Archive for the ‘Writing’ Category
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
The following article appeared in the UK on November 5th, “Facebook Users Spend Three Solid Days a Year on the Site.”
Three full 24 hour days on Facebook per year! Or nearly two full work weeks if you count a work week as 35-40 hours a week. And I suspect the statistics hold true in the U.S. as well.
Not all writers are full-time. Some must juggle day jobs or home-life responsibilities around their writing. So let’s say the average writer is cramming 20 hours a week of actual writing into their craft.
Thus if you are a writer AND you “Facebook” (is that a verb now?) this would mean the average writer is spend nearly a month’s worth of work time…on Facebook.
Yes, I know Facebook is a wonder of technology and allows for an incredible way to connect with lots of friends and readers at once. (Of course we have to redefine the word “friend,” don’t we?) But what would you have done with that time before you discovered Facebook?
In 72 hours a “nose-to-grindstone” writer could produce 10,000 words on their next work-in-progress (that is about 1/2 page per hour). A motivated person could memorize the Constitution. An avid reader could consume at least six of their favorite books. Or a die-hard fan could watch all 158 episodes of the “Dick Van Dyke Show” or all three seasons of “The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Milan” and still have time left to walk Fido!
I discovered first-hand the potentially addictive nature of Facebook’s lure. But I quickly learned to shut off all notifications and only visit the site periodically and see if there is anything of interest. Much like I do with selected blogs and news sites.
Don’t get me wrong, I know there are tremendous benefits for the author in connecting with their readers via social networking. And I’m not criticizing Facebook or Facebook users. My concern is with the amount of time authors spend on something other than making their next book a masterpiece.
Next time you enter the social networking world, time yourself. Then ask if it was beneficial to you personally, professionally, spiritually, emotionally, or otherwise. As with all things, use common sense, discipline, and moderation.
It will also keep your agent or your editor from posting a comment on your wall like “What are you doing here? You are on a deadline!”
For a laugh enjoy Rhett & Link’s hilarious “Facebook Song“on YouTube.
Tags: Facebook, Writing
Posted in Writing | 17 Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Yesterday I opened a can of worms. There were many worms in the can; some male and some female. I discovered that a few of the worms were married to each other. One couple was having a marital disagreement. They were arguing about grammar, of all things. The fight was about the proper use of gender pronouns. Here is the sentence under dispute:
“When a spouse greets a partner with derision because of an opinion, what should be ___ reaction?”
Fill in the blank. Should you use his, his or her, or their? This is a grammatical conundrum. Your choice will determine whether you will be categorized as “sexist,” “tiresome,” or “ungrammatical.”
Our vernacular has changed over the past years due to our sensitivity over the generic “he.” For some it is a matter of being politically correct. For others it is merely a way of being inclusive of both genders in their writing. In addition it can be simply a matter of using the common language of everyday speech.
So what is correct? I have polled a number of editors on this subject and find them equally divided. Some trained in journalism and others who are fierce copy-editors are vehemently opposed to the use of the “singular their.” Others claim to be more concerned about simple communication and lay the finer points of grammar aside. Yet even they are not unified on the issue. There is an entire website devoted to this question (The Anti-Pedantry page can be found at www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/austheir.html).
Rosalie Maggio, in her book The Nonsexist Word Finder (Beacon Press, 1989) speaks to the issue of gender inclusive language:
“Defenders of the convention most often claim that is a point of grammar and certainly not intended to offend anyone. That is does in reality offend large numbers of people does not appear to sway some grammarians, nor does the fact that their recourse to the laws of language is on shaky ground. While he involves a disagreement in gender, singular they involves a disagreement in number [as in ‘to each his own’ and ‘to each their own’]. Eighteenth-century [male] grammarians decided that number was more important than gender, although the singular they had been in favor until that time.”
The plural pronoun has been used regularly for years. Few realize that some of the greatest writers in history utilized this method without criticism–Chaucer, Shakespeare, Swift, Goldsmith, Dickens, Fielding, Thackery, Byron, Austen, Orwell, Kipling, and even C.S. Lewis. Even The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed., “recommends the ‘revival’ of the singular use of _they_ and _their_, citing…its venerable use by such writers as Addison, Austen,…and Shakespeare.” (footnote on pp. 76-77 – 1993 edition)
Richard Lederer, in an article in Writer’s Digest wrote, “Let the word go out that anyone…their is destined to become good, idiomatic English. It already pervades the speech of educated Americans, and daily it grows more common in writing.”
Member of the Copyediting-L e-mail list state, “‘They’ with a singular antecedent works well, because it’s already part of everyone’s vocabulary. Like the generic ‘he,’ it entails no new words, just a shift in semantics…[it] is just one item in the toolkit of those who wish to avoid using generic ‘he.’ It isn’t the only item, and it doesn’t fit every situation, but it is useful.” (http://atropos.c2.net/~srm/samples/net/celfaq.htm [link now broken])
My feeling is that it is entirely appropriate to use the “singular they.” We need to adjust, ever so slightly, to accommodate the changes in our language. While not succumbing to the landmine of being politically correct, I do believe that there are appropriate places to use “ungrammatical” words to effectively communicate to our readers. Even the Boston Globe agrees in their article from October 2008 “The Singular Challenge.”
Richard Lederer provided a wonderful exercise to illustrate the point. Fill in the blank in the following sentence: “Everyone in the building attended the party, and ___ had a wonderful time.” I suspect that nearly everyone supplied the word they.
For a nice, but not definitive, introduction to the subject visit the Wikipedia entry for this topic.
And please note that I am a NOT grammar expert by any means. Heaven forbid I get that much credit. While I am an advocate of great writing and proper use of the English language I am also an advocate of communication. And communication has a tendency to adapt over time, the written word is no exception.
An earlier and abridged version published as “Opening a Can of Worms” in The Advanced Christian Writer, June 1998.
Tags: Grammar
Posted in Grammar | 12 Comments »
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
Rejection is a fact of life. But since this is a blog about the publishing industry, not about life in general, I would like to toss out some general thoughts on the topic, which leads me to the statement:
“Welcome to the industry that will break your heart.”
Isn’t that an encouraging sentiment? I can just imagine you rolling your eyes. But while that statement isn’t a fun one, it is rich with truth.
I admire writers. You put your souls on paper and send them to strangers and pray for acceptance. How do you do that, day in and day out…for your entire career? And then, how do you maintain any sort of sanity and dignity in the process? In a small way I have the same emotion after posting this blog. (Will I get criticized? Did I embarrass myself? Did I offend someone? Did I create a new “frenemy.”)
Some claim that the day their book hits the shelves they no longer have to worry about rejection because they are now a Published Author.
Think again.
When that author goes into a bookstore and fails to find their book…is that rejection? Does it mean your publisher isn’t marketing your book? Does it mean this store hates your writing and refuses to carry your titles? Or could it be that the store is in-between order cycles and yours is sold out? They may only carry one copy of your book at a time. If it is backlist, only the largest stores will stock it. So it is not necessarily rejection or failure or lack of success. Merely a snapshot on a single day at a specific time of that day.
What if your book is published but gets panned in a review in “Publisher’s Weekly,” “The New York Times,” or “The Romantic Times Book Review?” Does it mean the end of your dreams? Are you through before you even begin?
But let’s back up to the very beginning of the process…
When an agent says no with a rejection letter that turns out to be a standard form letter. Is that bad? Hardly.
As an agent I receive dozens of unsolicited proposals each week. The standard letter is a practical necessity. When possible we try to add a personal comment of some sort, but it is rare. When you receive something specific from an agent or an editor in a rejection letter treasure it like gold. There is no obligation for them to say anything at all in reply to you.
But what about a one-on-one meeting with an editor or an agent? How do your evaluate that experience?
At least 14 years ago I remember sitting with Cec Murphey (co-author of the bestselling book 90 Minutes in Heaven) and for an hour he pitched ideas at me. Believe it or not, I rejected every single one of them. His response? “I love this! I can bounce all sorts of ideas off of you and you are honest with me. No patronizing! How refreshing.” He was the consummate professional seeing it as a brainstorming opportunity, not a success or failure exercise.
Five years later he pitched just the right idea that turned into a two book deal with Bethany House (The God Who Pursues and The Relentless God).
And not every rejection is laden with negative connotations. Sometimes it just isn’t right at that time. About five years ago, publishers were not that keen on contracting new historical fiction, they only wanted chick-lit or other contemporary stories. Today the pendulum has swung the opposite direction and we are getting calls and requests for historical fiction.
Take a moment to read the acknowledgments in John B. Olson’s novel Shade. He tells the story of my rejecting this very story at his first writers conference by saying, “I wouldn’t touch that with a 60-foot pole!” At the same conference, editor Karen Ball said, “no way” to the proposal. Many years later the same novel was represented by our agency and sold to B&H Publishing. The acquisitions editor who acquired the book? Karen Ball. But that decade old rejection was the right decision at that time, the market wasn’t ready for Shade at that time. (And by the way, Shade was a finalist in the 2009 Christy Awards for the best novel of the year in the Visionary category.)
Have fun at your next writers conference and ask any editor or agent about the “one that got away.” We have all rejected a book or an author that ended up being a wild success. I asked this of an editor-friend who remembered a meeting at the pub board where everyone looked at each other around the table and laughed, “Talking vegetables? What a silly idea.” And that group of successful publishing executives rejected Veggie Tales.
Over the last 17 years as an editor and an agent I have dozens of infamous rejection stories. It has even become somewhat of a punch line. At a recent writers conference they asked the audience for a show of hands indicating if they had been rejected by Steve Laube. Talk about embarrassing.
True story: When I was an editor at Bethany House I rejected Ted Dekker in 1997 for what was eventually his first published novel Heaven’s Wager (Thomas Nelson, 2000). In 2007 he and I were having a casual conversation at the booksellers convention in Atlanta.
He turned to me and said, “Ten years ago you rejected me.”
My eyes widened a bit.
“I still have that rejection letter,” he added.
Then he leaned forward and asked, “Would you like me to quote it?”
For the next few moments we went down memory lane as he told me about a simple sentence in that rejection letter that challenged him to create memorable characters like those found in the science fiction writing of Orson Scott Card.
Then I said, “But Ted? You never sent me a revised proposal!”
I don’t remember Ted’s exact words, but in essence he replied, “Because another editor offered me a contract based on potential, not performance.”
That is the perfect illustration of the differences from one editor to the next, and from one publishing house to the next, AND from one agent to the next. Each has their own set of internal criteria that baffles the outsider.
All the great writers have experienced rejection at one time or another, and not just by an editor or their agent. But the professional realizes that it isn’t personal. They knuckle down and try again. That is why it is called “work.” If it was easy, anyone could do it.
Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper because he “didn’t have any good ideas.” So if Mr. Disney could rise above rejection, so can you.
Tags: Rejection
Posted in Publishing, Writing | 22 Comments »
Monday, July 6th, 2009
How important are endorsements? (Those “blurbs” on the back of a book that exclaim “A real masterpiece!”)
Let me answer with a question. When you are browsing a book title do you look at the endorsements or notice who wrote the foreword or introduction? I suspect you do without realizing it. And if you are unfamiliar with the author, but you know the endorser, then you are more likely to give this new writer a try.
In its early self-published days, The Shack by William Young gained tremendous benefit from an absolutely glowing endorsement by Eugene Peterson, author of The Message. It made me pause and think, “If Eugene Peterson makes such a claim, then maybe I should pay attention.” So, as a fan of Eugene Peterson for nearly twenty years I paid attention. I believe that endorsement is still on the front cover of The Shack (which at the time of this writing has sold 7.5 million copies).
How many endorsements should you get? One or two meaningful ones are best. Sometimes your agent can help you secure them. Sometimes your publisher. But it is best if you get them yourself from the folks you know.
The more recognizable name the better.
And the earlier in the creative process the better. Years ago I was presenting a proposal at a Bethany House Publishers pub board meeting. Unfortunately I was not getting a good reception from the team. Then I asked the members of the group to look at the endorsement page in the proposal. This writer had secured endorsements from James Montgomery Boice, R.C. Sproul, and John MacArthur, each a highly recognized author and speaker, particularly withing the Reformed Theology tradition. The pub board members exclaimed, “Who is this guy?” They had never heard of the writer of the proposed book, but they knew the endorsers. Those endorsements turned the tide in favor of offering a contract to the author!
Recently I talked to a very well known author who gets about four to five unsolicited requests for forewords or endorsements each week. I read somewhere that Annie Dillard, the Pulitzer Prize winning author, can receive as many as 40 in one week….and most of them for books by writers she does not know.
Whatever you do, don’t (please don’t) claim in your proposal that you can get endorsements from Rick Warren, Charles Colson, Dr. James Dobson, or Sarah Palin, unless you already have them in hand. Many visible leaders have tough restrictions from their board of directors regarding their endorsements (especially those who are part of a Christian ministry). They don’t want their name associated with a book that could ultimately reflect negatively on the author or their organization.
And if you are frustrated by that policy, let’s make it more personal. Imagine if you had endorsed a book by Bernie Madoff….and now that he has been sentenced to 150 years in jail, what does your endorsement of his book say about you? With tongue in cheek I used the graphic at the top of this blog “Trust me I’m a Jedi.” The implication is that the endorsement of a Jedi makes the book trustworthy…just like an endorsement.
Endorsements that only use initials (“A.E. from St. Louis”) are all but useless. And so are endorsements from your dentist, unless your book is about dentistry. And an endorsement from your minister is suspect, unless yours happens to be a well known author. (What if your minister doesn’t like your book and refuses to endorse it? Will you still want to attend services?). Also try to avoid sneaking family member endorsements who have a different last name as a way of padding the list. You will be found out and your integrity will be suspect. This is not the time to “pad the resume.”
Securing endorsements is something with which you need to spend time partnering with your publisher. It can be a team effort that will ultimately help sell your books.
Tags: Endorsements, Proposals, Publishing
Posted in Publishing, Writing | 6 Comments »
