Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: This Week in Publishing 8/29/09

As a Writer, and Mother, I say Yes. I was at a boo...

2009-09-09T21:18:09.481-07:00

As a Writer, and Mother, I say Yes. I was at a book signing at Barnes and Noble, when a reader told me her niece really enjoyed my book. I was a bit horrified until she told me her niece was 23. My books should definitely be rated "R"

KT Banks

As a Writer, and Mother, I say Yes. I was at a boo...

2009-09-09T21:16:04.496-07:00

I think the YA thing is tough. Personally, I think...

2009-09-01T14:23:46.375-07:00

I think the YA thing is tough. Personally, I think it would do way more harm than good to censor it in any way, because teens do go through all that angsty stuff. But it seems like right now there is a lot of pushing the envelope just to be edgy, not to benefit the story telling.

And it is especially tough in regards to middle-schoolers. We all know MG exists, but it seems like that category isn't always acknowledged. There is no Middle Grade or Tween section in our local libraries or bookstores. In fact the same MG book could be shelved in YA in one place and with the children's chapter books in another. So you have to know in advance what you're looking for. That can be tough when you have a kid like mine that reads a couple hundred pages a night.

With the gazillions of books published, you'd think there would be plenty of choices for everyone. But we have to constantly research books for my thirteen-year-old daughter. It seems like there is a bit of a gap between stories that are too Disney-ish and too gritty (by her standards, not mine... I don't censor what she reads, but I do give her a heads up about sex/drugs/etc. She hates too miss out on a good story, but that stuff makes her really uncomfortable).

So if anyone else (like Sissy) is writing with this in mind, more power to ya, because I personally don't think there are enough books in this category. But I think there needs to be a bigger industry-wide change to clarify what YA vs. MG is (for the masses and the retailers, not just within the publishing industry). Maybe the term Middle Grade in itself is part of the issue. Maybe teens don't want to feel like they're reading down a level.

Just my thoughts... sorry to ramble. :)

Nathan, I read the story about Other Lisa which w...

2009-09-01T07:14:42.794-07:00

Nathan,

I read the story about Other Lisa which was fantastic. I was wondering--she said that you had her do several revisions before you took her on as a client--how long did that take? I've had a few agents who love my book but think it needs revisions. They say they are "close" to taking me on as a client. However, thus far the process has taken 3 and a half years. Not because I don't immediately do the revisions but because as you well know, agents are superbusy and since I'm NOT a client, I am last on their list. That's okay with me, I'm just glad to be in the running at all. I was just wondering from an agent's perspective--is there a time frame that you think is TOO long for me to be waiting it out?

Lauren, you're right that anybody who performs...

2009-08-31T09:44:25.509-07:00

Lauren, you're right that anybody who performs proper research can determine the contents of most books nowadays; however,some people don't have those resources, some people don't have the time, and, as evinced by political reactionism, many people are too indolent to perform due diligence.

I love it when your links coincide with my rss fee...

2009-08-31T07:16:57.004-07:00

I love it when your links coincide with my rss feeds. Lets me know what I was already going to read is a good choice.

Also, re: book rating systems (and then I'll s...

2009-08-30T19:59:19.370-07:00

Also, re: book rating systems (and then I'll shut my trap and go back to my WIP b/c I'm sure this comment box is sick of me).

There is so much information out there about books these days, and I see this with YA in particular. It amazes me how much easier it is to find information about any given book compared to how things were even two years ago. Between Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, and the proliferation of book review blogs, I can become an expert on practically any YA novel out there without ever having read it. (Not really the recommended way to experience literature, but...) To me at least, this negates the need for a content advisory / rating system. Trust me, if you can't find the answer to a book-content-related question through a quick Google Blog Search, you can shoot a quick e-mail or comment to one of the bloggers who reviewed the book, and I'm sure they'll provide you with the information you need.

Not only that, but there are tons of blogs I've seen that review "clean" books and make recommendations with regard to a given book's content.

There's no reason today that anyone would have to be surprised by a book's content (unless you've been purposely avoiding spoilers!). All the info is out there.

Definitely. I'd hazard to say that most dark b...

2009-08-30T19:37:47.158-07:00

Definitely. I'd hazard to say that most dark books have some hope in their ends, but YA especially.

Christine H., you said: "When handling di...

2009-08-30T19:25:00.441-07:00
Christine H., you said:

"When handling difficult topics, there has to be some sort of growth and/or redemption, and some ultimately positive outcome, even if it's a small one, or it's just too depressing."

But! The hopeful ending is absolutely a hallmark of current YA. In the last few years that I've been attending SCBWI conferences, it's the one thing you can always count on the editors to say about YA: you MUST have a hopeful ending. And the stuff that's been published in the category this decade bears that out. The last really nihilistic YA stuff I read was written by Robert Cormier in the 1970s.

Even some of the more downbeat stuff I've read over the past few years -- I'm thinking of Sherman Alexie's Part-Time Indian, Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls, and Mary Pearson's A Room On Lorelei Street -- ends with the protagonist coming into his / her own, finding hope, finding a new beginning.

Technology will take us where it will, trees or no...

2009-08-30T13:37:34.851-07:00
Technology will take us where it will, trees or not, but I'm just sad you didn't fall all over my query letter, begging me to hand deliver the whole manuscript! LOL

Nathan, Ratings on books would be fantastic for s...

2009-08-30T12:46:34.514-07:00
Nathan,

Ratings on books would be fantastic for schools. I work in a library of a Middle School in a very conservative community. We are always concerned about what the content is. Using tax payer funds, I think we would feel safe in purchasing books with some sort of system. If we have read every book in the library then we are okay, but that just isn't possible most of the time. Sometimes we purchase a book and get it in to find material not suited for their age. This can be a problem.

2009-08-30T10:47:54.683-07:00
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"If you're an angsty teenager and the who...

2009-08-30T10:43:30.518-07:00
"If you're an angsty teenager and the whole world is telling you to cheer up, that these are the best days of your life, sometimes the most uplifting, therapeutic thing a book can say is: YOU ARE NORMAL."

Hannah, I totally agree with you on this, and I don't mean to imply that eveyone should be reading "Little House on the Prairie" their whole life.

But on the flip side, if it is just constant violence, sex, and tragedy, that doesn't help either. It just makes your own life seem that much worse, like there is no end to the tunnel and you'll never get out. At least, I know that's how I felt at that age, and still feel sometimes.

When handling difficult topics, there has to be some sort of growth and/or redemption, and some ultimately positive outcome, even if it's a small one, or it's just too depressing.

At least I know that's true for me. Perhaps I'm too engrossed in imaginary worlds, but I find that the books I read drastically affect my moods for at least a few days after I've read them.

I think book labeling (tiny, on the back bottom co...

2009-08-30T09:14:06.473-07:00
I think book labeling (tiny, on the back bottom corner or something) might be a good idea, always have thought that should be tried, as long as creators have a say on the labels. I like that movie contents are labeled now, so I can avoid very violent ones.

I've never hid that my writing often contains explicit sex and language. What's the point in hiding this, letting easily-offended-over-sex people buy it, when they'll later feel angry about the contents, and maybe share that anger in customer reviews somewhere? I want people to enjoy my work, not feel sorry they'd read it.

Plot spoiling I don't like, for my own writing or for anyone else's, but beforehand I'd prefer knowing what extreme content art will show as I can't stand reading/viewing some contents.

Young Adult titles should be safe, but more than t...

2009-08-30T00:23:37.403-07:00
Young Adult titles should be safe, but more than that parents just need to be aware. Know what's out there and what messages your kids are receiving. You will never be able to control a genre, so keep your eyes open. You make sure they are getting the right messages. You put before them the books that you think will be of benefit. And if you are a writer, you write the books that you think will be of benefit. That being said there are more tasteful, tactful ways of going about such subject matter.

On another note, look at movie ratings. Why is there not a rating system for books if this issue continues to be prevalent? Put a notice on the cover regarding content. There are great messages to be had in a lot of books that contain such content, but fair warning would go a long way so that you can make the choice yourself as parent or even young adult. I hate running into that kind of material out of the blue without any idea that it was coming, but with movies that warning is easily accessible. It helps you to sift through those movies right from the beginning. I'd love to be able to do that more easily with books. Let them write what they want and label it what they want, but we should be able to see the label clearly regarding content, not just genre.

Thanks Nathan. I found Kiersten's blog helpful...

2009-08-29T21:04:20.094-07:00
Thanks Nathan. I found Kiersten's blog helpful. I am such a lightweight @ 5 rejections.

I do think multi-tasking devices will be what caus...

2009-08-29T14:34:46.365-07:00
I do think multi-tasking devices will be what cause the largest increases - will everyone really start reading on their phones, though? I'm not certain of that. I'm guessing that will take a generational change, at least - a slow process. And even then...

Certainly I think e-books will play a bigger and bigger role. How big and how fast...? That's why I'd like to see those marketing stats. Who are the readers out there, and what are the buying patterns? And how conducive are those patterns to the emerging technologies?

I agree with Other Lisa, Bryan, and I also think t...

2009-08-29T14:24:14.035-07:00
I agree with Other Lisa, Bryan, and I also think the price will go down for e-readers as the demand goes up.

Sort of like computers. How can anyone survive in this day and age without one? Even if they use it occasionally, there are cheap ones, used ones, or in a pinch, one can use one at the library or a cafe. They used to cost thousands of dollars a pop.

I do think you're right, though, Bryan, that books will never disappear in the same way as records, because of the technology issue. But the technology and manpower needed to produce paper books is expensive - more expensive than e-books.

I don't know. It may not happen. But I think it's likely. Of course, we may be talking a decade or more here, I don't know.

CONGRATS Kiersten! Thanks for the links Nathan! ...

2009-08-29T14:09:55.969-07:00
CONGRATS Kiersten!

Thanks for the links Nathan!

Not much to say except I really wish it was less expensive to save the environment.

PurpleClover

I'm personally really excited about getting an...

2009-08-29T13:47:38.502-07:00
I'm personally really excited about getting an iPhone, because it's a device I need for other reasons (my old smart phone's impending death) AND it's an eReader. I think for most people, multi-purpose devices will be their entry into eBooks.

Mira, I think there's one big difference betw...

2009-08-29T13:01:28.931-07:00
Mira,

I think there's one big difference between the book business and the music and movie businesses, and that's that all the forms in the latter businesses require players. It's the difference between one expensive player and another: Walkman or CD Player or iPod in music, and VHS or DVD or BlueRay in movies. Books is different. E-readers are a big investment. But paper books, unlike tapes or VHS movies, require no players. Paper books need nothing but themselves. They're like a tape that can play itself.

Can you really get millions of people to spend $300.00 on an e-reader for one book a year? Trade a $6.00 purchase for a $306.00 purchase (for the same reading value)? If they force a change they may simply lose a lot of readers... in an industry already worried about losing readers.

I struggle to see that, at least in the remotely near future, particularly if those occasional readers hold a fairly large market share.

"Well, I figure someone must have done this s...

2009-08-29T12:36:03.213-07:00
"Well, I figure someone must have done this sort of market analysis."

Bryan, market anaylsis in publishing? I don't get the sense that happens much.

But I imagine that the switch to electronic will be driven by the more avid readers, who make up the market. Just like with CDs and DVDs, the ones who bought 1 movie or 1 album a year were forced to follow the trend.

On the other hand, I believe there will always be a market for paper books in a way that there isn't for records or VHS.

Although, in terms of the environmental issues, after some thought, I do think that global warming is a more alarming and current problem than plastics. But I also see a whole industry based upon it, so I get the complications. Fortunately there's lots of time to adjust to the electronic - if it happens.

If anyone wants to try a hand at writing a short F...

2009-08-29T11:37:03.773-07:00
If anyone wants to try a hand at writing a short Fairy Tale I'm having a contest on my blog...(speaking of contests). It's just for fun and I put up $30.00 for the winner. Check the blog for details... Some people have already submitted entries.

I imagine marketers probably focus on the tweeners...

2009-08-29T11:10:58.028-07:00
I imagine marketers probably focus on the tweeners -- the once-a-year/one-author-follower types don't bring in enough coin to waste time/money on and the market hounds probably would come Hell or high water, regardless of marketing (and given internet WOM from readers and writers, marketing heavily to this group doesn't make too much sense)...

Going back to your original question, I think the data's out there for the percentage of books vs type of reader, at least roughly. Assuming it were legal (which it's probably not), you could cull the data from credit card purchases and interpolate from there...

Also thinking that Amazon/Sony etc. must have done some sort of market research to determine amoritization timeline (though Amazon's intent right now may be more influence related than profit)... guessing it'd be easier to get data from the credit card companies than from those behemoths, though.

Well, I figure someone must have done this sort of...

2009-08-29T10:57:16.030-07:00
Well, I figure someone must have done this sort of market ananlysis. Who are the readers? I mean, you don't reach a once-a-year shopper the same way you reach a fulltime book-hound. Right? Or am I overly optimistic here?