Writers Unbound

With the introduction of the Amazon Kindle, everyone’s talking about e-reading.

After handling a good friend’s new Kindle and then bugging the CompUSA guy about the Sony Reader, I’m leaning toward the second generation Sony Reader.

My reasoning is a tad bit less “techie” than most reviews about this online, but comes almost exclusively from the perspective of an avid reader. Here goes:

The Sony is significantly less bulky and easier to carry than the Kindle. A lot of this comes from the fact that the Kindle has a keyboard that is (IMHO) pretty darned useless (keeping in mind that I played with it for only a couple minutes).

I feel that the screens are pretty much on the same level. My understanding is that the Kindle has a bit more options as far as font and size, but I was quite happy with the default settings of the Sony.

The Sony has speakers, so you can use it while driving (seems dangerous to drive around with headphones on!).

As far as convenience goes, I would like to point out that I’ve ran into the Sony at multiple stores, including the local grocery-store-with-an-electronics-section. My understanding as far as the Amazon goes is that you have to get it online. However, I did notice 2 day shipping was free.

Lastly, the Kindle costs 1$100 more than the Sony.

My money’s on the Sony, and the Sony is on my Christmas list

Happy e-reading to you. Be sure to download some of these classic books!

kindle, sony

I spent a massive portion of last week running the Scholastic Book Fair at my child’s school. Overall I think I spent upwards of 30 hours between prep, marketing, set up, working at it, and tearing it down.

So, on top of that, I figured I’d give Scholastic a little extra boost (as if the sweat of my labor wasn’t enough) and feature them in a market profile:

Scholastic Inc.

 Imprints/Divisions: Scholastic Press, Scholastic Library Publishing, Grolier, Children’s Press, Franklin Watts, Grolier Online.

Accepting:  Agented queries on children’s (up to middle grades) fiction and non fiction. (Also accepting non-agented queries on professional books only).

Offers: Variable advance, royalties on retail price.

Not currently interested in: fairy tales, retellings, board books or series fictions.

Best of luck! 

(Oh, and  by the way, my weekend wasn’t ALL work. I did get to see Love in the Time of Cholera, the movie based on Gaby Garcia Marquez’s novel. I loved it! Two thumbs up!)

scholastic, gabriel garcia marquez, love in the time of cholera

Directly before the passing of acclaimed novelist and journalist Norman Mailer, I happened upon an article about him in Playboy’s current magazine. (I won’t say WHERE I happened upon this, but needless to say, it wasn’t at the library or anything!)

Anyway, it’s honestly a really prolific article/interview and I’m glad I got to read it. Mailer’s death wasn’t entirely surprising, according to the blogosphere, but it’s still a blow for writers and readers everywhere.

Meanwhile, I am anticipating the movie release of my NUMBER ONE FAVORITE BOOK of ALL TIME by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera, due out this weekend.

I’ve heard that fans of the book will be a wee bit disappointed by the movie, but I’m just happy to relive one of my favorite stories of all time, good movie or bad. I have been looking forward to it for quite a while.

If I can pattern my fiction writing after one novelist, it would be Marquez. He captures setting like no one else. In fact, I haven’t read Cholera in almost two years.

The last time I read it was in the summer of 2005, while in the mountains of Mexico, and while I cannot even begin to tell you much about the characters, I could probably describe the town/setting in intricate detail. It’s his ability to capture place as a writer that has always pulled at me. If only I could do the same. It’s really place, not people, who seem to inspire my own writing.

How about you? What is it that inspires/inspired your novel?

Will you be seeing Cholera with me this weekend?

Any thoughts on Mailer’s passing?

Norman Mailer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gabo, Love in the Time of Cholera

Publisher’s Weekly reported that Harper Lee will be receiving the Presidential Medal of Honor on Monday for her literary contribution To Kill a Mockingbird.

NaNoWriMo is definitely well under way. Their website is backed up like crazy The forums are also hopping.

Hollywood Writers Strike latest is available at WritersWrite.

NPR interviews a writer who writes about a ghostwriter who writes about a man who may or may not be Tony Blair. Huh?

JK Rowling sues a small Michigan publisher over intellectual property rights. She also finished her first book after the Harry series. What a busy week!

You can now read Gone With the Wind from Rhett’s perspective.

MySpace gets into the book business.

Slate Magazine is having a special fiction week for our reading pleasure.

They’re both making news, ok?

Over the weekend, The Daily Telegraph, out of the U.K., revealed that J.K. Rowling affirmed that her Harry Potter series, or at least the last installment, is inspired by her own Christian faith. In the article, Rowling admitted to struggling with her faith, and said simply ”My faith is sometimes that my faith will return.” Beautiful- but we didn’t expect anything any less eloquent out this accomplished writer, did we? Seems she eluded the questions and comparisons until now as she didn’t want her fans to know where the series was going.

Meanwhile, in different news, in a different genre, it seems literati have two  new translations of Tolstoy’s War and Peace to contend with on the market.

Let me attempt to translate NPR’s coverage:

One new translation is published by Knopf and translated by R. Pevear. It is a translation of Tolstoy’s final version of the book.

The other new translation, published by A. Bromfield and released by the publisher Ecco Press, is 400 pages shorter, and is a translation of an early version- one may even say an early draft- of the tome.

Ecco and Bromfield argue that this shorter version is an ”original version,” not a draft, whereas Pevear and Knopf are quoted as saying it’s really not the same book at all. 

From a writers POV, I’m vaguely uncomfortable with the words “draft” and ”version” being interchangeable in the Ecco argument. Is it a first draft? Is it an original version? The publishers at Knopf argue that the 400 “missing” pages are what makes War and Peace the notable novel that it is.

Um, yeah, rewriting, editing and working on your text is supposed to have that effect on your final work! Can you imagine if all the first drafts generated from NaNaWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) were considered versions instead of drafts? Yikes!

From a readers standpoint, I can tell you that the 400 pages would probably make a huge difference to a lay reader. Have you read War and Peace? I attempted it multiple times in high school. I couldn’t keep the characters straight and gave up.

I’ve read an abridged and unabridged version of Les Miserable, and can honestly say that I would not have moved on to the unabridged if I hadn’t first read the shorter work. But, we’re not talking about abridgement here- the 400 pages missing are said to substantially change the work.

Thoughts?

tolstoy, war and peace, harry potter, nanawrimo, national novel writing month, christianity, christin fiction

I had a great view of the nation’s capitol as I stood in the poetry rooms at the U.S. Library of Congress. (photo by Dorothy K. Fletcher)

The U.S. Library of Congress has named poet Charles Simic America’s new laureate. Technically the position is called the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. In keeping with custom, Simic will serve a one or two year term. Our new laureate was actually born in Yugoslavia. He arrived in the United States in 1954 and has been a U.S. citizen for 36 years. “I am especially touched and honored to be selected,� said Simic, “because I am an immigrant boy who didn’t speak English until I was 15.�

Simic has said he started writing poetry in high school “to get the attention of girls.�

Simic’s accomplishments run as long as the Mississippi River. He’s authored 18 books of poetry. Simic is also an essayist, translator, editor and professor emeritus of creative writing at the University of New Hampshire where he’s taught for 34 years. He’s won a Pulitzer and the Griffin Prize, and he also was a national Book Award finalist. His new collection of poems ‘That Little Something’ will be released in February, 2008.

Simic’s work is very elegant, but it’s also accessible on different levels. Anyone can read his work and take something away. But those who study poetry will see elements and techniques reflecting skill and dexterity. A unique, darkly amusing poem is archived at the Verse Magazine blog. “Night Clerk in a Roach Motel� manages to impart beauty created through dark lines like, “Doors that show traces/ Of numerous attempts at violent entry…� It’s easy to envision a seedy hallway full of doors that have seen better years in a hotel we’d really prefer not to be in.

Simic follows Ted Kooser as laureate. Kooser and former laureate Billy Collins did so much to return poetry to the forefront of American literature. Here’s hoping Simic will do the same.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Library of Congress, new U.S. Poet Laureat Charles Simic, poetry, consultant, Washington, capitol, American Literature, American Poetry

Frank Gromling, founder of Ocean Publishing, has been instrumental in bringing educational programs to authors and others in the book business. Gromling is president of Florida Publishers Association.

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Frank Gromling, president of Florida Publishers Association, founded the traditional press Ocean Publishing several years ago in an effort to bring quality titles to the marketplace. Gromling is my own publisher; he’s brought out two of my books. He learned firsthand the challenges of getting books into a reader’s hands and as a result, he shares his experience and expertise with authors who are traditionally and self-published as well as with small publishing houses. Gromling and other FPA members have put together a fall conference in hopes of assisting authors and other industry professionals who want to see their books succeed.

The FPA Conference at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North runs September 14-15, beginning with a facility tour of HCI, home of Chicken Soup for the Soul products. There’s a Friday evening social, and attendees can enjoy vendor displays as they rub elbows with leaders in the publishing world.

Editors and staffers from Publishers Weekly and others in the industry will speak on Saturday. Sara Nelson, editor in chief of Publishers Weekly will keynote the Saturday luncheon. Cevin Bryerman, PW associate publisher, Louisa Ermelino, book reviews director, and Jim Milliot, Business News Director, will speak. Topics include how PW chooses its books for review, how news stories/editorials develop and the relationship of PW with booksellers, librarians and other publishing industry insiders.

Other Saturday sessions by experts will cover getting reviews, book design, bookstore sales and marketing basics.

Unless an author’s name is a household word, he or she may be challenged by the marketplace even if the title is worthy. The FPA conference aims to help authors of all persuasion to increase their chances for success with their books.

“We’re excited about the lineup of experts for this conference,� Gromling says. “We expect it will be well-attended by many who have an interest in publishing and bookselling.�

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Publishing, Books, Authors, Publishing Conference, Book Composition, Printing, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Florida Publishers Association, Ft. Lauderdale, Small Presses, Independent Publishers, Self-Publish

I read the first book in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. I liked the book; I admire Rowling. I came away from that first novel with the realization a new world classic had been born.

I kept meaning to read the rest of the books. But I just never got around to it. I have watched parts of the movies, usually on Saturday afternoon when I’m cleaning the bedroom. When the latest book came out, I mean to purchase one. I didn’t do that either.

But I did want to know what happened to Harry Potter. So I did an Internet search. I am sad to report that every reputable site I checked—or those I could determine were reputable—refused to satisfy my curiosity.

I have to marvel at the kind of loyalty that still has the wraps on a book that came out days ago. Most wildly successful books have been drawn and quartered by the time they hit bookshelves. This situation has to be a cultural phenomenon. The American government cannot keep a secret, but the unofficial Potter cartel can.

I guess I’ll have to wait to learn what happened to the world’s most popular worker of magic.

But I’m not very happy about that.

Maybe I’ll just saunter to the bookstore and read the last few pages.

RELATED LINK
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Join the book club, shop at the Harry Store and get the book if you’re a fan.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Harry Potter spoiler, Rowling, publishing, novels, sorcerer

Not long ago we were cleaning out our very messy garage. We came across a box of old photographs. We were on a roll until we found those pictures. As soon as I opened the box, all activity halted. My husband and I strolled down memory lane, recalling days when we both had long hair, big dreams and near-empty pockets. A bonus from that memory walk came in the form of inspiration. Thumbing through those photos inspired a new poem and an essay. Sometimes, we find inspiration not by seeking it but by accident.

It’s hard for a writer to gauge her own work, but one of the poems I consider my best occurred quite by accident. I was facilitating a Community Poetry Series for our local Barnes and Noble here in Jacksonville. Poet and author Steve Kowit emailed to tell me he’d be in our area, and we set up a poetry workshop for him.

Of all the workshops I’ve ever participated in, Kowit’s stands out for the remarkable experience every attendee had. Suddenly I found myself on the other side of the table. Instead of conducting a workshop, I was participating in one.

Kowit used several prompts to encourage us to pen an off-the-top-of-your-head poem. I chose, “I remember.� Within 15 minutes I’d sketched a draft of a poem about my youngest brother who died when he was a baby. Until that moment, I had never been able to write a poem about him. Ultimately, the poem “Sibling Blue� was published in the afterword to my memoir Killing Earl. It will also be included in my new poetry collection ‘Notes from a Florida Village.’

What made Steve Kowit such a great workshop leader?

He was kind and encouraging. His attitude towards poetry was very democratic because he likes many different kinds of poems. He wasn’t one of those, “Do NOT rhyme your poems!� types. In addition, his knowledge of poetry is extraordinary. He was able to listen to each participant’s poem and offer solid suggestions without intruding on the rights of the poet. I suppose those are a few of the reasons Kowit’s book ‘In the Palm of Your Hand’ is a wildly popular poetry handbook.

We all have dry spells where writing is concerned. So next time you have one, thumb through some photos, or use a prompt like, “I remember,� or “I regret.� The results may amaze you.

RELATED LINKS:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780884481492&itm=1
Book page for ‘In the Palm of Your Hand’ by Steve Kowit at Barnes and Noble online.

http://www.flagstaffcentral.com/bookfest2000/Authors/kowit.html
Page about Steve Kowit from Northern Arizona Book Festival.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Books, Poetry Handbooks, Kowit, Poems, Inspiration, Writers, Book Festivals, Writing Workshops

Saturday Night Live offers a Harry Potter parody. Hermione has certainly grown up.

Author J. K. Rowling has expressed her annoyance over pre-release book reviews of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’ The reviews were published in the United States. China Daily reports Rowling said, “I am staggered that some American newspapers have decided to publish purported spoilers in the form of reviews in complete disregard of the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children.”

The fact that reviews are only now appearing contradicts the typical book review process in the United States.
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