Whispers of Dawn ~» Publishing

Serious Series

sally apokedak — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:35:59 +0000

Fascinating discussion about trends in fiction for the coming years.

Series are not just for girl detectives and babysitting clubs anymore. Hardcover series are all the rage.

Recently some bloggers were voicing their disgust with the series trend in YA fiction. But the publishers, apparently, plan to keep it up.

“It’s very rare for a book to start out as a single volume these days,” says Katz. “Most of the proposals we get for teens and tweens now are proposed to us from the first as series, and trilogies are very common.”

I’ve been pitching a stand alone for the last several months, because I’ve heard for years that you write a stand alone and then add to it if the publisher asks for more. I’ve moved on to writing a different stand alone in a different world, and my sister has been having a fit. She knows nothing about writing, of course, and she doesn’t even read fiction except for what I write, but she’s sure I need to write a sequel so I have one ready when all the publishers snap up my book and clamor for another. I’ve been ignoring her the way I ignore all control freaks who want to tell me what to do. (This is the same sister who read my first novel and said, “This is not just going to sell. This is going to be a blockbuster.” Yes, THAT first novel. The one in the drawer.)

But now this article makes me wonder. What stories can I set in the world of my last novel? What further adventures can my character go on?

As far as reading goes? I love series, myself. When I find a world and a set of characters I love I hate to let them go. I close the books I love with sorrow, feeling like I’m losing a good friend. Or losing a magic world. I didn’t want Anne Shirley to grow up and I hated to leave Narnia.

So this should be encouraging to those of you with trilogies gathering dust on your hard drive.

The article discusses the possibility of series moving into adult fiction, even, and I have to laugh. The CBA may be ahead of the curve on this one. They launched Jan Karon’s Mitford series and then there are all those Left Behind books.

Tyra Banks, Fantasy Author

sally apokedak — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:21:10 +0000

No offense to Ms. Banks— I’m sure she’s a very nice person—but this fantasy series she’s just sold to Delacorte, Modelland, just doesn’t do anything for me. I mean, when I read the little blurb below, I had to double check to make sure this wasn’t a joke.

In a concept that marries “Top Model” and “Harry Potter,” “Modelland” centers on a teen who manages to get into an exclusive academy for “Intoxibel las” — who are the most exceptional models known to humankind and harbor unknown powers. Once there, she finds herself competing to be accepted as part of that world.

Is it just me or does this sound like something The Onion would come up with?

I’ll admit I’ve never been a real girly-girl, so it’s not surprising that a modeling academy doesn’t get my blood pumping. But I’m willing to withhold judgement. I never liked princesses all that much, but Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy is one of my favorite books. More recently I read a faery book, RJ Anderson’s Faery Rebel: Spell Hunter, and was amazed to find I loved it.

So who knows, I may end up loving Modelland. We’ll see.

Stephen Roxburgh

sally apokedak — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:04:57 +0000

We’re in the third day of the Warriors in the Crossfire blog tour, I was fortunate enough to score an interview with the book’s acquiring editor, Stephen Roxburgh.

I met Mr. Roxburgh several months ago when I was in his Founders Workshop (highly recommended). He’s a fan of electronic publishing (I had to link to that article because I love the sketch of him being blown away by the iPad), and he’s married to Carolyn Coman (see Arthur Levine rave about her coming book–16.20 minutes into the video).

So, here we go—20 questions with Mr. Stephen Roxburgh:

1) What was it about Warriors in the Crossfire that made you want to acquire it?

SR: The unique setting, the voice, and, generally, the quality of the writing.

2) Did Warriors come in on the slush pile or did you know Nancy already?

SR: Nancy had worked with my wife, Carolyn Coman, at a Highlights Foundation Whole Novel Workshop. Carolyn brought the book to my attention.

3) Do you like spare writing or full writing or different styles for different genres and stories?

SR: You’ve answered the question. Each story requires its own style.

4) Plot or voice? Which one is more important to you?

SR: Voice captures my attention and plot keeps me reading.

5) Name some books that marry commercial plot with literary voice.

SR: I don’t know what a “commercial plot” is, or, for that matter, what a “literary voice” is. Implicit in the question is that “commercial” and “literary” are somehow contrary. I don’t think that is true.

6) You started namelos, why?

SR: I believe the publishing industry is going through a sea change. I wanted to find a business model that could adapt to the changing industry. namelos is my attempt at that.

7) How many authors have you published with namelos?

SR: We’ve published the ebook editions of most of the Front Street fiction list: that’s probably 30 or so authors. So far we’ve signed contracts with 10 or so authors to publish at namelos in all formats.

8) Are you doing YA and MG? What about PBs? Do you see a market for interactive PBs growing?

SR: At this point we are focused on YA and middle-grade fiction, and some poetry. We can not publish picture books ourselves just yet (stay tuned!) so any picture book projects we take on we will develop and attempt to place with traditional publishers.

9) What do you think of that new iPad. Did you buy one?

SR: I think it is a game-changer. I’ve bought two.

10) Can you tell me something about putting theme into a story without preaching?

SR: It’s the old “show, don’t tell” issue. If your characters’ actions reveal an inherent theme, the reader will get it. If your characters or the narrator tell the reader what you want the reader to get from the story, it will feel like preaching.

11) What is the thing you hated the most about the last submission you rejected?

SR: Having to reject it. Time spent reading and rejecting manuscripts is time lost. I want to read and accept manuscripts.

12) What is the thing you loved the best about the last book you published?

SR: The book is POD by Stephen Wallenfels. I love many aspects of the story but what I loved most about publishing it is that it is the first book I’ve published under the namelos imprint. That means we’re up and running again and I couldn’t be more pleased.

13) How many submissions do you get at namelos?

SR: “Submissions” to namelos are, in fact, requests for our evaluation of the project which cost $200. We receive two or three a week.

14) How was Bologna?

SR: Fabulous!

15) Why isn’t namelos capitalized?

SR: namelos means nameless. I believe the “brand” we are promoting is the author and the book, not the publisher. To that end, I play down the name of the company. Hence the lower case “n”.

16) Do you have a favorite genre?

SR: The novel.

17) You’ve worked with some amazing people—Roald Dahl and Isaac Bashevis Singer, to name a couple. Can you pass on something you’ve learned from one of the incredible people you’ve worked with?

SR: I learned that no matter how famous or successful an author is, he or she is as vulnerable and insecure when delivering a manuscript as any young or unpublished author. That never changes.

18) Are the stars in children’s literature as exciting in person as they are on the page or are you disappointed when you meet them?

SR: Some are, some aren’t. I’m never disappointed to meet an author or artist whose work I admire. I may not, at the end of the day, want to spend a lot of time with them socially, but that’s not what our relationship is about. We know each other for one reason and one reason only, we both want to publish the best book possible.

19) You seem to have a great grasp of human nature in general and of the writer type person in particular. What non-writing advice can you give new writers to help them succeed in the business?

SR: Your “business” is making the best book you are able to make at the moment. Everything else is a distraction. Do what you have to do, but don’t confuse life or the business of publishing with your creative work.

20) What book are you doing right now that excites you?

SR: Whatever book I am working on at the moment excites me, whether its a manuscript evaluation or a first novel we are publishing, or a picture book we are developing for placement elsewhere. I’ve finally learned that the process is what matters to me, first and foremost, and the consequences of the process will be what they will be. I can only do the best I can do in the present moment. This is both liberating and exciting!

Bio:

Stephen Roxburgh acquired his first hardcover children’s book (/LassieCome Home/) at the age of ten by winning a bet that he rigged. It was the first crime he committed for a good book, but not the last. He has been involved professionally with children’s books and publishing for more than thirty-five years, first as an academic, then as senior vice president and publisher of Books for Young Readers at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and as president and publisher of Front Street, a small, independent press he founded, deliberately, on April Fool’s Day of 1994. In 2004 Front Street was acquired by Boyds Mills Press, where Stephen was publisher until September 2008.

Stephen has worked with such authors and artists as Felicia Bond, Nancy Eckholm Burkert, Brock Cole, Carolyn Coman, Roald Dahl, Donna Diamond, Madeleine L’Engle, Martine Leavitt, Patricia McCormick, An Na, Marilyn Nelson, Adam Rapp, Alvin Schwartz, George Selden, Uri Shulevitz, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Garth Williams, and Margot Zemach.

Stephen lectures and publishes widely on children’s literature and children’s publishing. He is on the faculty of the Highlights Foundation. For many years he taught in the Radcliffe Publishing Program, the Stanford Publishing Program, and the Columbia Publishing Program.

Stephen lives in rural New Hampshire with his wife, Carolyn, his black dog, Shadow, and his black cat, Pup. He reads a lot, hawks vegetables and swaps recipes at his son-in-law’s farm stand on Fridays, practicesyoga, and will be planting a field of raspberries momentarily.

Book Blogging

sally apokedak — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:30:04 +0000

Shannon Hale started a discussion about book reviews and the trend of rating books with little stars.

One of the things she talked about was a film critic she liked:

The reviewer didn’t rate the movies! He just talked about them for a page or two, discussing the choices the director, actors, and screenwriters made, analyzing the pieces, opining on what worked and what didn’t, and comparing that movie to others and to current happenings in the world.

These are the kinds of reviews I like best, too. The kind I like to read and the kind I like to write.

Not that I’m an able reviewer–I’m not. But I love reading and I love talking about what I’ve read. I love to try to figure out why I love or hate a book.

Michael Stearns also likes to talk about what he’s read. He’s decided to give up making negative assessments in public. Because when you are “in the biz” you can’t afford to offend others.

I’ve been struggling with this for months now.

I think Michael’s right to not give negative reviews. I think he’s wise. Who will want to sign with him if editors hate him because he’s dissed their books?

I’m tempted to follow suit. Because what editor will want to offer me a contract if I’ve dissed one of his books? What agent will want to work with me if I’ve spoken ill about his clients’ work?

And it’s not as if the world can’t live without my reviews.

I kind of hate to quit reviewing, though, because word of mouth sells books. When we talk about books, what moved us, what made us mad, we make other people want to read them. Besides, I am passionate about talking about books I love and books I hate. I love to read and I should be allowed to talk about the books I read.

I used to think if I didn’t speak meanly, people wouldn’t get offended. If I was balanced and fair and respectful, it would be OK. But the truth is that whenever you give a negative comment about a book, very often the author sees that comment and nothing else. It sticks in his craw.

What do you think? Do you review books you don’t like?

Stats From A Best Seller

sally apokedak — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:29:03 +0000

This from Lynn Viehl (by way of Nathan Bransford). She’s sharing her royalty statement. How cool is that? This is fascinating stuff. She’s so right about no one sharing this information. Sales figures are guarded as if the security of the nation depended upon their remaining secret.

The blogging agents have said their slush piles have grown quite a bit lately. Some people have guessed that with the shaky economy more and more people are losing their jobs and thinking, “Well I’ve always wanted to write a book. Now’s a good time. Selling a book may be a good way to make a quick buck.”

I’ve thought, “No way! No one really thinks that writing a book is a way to get rich quick.”

And then a friend called to ask me about the whole publishing deal. She had a book idea. And she was sure it was going to. Sell. Really. Well. She was ready to quit her job so she could devote all her time to spitting the book out, but she wanted to make sure she’d make several hundred thousand dollars first.

Um. Good thing she asked BEFORE she quit her job. I was able to disabuse her of the notion that making scads of money from writing and selling books is easy.

Oh, I encouraged her to write the book and told her I’d help her craft a proposal. Writing a book is never a dumb idea. It’s great, cheap entertainment. It’s just not the best way to get rich quick. You probably have better odds of getting rich if you buy a lottery ticket.