This week in writing… big banana edition

There was a whole lot of big-name action this week. Did you hear about the Amazon/Goodreads thing? Wow. And then Stephen Colbert interviewed Maurice Sendak. And Apple got a bunch of educational publishers to a table to discuss THE FUTURE. It’s enough to make a girl’s head spin. So let’s get to it.

Amazon decided to throw its weight around this week by asking Goodreads to remove all their book data that came directly from Amazon. Authors were in a panic on Tuesday when they realized they had to rescue their books, thinking that Goodreads was targeting indie authors. Not so. Even I got a notice from Goodreads to rescue one of my non-fiction titles. Not cool, Amazon.

Did you know that McGraw-Hill and Apple were partners? Me either. But the iBooks 2 app is still a bit of a head-scratcher for MGH, so on Thursday there was a sit-down to figure it all out.

Everyone loves Seuss. How’d he get his start again? Right. Mulberry Street.

Want your characters to feel more real? This post teaches you the tricks to “deep POV” even for 3rd person.

How do books get on the bestseller lists? And how do I get mine on there!!!

Do you read every day? You don’t? Then maybe you shouldn’t be a writer.

Something else for writers to aspire to aside from the pleasure of having your story reach so many people, is the possibility of some awesome digs. Check out these writer estates.

And as if the houses weren’t enough, maybe you just want your prose to inspire a cool tattoo.

Yesterday, Lee and Low announced that they had acquired Children’s Book Press with this tweet: @LEEandLOW: BIG news: We’ve acquired Children’s Book Press. Lee and Low is moving steadily into the big time. We’re just glad they got CBP and not Amazon. Yikes!

And one of my favorite tv personalities talks to one of my favorite authors. That sound you hear is my head exploding.

And here’s part 2:

Rescue that book!

There was an uproar on Tuesday as authors realized that some of their books on Goodreads was going to be deleted from the network’s database. The books in question were all listed from Amazon.com. At first, indie authors were concerned that Goodreads might be targeting them specifically, but later in the day, Goodreads customer support revealed that it was Amazon themselves who were requesting the change, and their deadline to have book data off the Goodreads site was January 30. Goodreads urged their members to rescue books by inputting book information from sources other than Amazon.  Affected books have a message asking someone to rescue them on the pages with their descriptions. I mistakenly thought this was strictly and ebook thing, but yesterday I got an email from Goodreads that one of my titles, Being a Leader and Making Decisions, was also going to be taken off the site. For most books, authors can simply give an alternate source of information. But what about books that are being distributed solely on Kindles? Well, they’re screwed.

So why is Amazon doing this? It’s hard to say for sure, but I think it’s because Goodreads sells books, so they are competition, and as a social networking site, Goodreads and Amazon’s Shelfari are in direct competition.

Amazon’s a big company so they can throw their weight around. But is it wise to piss off authors? Some think they may have a class-action lawsuit on their hands.

Office space

When you make that commitment to write, one of the first pieces of advice you might get is: find a place to work in. So, long before I decided to become a freelance writer and editor, I had an office in the house. It’s where I wrote and edited Angel’s Grace, and where I sent out letters that got me my first agent. It was a quiet room at the back of the attic that overlooked the backyard and a dogwood tree that bloomed spectacularly every spring. Bookshelves lined the walls, and was filled with my stuff exactly the way I wanted it because nobody came into my office but me.

That was then.

Years later, that room is now our guest room, and my office has moved to the second floor next to my bedroom–and everyone else’s. It was once my closet. And because it’s so accessible, everyone’s in there, all the time, moving stuff around, and grabbing things like scrap paper (no, not the stuff I’ve already printed on and put in a pile that says “scrap paper,” the new stuff straight from the printer), or tape (I open up a new pack of tape every week), and pencils (don’t your kids need a new pencil every day?), or they need to store something someplace, and this is the closest space.

Sigh.

So I’ve tried, on occasion to get them out of my office by saying things like: I work in here! and get out! and this isn’t a play room!

But when your office looks like this, that last one is a hard point to make.

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Enter the black dragon

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy new year! Today begins 15 days of celebrating leading up to the year of the black dragon, or water dragon, black being the color of water in Chinese astrology. What I’ve learned over the past few days is that the dragon brings good luck, and the black dragon is a particular favorite.

Here’s what I like about this black dragon year business:

1) The dragon is the only mystical creature in the Chinese zodiac. For me, that portends something magical. Of course, I’m forever looking for that magical element. Remember last year when Hansel and Gretel showed up at my door? And then what happened? 2012 turned out to be the most difficult year of my life. So I should probably shut my trap with this it’s a sign thing.

2) I like that black in Chinese culture means something entirely different than it does in Western culture. It’s not associated with evil/sadness/trouble/hatred and many other negative things. It means water! It’s a good element. As a black woman, the association of black as a negative completely offends me.

So what’s the black dragon going to do for you? You can check your Chinese horoscope here.

This week in writing… hissyfit edition

Oh the drama this week! First was the dustup over bad reviews on Goodreads, and then Wikipedia and Google went dark to protest SOPA, and as if that wasn’t enough, I went bawling all over the interwebs. TGIF, right?

So. The Goodreads thing. The Guardian does a good job of summing up the kerfuffle. I’m surprised this kind of thing is still happening. Did authors/editors/agents learn nothing from all the previous online bitch-fests over bad reviews? Alice Hoffman anyone?

On Wednesday, Wikipedia, Google, and others went dark in protest over SOPA. The Stop Online Piracy Act being debated in the House is backed by Hollywood, overwrought over people watching illegal movie copies. But the legislation could hold companies responsible for user uploads even if they don’t realize it’s pirated content. Here’s the lowdown. The protest worked. By afternoon, people were already beginning to buckle.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that ebooks experienced a major boom in 2011. Among the beneficiaries is Sourcebooks. Ebooks now represent 28% of their revenue. Their ebooks also increased by 795% last year. No, that’s not a typo.

From Jane Friedman, more ebook stats with a handy graph. Oooh, look at the pretty colors!

Ileene Smith moves to Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Update the contact info on those writer’s market books you purchased for 2012.

Dav Pilkey promises elementary-school devotees another CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS book. Will I be able to keep my little guys away? I think not.

Back in April ’10 William Kamkwamba‘s THE BOY WHO HARNESSSED THE WIND was the first ebook I borrowed from the library. Now there’s a kid’s version. Yay!

Heard of WIMPY KID? Sure. But have you heard of ZOMBIE KID? Can you say lawsuit?

The Scott O’Dell Awards honors Jack Gantos’ DEAD END IN NORVELT. Some say it’s not historical fiction-y enough. I say, so what?

Not necessarily writing news, but we writers tend to be solitary types who understand there’s good in being alone.

And we soothe the drama with some apple pie… the company Apple… publishing’s pie. I’ve been saying for years that this is the next frontier in educational publishing, so I’m glad it’s here. More on the iBooks 2 app.

Finally… they all fall down…

Chapter zero

Am I the last person to find out about the Harry Potter prequel? Good lord, people! Why didn’t you tell me? That’s so uncool. Oh, you didn’t know either. Well… OK then. Download it for free here.

Healing after rejection

If you witnessed my little breakdown yesterday, thanks for tolerating it. If you commented on Facebook, Twitter, via email or on this blog, THANK YOU.

It’s pretty rare that I whimper publicly, or post anything extremely personal. But yesterday, I felt at the end of my rope, a place I seem to be returning to regularly of late, so I feel the need to explain: This was no regular rejection letter. This rejection came after an initial pass on my manuscript, but with an invitation to do rewrites. I reworked the manuscript for months, resubmitted it, and then waited nearly three months for a response, for a total of nine months before this “no.”

The letter was extremely gentle, but still hurt like #%&@.

And it got me wondering… how do you heal after a rejection?

1) Gather your writing friends. Hearing that they’ve been there, done that is helpful. Misery loves company, if only to remind you that you’re not alone. Family can be helpful too, but sometimes hit or miss. My mother likes to point out how many rejections J.K. Rowling got. Then she tells me to self-publish, and that’s followed by, “just put it out of your mind.” Well-meaning? Absolutely. Helpful? Not so much. I love you though, Mom.

2) Give yourself a treat. Life is hard enough even without rejection crap. This is when having your mom in town is especially helpful. After I went sulking  back up to my office, she made accra, which was one of my all time favorite things to eat when I was a child. Still is.

3) Be real. This is no time to try to be noble and think you should be above comparisons to other writers, or beyond wanting acceptance. What else are you going to measure yourself against, if not the achievements of others? Plus, you’re not writing in your journal. You’re writing to make books. Acceptance is the crux of the thing. Everyone wants to be accepted! So give yourself a break and save being noble for another day. You’re human. Feel your feelings.

4) Go ahead and get angry. For me, that was the impetus to do some research and send out a couple of new queries. For you that might look like screaming at the top of your lungs. You do what you gotta do.

5) Move on. I ended the day, still not feeling great, but working on a new manuscript. Today I feel better, and tomorrow I’ll be better still. The thing to remember is: this too shall pass.

There are only two answers

Ernst Stuckelberg "Sappho" 1897

This morning I got an email rejection.

I had been waiting for a response from this person for months. I felt that I had used their feedback to elevate the work. I knew it was good. And it was, just not good enough. And the pain is just acute enough to make me question the relevance of continuing on.

I’ve had a well-received work of fiction published, and several works of non-fiction. I’m not a bad writer, by any stretch of the imagination. But I have been watching writing friends of mine go on to better publishing deals, garner accolades, New York Times bestseller status, and scores of fans, while I sit at my desk struggling. For a while, I was a bit jealous. I knew that they had worked hard for what they got and I was happy for them, but their success made me feel worthless. And then this weekend, I just let go. It’s not their fault they’re better writers than me. It’s not even my fault that no one seems to want my work. It just is.

In letting go, I foolishly believed that I was opening myself up to better things, and that simply by dint of being all zen about it, that the good things would come. And if you know my life, you know that there has been no good news for a while, in fact there has been month after month, year, after year, of bad news both personally and professionally. And every time, I put on a brave face and look for the silver lining. It’s there. It’s always there. But can I live my life on silver linings?

My reward for letting go this weekend was finding a mug I thought I’d lost years ago. It’s a Paula Wiseman mug that has my name on it along with the names of several other authors published under her imprint the same year as ANGEL’S GRACE. Having had my heart broken by signs I thought I saw, I was determined not to take this as a sign this time. I was determined not to have hope. But evidently, some hope had seeped in that the news would be good.

And now that it’s not, there are only two answers: I will continue writing, or I will stop.

This week in writing… unlucky edition

You know… cuz it’s Friday the 13th? Oh never mind.

There was a lot of great writing news this week. Here’s a round-up in case you missed anything.

Someone new for you to query: Joy Peskin joins Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group as VP and Editorial Director of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux BFYR.

Have you seen Joe Sabia’s TED Talk on the Technology of Storytelling? It’s very entertaining, and quite informative.

Agent Jill Corcoran compiled some essential links for picture book writers. They are extensive interviews with the Editorial Director of HarperCollins Children’s books and the Editorial Director at Golden Books/Random House.

Are you planning to go to the Writer’s Digest conference next weekend? Agent Kari Stuart reminds us that she will be among over 60 agents at the event. Polish that pitch!

On January 25th, Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver, and her son Theo Baker will be talking about writing collaborations at Books of Wonder in NYC. It’s one of my all time favorite bookstores!

If you’re not familiar with The Shatzkin Files, you should be. Mike Shatzkin always has great insight on the publishing industry. This week, was no exception with Some Things That Were True About Publishing For Decades Aren’t True Anymore. Like cutting back on the midlist. Will we never catch a break?

UK happy meals go literary with books instead of toys. I’m told Chick-fil-A already does this in the U.S. I guess I’d need to live further south to know that.

This week, Bank Street listed its picture book awards semi-finalists. The last title is a big favorite in our house. That kooky bear!

Channeling her funny dad, Jon Scieska’s daughter, Casey, and an illustrator friend answered the question you were afraid to ask: what if picture book animals wound up on the cover of National Geographic. Hilariousness, is what.

Wanna give away books to complete strangers and hopefully entice them to read? That’s what World Book Night is all about. Sign up on Facebook.

Looks like optimism is waning in the world of publishing as publishers deal with the transition to digital books. And how do you feel about that… hmm?

One of my favorite authors, Francesca Lia Block, is giving away Dangerous Angels with bonus materials free on Amazon for a limited time. Just so you know… I own a Nook, and though they say it’s not transferable from Kindle to other devices, it is. So click away.

Author Mindy Greenstein, Ph.D. explores Why We Write in this article from Psychology Today. I hate giving Psy Today any press after their blatant racism, but that’s not Mindy’s fault.

If you’re new to the world of children’s writing, Harold Underdown is always a terrific resource. And he’s just updated his Manuscript Format Basics. I get so many questions about that from newbies. Thanks, Harold!

And finally, want to know what books do when you’re not looking? Then this video is for you.

And finally, finally, in case you missed it, in collaboration with some of my editor friends, we’ve launched a new editorial venture, Fairy Godauthor. For all your writing and editing needs. Your wishes… our command.

The booklist (2012)

Last year I read a little over 30 books, reviewed 25, absolutely adored 3, hated 2, and nearly didn’t finish 1, but was ultimately glad I did.

How they stacked up:

The best books I read last year were Kathryn Erskine’s MOCKINGBIRD, Jewell Parker Rhodes’ NINTH WARD, and the kids and I fell in love with INTERRUPTING CHICKEN by David Ezra Stein. My son’s review of that book was the best review of the year.

Among the worst were self-published works that I agreed to review for blog tours, and then immediately regretted it, because I was locked into writing something “nice” about them. And this is why I am not participating in blog tours anymore where authors have paid a third party to set up their tours. However, if authors contact me directly asking for a review, and if they understand that I will give an honest one, then fine. (Don’t worry, even if I dislike something, I’m always gentle.)

I nearly didn’t finish Steig Larsson’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, but I’m glad that friends who had slogged through the first 100+ pages advised me to stick with it. Man, the set-up on that book is slo-ow. The book was not my usual genre, but it was unexpected, and thrilling.

I finished off the year with my daughter’s THE ANT AND THE MAZE, a book she wrote on her own a couple of years ago and that my husband’s cousin illustrated as a gift for her. We put it up for sale to family and friends, much to the chagrin of the author, who begged (and is still begging) shyness. She’s talented though, more talented than I was at her age.

This year, I have a 50-book goal, and on the list are a few books I picked up but haven’t gotten a chance to read yet:

LIPS TOUCH by Laini Taylor

THE DREAMER by Pam Munoz Ryan

Some classics that I haven’t read:

S.E. Hinton’s THE OUTSIDERS

JE SUIS LE FROMAGE by Robert Cormier

And a few new books that have gotten rave reviews:

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot

THE TIGER’S WIFE by Tea Obrecht

This is by no means my complete list. I’d venture to say I have more than 50 already on the list, so we’ll see how they come together. But the first book I read this year was by a friend of mine. Karyn Glubis’ THE TREASURE HUNT: TRINIDAD’S MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, a picture book about friends on an adventure to find 7 historic buildings in Trinidad’s capital city: Port of Spain. I’ll do a full review of that book next week.

So, what’s on your reading list this year?