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?

PW recently reported that Michael Stearns left Firebrand to start his own agency.

I’ve been noodling around the Upstart Crow site and I encourage you to check it out, too.

But the thing I find so interesting about the Upstart Crow site is how different it is from the Firebrand site. Michael said in the PW piece that he and Nadia “had different ideas about how the ideal literary agency should be run.” Stearns wants an agency that is “more author-focused, editorially minded, artisanal….” So it’s no surprise to find that the two sites differ in personality.

First the names. Firebrands set the world on fire. Upstart crows are successful, too, in fact they run over top of the staid traditionalists. But there’s a sense of humor in the upstart crow name, while the firebrand name takes itself more seriously. Upstart crows enjoy art, but, at the same time, they want good stories the common man can enjoy. (I think these things because of the hat tip to Shakespeare).  Firebrand…that doesn’t conjure up any literary connotations for me. 

Then there are the web sites. One is shiny, one is comfy. One feels like the Internet, and one feels like books. The Firebrand site makes me think of arriving with fanfare–plastic hats and party noisemakers. The Upstart crow site makes me think they want to enjoy the journey and make a grand entrance when they arrive fashionably late.   

That’s my take on it, anyway.

So all this thinking about websites, makes me want to rework my blog. I keep looking for the perfect theme and I keep finding ones I like, tweaking them to make them mine, and deciding I don’t like them, after all. Hmmm. But then I’m one of those people who loves to move the furniture every few months, too.

What about you? Are you a furniture mover or are you bori–er–settled and mature?

And what do you think about the new Upstart Crow site? Firebrand Literary has closed down (I don’t know where Ted Malawer and Stacia Decker have gone), but you can still see the homepage template to compare it to the Upstart Crow site, if you’re interested. (Or am I the only geek who likes analyzing web sites?) So what do you think? There’s no right answer about which sites attract you. There’s nothing wrong with colorful blender drinks if you’re a colorful blender drink kind of gal. And there’s nothing wrong with aged brandy, either, if you’re an aged brandy man. It’s a matter of taste.

As promised, here are my notes from SCBWI LA 2008 on Michael Stearns and Amalia Ellison.

Michael Stearns, first.

He’s now with Firebrand Literary. He has edited on and off for twenty years with Harcourt and HarperCollins.

Among the books he’s published:

• East by Edith Pattou
• Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
• A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
• Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
• Tangerine by Edward Bloor
• Gone by Michael Grant
• Whale on Stilts by M.T. Anderson

Also he’s published books by Bruce Coville, Jane Yolen, Bruce Hale, Vivian Velde, Andrew Auseon, and Diane Duane.

What he likes?

• Novels, not picture books.
• Fine writing with great plots (ha ha, he and every other editor and agent in the world).
• He also likes to laugh. (Read the books he’s published—that kind of funny.)

What doesn’t he like?

• Issue books

Some random answers he gave to questions:

• He’s not looking for one book. Each staff member at SCBWI was supposed to give one word when they were introduced. Michael’s word was perseverance which tells me he’s looking for someone who is in it for the long haul, not looking for someone wanting to get rich quick. In the questions and answer time he said he doesn’t want to sign up one book. He used Edith Pattou as an example of how an author’s career can grow. Her first book sold 2000 copies. The next sold 5000. The third sold 40,000. Once the third book took off the first two sold, also.
• He wants authors who will trust him and work with him and believe him if he says, “This book is never going anywhere,” even.
• On the issue of issue books: Moral fiction is great. If fiction is well thought out, it tends to be moral. It has to be about something. But first it is a story with a hook—not an issue book. Why do kids want to read the book. Kids pick up Thirteen Reasons Why because it has an awsome hook.
• He will absolutely represent authors outside the US.
• Historical fiction? Tough to place right now. Lately people have been marrying historical with other genres—The Lux is an example. It’s an 1890′s Gossip Girls. So position your novel as and adventure or a mystery or something else. Don’t lead off with, “It’s a historical novel. . .”
• Fly by Night sold 40,000 in hard copy, but it kept bubbling just under the best seller lists so Harper was disappointed. They’d spent a lot of money on it and it didn’t meet expectations. The second novel is out– Well Witch
• Is he open to a series from a first time author? Pitches don’t tell him anything about the writer. Books live or die on the page. So, “No.” He wants to see writing. Submit the first book as a book, not a series.
• How to submit? Go to the website [firebrand literary] and upload a letter of submission. Upload a bio. Upload two pages. In two pages, he knows if he wants to see more. It’s easy to submit and they respond quickly.
• What do we put in the bio? Whatever shows you’re a professional—awards you have won, columns you’ve published for years. Basically he wants anything that lets him know you’re not an inmate. (But then, I think he changed his mind and said inmates who could write well would be fine.)
• What’s the difference between commercial and literary? Literary=vintage international novels you can’t finish. Nothing happens. Commercial=John Grisham. Action and plot. On the one hand you can have language so fantastic but you don’t give a damn. That’s literary. On the other hand you can have great action but the writing is terrible. He likes fine writing, so he thinks he might not recognize a poorly written blockbuster plot novel—he wouldn’t read far enough to see it was a great story. (I’m paraphrasing)
• How do you signal that in your query that you are simultaneously submitting? You say, “I’ve sent this to several agents, but I’d prefer to be repped by you because you’re brilliant. (heh heh)
• Age range? He loves middle grade and teen books.
• What if I have no awards or clips. He’ll read your query anyway. His favorite bio was from a guy who gave a bulleted list. Built the Brooklyn Bridge, Won Chewing Gum Contest, etc. (didn’t offer to represent the guy, though.)
• He wants writers who aren’t afraid of plot. Look at A Northern Light. It has a lot of plot. Plot is not “This and then this and then this. . .” That’s sequel. Plot is how it all ties together. You need to add big events. You need to make it worse for the characters. Push the characters. Take them to the worst possible place. “You have to write the book, you don’t think you can write.” (I’m not sure if he said that or if he was quoting someone.)

Oh, there was a lot more there than I thought. We’ll visit Amalia next week.

I don’t have reviews written up yet, but just a quick note in case you’re looking for great books.

Airman, by Eoin Colfer. Wow, what a great book! It reminded me of The Count of Monte Cristo. (Well this movie version. I confess I never read the book.) Airman had a character I loved in a gripping plot and heartbreaking circumstances, and it also had Colfer’s wonderful wit. He’s brilliant.

The next book I’d like to rave about is East by Edith Pattou. I thought her pacing was perfect. I loved the characters–all the narrators. Loved the magic and the message. I’d never read Pattou before–I only did now because I’m reading several books published by Michael Stearns–but now that I’ve discovered her I’m going to go on and try some others. I’ll start with Hero’s Song, I think.