Monthly Archives: January 2009

Washington Post Book World

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Yes, we are currently under a major restructuring of the media world. With magazines closing left and right, it comes as no surprise, but still a shock nonetheless, that The Washington Post is closing down the stand-alone book review section, Book World. Book reviews will now appear inside two alternate sections of the newspaper, Outlook and Style & Arts.

The last issue of Book World will appear in its tabloid print version on February 15 but will continue to be published online. According to the New York Times, Book World never received much advertising from publishers, who generally spend very little on newspaper ads. Publishers now focus their marketing dollars on cooperative agreements with chain bookstores, which guarantee that certain books will receive prominent display at the front of stores.

As Motoko Rich reported in today’s issue of the Times, “Rumors of Book World’s imminent closure last week brought widespread dismay within the literary community. Hundreds of contributors and readers signed a petition circulated by the National Book Critics Circle, urging the Post to save the standalone section.”

The New York Times Book Review is now the largest remaining stand-alone Sunday tabloid section, publishing between 24 and 28 pages a week with a staff of 17 and contributions from countless freelance reviewers.

Strong, solid and discriminating book reviews are vital for the literary community and culture. Even though the number of online book review sites are continuing to grow and offer authors unlimited possibilities for coverage and exposure, there is something to be said for the high regard and respect that these stand alone sections garnered. But change can be good because it teaches us to adapt and grow. Maybe, a new literary forum will grow in the absence of these lions that have paved the way?

Jocelyn Kelley on Oprah’s Book Club

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In case anyone missed Monday night’s Oprah’s Book Club Webcast for The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, you can see it on her website.

It was a thrilling experience to be a part of the largest book club meeting in the world! Oprah was extremely gracious and inspiring. I had a wonderful time and am proud to have been a part of the book club!

Lisa Genova in Time Magazine

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{image of Lisa Genova courtesy of Christopher Seufert}

Congratulations to our clients, Lisa Genova and Brunonia Barry, on receiving fantastic coverage in Time Magazine this week! Genova and Barry, with our help, succeeded in overcoming the self-published stigma and securing major publishing deals. We are so happy to have been a part of it and we believe this is a hopeful sign for authors who believe in their work and want to self-publish!

Curtis Sittenfeld Writes Novella

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In an effort to be bipartisan, author Curtis Sittenfeld is following up her beautifully written novel American Wife that was loosely based on the life of Laura Bush, with a novella written for Slate that will be based on Barack Obama’s inauguration. The five part series entitled, All Along, This Was What Was Supposed to Happen, will end on Inauguration day. Sittenfeld says that her next book will not be politically-based. She is the author of Prep and The Man of My Dreams.

Elizabeth Gilbert Profiled in The Guardian

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Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the wildly successful memoir and inspirational journal, EAT, PRAY, LOVE was profiled in this weekend’s Guardian.

According to the New York Observer,

Emma Brockes offers a hard-edged take on the journalist-turned-memoirist, writing, “There are lots of paths to self-discovery, but most of them don’t conflate so many lucrative book markets in one handy volume. Eat Pray Love elides self-help, self-improvement, mysticism and a strain of confessional publishing I once heard described as ‘women who write about their yeast infections’…”

Suze Orman Gives Away Her Book

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Once again, Suze Orman is allowing a FREE download of her newest book, Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound. Just head over to Oprah’s website for information on how you can download your own copy for FREE! Giving things away is a common plan of action for gaining attention and in Orman’s case, this works remarkably well, especially when what she is offering is something that people are in desperate need of now: Financial Advice! However, Orman has been building her brand for quite awhile and has such a strong backlist that giving away one title for a limited time will only help to spread the popularity of her brand and have people running to the bookstores to stock up on additional Orman titles.

How many of you have downloaded your own copy? Are you going to read it? Will you print it out or read it on your computer screen?

A Blog about Blogs

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We get a lot of questions regarding blogs. Should you have one? Do you need one? What kind of information should be provided on your blog? Will it diminish your professionalism? How do you get traffic to your blog? Will it detract from your published writing?

For authors there are two things you want to focus on with regards to a blog, getting traffic and showing your expertise. A blog is great way to highlight your writing, bring attention to your talent in a public forum and learn new skills. Write about anything and everything that interests you. Create a Facebook page, a Myspace page and link to your blog there. Create a Twitter account and follow other writers. Provide a link to your blog on your Twitter page and consistently update it letting your followers know when you have posted new content.

Sometimes you need a newsworthy hook to gain attention and followers to your blog. Write about something current, whether it be a trend or a news topic that you are familiar with, can provide an opinion on, or somehow relates to your writing. Write about books you are reading and link to the authors. Write about being a writer, provide tips, instruction, guidance and inspiration. If your content is consistently changing, then your audience will grow. If they like your writing, then you may be building a fan base. Blogs are great way to show off your writing skills! They also have the added bonus of helping improve your writing, develop your voice, increase the speed with which you can produce quality material, and fine tune the ability to write with an audience in mind. You are your own best advocate, so use this blog as a way to stand out from the crowd and let your voice be heard.

Writers who worry that blogging will distract from their primary job, being an author, have an understandable worry. Blogging does take time. However, the blog is a wonderful way to combine both the artistic and the business side of being an author. Write about what you know, but also treat your blog like a business card. You want people looking at it! You want them bookmarking it and you want them recognizing your name on a consistent basis.

Here are a few author blogs that shine!

Brenda Janowitz

Joshilyn Jackson

Stephanie Klein

Allison Winn Scotch

Claire Cook

Ann Leary

Kristin Hannah

Barbara Delinsky

Good News for the Publishing World

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People ARE reading!!!

According to this article in today’s New York Times, the National Endowment for the Arts has found that a “quarter-century of precipitous decline in fiction reading has reversed.” That certainly deserves an exclamation point!

The report, “Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy,” being released Monday, is based on data from “The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts” conducted by the United States Census Bureau in 2008. Among its chief findings is that for the first time since 1982, when the bureau began collecting such data, the proportion of adults 18 and older who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play in the previous 12 months has risen.

Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts credits this rise with a number of factors. He attributed the increase in literary reading to community-based programs like the “Big Read,” Oprah Winfrey’s book club, the huge popularity of book series like “Harry Potter” and Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight,” as well as the individual efforts of teachers, librarians, parents and civic leaders to create “a buzz around literature that’s getting people to read more in whatever medium.”

This is great news for a Monday morning!

Book Deals

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We love keeping track of the deals that are being brokered in the book world. It should be seen as inspiring that new work is still being acquired. If, perhaps, you don’t agree with some of the books that are being published, than it is food for thought. Here is a round-up of the latest deals.

New York City Countess LuAnn de Lesseps

{image courtesy of Amy Sussman}

Star of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City Countess LuAnn de Lesseps with Diane Reverand’s CLASS WITH THE COUNTESS: How to Live With Elegance and Flair, a complete course in the art of sophisticated living including contemporary etiquette tips, to Lauren Marino at Gotham, by David Vigliano at Vigliano Associates (World).

The deals keep rolling in for debut novelist Anne Fortier’s JULIET. It recently sold to Universal, with James Mangold and Kathy Contrad (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) attached to produce and direct, by Rich Green at CAA, on behalf of Daniel Lazar at Writers House.

Sandra Bullock’s sister, Gesine Bullock-Prado, recently sold the rights to her debut book. CONFECTIONS OF A CLOSET MASTER BAKER an humorous and edgy memoir (with recipes) of the author’s journey from sugar-obsessed child to miserable, awkward Hollywood insider (she ran her sister, Sandra’s production company) and how she left it all behind to follow her love of baking and open Gesine’s bakery in Montpelier, Vermont, to Stacy Creamer at Broadway, in a significant deal, at auction, by Laura Nolan at The Creative Culture.

John Irving’s LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER, set in a New Hampshire sawmill settlement, spanning five decades, as the central character and his 12-year-old son become fugitives after a case of mistaken identity, to Louise Dennys at Knopf Canada, in a significant deal; to Alexandra Pringle at Bloomsbury UK, for hardcover publication in October 2009; and to Bill Scott-Kerr at Transworld for paperback, in a major deal, by Dean Cooke at The Cooke Agency (UK/Commonwealth).

Star of Full House Jodie Sweetin’s WILD CARD, about growing up on the set of the hit TV show, her downward spiral of drug and alcohol abuse that began when the show ended, and her path to sobriety, to Sarah Sper at Simon Spotlight Entertainment, for publication in 2009, at auction, in a significant deal, by Kirby Kim at Endeavor (NA).

Amazon Stores Enhance Author’s Presence

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Amazon.com has launched a new program to allow easier access to your favorite authors and their titles. Author Stores. According to Publishers Weekly, the program launched on December 29th. Author Stores are single pages that feature all books from a particular author, plus, in many cases, an author photo and some related content, such as a biography, message board and streaming video. It is Amazon’s long-term goal to have an Author Store for every author whose books are available through Amazon.