This! Weekinpublishing….
So….. I don’t suppose you want a completely free, totally awesome Nintendo DS Lite, do you? Hmm? Oh! You do! Well, you may be in luck because all you have to do is leave a comment with your middle name on my friend Holly’s blog, and you too could be the owner of a free Nintendo DS Lite. It’s that easy. Once you’ve left a comment, be sure and check out the rest of Holly’s blog (Nothing But Bonfires) because it’s seriously awesome.
And in other free-stuff news, Anne & May (Dayton and Vanderbilt) will be giving away 14 signed copies of their new YA book THE MIRACLE GIRLS on Monday, so check that out. This week they’re giving a sneak peek at the excellent first chapter.
Moonrat, the wonderful anonymous blogging editor, has done the publishing world, nay, the entire world a tremendous service by posting why you need an agent. I know it’s one thing to hear why you need an agent from an agent (I mean, of course we’d say so!), but this is the unvarnished opinion of someone on the other side of the business who, guess what, thinks you need an agent. Truly a must-read.
As you may have heard by now, a draft of part of Stephenie Meyer’s new Twilight novel was leaked to the Internet, and as a result she has decided to put the novel on hold. Scary stuff for any author.
How is the publishing industry doing amid a creaky economy? Well, so far the industry has been holding up, but the cracks are starting to show. Via GalleyCat, Publishers Weekly is reporting that bookstore sales fell 7.1% in June, which dropped the increase in sales in 2008 to 3.1%, which is basically on track with retail sales in other industries.
And finally, it seems like people are kind of on edge this week, what with the election, the struggling economy, and the prospect of Ulysses’ novel SIXTEEN YEARS OF WRITING hitting the shelves (it explores “themes of loneliness, heartbreak and misanthropy through the revealing lens of a man whose allergy to wood keeps him isolated from his forest community”). So to lighten the mood I thought I would share one of my favorite YouTube videos. I give you…………. Lala the shopping penguin.
Have a great weekend! See you at the East of Eden Writing Conference.
Michelle Moran says
HA! I wonder if I can get my cat to go shopping for himself.
bryan russell says
Michelle, the cat wouldn’t pay. Cats are, you know, sneaky…
Marilyn Peake says
Yaaaay! Ulysses’ “Sixteen Years of Writing” made it onto your Blog with a link! That was so funny, I darn near spit coffee all over my keyboard, reading through it.
Anonymous says
I thought number four was the last book in the series.
Lala is very cute. I thought she’s have a human backpack, though.
Kitty Bucholtz says
Thanks for more great blogs to read, Nathan! I think Holly’s and EA’s are going to have to go on my must-read list. 🙂
Question – do you have an opinion on the pros and cons of Stephanie Meyer’s decision? And how much do you think the decision was hers more than the publisher’s?
Dori says
Lala made my day. Thanks.
Elyssa Papa says
That penguin is adorable. The query is hilarious (I don’t know how I missed that in the comments yesterday).
Have fun at the conference!
Nathan Bransford says
Let’s not call authors names.
kitty-
I’m sure the decision was hers.
ezc_19 says
My grandpa has been talking about this penguin for weeks.
Yat-Yee says
Awwww, Lala is great. Thanks. My dreary Friday just got a lot better.
Anonymous says
How cute! I have a mourning dove that I raised and he thinks I’m his mama but a penguin is really cool.
Coll
Susan says
I feel for Stephanie Meyer, but I wish the news article told more of the story (’cause I’m just nosy that way). I wonder about things like contracts, and fans waiting for the continuing story and all that… Ah well. Poo happens everywhere I guess.
Marilyn Peake says
Nathan,
I’ve read a great deal of information on your Blog, but had somehow missed “The Essentials” section. Thank you so much for providing all that information to writers. It answers so many questions I’ve had rattling around in my skull from all the rumors on the Internet about what agents do and don’t want to see. While writing a new novel, I’ve been working like crazy to accumulate other publication and award credits, wondering all the while if I should even mention them in queries to agents. You might want to bottle up your Blog, call it something like “Anti-Angst for Writers”. Writers could wear it like perfume and cologne at writers’ conferences, creating a calming effect as it floats through the air. Of course, you would need to add a cautionary statement on every bottle: WARNING: Do not use while writing; product might decrease the amount of writer’s angst necessary to get the job done.
Ulysses says
My word. I had hoped to inspire a few chuckles, but had no idea my comment would rate mention within an actual blog post.
I’m honored, and pleased that so many found it enjoyable.
Just_Me says
Hooray for Ulysses! Way to sneak your query in ;o)
Now we all know the secret… post it in the comments section!
*I’m kidding. Don’t do that to Nathan.*
ashley says
Oh my gosh! I’ve seen that penguin video clip before and it is one of the greatest things ever! Thanks for posting it, Nathan!
As far as the Stephanie Meyer thing.. It really sucks that someone leaked her work. I hate that for her, but I have to admit that I’m extremely disappointed by the decision to cancel the novel. I only started reading Twilight last week (I know, I’m a little slow on the uptake) and I am working on Breaking Dawn at the moment.. I. Love. These. Books. I have considered all the reasons why many people don’t like them, and I understand most of them, but I love them anyway. I was so excited to hear that she was working on a new addition to the series, only to find out that she decided not to continue with it. Sucks for Stephanie Meyer, and sucks for all the fans of the series.
Anonymous says
Hi Nathan,
In regards to the leaked draft of Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, her message on her site says that it is on hold indefinitely, not cancelled. This has been misreported in many news articles.
I don’t think she will cancel it altogether because honestly, she (and the publisher) would be losing out on a whole lot of money. The character of Edward is the most interesting in the Twilight series, and the most beloved. Devoted fans have been waiting to get inside his head, and now that they’ve had a taste, they’re going to want it all.
Which Stephenie knows. Which leads me to believe that although this is reported as a leak, let’s not be too hasty in assuming that it was an illegal one. She’s been getting a lot of negative reviews on Breaking Dawn, the final book in the Twilight series, and she has her very own publicist. Marketing ploys like these are commonplace in the entertainment business.
Also, her reaction to this leak has been very interesting. I understand that things like this are a violation, but let’s not forget that she is the one who made the decision to give copies of the draft to certain people involved with making the movie. She had to know that she was taking a risk by doing this. But yet, she almost seems to be punishing her fans for this situation. In fact, her message is kind of drenched in bitterness that probably stems from hurt feelings over the lackluster reviews of her last book.
Sure, the copy shouldn’t have been leaked. But when decisions are made to put it out there, you should really think about all the possible consequences, and decide if the risk is worth it.
Nathan Bransford says
Thanks, anon. I edited accordingly.
ORION says
hmmm…I sent Tooloose out shopping but he said the store was all out of fish.
He burped as he said this…
Katie Alender says
What a great video. I love Lala! Her little penguin backpack, and the fact that she keeps it on when she gets hosed off…
I want a penguin!
Scott says
Apropos of very little, I just read Steve Berry’s 8 rules of writing, and I take issue with #7:
“Don’t annoy the reader. Don’t use names that are hard to pronounce or write choppy sentences throughout the entire book. It keeps people from getting close to your characters.”
Both of those elements, if used well, can be very effective, can’t they?
Bah.
clindsay says
I so needed that penguin video today. Thank you!
R Elland says
How in the world did part of a book get put out on the internet?
Did she trust the wrong person?
My sympathy for her and her fans. (I’ve never read Twilight series though it was in my planned list of reading.)
Oh, and, alright, I’m convinced. I’ll look for an agent for my books.
Shannon Ryan says
Maybe you can correct me Nathan, as I am not an industry professional, but when I heard of it, I doubted the leak of Meyer’s book would hurt her at all. I can understand how she might be miffed by having something go out before she feels it is ready, but being that it is not the full book, it should only wet the appetite of existing fans and maybe get her publicity.
By delaying the completion of this new book, isn’t she in effect punishing the millions of people who buy her books to punish the few who downloaded the new chapters?
Still, if this had happened to me, I know I would feel betrayed by the person I trusted with my writing.
Just_Me says
Picture of Nathan
Another blog I follow has a pic of Nathan at the East of Eden conference.
https://www.leelofland.com/wordpress/
beckylevine says
It was great meeting you at the E of E conference, Nathan. Hope you had a fun, productive weekend!
John Elder Robison says
Hi Nathan!
The paperback Look Me in the Eye goes on sale thi Tuesday, the 9th. I’m doing another tour, and I’ll be in SF Wednesday (Book Passage) and Thursday (Books Inc), the 24-25 of September. I hope you can come by to see me.
Wanda B. Ontheshelves says
Lala the Shopping Penguin
That’s a children’s book hitting the shelves in time for the holidays, right? So adorable, and I can just imagine the beautiful artwork to go along with the story. As well, if the book came out in English, maybe they could throw in a few Japanese words (what IS the Japanese word for penguin I wonder? Fish?).
Plus they could sell stuffed-animal penguins with the penguin backpack, with a stuffed-animal fish in the backpack. Maybe that’s taking things too far. But I like it.
***
(possibly inaccurate) Google search:
Japanese characters for penguin are pronounced “pen-gin,” not so different – Chinese is two characters, qi-e:
“qi” – stand on tiptoe; hope; long; expect;
“e” – goose, gander.
***
Back to reality…
Lisa says
Love La La! I’ll forward that along.