Avert Your Eyes
In honor of the imminent release of The Faker’s Guide to the Classics: Everything You Need to Know About the Books You Should Have Read (But Didn’t), I will now disembowel some of the greatest of the greats, highlighting their tragic endings with pithy commentary. (Spoiler: Scroll down to see how you can win a copy of Faker’s!) Moby Dick Cap’n gets it when Moby drowns him and the rest of the crew—except Ishmael, who chills in a floating coffin in the middle of...
Read MoreMore than romance
This was originally a comment I made on the HuffPost article “Lovesick and Tired: Unnecessary Romance in YA,“ but it encapsulates my thoughts on romance and relationships within YA that I’m reposting it here. YA literature is, at its heart, about relationships. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be romantic ones. Some of the most beautiful YA I’ve read didn’t center on romance. One of my faves in recent years is The Sweetness of Salt by Cecilia...
Read MoreCopyright Basics for Writers
I recently did a buttload of research on U.S. copyright laws, for both my own writing (thanks, Faker’s Guide to the Classics) and as a presenter on a panel discussing copyright for authors. I’ve condensed that info here to focus on the basics, plus links on where to find more info as well as how to do your own research on copyrighted works. Timeline of Copyright Anything before 1923: Public domain for all! From 1923 to 1963: Go forth and research: Catalog of...
Read MoreLiterary matchmaker
For some odd reason, every time I try to come up with a title for blog posts, a related song pops into my head. Today’s edition? Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match . . . Why this song? you might ask. Because I consider one of my most important responsibilities as a literary agent to be a matchmaker between a writer (or more specifically, their manuscript) and an editor. After facing so much rejection and uncertainty when searching for an agent, writers can easily fall into the...
Read MoreWhy YA needs strong female characters
I’ve kept largely quiet on the commotion surrounding comedian Daniel Tosh and a woman in the audience who said he joked about how funny it would be if she were gang raped. The resulting debate is disturbing in many ways,* as the (largely male) negative response shows the pervading rape culture is going strong and perhaps even assimilating into some aspects of society where it hasn’t previously flourished. More than that, women are given the role of victim and forced to play the...
Read MoreAm I doing enough?
I would consider myself a fairly accepting individual, with friends from various places around the world, but every single time I get a bit cocky and think, “Pshh, I know how to be color-blind. No need to lecture me,” something happens (either that I stupidly did or saw in the world around me) to make me rethink just how inclusive I really am. I’m going to assume you’ve heard or seen news stories about the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin. As you’re reading this...
Read MoreLetting it go
In which I ramble about the emotions accompanying the release of my first book Facing the release of my first book into the world, my emotions are different than I thought they’d be. I’m a bit surprised, actually, as I’ve seen the publication of many titles that I edited and worked on, but this is the first time that I’ve sat on this side of the desk, not knowing what will happen with my little book. I anticipated anxiety and nervousness to accompany the release, but I...
Read MoreWhat do you mean by “weary”?
I’m getting questions from writers curious about why I’d specifically say I’m weary of paranormal romance and dystopian, so let me explain. By the time a book hits the shelves, it’s already old hat for agents and editors. Most fiction is acquired 1 1/2 to 2 years before it is published. So that means when The Hunger Games hit theaters, the acquisition of dystopian books has been going on for the past three or so years. Even longer, if you start with publication of the...
Read MoreHoly craptastic!
Crap on a stick! This is awesome! I’m totally not going to be one of those authors buy my book! who goes on and on about how amazing her book is it’s really really awesome & you need to buy it and is always tweeting out links to Amazon or posting a link to Barnes & Noble on Facebook or telling you to support your local indie bookstore or even suggest that you let others know about a fun book they might...
Read More10 (+2) commandments for editing another writer’s work
Over on his blog, the ever-wise Nathan Bransford, author and former literary agent, offers up Ten Commandments for Editing Someone’s Work: 1. Remember that it’s not your book. 2. Find out what the author is looking for before you start editing. 3. You’re not doing anyone favors by being too nice. 4. You’re not doing anyone favors by being a jerk either 5. Pointing out problem areas is far more helpful than offering solutions 6. Try to figure...
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