A Good Blogger Is Hard to Find

Well.

If I exhibit the tendencies of a delinquent, I only do so because I spend most of my non-writing desk-time foraging for scraps of informational nourishment pertaining to the life of the writer, publishing, and whatever else. (My unemployed alter-ego is knee-deep in a screenplay, a novel, two short stories and his own music. I don't know how he gets any sleep.) And, like a meadow vole, I stuff myself and my snow tunnels with these morsels and forget--at least at times--to dispense them among my good friends as I should. Consequently, here are two entrées for your edification.

-Catalyst Blogger
Run by Jennifer Williamson, owner of Catalyst Writing Services, Catalyst Blogger speaks directly to freelancers, indirectly to every writer. In her last five articles, she's addressed
-writing in a sagging economy
-the AWAI (American Writers and Artists Institute)
-whether being "nice" when it comes to professional writing and business matters is a crock
-ghostwriting, and
-the downside of $5 freelance articles.
Whether you're a freelancer to help with the bills or a full-fledged professional writer, you'll find something worthwhile here.

-Poets & Writers
A non-profit founded in 1970 that publishes Poets & Writers Magazine. The Speakeasy forum bursts with advice, perspectives and even work exchanged between writers, editors, and agents. They run contests, such as the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award, that should make writers salivate like you do on the train home for whatever's in the house that you don't have to cook. It radiates goodwill toward all writers, and I can think of no itch writers more desperately want scratched.

Also, I will take this opportunity to plug Creative Byline's Facebook page, because we work hard at keeping it fresh and heart-healthy for you & yours 24/7.

I don't really have a good excuse, but this bit from Book Publishing ought to alleviate any pangs of guilt

Good Lord. My apologies.

Let's just say it's a good thing I'm not in charge of making your dinners.

Book Publishing (Jess Haberman) has a note up about a Publisher's Weekly seminar at NYU's Kimmel Center this next Monday, September 22. The seminar includes a keynote by Wally Lamb (I Know This Much Is True, She's Come Undone, The Hour I First Believed), along with the following (from the article):

-Continental breakfast
-Welcome remarks from Sara Nelson, editor-in-chief of PW and Andrea Chambers, director of the Center for Publishing, NYU
-Keynote address from Wally Lamb
-The Nuts and Bolts of Publishing panel
-Lunch and networking
-Agent/Author/Editor Relationship panel

Attendees will also attend two breakout sessions in the afternoon for more interactive discussions; each track will be repeated twice. Breakout session topics include:

-Alternative Publishing
-Marketing & Publicity
-Writing for the Children’s and Young Adult Market

The day will conclude with an on-site Cocktail Reception...

Sounds like my idea of a party. Read the article for more info, and a direct link to the PW info page. There is a discount for NYU students.

Digital Distribution Questions

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/feb/28/bookscomment.digitalmedia

The comments in that article--Kate Pullinger's as well as the talkback commenters', especially Diana Hunter's on smaller publishers that hold digital rights--explains the side of digital publishing during this strange paradigm shift that Kassia Kroszer alludes to in her article posted today about Terry Goodkind (and J.K. Rowling..?) over at Booksquare:

http://booksquare.com/terry-goodkind-follows-the-money/#more-2820

Also, for those of you in the Chicago area (I wish I was going to be!) here's some Junot Diaz news for you to go bananas over:

http://www.chipublib.org/events/details/id11146

Creative Byline's Website and Blog

From our Facebook group write-up:

Writing a manuscript on any topic in any style is both a joy and a close second to physical torture.  And after the months of insomnia, take-out, and countless pots of coffee, writers face an even greater enemy: navigating the labyrinthine process of publishing their work.  Even if they can get a favorable first reading and their manuscript is passed along to an editor, the low threshold for a response is about six weeks, and frequently it stretches on beyond that.  This is not because publishers or agents are ignoring writers, but precisely the opposite: publishing houses are inundated with hundreds of manuscripts daily, some--most--of which are either poorly written or not even in a genre the publisher prints.  To wade through those manuscripts takes time, time that, were there an alternative to this system, one could spend more profitably on writers with unique voices and insight that fit a given template.

Brad MacLean began Creative Byline at the beginning of 2008 as that alternative.  Taking a cue from online matching services, he's provided writers with the opportunity to receive a first reading from trained Creative Byline readers before even sending their manuscripts to a publisher.  After uploading their synopses and manuscripts, CB first-readers review the work and provide feedback on the most important practical question in a writer's mind: Is my work ready for publishing?  If it needs work, a first-reader will give it a second review once a writer has made revisions.  When the manuscript is ready, Creative Byline provides each writer with a list of editors on the hunt for that kind of manuscript.  If one of the dozens of editors affiliated with Creative Byline--from such major publishers as Globe Pequot, St. Martin's, Dutton Children's Books, and Tor/Forge--is not looking for your particular kind of manuscript, they will not show up on your list.  Once you format your query package and send it to an editor, your subscription fee guarantees that your qualified manuscript will be seen by an editor you've chosen. (If no response comes within that three weeks, a credit will be added to your account and you can send your query package to another editor.)

Take a tour of the website!  Memberships are free through the end of the beta, and the cost of submitting a manuscript to the process--about $19--is comparable to what you'd spend printing, binding, and mailing your work to a publisher, with the added benefit of the guaranteed response time and close attention of our first-readers.  The FAQ and our blog, publisher list, and philosophy are accessible from the main page,

http://www.creativebyline.com/

(Blog: http://creativebyline.wordpress.com/ )

We're here to streamline this process for you and make less treacherous the bridge between writing and publishing.  Email us with any questions at clientservices@creativebyline.com or call us at 616.494.0431 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EST), M-F.

Purposes. Two of 'em.

I've created this blog for two purposes: 

1. Providing a backbone for myself and a megaphone for anyone on all matters Creative Byline, for whom I am interning as an internet marketing associate, and from whom I have received permission to create this blog (I have my BA in English-Creative Writing from Hope College in Holland, MI, and have begun the process of grad school applications while writing and refining, in no particular order, a novel, the second draft of another novel, a screenplay, a collection of poetry, and several short stories dangerously close to becoming novellas),

and

2. spreading info and links, not only about CB, but anything I encounter that may smooth out the Himalayas for authors--myself included--who have spent too much time in books and notepads and coffee cups and cigarette cartons to have unlimited wells of patience and resources for tackling the publishing labyrinth. (I'll try to update it as often as I find anything worth anyone's time.)

So stick around.  And don't be shy: I'm not.