I’ve woken up early today to call-in to a Providence radio show called Reading With Robin and discuss my new anthology, Everything I Needed To Know About Being A Girl I Learned From Judy Blume. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get through tot he station, but I enjoyed listening to Jennifer O’Connell, Stephanie Lessing, and the aforementioned Robin discussing the book.
Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.
Speaking of, by the resounding silence on yesterday’s post, not to mention the several comments disagreeing with me, it’s clear that no one’s with me about the futility of these on-the-spot critique sessions. (Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.) I stand corrected. Maybe it’s just me. I guess what I was really trying to say is though I do learn things at these presentations (an editor’s tastes, what NOT to do), that I’m not sure the writers themselves are receiving the “magic ticket” (which, as discussed before on this blog, does not exist) that makes the potential public mortification worth it. But if it works for you, keep going. I’m glad they do it. Whatever helps, right?
So yesterday, I was chatting with the wife of an acquaintance, and she was telling me that during their last trip to Barnes & Noble, her husband had picked up a copy of my book and said, “I know the person who wrote this.” And then she said, “It was a great cover! It looked like a real book.”
And then I made some hologram joke that fell completely flat. (Ah, well, you win some, you lose some.) Upon reflection I decided that such a comment, coming from an admitted McSweeney’s devotee, was actually a high compliment. And no, I won’t explain that. Trying to unravel McSweenical flourishes always makes me wonder why I found them amusing to start with. Or maybe my vocab’s just not hip enough. Does Dave Eggers make hologram jokes, I wonder?
Of course, as I sit here, sipping ginger peach (republic of) tea, I’m getting all contemplative on the subject. I think I’ve gotten complacent, since I do know dozens of authors, and I’m always somewhat taken aback when people say, “You can get this at a bookstore? It’s just there on the shelf at Waldenbooks?” I met my first novelist when I was ten. She was my fifth grade English teacher, and she wrote young adult romances for… I don’t know which publisher, but I read them. I think because I knew her under such prosaic circumstances as elementary school, I always understood that authors were people, in society. Doctors, lawyers, firefighters, architects, nurses, teachers, hairstylists, and authors.
And yet, and yet, and yet… I still get a thrill every time I see my book on a shelf in a bookstore. My book. I wrote it. It’s real.
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:10 am
Well, I didn’t post yesterday and it is more because it would’ve been a long post, so here goes…
I’ve heard some of these workshops where frankly the editors/agents/whoever came off so snarky and mean that I don’t think that is helpful to ANYONE. I’m sure having seen Agent Kristin in action that she did not engage in such snarkiness and was the consummate professional.
However, I’ve also heard some of these sessiosn where *I* had an ah-ha moment. For instance, first RWA Nationals one editor did a workshop where she accepted/read 2 page synopsi. She would start reading and as she went comment on why or why not the synopsi/story was working for her. Sometimes she didn’t get more than 2 lines into it before she stopped. But I don’t recall her laughing at anyone, making snarky comments, etc. Her comments were worthy criticism and it was eye-opening to *me* to see that you don’t have a lot of time to hook the editor/agent. In fact it only takes a couple of sentences to get a rejection. And she explicitly explained *why* it would be rejected in a v. logical/rational manner. The editor would often say I’d like to see this (and not read the rest of the synopsis) by the time she got midway down the first page. She said she really doesn’t necessarily have time to read a 2 page synopsis (single space) and she can tell within the first few paragraphs. For me at least it also helped me learn what to do and not do in a synopsis if you want to get a yes from an editor (not saying I can do it
) I’m sure other workshops if done well can teach participants what does/does not work for first pages, queries, synopsi, etc. And I do think you learn something by looking at examples that are good and not so good rather than just hearing a lecture on how to do a synopsis, query, etc.
That being said, I think people do submit their first page, query, synopsis, whatever in a conference format because they want to get a request. Not sure this is the best format for actually getting a request because you have lots of other elements working against you — other agents/editors on the panel, the crowd listening, crazy conference atmosphere, etc.
I think sometimes people do want legitimate feedback, like “will this work” or “why is this thing getting rejected all over town.” But a critique partner or someone who is a writer who can give you a fresh read and will be honest with you is probably the way to go. And then if that person says “Hey, I love it,” you can send it off or ask, “Well, why then is it getting rejected all over town.”
Just my $0.02 and I’m not even sure I’ve stayed on the subject you were really addressing.
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June 23rd, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I think the OST crits can be helpful to the crowd, but not so much to the ones who’ve submitted their work. At least not in the way they might have hoped. In other words, I got what you were saying.
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June 23rd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Hey, I’ve been getting those comments (Your book was at the book store, just sitting there!) a lot lately. People sound so amazed. But it wasn’t until Stray was spotted in Wal-Mart that my non-writing friends and family members “got it.” That I wrote an actual, real-life, avaliable in mass-quantities book.
Kind of funny, huh?
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June 23rd, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I wanted to clarify my comment from yesterday (in case you thought I was one of the people disagreeing with you).
I actually can’t disagree with you about this because I’ve never even had an OTS critique session. My lightening bolt moment came from a private, in-person critique session with a fellow writer, not an agent or editor in public.
I would never, ever be able to participate in an OTS session. I’m strictly an observer.
Sorry if I misrepresented myself. Hell, the closest I’ve been to an agent was when I sat next to one for lunch at a one-day RWA chapter conference (and I didn’t even realize she was an agent until dessert, and then I was too chicken to talk to her anymore). I read agent’s blogs, too, but that’s it.
The mere thought of an OTS critique in front of a room full of other writers makes me queasy.
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June 23rd, 2007 at 10:24 pm
Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.
LOL. You crack me up.
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June 24th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
“A real book??”
That’s why no one likes going to the bookshop with me any more. I can’t help the “Eeeee! I *know* this person! And I met *her* and I read *her* blog…”
Being part of the Secret Novelists’ Association (Shhhhhhh) has made book browsing a whole new experience.
But hey, at least you can tell people that your book is a “real” book. A friend of mine is with a small (overseas) press, and his books aren’t in any bookshop I’ve been to. I’ve been trying to explain to people that it’s a real book, and well worth reading at that.
And I can only imagine what e-pubbed people are facing from the Real Book Crew…
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June 25th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Not infrequently I have the weird experience of people saying, “Oh, you wrote that book?!” Seems that the book can sometimes become better known than the author.
*Sigh.* Ah, well. You win some, you lose some.
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June 25th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Oh, and speaking of books, those of us who are reading Saturday’s post on Monday (yes, the weekend weather was gorgeous – far too nice to stay indoors blogging) are acutely aware that tomorrow there will be one more added to the mix.
*Bill gives a pre-launch squeeeeee for Under the Rose*
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