The No News is No News Purgatory Thread, Volume 8

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lwalker

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Thanks! That was SO COOL! :D

Oh! Meant to say, Lisa, I would say G!llian F!ynn, too. Definitely.
 

Trinza

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oh yes. i always think cancelled should
be two Ls.

also i mentioned this before in copyedits
when they wanted tranquillity with two
Ls. i STETED my tranquility. one L.

This is me. Canceled with two l's and opened with two n's. Without fail, every time I write those two words I have to double check what I'm doing.

LW -- That is seriously cool!

Caleb -- Hope you have a good, safe trip and the weather isn't an issue!

Phew! It's Friday, it's Friday, I'm so glad it's Friday. I've hit my stride with the edits and I'm looking forward to some uninterrupted time to work on the book over the weekend.

My girlfriend is sick, though. Seriously hoping I don't catch it. I've been sick often enough within the past year! I swear, I've caught every cold that's gone around.
 

mayqueen

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Safe travels, Caleb and Lily for her concert. (Bad spelling! I just typed "Lilly". This tea needs to cool so I can get caffeine in my body.)

Lwalker, that's so exciting about the fb message!

Re: the agent rating site, I'd love to see detailed sales stats, but I doubt that would ever happen. I don't think rating agents like professor would work. I hate hate hate professor rating sites. Hate them.

Re: tax deductions. I also just take the full purchase price. I didn't know about home-ownership and selling it, though. Something to ask my accountant this year. I just know some have cautioned against home office credits because you can more easily get flagged. Or at least that's the urban legend, touch wood.

Joining the TGIF chorus over here! This week has been killer. I came to a coffee shop to work because I knew I'd just lie on my couch watching television if I tried to work from home. I'm so excited for the weekend. Celebrating our anniversary and also going to a friend's birthday at Medieval Times. Not kidding. So excited about that.
 

Calla Lily

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We did Medieval Times years and years ago, before the offspring were born. Fun, and the food was good.

I dislike improv, and I noticed that the actors were cherry-picking the diners who were trying to look invisible. When they picked Mr. Lily (who didn't mind being picked on), I waited for an opening. I forget what bit they were doing--making him a temporary knight or something--but I jumped up and barged in on the skit and put on the character of a loud, suspicious housewife. :evil The actors played right along.

And they left me to eat the rest of the meal in peace. :D
 

Trinza

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May, I'm so jealous of you right now! There's a Medieval Times about an hour from where I live and I drive by it when we go to Orlando (fairly regularly), and somehow I've still never been! And early happy anniversary!

Lily, haha, that's fantastic! Great that they all played along immediately, too.

Medieval Times will always make me think of that one scene from Cable Guy.
 

dystophil

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Thanks for the hugs, everyone. Sorry if I worried anyone, but I seriously was not okay this morning. Funny how one negative needle in a haystack of positive things can do that.

Anyway, I have since received comments that put the numbers (or lack thereof) that my content supervisor gave me into perspective. Like, his email sounded so much better and generally positive than his comment-less approach, it's not even funny. Personally, I can absolutely deal with criticism as long as it's constructive. I just needed some comments to formulate a plan of action.

Hugs, all. And be safe in the snow!
 

OL

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Re: home office, I can always ask my mom, the retired IRS auditor (you'd never guess it, she's very nice!). It is a red flag, or was, anyway, but if you are an author making money and writing in your home, it's a legitimate deduction, and you wouldn't have any trouble backing it up if you get called on it. It's one of those areas that's been abused a lot (for example I think there's some rule about having a primary office elsewhere paid for by your employer but I forget how that works), which is why it's an audit flag. One reason I never took it is that you are (or were) supposed to use a space that is separate and not used for any other purpose, and at the Shack, my "office" was my living room. It really was, and I probably could have safely done it, but I was too cautious. Too bad Cricket isn't here, she's really up on this stuff and could probably give us some good guidelines.

but at this point in the business, i run
completely on EGO alone. maybe it's
terrible. but it is what keeps me going.
we do what we have to to keep running
in that hamster wheel. =)

OMG, so true. If you don't think you're all that and a bag of chips, it's awfully hard to get enough external validation to keep going through all the b.s. and people who are more than happy to tell you that you suck.

Which is why experiences like you had on FB, LW, are so very lovely! I'm not sure why it is that the people who hate you are more inspired to make that known than (most) of the people who like what you do. I'm always so grateful when someone takes the time to tell me that they enjoy my work.

Thanks for the suggestions, gang!

Re: the agent website, I love the idea of those metrics but have a feeling that you'd get a lot of non-responders, and not just from agents who have a reason to not respond. For example I know agents who have pretty big client lists that they manage well because a lot of those clients aren't making regular deals -- they maybe write a new book every couple of years or more, and that deal is well-handled, but it can look like they're the spaghetti type. I agree with Blonde; the best way to measure an agent is to talk to their other clients if you can.
 

Haupe

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I need to call upon the Purgie brain trust, and I feel like I should apologize in advance....

Speaking of blurbs. I'm trying to come up with a wish list, just to get some ideas, and I am drawing blanks. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. They don't need to be ones I could realistically get, I'm just having a hard time thinking of any kind of comps that make sense
You've had lots of good suggestions. I'd add Julia Spenc3r-Fl3mming. You're not a perfect match, but there are enough overlapping elements I think it would count. Also, have you gone to Amazon and looked at the "customers who bought X also bought Y?" That's probably even more helpful. I'd look at all the authors connected to Stieg L@rsson that way.

Re the agent discussion, I like the stats kellion proposed. If accurate, and if the agent was an established one, it would give some idea about their dynamics. Even more helpful, though, would be an opportunity to talk to the people who left their agency. You have a chance, then, to find out why, and whether the dynamic was a difficult agent, a difficult author, both, or a mismatch.

When I was in medicine, they were just beginning a rate-your-doctor website. Those have the same exact issues as we've discussed with book reviews on Amazon. The gamification by peers and family; the motivated outliers being the ones to speak up.

Then there was another dynamic, which was that it most rewards the doctors who cherry-picked easy patients. Guess who's most likely to loooove their doctor? The easy-going mother of five who brings her brood in for sore throats and leaves happy with exam and reassurance after 10 minutes, or the drug-addicted prostitute who wants you to say she doesn't qualify for rehab? Guess where the most benefit to society might lie? In other words, I'd trust honest, peer-to-peer discussions about someone's professionalism over stats, because you get a chance to assess the assessor.

Colby, you've already had good suggestions. Personally, I think cover reveals are most successful when you already have an invested audience and they're happy to be excited for you, or they get an early viewing of the art as a reward for being engaged. Alternatively, if the cover is killer, it seems to work wider in building buzz. But I know nothing about this.



I think writers have to talk about the legit agents that do their clients wrong, not just out-and-out scammers. Just because an agent has made sales for client A doesn't mean he hasn't committed malpractice on B, C, D, and E.
1+ We do an industry insider post for the WU newsletter. Of the past 12, I think 11 would exactly reflect this issue. The most helpful thing, I think, is for writers not to languish in shame--to develop self-trust and ask questions rather than assume that they are the ones at fault. In medicine, I was taught there are 3 basic communication styles we default to in conflict: the problem is me (depression, shame, guilt), the problem is you (anger), the problem is us. Really, the last mode is where the problem-solving and professionalism come in, IMHO, and the sooner writers can get to that headspace, the sooner they'll find a good match.

Because I've finally got it through my thick skull that being a good writer doesn't necessarily mean being a popular one.
:e2hugs: Have you read QUIET, fire? Are you an introvert? I'm not to the part where she's discussion solutions, but I will say I feel 1000% validated now about how I operate in this noisy, online world. I've never understood the historical and geographical roots of the cult of personality, but we're very much in its grip in the writing world. Like I said, I'm not sure I see practically what to do differently, but I feel better for having read the first 25%.
 

JoNightshade

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I need to call upon the Purgie brain trust, and I feel like I should apologize in advance....

Speaking of blurbs. I'm trying to come up with a wish list, just to get some ideas, and I am drawing blanks. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. They don't need to be ones I could realistically get, I'm just having a hard time thinking of any kind of comps that make sense

This might not be particularly useful, but I wanted to mention it anyway - as soon as I finished Hour of the Rat I was like, wow. This could totally be a prequel to The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi. I honestly hated that book, but it's super popular and he's won a bunch of awards. He's now a Big Name in sci fi. Anyway, the book is essentially envisioning a future (around abouts Thailand, I believe) extrapolated from today's GMO farming practices. Your book is like a perfect lead-in to that.

I don't think a rate-your-agent site is a great idea, but more available stats would show a lot without any namecalling at all. Right now, the only stats are on request rates and sales, but I'd love to know basics, such as are available for colleges. The metrics I'd find most useful are:

Number of clients
% of clients with books they've sold
% of client with books sold within two years of signing
% of debut clients
% of clients who are retained as clients for three years

Actually, something like this seems pretty do-able given the stats already being collected at querytracker. Enough people use that now that it's a pretty good sample size, and you can see who has signed with who. They would have to initiate some sort of follow-up with people who sign with an agent, though - maybe like an email 6 months later, a year later, and so on to ask whether they were still with the agent, and if so, had the agent sold their book. Perhaps someone should suggest it to whatsisname who runs that site.

Because I've finally got it through my thick skull that being a good writer doesn't necessarily mean being a popular one.
That sucks.

It's definitely the truth when I think about the writers I love. A goodly portion of my favorite authors also have day jobs. Some of the ones who have been around for years swing it now that they've got a back list, but they didn't for quite some time. I think the authors who have made it big have managed to tap into the social aspect of their careers. I think of Neil Gaiman, for example, as much as a curator of a certain subculture as I think of him as a writer.

Add me to the list of those singing TGIF. Good god. Sharkbite's a good kid, but we just go through seasons of him testing me, just to MAKE SURE those boundary lines are still there. We'd just gotten through one of those and he was being a little angel in the aftermath... when we decided to introduce an iPad into the equation. At first it was great! Two major benefits were that he preferred it to television, so we haven't watched TV since we got it, and that it's not time-based, so instead of having to view a show to THE END, we can put the iPad away whenever we want.

Ohhhh, but it didn't end there. No, the era of the iPad began with parental bliss but soon gave way to a catastrophic cascade of behavioral backsliding. This was my day yesterday:

"I wanna play the green thing!" (IPad has a green case.)
"No."
"I want my nukie!" (Pacifier)
"No."
"I wanna play Elmo!"
"No."
"Wanna watch a show? I wanna watch a show!"
"No."
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I WANT MY NUKIE!"
"No, nukie is for bedtime."
"BUT I WANNA PLAY THE GREEN THING!"
"I said no."
"I WANT ELMO!"

Etc. etc. etc. I'm about to chuck the stupid iPad out the window. Gah. I HATE it when he does this, because I like to treat him to fun stuff, but when he gets into whining mode we have to go cold-turkey and turn off all media. Which is no fun for me, because then he's constantly following me around the house, into the bathroom, shower, etc. and I haven't a moment's peace of mind. Grrrr.

Also, that nukie is the next thing on the hit list.
 

kellion92

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My four-year-old is the same way with my Kindle. It's so addictive, Jo.

This week was really not my friend. Out of sync, didn't go the way I wanted in any respect.
 

Haupe

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This week was really not my friend. Out of sync, didn't go the way I wanted in any respect.
This was largely true of my week. Something in the air?

The most frustrating aspect is how challenging it can be to reset when there's an opportunity. So used to being interrupted.
 

Maryn

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I took care of what I got ticketed for, and just beat the snow, which is pelting down now pretty hard. After ordering a pair of shoes at Zappos and eating all the remaining conversation hearts, I feel human again.

It's not a big deal, but I seem eager to beat myself up over an oversight in which nobody got hurt.

Is it 5:30 yet? I've been telling myself I can open the wine at 5:30.

Maryn, guilty as charged
 

OL

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Parenting, I don't know how you guys do it.

Fire, it's...how to put? This freakin' business. You know, as I was searching through Amazon's 100 pages of Mystery/Suspense/Thrillers, I just wanted to scream. Every other book was James Patters0n. And the others were mostly Vincent F1ynn and for some reason, L0uise P3nny. Sometimes I think it's almost completely random, who hits and who doesn't.

But this:
I think of Neil Gaiman, for example, as much as a curator of a certain subculture as I think of him as a writer.
I think is super-smart too.

Thanks for the additional suggestions, Haupe and Jo!
 

lwalker

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I haven't had a bad week, but this single mom thing is HARD. And it's been since Monday. And hubs is coming in and taking oldest kid right back out to a dance. I want wine, too. What time, Maryn?

Lisa, also, five of the top 20 books on one of the lists FPF is on right now are pubbed by @maz0n. I wonder how much more of that there'll be as their publishing arm grows?
 

vfury

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*peeks in*

*waves* Hey, guys. Just posting to show I'm alive. I've been ninja-repping, but not much is going on.

I'm also going to the US in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS ARGH. (Phoenix, I haven't forgotten you, trying to get specific dates from the girl I'm travelling with.)

I'm going to be wandering in NYC on the 6th of March, while my friends meets her publisher, so if anyone is around and would like to meet for a coffee/whatever, let me know. :)
 

xiaotien

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hi vfury!

haupe, we love it when you
go all verbose on us! <3

lisa, right? i can't expect OTHERS
to give me cookies. so i give them
to myself. haha!

maryn, glad it was taken care of.
still sucks, i agree. but don't be so
hard on yourself.

kell, me too. a kind of hectic
off kilter week. got nothing done.
but hoorah for weekend!
 

OL

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LW, since Amazon started its own publishing arms, the impact of things like getting on their Book of the month list has dropped considerably. They still promote other books from other publishers, of course, but it's not surprising that they are putting more push into their own lines. It's one of the things that really worries, oh, just about everyone who is not Amazon about Amazon.

I really truly hope more independent bookstores open up, and fast. It can't happen fast enough to make up for Borders and B&N, unfortunately. But we desperately need them. I think publishers ought to think about more direct sponsorship of indie bookstores. It's in their best interest too.
 

Maryn

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I love visiting NYC nearly as much as I love leaving it. The pace is just not for me, and it wears me out pretty quick. (It also makes me feel old, fat, and unfashionable.) We tend to swoop in, stay two nights, seeing no one we know, then retreat.

Great walking city, though. Bring the right shoes!

I am now going to start cutting up veggies for OL's roast veggie dish, which is a winter favorite. This time the beets were gigantic so I skipped 'em and doubled up on squash and blue potatoes for color. It's different every time, but with enough garlic, it's always great.

Maryn, veteran veggie roaster
 

Bluestone

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Hey, you guys have actually been talking about books and writing in here the past day!

Commenting in no particular order, but I went back a fair way to catch up because I'm basically avoiding work, or thinking, or anything that requires focus. Not a good week at all. And now I'm exhausted from lack of sleep so I may or may not make sense. I know it's all relative, but I'll take your 3, 4, 8 and 9 year olds - all of them together - right now over one 17 yo. Who's 17 and 5 months, which is "almost" 18, and therefore is 18 and therefore is too old to be told anything, or be grounded. And thinks I'm crazy.

Xiao, I saw that article on the tennis player and social media and felt very sorry for her, because she suffers from depression to begin with, but I couldn't help thinking, why is she reading anything these mean strangers are saying??

Para, I love that you and Ms Coffee are moving forward and that you're excited (which is what I took from *afeared*) :D
have you had The Talk yet? are you a couple?????

cindy, always nosy =D
This really confused me. What is The Talk? Birth control? Uh no. STDs? Maybe. How many children they plan on having? When she gets a key to Para's?
Blue, who apparently is out of touch with dating, straight or gay.

OL, I thought Mike's suggestions for blurb's were very good. I would have said the same for yours, Haupe, but I didn't know the author. :)

((((((((((((((((((Caleb))))))))))))))))))) Take your strengths and focus on them, and be gentle with yourself. You're very fragile right now. It's not a good time to do anything too out there or where you might be setting yourself up for a fall. And remember, you're likely to magnify all the bad stuff, so try and remind yourself of that. Have you tried meditation when you need clarity?
Blue, who doesn't pretend to be a therapist, but is trying to be helpful.

When I get jealous about other authors' success, I try to put it in context. For instance, that I didn't start when they did and haven't put the effort into it they have. And honestly, I don't want to sound Pollyanna-ish, but I most often compare the published me with the non-published former me, and I'm proud of what I've achieved, and love the recognition, the steady sales and every email and positive comment from "fans".
Yes, Jenn, I'm doing my own. I have an artist doing the pictures and I wrote the script.
I can't wait to see it!

Smiley, wow, that's fabulous!! All appendages crossed for you!

I got a weird G00gle alert this morning. It was my book on some Y0u Tu6e video, with a "review" that was actually somebody with a British accent reading the cover and blurb. It was in that stilted computerized voice like those cartoon characters you can put script to and make them say whatever you want. But the only thing on the "video" was my book cover. Isn't that odd?

Howdy, Phoenix!
 

OL

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Blue, I've gotten those "reviews" too. I have no clue! I've also gotten youtube hits that were links to pirate downloads. But those other things, I don't know what they are or why.
 

JoNightshade

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Blue - On the youtube video, maybe it's for blind people? Like an audio catalogue reference.

I've been frustrated with the lack of simple, basic books to help with explaining the concept of God to my (extremely literal) child, so I finally sat down and wrote one myself. Shared it with my husband and now he's seeing dollar signs. Haha. Glad he has confidence in me, but - it's a long way from text on a page to a published children's book! I'm gonna put it together on Shutterfly using home photos and images shamefully yanked from the internet. If anyone else wants it, they'll have to hook me up with an illustrator! An artist I am not. :)

ETA: Looks like my request NOT to do an "author interview" at the end of my book has been accepted! And somehow they're still managing to fit my reader guide in, too. So that seems to have worked out.
 

Parametric

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LW, since Amazon started its own publishing arms, the impact of things like getting on their Book of the month list has dropped considerably. They still promote other books from other publishers, of course, but it's not surprising that they are putting more push into their own lines. It's one of the things that really worries, oh, just about everyone who is not Amazon about Amazon.

Amazon are such a law unto themselves that I genuinely fear that some day they might pull the entire Kindle project overnight, decimating my income.
 

Bluestone

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Coincidentally, my editor just emailed me about it because he obviously has G00gle Alerts too. He said there was no real purpose other than repackaging content for their own business ends, to make a percentage of Am3z0n affiliate sales. I didn't really understand how that works, but sheesh, what a rip-off.

And Haupe, when I'm around I don't think you corner the market on verbosity at all. Besides, you always have interesting, helpful things to say. :)
 
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