, you're telling me that 60% of projects on Kickstarter do get funded?
Well, not quite, as you can see in this infographic from AppsBlogger:
Well, not quite, as you can see in this infographic from AppsBlogger:
BUT DO YOU SEE ALL THAT BLUE???
For those of you who don't know (scorn redacted), Kickstarter is a crowdsourcing network where ingenious people like Chuck Wendig post ideas for projects and propose a funding goal and dictate levels of monetary giving with perks attached. And it works a lot of the time.
Is this a new chapter to the self-publishing story? Even traditional publishing story, a la Electric Literature's Recommended Reading, which was Kickstarter funded? It's pretty cool, in any event.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Soho Press at BEA!
Tomorrow, it begins. The crazy, hectic, stressful, amazing three days that is BEA. Soho has a lot going on--and you can check out all of our staff tips and what we're looking forward to this year here, on the Soho Blog.
If you're going to be around, swing by booth 3949 (sort of easy to remember, huh?) and check out all the cool stuff we're featuring! We'd love to meet you. You can also keep track of us using the #BEA2012 and #SohoSwag hashtags.
Monday 6/4
9:40 - 11 am: Juliet Grames will be on a panel for Library Journal's Day of Dialog talking about her picks as editor of the Soho Crime imprint.
Tuesday, 6/5
11:30 - 12:30: James Benn, author of the Billy Boyle WWII mystery series will be signing his latest, DEATH'S DOOR, at table 19! He'll also be signing at 1:15 at the Mystery Writers of America table.
2 - 3: Dan Josefson signs his forthcoming (amazing) debut, THAT'S NOT A FEELING, at the Soho booth. Trust me, you don't want to miss it.
All Day: We'll be giving away galleys of Thomas Maltman’s Little Wolves (January 2013) & Stuart Neville’s Ratlines (June 2013).
Wednesday 6/6
9 - 10:20: Book Group Speed Dating! We will be giving away Juliann Garey's TOO BRIGHT TO HEAR, TOO LOUD TO SEE and INVISIBLE MURDER, the sequel to last year's New York Times bestselling BOY IN THE SUITCASE.
10:30 - 11:30: Joy Preble signs THE SWEET DEAD LIFE, coming in 2013 from Soho Teen at the Soho Press booth.
11 - 12: Soho Publisher Bronwen Hruska will be on a panel called Reader Centric Publishing.
2 - 3pm: Juliann Garey, author of Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See (December 2012), will sign at the Soho booth.
All Day: We'll be giving away galleys of Jacquelyn Mitchard’s What We Saw at Night — the first book to publish in Soho Teen (January 2013)
Thursday 6/7
*And* the official Soho Press BEA Party will take place at Housing Works 8-10 pm on Thursday (open bar, food, and prizes!)You're welcome to come!
If you're going to be around, swing by booth 3949 (sort of easy to remember, huh?) and check out all the cool stuff we're featuring! We'd love to meet you. You can also keep track of us using the #BEA2012 and #SohoSwag hashtags.
Monday 6/4
9:40 - 11 am: Juliet Grames will be on a panel for Library Journal's Day of Dialog talking about her picks as editor of the Soho Crime imprint.
Tuesday, 6/5
11:30 - 12:30: James Benn, author of the Billy Boyle WWII mystery series will be signing his latest, DEATH'S DOOR, at table 19! He'll also be signing at 1:15 at the Mystery Writers of America table.
2 - 3: Dan Josefson signs his forthcoming (amazing) debut, THAT'S NOT A FEELING, at the Soho booth. Trust me, you don't want to miss it.
All Day: We'll be giving away galleys of Thomas Maltman’s Little Wolves (January 2013) & Stuart Neville’s Ratlines (June 2013).
Wednesday 6/6
9 - 10:20: Book Group Speed Dating! We will be giving away Juliann Garey's TOO BRIGHT TO HEAR, TOO LOUD TO SEE and INVISIBLE MURDER, the sequel to last year's New York Times bestselling BOY IN THE SUITCASE.
10:30 - 11:30: Joy Preble signs THE SWEET DEAD LIFE, coming in 2013 from Soho Teen at the Soho Press booth.
11 - 12: Soho Publisher Bronwen Hruska will be on a panel called Reader Centric Publishing.
2 - 3pm: Juliann Garey, author of Too Bright to Hear Too Loud to See (December 2012), will sign at the Soho booth.
All Day: We'll be giving away galleys of Jacquelyn Mitchard’s What We Saw at Night — the first book to publish in Soho Teen (January 2013)
Thursday 6/7
9am-10am: Sean Ferrell will sign The Man in the Empty Suit (February 2013) at the Soho booth.
11am-12pm: Ross Angelella, author of Zombie (June 2012) will sign at the Soho booth
2-3pm: Paula Bomer will sign 9 Months (August 2012) at the Soho booth.
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