 Book Review: A Deadly Vineyard by Glenn Ickler Book Review: The Second District by Jerry Banks |
Dear Lee
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, I wrote a book, had my best friend and my mom edit it, and had it self-published. Why am I not a bestseller yet? -On my way to the top |
| Dear On my way, Every year more and more books are being published, and only a microscopic amount of them become bestsellers. Although I’m sure your mom and best friend are delightful people, they are by no means qualified to edit and judge the merit of your work. And those self-publishing deals that get your book online? You’ve probably noticed by now that they just put your book up on a web page with hundreds of others and wait for people to buy it--no advertising, no fancy cover art, no display in Barnes and Noble. You’re waiting for people to come to you instead of reaching out to them, and quite frankly, nobody cares about buying a book online from a total nobody. Some good advice for the future: get a proper editor, research self-publishing if that's the route you'd like to take (talk to authors who’ve successfully self-published and learn how to do it right), promote your work on social networking sites and/or create an author website, and don’t expect to make it big overnight (or ever, because, well, sometimes it just doesn't happen). When you write a book, do it right and, while you may not become a bestseller, you'll likely gain a group of loyal fans and a sense of real accomplishment. |
| Dear Lee, What are the advantages and disadvantages of hiring a professional editor? Can’t I just get my English major daughter to edit my work instead of hiring someone? -Go pro? |
| Go pro, An editor is there to do more than just catch typos. Your English major daughter may be able to help you find grammatical errors, but using family members to edit your work is a big no-no. Not only will it be impossible to get an impartial judgment from her on the overall quality of the work, she may also be tempted to go easy on the edits. If you intend to go pro with your book, you have to do it all the way, so get yourself a professional editor. |
Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, My husband is a young fiction writer. I recently read his latest manuscript and was shocked when I came to a physical description of his protagonist’s love interest: brown hair, green eyes, 5’4”, birth mark on her left collarbone – she was me! I’ve often wondered if he modeled his female characters after me, but now I’m sure of it. Here’s the problem, though. This new female character, like most of the others, isn’t exactly cast in a good light. She’s manipulative, fake, and loose (if you know what I mean). While I’m flattered that my husband uses me as inspiration, I’m worried that these characters aren’t as fictional as I used to think. If the girl shares most of her looks and personality with me, should I assume that she shares all of her personality with me? Does my husband think that I’m as phony as the characters he writes? Should I confront him about this? -A Reluctant Muse |
| Dear Reluctant; I wouldn’t take it personally. I’d just be grateful that he isn’t using your best friend as inspiration. Of course, if you want to add some spice to your life channel the “bitch” role tonight…it’s obviously a fantasy of his. |
| Dear Lee, There’s an old saying “write what you know,” but I often find myself writing about topics I’m not particularly familiar with and blending them with what I do know. What are your feelings on this? Can you write about something you yourself haven’t experienced or don’t know about or should you stick with what you know? -A writer in unfamiliar territory |
| Dear Unfamiliar; Actually, you are in familiar “writers” territory. Fiction writers utilize two things in their writing: What they know and what they imagine. In really good fiction, the reader won’t know what is really “real” and what is “imagined.” For example, I swore that Tolkien personally knew the Hobbits and was a close friend of Frodo, Bilbo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin. You’re on the right track. |
| Dear Lee, I’m in the middle of writing my first fantasy/horror novel, and I need some advice. My main character is a vampire on the run from a renegade group of spec-ops werewolves. The council of wizards is also against the vampire, but this is only because the werewolves have been feeding the wizards misinformation, blaming the vampire for their crimes – one crime in particular. You see, the werewolves stole apples from the Garden of Eden, but it turns out that the apples are poisonous. They’ve been feeding the apples to unsuspecting people, saying that the fruit is from the Tree of Knowledge, and the population of the land is starting to drop. The werewolves work for an ancient dragon, Mogro (to complete the religious imagery, the dragon represents the serpent). Simultaneously, a group of elves is on Venus, battling ghosts sent by aliens to destroy earth. Each elf has a different superpower (one can turn invisible, one can walk through walls, etc.), which gives them an advantage over the ghosts. When the aliens show up, though, the tables might turn. I want to have these two stories intersect soon. Basically, I’m thinking about adding a love story to the mix by having the vampire meet the head elf (a female), and I wondered if you have any suggestions for how to do this. I’d like to keep the story as realistic as possible, so I’d prefer it if the love story wasn’t sappy. -Dreaming in Delaware |
| Dear Dreaming; The only thing you did not toss in the story is the kitchen sink, but at the rate you’re going, I’m pretty sure it will show up in the mix. I’m just going to toss this out there and see where it lands: You are NOT Tolkien. That being said, NARROW down the focus of your story. As it stands, it sounds like you ingested every fantasy/science fiction novel ever written and are vomiting them back up. Messy, man…messy. |
| Dear Lee, In the movie “You’ve Got Mail,” the female lead (Meg Ryan) owns a small bookstore and the male lead (Tom Hanks) owns a large, “big box” bookstore. The large bookstore slowly takes away business from the small bookstore until the small bookstore is forced to close. “Big box” bookstores often publish a lot of books from major publishers and have a wider selection of books, while smaller bookstores are more specialized and have smaller collections, so here’s my question: my book is being published by a smaller publisher, so what are the chances of me getting my book into larger bookstores and getting a larger amount of potential buyers? -“Big box” means “big bucks,” right? |
| Dear “NO Bucks”; There are new book releases being spewed out at the rate of 800,000 yearly. Staggering. There are fewer and fewer independent bookstores and the chains are in the process of forgetting that they themselves are bookstores. So, my advice is to forget bookstores. Okay…you can still do the new author experience and have a book signing at you local bookstore. Invite your family and friends, and you may sell 25-30 books. However, this will not be repeated nationally, so you better start working on your plan. First, consider yourself lucky that a publisher invested in you at all. Now that they did, it is time to invest in yourself. Get your business plan together: establish the vision for your book (mission statement), set goals you need to accomplish to meet that vision, and make a timeline in which to meet these goals. Remember to include your budget - time and money. Then present it to you publisher. They will be very impressed that you are taking your career seriously and will most likely support whatever way they can. (NOTE: Your first book will most likely be the loss-leader. That means you invest more than you make. But, as they say, Romanorum eram non constructum in a dies. My Latin is rusty but I think I wrote” “Rome was not built in a day.” Your writing career will not either. |
Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, There’s a rumor going around that Miss Snark is really the creation of a PR company who was hired to mount a negative campaign against targeted agents and publishers in order to drive business to their client(s). Any comments? Bitten by a Snark |
| Dear Bitten, Heard that rumor. All I can say at this point in time is that those in the know at WNW are investigating that claim. It would be pretty interesting if it turned out to be true since some very powerful trade sources that can make or break an author, agent, book, and publisher, claimed to have met Miss Snark “in person” and know “for a fact” that she is a successful New York agent. An editor at a leading magazine said they “investigated” every website before referring that site to a readership which is primarily unpublished writers. That magazine endorsed the snark site. I can say this much – a little birdie told me that testimony about Miss Snark’s true identity was recently given in a court of law. |
| Dear Lee, Okay, here it is: I lost my job at a publishing company and you know what I’m doing now? I’m a part time sales rep for a postal meter company: From managing editor to metering postage equipment and it only took me 14 years from there to here. OY VEY!!! Am I bitter…you betcha. Do you think I’ll ever get called back to work with the publishing company? Editor Without His Red Pencil |
| Dear Pencil-less, NO. My suggestion is that you give up that dream and either “get happy” with your new job, find another job or start your own business. Sadly, my dear friend, you are now over-qualified for the type of “editors” needed by many publishing houses these days. It’s more about quantity of new releases than it is the quality. However, this is a wonderful time to, as I have said many, many times before, think “outside the oval.” There’s still a craft to writing…right? Writer’s need to know their craft…right? Hell, you’d be doing the world a big favor by setting up your own editing business. Yeah, why not? Take some of the bad writing off the streets and turn it around. In the meantime, you could write some articles for WNW. If you are interested, get in touch with Patrick at info@writersnewsweekly.com We don’t pay much, sometimes we don’t pay anything at all, but at least you’ll be heard. |
| Dear Lee, I’m a new writer, yet to be published. I really don’t want to self-publish simply because I don’t want to be a publisher. But if push comes to shove I’ll take that road. At the moment, I’ve had absolutely no luck with the major houses. The smaller publishers I’ve submitted to have a very narrow focus on what they are looking for. In case I’m forced to self-publish do you have any suggestions? Not Your Average Wannabe |
| Dear Future Writer, I have what would probably amount to fifty single-spaced pages of suggestions. But, I’ll spare you list five or my favorites. Here we they are: RESPECT YOUR CRAFT. Yes, writer, there is a craft to writing. It’s not a one, two, three heave and vomit. Or to put it another way, “Oh, it took me one week to write it, two weeks to edit it and three weeks to publish it.” For god-sake get your work EDITED. Not by your mother, spouse or BFF, all who I’m sure love you dearly, but by a real PROFESSIONAL. Be prepared to pay for this and other professional services. BEFORE you TYPESET the work have a copy editor do their thing. Have a few people read the galley in search of small grammatical errors, typos, missed spelled words and typesetter errors before printing. Have you COVER DESIGN done by a PROFESSIONAL. This includes the back and front cover as well as the copy. A professional will make sure it is genre/topic appropriate and competitive. Remember: You have three to five seconds for that cover to capture the attention of reader or bookseller. (I know an author who self-published and decoded to “express” himself by designing his own cover. And guess what? He forgot to put his name on the book. Scout’s honor, that’s a true story. Think about it: How would you like to be stuck with 2000 copies of your book and your name not on it? Don’t expect readers to flock to your door because you now have a book in hand. You must PROMOTE yourself. So before you start out on this publishing venture, write a BUSINESS PLAN: Declare your mission, state your goals, set your time-lines and establish your budget. If your mission is to have a “best-seller” a week after it’s published and your budget is $10.00, well, something is seriously wrong with your plan or you’ve fallen victim to some Internet Idiot who thinks if you’re writer money should naturally flow in your direction like water gushing through a broken levy. OR, you’re completely insane. Hope I’ve helped. |
Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.
Guidelines for Budding Authors By a “Still in Love” Writer
The world of publishing certainly has changed. There was a time when authors earned the right to be published; bookstores honored authors; authors honored their craft; and the “love-hate” relationship between publishers and authors had respectful boundaries.
Now any fool with a computer can write and publish in three weeks or less; bookstores, what’s left of them, have little time for authors; and authors launch venomous attacks on their own publishers simply because they have access to blog sites. It was hard in the “old world” to get established as a writer and they had to battle their way to become successful. Authors had to constantly work on their craft. After years and everything authors have accomplished, they still have a lot to learn. Authors should celebrate independent bookstores by doing whatever they can to get people to buy their books. Some writers may fall in-and-out of love with their publishers a dozen times over, but never mutter one negative word about them. The pair work out grievances face-to-face, and with the utmost respect for the publisher’s position. In turn, these authors were given respect. Because writing and publishing is important in so many of our lives, here is a little advice for new writers:
1. Since publishing can be a matter of uploading a file and ordering a book on demand, instead of earning the right to be published: Earn the right to be read.
2. Learn your craft—honor it, love it and NEVER think you have it mastered
3. Bookstores are a dying breed. They don’t support new writers, in fact they seem to go out of there way to hurt them, therefore: Think outside the trade. If you have to sell you books on the street corner, do it.
4. Whether or not you self-publish, co-op, or are given a million dollar advance by one of the big companies: Market your book and yourself like your life depends upon it. Don’t wait for someone to create your success for you.
5. If you do have a publisher, remember you signed the contract. If there is a violation of the contract, get it fixed. If you can’t, then handle it in a prudent manor. But don’t jump on the scam-calling bandwagon. Thanks to the Internet it’s already overcrowded.
6. READ. I don’t care if it is a physical book or kindle. READ.
7. Support your colleagues. This business, at best, is fiercely competitive. Some writers and publishers try to undermine the competition by supplying a arbitrary lists of who’s hot and who’s not and who’s a scam and who isn’t. Ignore them and their lists. Seek out positive, helpful people. Seek out what works for you.
8. If a door doesn’t open for you: Build your own door and walk through it. Don’t sit around belly aching and bad-mouthing that the industry isn’t what you want it to be. Get off your butt and do something positive and good.
9. Get editorial assistance. There aren’t many writers worth their weight that do not have an editor that is twice their worth. Be prepared to pay for this expert service. Please don’t think for one minute that you are above it. Everyone needs help sometimes.
10. This is a big one: Nothing is free. Stop believing that an agent is going to fall so in love with you and your work. They are not going to become your editor, publicist, agent, best-friend and punching bag. If they don’t put a value on their work and expertise why should you? There are a few agents and agencies that don’t require any fees upfront and they will perform the duties of all of the above, but don’t count on just that.
11. Here’s a bit of recent nonsense: Writers should be paid, not pay. This rumor was obviously started by a writer who has never been published and doesn’t want you to get published either. If you are not paying with your time, money, ideas, sweat, tears, laughter, joy and everything else you can think of, your are not going to amount to much in any industry. Therefore, Invest in yourself.
12. Live your passion NOW. Life may look long and time may seem endless but it is over in a blink of an eye. One day your running strong, carrying you’ve lost a dream that you thought you would have time to make come true.
13. When all else fails, and it will, take a deep breath and start over
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, I hate my publisher. They expect me to participate in the promotion and marketing of my first book—a memoir. I did agree to some things, like a book trailer and a some advance reviews copies, which I PAID for but they’ve been late on everything. Their excuse for not giving me my stuff is they do not to begin marketing too far in advance of the release of the book. That’s ridiculous. I’ve contacted some of the Internet watchdogs and they are going to help me take this publisher down. They’ve been trying to get this publisher for years. They advised me to contact their State Attorney General’s office and file a complaint which I did, now I need others to rally around the flagpole. Will you help rid the world of this scam? Up with Authors |
| Dear Up, I checked out your title on your publisher’s website. Nice cover. Sounds interesting even if you aren’t famous. The book is available through many sources and the ancillary rights are actively represented. The publisher gave me a sneak preview of your book trailer which was very entertaining. Now the question I have is why do publishers even bother with new writers? That being said: Get a grip. If it is more important that you “take down” your own publisher, then it is to “build up” your work, then you are not really serious about being an author. You’re a wannabe. When you found out the amount of work, time, effort and yes, money that goes into launching your title you folded like a overloaded card-table. Here’s an idea, follow the Internet voices all the way to trial, your trial. Unless you can firmly prove your accusations against the publisher are true, you are in serious trouble. The publisher just may “rally” its authors against you because damage the publisher, you damage the titles, and damage the authors. I don’t suspect that you and your publisher can kiss and make-up? That would be far sweeter than the battle you are in for, not to mention the self-inflicted damage to your own title. I hope you don’t expect the Internet watchdogs will help you get published because they won’t. They have their own agenda and it isn’t helping new authors. Once publishers learn what you’re up to, they won’t touch you with a flagpole. In fact, in another twenty years you can brag on some blog site how persistent you’ve been about not getting published, then proceed to give advice to new writers on how to get published. You are now an official scam-busted. My sympathies to your publisher. |
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, I called all the people who are on the “worst list” that is posted all over the Internet. I had interesting discussion with most of those agents and publishers who are still answering their phones. Here’s my conclusion: The people who put that list together should be sued. Not only by the individuals and companies on that list but by new writers who trusted these sites to give honest, researched, accurate ratings. I believe new writers are being grossly misled. The question is why would a small group of people get together and create, distribute and defend such a horrendous and seemingly malicious deed upon new writers and select, targeted companies? Unfortunately, a lot of damage was done, some irreparable. This is a lose-lose situation for all agents, publishers and writers because they all allowed this cancer to spread. Why didn’t the trade stop this in its tracks? By the way: I signed a contract with one of the “worst” agents. I’m totally and completely happy with my choice. I may have not gotten a publishing contract from one of the biggies, but my book comes out next year. I even got an advance. A tiny one, but at least I had three people who believed in me: my agent, my publisher and myself. Now, I’m moving on to the next step: self-promotion. I have a war-chest I’ve been building over the years and now I’m going to use it. I’m glad I have a Brain |
| Dear Brain, First, good for you. Instead of moaning and groaning about how agents should do this and publishers should do that, you took the proverbial bull by the horns. My best wishes for your success and that of your agent and publisher. To answer your question, early on everyone was afraid. If you spoke up, you got slaughtered. The Internet was relatively new and most just didn’t understand its influence or how to use it. Things are different now. The playing field is almost level. The good guys are stepping up to the plate. More new writers need to do the same thing. They need to understand that the few did not have the good of the many in mind when lists, attacks on reputations and cyber threats were issued. The world of publishing is evolving and changing. No matter how much we would all like to think that publishing and writing is like we see in the movie version, movies are make-believe. There are so many options for new writers these days. Basically, publishers don’t have to prove themselves to the new writer. The new writer has to prove themselves to the publisher. And, it takes more than good writing to get noticed. It takes people like you who accept the challenge of today’s publishing realities. Again, best wishes. |
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| Dear Lee, I was recently asked by a publishing company about my “platform.” What is a platform? I want to be published |
| Dear I want, It is getting more and more common for publisher to ask about the writer’s “platform.” Basically, they are trying to determine whether or not you have in place a way to generate out-of-trade book sales that may or may not lead to trade sales. For example: Do you conduct seminars and workshops, and if so, how many a year and what is the average attendance? Do you have radio show? Television show? If so, what is your estimated audience? Do you belong to groups, clubs, trade organizations, etc.? If so, what are they and how can they help promote your book? When approaching a publisher it would be a very good idea to submit with you manuscript your platform. It usually takes the form of a promotional and publicity plan. |
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| Dear Lee, My publisher wants me to get a book trailer done. Should I? To Video or Not to View |
| Dear Video, “To Video.” That is the answer. |
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, I was going to sign a contract with a literary service company for consulting, then I went on the Internet and did, what I now admit, was terrible and foolish research on that particular company. Two websites stated that the owner and the company were “scams.” I forwarded this information to the company and stated it was my sole reason for declining their contract. I received a detailed letter from the company that was sound, logical and forthright. It was unfortunate that a person of my insight and intelligence would actually believe angry voices in the dark wilderness instead of trusting the relationship that the owner and I had built over the past year. So, I contacted one of those voices only to discover that the angry voice did not have the proof to back up their claim. When I advised this person to take down the entry, they refused. Know why? Because this angry voice is just that “angry.” In fact, it goes beyond anger…this person is “out there” and not in a good sense. This voice then proceeded to try and justify his actions. When that didn’t work, he tried to ridicule me on the forum-heavy website. It gets better: A week later on his blog, he began chastising others for throwing around defaming remarks on the Internet. We all have our missions in life, but really, blogging all day long as a career? Hurting people because your ego is either that frail or that immense and then believing that you are above the law of man and that of a greater being? Two things: First: There is justice. It may not show up according to our time frame, but it will show up. Snarky bloggers have lost their money, their spouses and their children because they just can’t seem to keep their fingers off the keyboard. I don’t know what kind of justice will work, but it will come nonetheless. Second: I screwed up. I insulted a friend, lost a chance to get my writing really focused and simply embarrassed the shit out of myself. I bet there’s a lot of new writer’s that let those angry, ugly voices get into their head, too. Unfortunately, in the end, it is the new writer that gets it… in the end! (PS: Sorry for such a long note. I hope you’ll still publish it.) -Making Amends in Alabama |
| Dear Amends, Here’s another take: Maybe the “snarky blogger” you are referring to is really running a business and is getting paid to cause loss of reputation and income to certain industry professionals. Perhaps the only justice that will register with your “snarky blogger” types is for people to stop visiting those sites. It probably won’t stop them from blogging, but at least they will slip into the cold, dark basement of the Internet where they belong. |
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| Dear Lee, Okay, Lee…this is totally priceless. Go to *&^%!@#& (Editor’s Note: Since WNW does not recommended this particular site as a viable source for information, the website address has been deleted.) Man, does this sound like a case of “cover your ass?!” Of course, that’s just my opinion. Quoting Webster’s? What a joke! How about quoting the legal definition of scam then following that up with what happens to you “legally speaking” when you defame someone? -LOL |
| Dear LOL, Oh boy! That wasn’t nice. However, I have received dozens of emails regarding this blogger’s recent entry. My only response is…giggle, giggle, giggle. That wasn’t grown up, was it? So how about this: Ha-ha-ha. Okay, I’ll come up with something more dignified next week after I finish rolling on the floor with laughter. |
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| Dear Lee, There is a popular blogger on a well-known writer’s site. He is always posting stuff on what agents, publishers and writers should do and not do like he or she is some kind of authority. He or she has also jumped on the “let’s call everyone that doesn’t do things my way a scam” bandwagon. Well, I just found out the skinny on this guy. He has been writing fiction for a million years and has yet to be published. But, ever the optimist, he remains hopeful. My guess is that he’s following his own bad advice, which really is nothing more than fiction. |
| Dear Truth, I wonder if this blogger has figured out that the companies, agents and publishers he or she is knocking have their own network where information about bloggers who have all the answers to all of the questions are neatly filed in the DO NOT TOUCH file? |
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| Dear Lee, This is unbelievable: For the past year, I have developed a friendship with a person who recently sent me their self-published book that was absolutely in desperate need of help. This writer knew it needed help. I read the book, spent two hours talking to him about the writing, lack of structure and the market. He knew he couldn’t make the necessary changes on his own, so he asked for my help. I offered my assistance, quoted him a price for my services and presented the bid in a professional manner. He proceeded to insult me by spewing rubbish that some person he doesn’t know and who I never met or spoke with, posted about me and my company on a website that serves no purpose other than to defame and hurt people. This guy knows me! He knows my work. He knows people, big people, in the industry who respect me and endorse the high quality of my work. Yet, he believed some stranger that doesn’t have anything good to say about anyone unless it’s their own agent or one of their fellow “bad-fingered” bloggers. -A Really Upset Agent |
| Dear Upset, I can’t be sure, but if your “friend” is from Alabama, I think they may be really, really sorry. I believe in second chances, and in some cases, third chances. I hope you do, too. Maybe you two can work things out. As far as a second chances for the “defamer” well, I may not be as generous now that Internet case law is on the books. |
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Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, My spouse is a writer. He’s been published a couple of times, but he doesn’t make near enough money for us to live on. To be honest, he doesn’t make that much at all. However, the way he spins it, you’d think he’s making millions of dollars. Here’s my problem: My spouse, I’ll call him Eddy, is on blog sites for writers nearly 18 hours a day! He’s giving out all kinds of advice—whether it is true, sound advice, I don’t know. I’m an accountant with a steady job. The question is: If it is good, solid information, then, why isn’t he following his own advice? Recently, he has taken to “rating” publishers, agents, other writers and even commented on the janitorial department at a major publishing company. Most of what he writes is very negative and I’m afraid we are going to get sued. Now here’s the kicker: We have a three year old son who has been in daycare since he was six months old. Because of our financial situation, mostly due to Eddy’s lack of a steady income, I was forced to have Eddy care for our son at home. The first week, which was also the last week Eddy “cared” for our child, was a nightmare. That’s when I realized my husband is blog addict. I love Eddy and I want to keep my marriage in tact. However, if things don’t change I’m going to give him a choice: Me, our son and our marriage or those damn blog sites. I’m actually afraid to give him the choice because I believe my son and I would come out the losers. I need help. I don’t know where to turn. -A Blog Widow |
| Widow, It seems old Eddy needs a wake-up call, so you are going to have lay down some rules. Let’s think about this: Eddy doesn’t have a job or at least a job that supports his family; he unwilling or unable to care for his own child properly; he seeks adulation and interaction with strangers as opposed to his own family; he lies about his status and qualifications, he is creating a potential legal ordeal for himself and you since it will be your money to support his defense, and I’m willing to bet that he can’t stay off the blogs for twenty-four hours. You need to get him professional help. You are going to need some help, too. You’ve been supporting this guy for how long and you just realized that there are some major problems in the relationship? If Eddy can’t get in control of his addiction and become a responsible parent, then it is up to you do the best thing for your child. Good luck to you, Eddy and your son. |
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| Dear Lee, It was announced on the cover of Publishers Weekly that the magazine co-oped with an author. The publishing trends are changing, but the “informational” sites that claim to help writers are not keeping up with the times. Why do you think that is? -Out of the Loop |
| Dear Loop, Control. And it’s really hard for some people to admit that they just aren’t that good at what they do. |
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| Dear Lee, This is a strange one. Several months ago, my husband decided to get a 3000 piece medieval landscape floor puzzle. He asked me to help him put it together. His interest in puzzles was puzzling enough, but this activity seemed to “arouse” him. Anyway, I won’t go into details, but I’ll get to the point. There’s this website for writers (my husband is a novelist, yet to be published) and my husband began chatting with one of the writers, who I learned, is a floor puzzle enthusiast. She is also my husband’s online, make-believe lover. They work on the same puzzle at the same time and share their “puzzling” activities with each other. My husband has broken all confidences and I absolutely will never trust him again. I learned that this woman is married. I have managed to get her husband’s work number. Question: Should I call him and tell him about his wife and my husband? -Puzzled in Maine |
| Dear Puzzled, I can only say that if my husband were involved in online “puzzling,” I would definitely want to know. The call is yours. |
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Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, Blog, blog , blog, blog, blog, blog, blog. What the hell is wrong with these people who would rather spend every waking hour blogging with strangers in some make believe world than spending time with their family and friends in the real world? I’m asking because my best friend is about to lose his wife to the Vampire Bloggers. How can we save her? -When a Stake in the Heart Won’t Work |
| Dear Stake in the Heart, Get her some professional help. I’m not referring to a vampire slayer, but to a psychiatrist. Like gambling, blogging can be an addiction. When bloggers go bad, they hurt more than just themselves. Get yourself an S!BAN button today and wear it proudly. Stop! Blogging Addiction Now. |
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| Dear Lee, I have money saved to begin my new career path in publishing. I just finished the last set of rewrites and was about to start marketing my work to agents and publishers. I was always wiling to pay my way because I know it takes money to make money. Now I’m worried that with all the financial problems we’re experiencing in the United States, that maybe I should just forget my dreams and go quietly into retirement. You have any words of encouragement? -Torn Between Two Worlds |
| Dear Torn, It has been my experience that life offers to us what we want the most and what we fear the most. Everything else passes by unnoticed. You are at a crossroads: Two questions: What do you fear most? Going quietly or living your dream? Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. Let me know what you decided to do. |
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| Dear Lee, I work for a large publishing company, and I find myself growing more and more unhappy with the industry. Granted, I’ve been around for a long time. I’d say I had more successes than failures. I’m pretty proud of both. There was a time that I was proud to be a part of the publishing and literary world. However, today there are far-reaching problems, that frankly, have me disgusted and worried about the future. In my day, the “new-guard” were honorable people, eager to make their mark. They were respectful of the “old-guard” and sought out their experience and wisdom. The old was always ready to pass the torch to the new. Today, there is a new breed of literary agents that prosper by attacking the established agents. Here’s an example: I was attending a writer’s retreat where I meet with a lot of agents who pitch their projects. I inquired why my old friend who is an agent was taken off the presenter’s list. I was told that several Internet sites and some agent reporting site listed my buddy as a scam. A scam! Furthermore, the organizers of the event were threatened that if they did not drop this agent from attending the retreat, that an Internet campaign would be launched to “expose” that event as a venue to help scammers scam new writers. Unbelievable. This event was sponsored by a very high profile and respected industry publication. How can they let themselves be bullied by these Internet thugs? -Disappointed in New York |
| Dear Disappointed, Many times a week I am asked the same question. The best I can figure is that the industry had a choice to put a quick end to the thuggery when it first began, but instead they allowed and even assisted the Internet thugs. Now the beast is out of control. If I had an answer for how to end this mess, I would make a fortune. Sadly, I once thought that the law would protect us people. Yes, people. Not websites. Websites are not to blame for this malignancy, people are. I suppose the only solution to stop the spread of this smelly waste is for people to stop visiting toxic websites. |
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Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.
Dear Lee
| Dear Lee, I'd really like to see my mystery novel published, but at the same time I want to be realistic and understand the process. My book is well written and marketable, but I know that there are many good books out there. What can I expect from a publisher that is willing to give me a chance? -Hopeful, but Realistic |
| Dear Hopeful, I am going to address the realistic side of your personality. In doing so, I have a question for you: What can a publisher expect from you? There are a lot of well-written, marketable manuscripts floating around out there. Many of them have big names attached to them. You have to wonder why a publisher would invest in yours. When you think about it, what do you bring to the table that hundreds of hopeful writers do not? If you have nothing to offer at this stage in your career, you’ll have to start building. If being a published author is something you really, really want, there are dues to pay. If it were as easy as some Internet sites would have you believe, everyone who wrote a book would be rich and famous. The “mantra” that some self-proclaimed experts are chanting that “writers should be paid, they shouldn’t pay” is about as ridiculous as they come. As a writer, you must invest your time and money. It’s a business, Hopeful, a business. Writing is only one step in the process. You must market yourself and your work. Grisham did. In fact, he, along with many famous authors, started out self-publishing their work. Ask Deepak Chopra, Tom Peters and James Redfield how they got started. Perhaps this is the mantra the “experts” should chant: As much as you are willing to give. |
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| Dear Lee, I've worked with my agent for over a year, and she has already sold two of my manuscripts. She aggressively marketed my work to several publishers and has always been professional, responsive, and honest with me. Last month, I met someone at a writers' conference and mentioned how helpful my agent had been. When I mentioned the name of the agency, she told me that my agent was a scam artist and was only interested in making money off vulnerable writers who didn't know better. She said you should never pay an agent for anything. I don't agree, and think it is only right that my agent be paid for her time, just like I and everyone I know expect to be. The writer told me that agents should only make money on commissions after the manuscript has been sold. I'm not a rocket scientist, but it doesn't take much for me to realize that a writer trying to get his first big break will probably not make a lot of money in the beginning. An agent would have to have a lot of clients with substantial royalties to make a huge salary on the 15% she receives. I'm thrilled that my agent took an interest in me and has been successful with my work. I can't imagine expecting her to spend hours promoting my books without compensation from me. Am I right, or am I a fool that's totally missing the boat? |
| Dear Guy, Will wonders ever cease? A writer who actually understands that publishing is a business. The only boat you missed is the chance to get the name and address of the person who slandered your agent and take them to task. If the person who called your agent a scam was one of the presenters, then the sponsors of the conference need to be notified, so give your agent all the pertinent information. Let me guess: You’re agent is on some Internet sites with a Worst Agent List, right? Now let me say this: Consider the source. Consider their motives. Consider that they are being sued. If you are happy with your agent, that should be enough. I feel so bad for new writers today. You are a perfect example of the chaos a few have caused in the literary profession. You and your agent accomplished something really great and someone comes along and tries to steal your thunder and has you second-guessing yourself. The literary industry has taken a nosedive in the past few years. Not because of agents, but because of the vicious attacks on agents that have been allowed to go unchecked by literary and publishing professionals and the trade in general. Everyone is afraid they will be the next target by these Internet bullies. Keep you head held high and encourage your agent to do the same. What goes aound, comes around. |
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Submit Your Questions to: dearlee@writersnewsweekly.com.
