I took a break for the month of December. Then worked harder than ever to put together my interview series. It has been so successful, it will be staying on as a regular part of The Novel Road on top of links, original posts, Short Story Saturday, and an occational Flash Fiction Sunday.
It's my hope that everyone has enjoyed the interviews as much as I have putting them together. I've met some truly amazing authors, agents and editors and publisher so far. Have a question you think should be asked? Send on to me . Have an author you'd like to hear more from? Let me know and I'll try to track them down.
All the Best!
Doug
Friday, December 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
STANFORD Magazine: The Future of Publishing
STANFORD Magazine: The Future of Publishing Great observations on the battles being fought on our behalf by publishers. Can they win? It's time for every author to chime in, or lose the right to have a say in Literature's future. What we do or don't do, will affect the world for centuries to come...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Novel Road Interview: David Brown Excerpt
An excerpt from the interview with David Brown the Deputy Director of Publicity for Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster-
Me: Talk about some of the craziest campaigns you have worked on.
David: We currently have Olympic hero Apolo Ohno on a multi-city bus tour for his book Zero Regrets. When it is all said and done, he will have visited over 50 cities and met over 20,000 people in the span of just 2 weeks! I've also worked on book written by a dog and a book written by a pimp.
Me: Talk about some of the craziest campaigns you have worked on.
David: We currently have Olympic hero Apolo Ohno on a multi-city bus tour for his book Zero Regrets. When it is all said and done, he will have visited over 50 cities and met over 20,000 people in the span of just 2 weeks! I've also worked on book written by a dog and a book written by a pimp.
Excuse My Being Sidetracked
Please pardon my lack of original posts. I'm up to my neck in... I mean I am busy formating with care and expertise, the MANY great interviews coming your way in December. I believe you will find this series of interviews enlightening, as well as humorous. Stay tuned... can you even say stay tuned any more? Think about it. I remember when...OUCH!
Pardon me for fading into post mode. Luckily my trusty sidekick... Stop hitting me! Ok, my assistant reminded me that we have a few details to iron out (It's all her fault) and we'll see you soon... Well not exactly see...
Pardon me for fading into post mode. Luckily my trusty sidekick... Stop hitting me! Ok, my assistant reminded me that we have a few details to iron out (It's all her fault) and we'll see you soon... Well not exactly see...
The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment: The Most Sympathetic Villain Ever
The Most Sympathetic Villain Ever Give me your picks for a villian that deserves a hug. I've seen villians over the years wrestling with their path of evil. Fighting the urge to give in to the darker aspects of their character, only to change at the last second. Redemption?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Novel Road: Bryan Russell- Perfect 2 Sentence Pitch
Me: In two sentences, describe your book or work in progress.
Bryan: After killing his father in an argument, Japheth Tagori is sentenced to a life of service as a soldier in the Legion – yet he cannot escape his past, as the brigands who worked with his father (a smuggler) want Japheth dead because of something he’s forgotten he knows – the destination of a cartload of gold set to fuel a rebellion. The rebellion, though, is merely a diversion, as a war between empires looms on the horizon and Japheth finds himself a pawn in a dangerous game, manipulated by the mysterious Ghost King even as his enemies seek his head – and as Japheth seeks to understand his own identity as a soldier.
Bryan: After killing his father in an argument, Japheth Tagori is sentenced to a life of service as a soldier in the Legion – yet he cannot escape his past, as the brigands who worked with his father (a smuggler) want Japheth dead because of something he’s forgotten he knows – the destination of a cartload of gold set to fuel a rebellion. The rebellion, though, is merely a diversion, as a war between empires looms on the horizon and Japheth finds himself a pawn in a dangerous game, manipulated by the mysterious Ghost King even as his enemies seek his head – and as Japheth seeks to understand his own identity as a soldier.
What Motivates You?
Motivation has root causes. Different in each of us, money, power, pleasure... hell, even pain can motivate. Each day we get out of bed, there is a reason. It may be that bowl of Cheerios in the last seconds of a dream or something that makes you grumble, like the thoughts of rush hour traffic ahead. Whatever it is, something does drive us to do the things we do.
I can't talk to the sciences of the mind. What the chemical or primordial triggers are to motivation is really not here nor there for me. I just know that things occur to me that cause a need to do - something.
There are passions that inspire. Physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual inspirations which can drive us to the patent extremes of love and hate. We can become so driven by what motivates, that we begin to wrestle within ourselves to find right and wrong. The erudite will not be motivated below a line. The simple dreamer looks up, no line in sight.
Motivation is the essence of free will.
What about ulterior motives? Motivation to act based on compensation to another mean or end. Is acting upon a thought without regard to gain counter to the define motive?
This can be an endless thought or one that causes internal doubt. Anarchy is motivation ill defined. Conservatism owns few changes in either dawn or sunset.
I began thinking about this last night, when a knowledgeable friend's email asked me what I hoped to gain by posting interviews next month. Gain? Don't get me wrong, it was a fair enough question. I was asking for help getting the word out about my December format, and he has a huge audience to tap. It just never occurred to me that I would have to set a value to my interviews. In other words, what would I gain?
Audience? If I'm honest with myself, the answer is yes. My guest list is enough for a few thousand more visits to my blog each day.
Money? The answer is no. I don't think it right to earn money from the generosity of my guests. Even the book links are pulled from their sites, intact. So hits by anyone clicking them goes to my guests site.
Ego? Like a friend told me not long ago, "Ah, there's the rub". Will I be absolutely jacked up happy if I get good responses from the interviews? YES. If I find that my efforts have helped authors sell more books, I will be flat out over the moon.
The best thing about motivation is that it's innately personal. What drives me to write, blog or mow the lawn is purely mine. The things that inspire you are all yours, so keep what motivates you unique. Do what must be done according to heart and mind, just let your dreams into the decision making paradigm. After all, motivations that lighten the day, that add a smile, are the endless fuel you are blessed with to live each day as new.
I can't talk to the sciences of the mind. What the chemical or primordial triggers are to motivation is really not here nor there for me. I just know that things occur to me that cause a need to do - something.
There are passions that inspire. Physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual inspirations which can drive us to the patent extremes of love and hate. We can become so driven by what motivates, that we begin to wrestle within ourselves to find right and wrong. The erudite will not be motivated below a line. The simple dreamer looks up, no line in sight.
Motivation is the essence of free will.
What about ulterior motives? Motivation to act based on compensation to another mean or end. Is acting upon a thought without regard to gain counter to the define motive?
This can be an endless thought or one that causes internal doubt. Anarchy is motivation ill defined. Conservatism owns few changes in either dawn or sunset.
I began thinking about this last night, when a knowledgeable friend's email asked me what I hoped to gain by posting interviews next month. Gain? Don't get me wrong, it was a fair enough question. I was asking for help getting the word out about my December format, and he has a huge audience to tap. It just never occurred to me that I would have to set a value to my interviews. In other words, what would I gain?
Audience? If I'm honest with myself, the answer is yes. My guest list is enough for a few thousand more visits to my blog each day.
Money? The answer is no. I don't think it right to earn money from the generosity of my guests. Even the book links are pulled from their sites, intact. So hits by anyone clicking them goes to my guests site.
Ego? Like a friend told me not long ago, "Ah, there's the rub". Will I be absolutely jacked up happy if I get good responses from the interviews? YES. If I find that my efforts have helped authors sell more books, I will be flat out over the moon.
The best thing about motivation is that it's innately personal. What drives me to write, blog or mow the lawn is purely mine. The things that inspire you are all yours, so keep what motivates you unique. Do what must be done according to heart and mind, just let your dreams into the decision making paradigm. After all, motivations that lighten the day, that add a smile, are the endless fuel you are blessed with to live each day as new.
Shareholders approve Barnes & Noble 'poison pill' - Yahoo! News
Shareholders approve Barnes & Noble 'poison pill' . The drama continues for the huge book retailer
Don't pet me, I'm writing: Three tips for bouncing between books
Tawna Fenske should be on your morning blog read. Why? Well, if you're the type of person who likes starting their day off with a smile, this is the place to be.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Dale Brown Interview - Excerpt - 12/7/10
Join me for an interview with Dale Brown, Techno-Thriller author whose sold over 15 million books!
Me: You're co-writing novels with Jim DeFelice. It is becoming more and more common among established authors to co-write. Why?
Dale: Established authors do other series to keep their names on the bookshelves. But I do not subscribe to the concept of "ghost writer." Jim DeFelice is not my ghost-writer: he is an established and well-known author that writes outstanding stories that I am fortunate enough to collaborate on with him.
Me: You're co-writing novels with Jim DeFelice. It is becoming more and more common among established authors to co-write. Why?
Dale: Established authors do other series to keep their names on the bookshelves. But I do not subscribe to the concept of "ghost writer." Jim DeFelice is not my ghost-writer: he is an established and well-known author that writes outstanding stories that I am fortunate enough to collaborate on with him.
Robin Becker Interview 12/2/10
The Novel Road Interview series: Robin Becker, author of "Brains: a Zombie Memoir - December 2
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Budget Puzzle: You Fix the Budget - Interactive Feature - NYTimes.com
I found this on Twitter this morning. Give it a try. It makes it seem far to easy to balance the Budget. The definitions of what's being cut or kept is a little fairly vague. Quite interesting though...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Writer Angst Part 3 --- Editors
If literary agents are a bridge between authors and getting published, then editors are thr road signs, if not the very road itself toward that end. The new or aspiring author has to understand the part of the editor. I think far too many believe that once they have an agent, it all comes down to a sales pitch to a publisher. That the next step is, a place on the bookshelf. Something else has to happen before your dream comes true. The something, is a someone. You will know little of who this person is, but the future of your work is in their hands.
Editors have the most amazing, and somewhat secret, way of doing what they do. They add another layer of checks and balances to the publishing process. Actually, more than one layer, since their OCD bretheren, the copy editor, adds a last laugh before publishing. Oh sure, the author gets views after each process, but unless you are a successful author, challenging an editor's requests can often make the "Things not to do" list. Don't get me wrong, an author has to stand up for their work. Just pick your battles wisely.
The editor is part Yoda and Gollum - wise, but obsessed. Paid by an author privately, they manage patience as best they can. Paid by a publisher - just this side of whip cracking can happen, though more often it takes the form of lengthy, very exact, e-mails. (your agent is in the middle of all this, of course) Editor's respect the creative process, but demand in their own unique way, what will make the story "right".
I made an observation to an editor that had him no doubt shaking his head before I finished my thought. I had tried to make the analogy that an author has to hold their work up to a mirror, to see problems from a different perspective. This comment was met with a silence for a few moments. Just as I was about to pat myself on the back for my example, I got slapped back to reality.
"The problem with your mirror, is that it's your mirror," (insert long exhale by my editor friend), "you'll gain no objectivity from holding the mirror just so. I can't tell you how many authors believe themselves to be objective about their own work. They come up with reasons on why or how they edited. In most cases they think knowing the definition of edit is enough." He gave me a gravel tinted chuckle as I listened and tried to think of what next to ask. He beat me to it.
"Your about to ask my advice to an author, right? Well, the first thing I'd tell them is learn to spell,(I pulled at my shirt collar, al la Rodney Dangerfield, and could swear the room was getting a tad warm).The second thing I'd say is read it out loud. Find sentences or phrases that don't work and re-write or remove them. Third, have someone, other than a friend, read your work. Take whatever anyone says to heart, because that's your damn mirror. An editor reads with the thought of the future reader, not the author's dream."
After our conversation, I came up with this:
Think of a statue. A book without an editor, is a glob of clay with a smiley face and catchy name. With an editor, you get MARBLE, with some nice curves, and a smiley face... And suggestions for better names.
You thought I'd say you'd get Michelangelo's David? An editor can't make a bad story or horrible writing great. They can give the story a better foundation, read-ability and shape. Yet they depend on the initial product to be worthy. For my money, there is no better investment than an editor.
Agents have to use their experience to match a manuscript to the editor. Different editors have different strengths. Some specialize in genres or even a voice. A few really can do it all, but most tend to stay in their comfort zones. So add this to the list of things I didn't tell you about agents in Part 2. Agents shop your story to editors, who have limits on how many manuscripts they can deal with in a year.
Great editors are coveted. They have earned reputations for their work. Think getting to be a debut author is tough? Ask an editor how hard they had to work to get to where they are today. They have the academic resumes to back up their successes. My interview with Peter Ginna was extremely interesting. When I read the answers to my questions, I began to kick myself because I didn't ask more than I did. I suddenly thought of fifteen or twenty questions I could have put to him.
Editors seldom get the credit they deserve. I honor those authors that place mention of the editor's work in their books. The editor must constantly adapt to changing literary preferences. I wanted to ask Peter Ginna how long it takes him to write a text message. (LOL) Changes in slang, must drive them to drink... Or miniature golf. Non-Fiction is one thing, but with Fiction, editors must open a new manuscript like a bomb disposal guy lifting a lid.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I think editors are golden. After all I've learned about what they do... Think DIAMONDS...
Bookish Techy Week in Review - O'Reilly Radar
Lit mags return; libraries and publishers can't figure out e-lending; ebooks headed to NYT list; and David Pogue likes the Galaxy.
Friday, November 12, 2010
January 1st New Home of the Novel Road
The Blooger address for The Novel Road is currently: http://devinbriar.blogspot.com/
It will all move here after the first of the year.
It will all move here after the first of the year.