more randomness for a Friday, and Open Thread

[lagilman]

Happy birthday to girasole and jaylake!

Writing annoyance of the day: the perfect response for a character would be to say "Do I look like a Wiki?" Except she's Talent, and so doesn't live on-line, and so wouldn't say that at all. Drat.

Meanwhile, a thought for all you aspiring and pre-published writers to contemplate: Once you are published, many of your dearest friends will buy and read your first work. And then never buy or read anything else of yours ever again. Not because they hated it-- they just won't get around to it. Get used to it, get over it. At least publicly.

I've been up since 5am. Not intentionally, no. On the plus side, I'm almost through my office-averaged 3 solid hours of work. Yay?

And now, for the weekend, I declare an Open Thread. Ask away on whatever topic flits through your brain. I will answer best I can. If I don't know the answer, I will make something up.

Comments

[tessagratton.livejournal.com]

If someone has never read any of your books, which one do you recommend starting with?

[lagilman]

If you're starting with the Retrievers series, then I'd say begin at the beginning, with Staying Dead. Unfortunately, right now you'd have to go e-book, because my esteemed publishers, while insisting the book is in print, can't seem to fill bookseller orders.

Yes, a little annoyed about that. Feel free to write to Luna/Harlequin and complain.

If you're looking for something a little less Urban, you could try the Grail Quest series. They're middle grade but (if I do say so myself) a fun snack for adults, too.

And, of course, the short fiction's out there, too, for a totally different change of pace. I direct you (for now) to Fictionwise, foir a sampling...

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

Barnes & Noble can get the Mass Market of Staying Dead, or Trade of any of the others in the series.

[lagilman]

Barnes & Noble can get the Mass Market of Staying Dead, or Trade of any of the others in the series.

Really? Then they should tell the NYC stores and BN.com about that, because they all list it as out of stock. Same as Ingram, Amazon.com, and Borders....

(out of stock not being the same as out of print, thankfully. but I want my promised reprint available NOW, damn it.)

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

I saw it available as mass market on BN.com and on their instore ordering system out here in Suffolk County Long Island.

To get it in Trade Paper, I ordered it instore from a store in the south someplace who still had a new copy.

huh. I'm a little confused....

[lagilman]

because when I go to BN.com, this is what I see:

Staying Dead
by Laura Anne Gilman
Mass Market Paperback - Reprint
This item is currently out of stock.
A new copy is not available from Barnes & Noble.com at this time.

But you saw it as available new in-store?

The trade edition was phased out when the mass edition was released, so anyone who has a trade edition has been holding onto it for a while -- there are no more for them to order from the publisher. That I knew about, and had no problem with -- it's damned rare to keep both editions available.

Re: huh. I'm a little confused....

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

Ok, I saw it as available on B&N.com a couple of months ago, after LunaCon and one of the managers said that she could order a copy, but that it would have been the MM version (and since I'd gotten the fourth one in Trade Paper, I kinda wanted to get the whole series in all the same size)

[controuble.livejournal.com]

Are you coming to Denvention/WorldCon?

[lagilman]

Sadly, I am not. I have a Research Trip scheduled for the end of August, and making another expensive and exhausting trip (and being 'On' that many days in a row is horribly exhausting for me) four weeks earlier was just Too Much.

[girasole.livejournal.com]

Thank you.
I often buy the books written by people I know, love, and/or respect. Often, though, I do not read them. What if I hate it? What do I do then? So it is a nuanced and complicated stance. I am also a professional book reviewer, and after a certain point, a writer may become a friend, and then I cannot review their books (I certainly could not review anything by you or debg for example.)
Just trying to send out the author love.

[lagilman]

Ah well, you are both Mom and Reviewer, so that puts you into a whole 'nother category...

and I'm guilty of the not-buying, not-reading thring too, so I totally get it. It's not that I don't WANT to read everything, I just...can't. Available time, money, and brainspace do not allow.

[ceosanna.livejournal.com]

I have a couple, and I'm sensing a theme. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm hungry and would love a glass of wine at the moment. Honest!

What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

What is your favorite comfort food (and would/could you share the recipe)?

[lagilman]

What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

I only get one? Damn. That's... almost impossible, actually. Food and wine and moods and memory get all tangled up. I keep typing up one, and then thinking "but no, then there's..."

okay, picking a red and a white for an almost-summer afternoon meal, since that's where I am right now:

A New Zealand sauvignon blanc, or maybe one from Graves (France), served with grilled lamb chops over herbed couscous.

A Bordeaux, probably a Margaux, with a rare steak sandwich on a toasted cibatta.

Mmm. Hungry now.


What is your favorite comfort food (and would/could you share the recipe)?

My favorite comfort food is anything I didn't prepare. Seriously. After years of being the sole kitchen-minded person, having someone else take care of meals [even if just to say 'let's go out to eat'] is a lovely, comforting gift.

[meekachuegs.livejournal.com]

If you had to design a candy what kind would it be and what would it be composed of?

[lagilman]

Oh man. Amusingly enough, had dinner tonight with my sister and future brother-in-law, who is taking advanced chocolate-making classes. Yes, we suffer so through his homework. Really.

My first reaction to say one of those elaborate sugar fantasy constructs, but while they're beautiful, they're not really taste-satisfying. So I'd say... the suri-bar would be a finger's length of crunchy waffle-cookie, topped with a very thin layer of mint fudge, topped with bittersweet chocolate, and finished off with a very thin layer of quality white chocolate. Mmmm.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

If you find that, market it. I'd buy it.

If you don't read the New York Times

[cmintz.livejournal.com]

One of their articles features this link: to a montage of comments about HIllary Clinton. Sexism is involved.

Re: If you don't read the New York Times

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, the question. Do non-standard candidates get appraised fairly?

Re: If you don't read the New York Times

[lagilman]

I'm not sure I understand the question -- non-standard how? Candidates for what?

Re: If you don't read the New York Times

[cmintz.livejournal.com]

The link got wiped out, but it is a set of clips giving various negative comments by sundry TV personalities. They are mostly about Hillary Clinton as a female candidate for president. A few make fun of attractive women who are being interviewed about the political scene. I found them startlingly crude. In fact, I can't describe them adequately. I bring it up here because we were talking about C. S. Lewis' attitude toward women, as evinced by Susan's fate in Prince Caspian. Looking at the clips, it seems as if some of the least attractive features in Lewis' work are still around.

Oh, and by non-standard, I meant "not a white male establishment figure."

Re: If you don't read the New York Times

[lagilman]

I think there are a lot of Old Guard around and scared as hell. And not all of them are white males, either.

There are also a lot of asshats around, both in the media and the audience alike. Giving someone a mic and a time slot doesn't make them clueful, just loud. Also, it's much easier to be Certain of Your Rightness than actually consider alternatives, on both sides of the fence.


(and I do read the NYT, as per your original header. Daily, in fact. If only to bemoan that the Old Lady ain't what she used to be....but then, neither is the WSJ.)

Re: If you don't read the New York Times

[cmintz.livejournal.com]

No, the old Gray Lady is not what she used to be. For one thing, they can't seem to run a spellchecker.

friends and readers

[(Anonymous)]

Hello Ms. Gilman,

My name is Lisa Iriarte. I am a pre-published author and a huge fan of your Wren and Sergei series. I have read every book so far and enjoyed each of them thoroughly, although I'll be really happy once Wren and Sergei solve their, um, personal issues.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I am beginning to understand what you mean about friends reading your books. I am working on my second attempt to publish a novel. I started with a tremendous number of readers to critique for me. Everyone was really enthusiastic about the story. Now the number has significantly dwindled. I have tried very hard not to take this personally and to not consider it a poor review of my work. The ones who continue to read for me are still very helpful, constructively critical, and generally complimentary. The rest just "haven't gotten around to it."

So, I get what you are saying. You and I don't know each other. But I will continue to read all your Wren and Sergei books.

Keep writing,

Lisa

Re: friends and readers

[lagilman]

welcome, Lisa! And don't worry -- there's always a fall-away [beta-reading is harder work than most people think, at first] but you'll find a dedicated and addicted beta-reader who will pester you endlessly for new work to read...

(yes, Elspeth, I'm talkin' about YOU)

[burger-eater.livejournal.com]

I've just gotten permission from my editor to auction off a Tuckerization on the book I'm writing (to benefit my son's PTA).

Any advice?

[lagilman]

Do you have a specific forum to auction if off yet? It helps, if there's a pre-existing structure to work from. If not, the most important thig is to make sure that everyone knows what a Tuckerization is, and the rules you're going by (name? name and description? Choice of chaacter? Will the character live, or die messily?). How are you getting word out? See if your local library will let you put flyers out...

[burger-eater.livejournal.com]

Sorry I haven't been able to respond--life has been crazy this week. And in this case, "crazy" = "our apartment was robbed."

The PTA holds an auction to benefit the school every November. They auction off all kinds of weird stuff, from professional services to help hanging Christmas lights.

I was planning to offer to name a character of my choice after the winning bidder (assuming anyone bids) with the caveat that it wouldn't be an outright villain. Probably go crazy and die, though. Pretty much everyone does.

And the only promotion that I know they'll be doing is the one they do to the school parents. It hadn't occurred to me to do additional promotion.

[lagilman]

Aiiieee! re: the robbery! Been there, had that done to me, and I'm still angry about it, years later... but so long as nobody was hurt, all the rest is just things annd can be replaced.

Anyway, on to your question. You're going to be pitching to an audience that probably won't have a clue what a Tuckerization is, then, or why it might be a good thing... tough to get people to bid for something like that! If the PTA is agreeable, a short paragraph of explanation in the listing of auction items should do the trick -- and don't forget to tell people that they can "gift" it, too! I've found that Tuckerizations are madly popular for readers, especially if that person already reads/likes your work....

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Now, now, now, some of us faithfully buy every single one... and then don't read them because (pick as many as necessary):

- We fell behind and now it would take months to read them all in a row
- We're terrified of hating them and not being able to say
- We're terrified of hating them and not being able to stop ourselves from saying
- We're a bit worried about the "I hate every series between the 5th and 7th book" curse striking... when we get there
- The whole "I know this person" is a surprisingly intimidating mental block; you can't just pick up a book and check it out, it is The Book Of Your Friend and tends to look beadily back at you because It Knows You Haven't Read It Yet. It might bite if you touch it.

(If it's any consolation, it's not just you; I started corresponding with Jane Lindskold when I sent her a squeeful blithering fan email. And I'm at least six books behind, including the series I squeed over. Mostly it's #1 for both y'all, but 5 is also right up there.)

[lagilman]

Oh, no worries. Like I said downstream, I was including myself in the "haven't read, meant to, sorta" club. We all do it, alas; that was my point.

And well-mannered books never bite unless you ask them to... ;-)

[vincam.livejournal.com]

many of your dearest friends will buy and read your first work. And then never buy or read anything else of yours ever again.

My next book is dedicated to my husband. I'm waiting to see if he'll notice. Probably not.

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Open thread, eh? Hmm. With small kids and a wife with a very odd schedule, I need flexible work, and I've eyed copyediting/proofreading. (Fiction would be better.) I'd be excellent at it (I spot errors in the N.Y. Times) but I have no experience. How do people break into the field?

[lagilman]

Mostly, you contact the managing editor of a publishing house (or a magazine, or a local paper) and ask to take their copy-editing test, mostly. If you're good (and copyediting is a lot more than spotting errors!) you'll ace their tests and get a call back. Sadly, like any other job, you've got to hit a lot of virtual pavement before you hook up with someone who can give you regular work...

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had no idea they had a copyediting test.

What else is copyediting about, things like factual continuity and logical contradictions?

[lagilman]

Copyediting covers a lot of jobs, depeding on the house style (and how hands-on the editor may be). The Wiley site explains it -- and the author's relationship with his/her ce -- best, I think:

The copyeditor's responsibilities are numerous and varied. One responsibility is to ensure the mechanical accuracy of spelling, punctuation, and grammar, as well as the stylistic consistency of the writing. Our copyeditors are selected based on the subject areas being edited; however, they do not possess the level of knowledge you do and may inadvertently alter your meaning. It is essential, therefore, that you check the copyediting carefully. In addition, by providing us with your editorial style sheet (see Preparing Your Manuscript), the copyeditor can be aware of your preferences and of nomenclature particular to your discipline. The copyeditor will also query you when your meaning seems unclear, when information is missing, and when there are discrepancies between text citations and the reference list. He or she will check the illustrations against the legends and text discussion for consistency. The copyeditor will NOT normally question the factual accuracy of the content, however, unless the error is obvious. You have sole responsibility for the accuracy of the content.

The copyeditor also checks that all required credit lines have been inserted into the correct locations of the text, as required by the copyright holder in their permission release letter. However, this task can be performed only if all permission letters are on hand at the time of copyediting. The copyeditor may query whether you have obtained permission for material that has been taken from another source and for which no permission is on hand. You will need to resolve such queries quickly at the time you check the edited manuscript.

The copyeditor marks the manuscript for the typesetter by adding typesetting codes at the occurrence of individual text elements such as headings, quotations, and displayed equations. He or she will also call out figures, tables, and footnotes in the margin of the manuscript to indicate their approximate location on the printed page.


(note: this mostly refers to nonfiction, but it works for fiction, too)

[handworn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's just what I needed.

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

I guess that I'm not a dear friend (key word & tricky phrase DEAR), which is ok by me.

I've read some of your short stories, and am about halfway through "Bring it On" after reading the first two.

[lagilman]

I guess that I'm not a dear friend (key word & tricky phrase DEAR),

Hrm. I never thought there was anything tricky about the phrase... to me, a dear friend is someone who is an intimate, to use the old-fashioned phrase. As opposed to a casual friend, or an old school friend, or an LJ-friend, or a friend-of-a-friend, or...

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

I was just stating the obvious, I am not a Dear Friend. I have read three novels and several short stories.

My internet connection had gone slightly bonkers and the previous post got lost in the reboot. Since it was just ramblings on how we got to know of each other, it's not really necessary to try to restore it.

I use the expression "Key Word & Tricky Phrase" because when I was in an advanced school while in the Navy, it was pointed out that at times we needed to learn certain "Key Words and Tricky Phrases" to pass the test. I use it pretty much to indicate that it would require looking at a situation in a certain bass ackwards fashion for it to make sense.

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

BTW, if at any time you wish I would just shut up, please feel free to tell me and I will quietly go off and pout.

[tina-jens.livejournal.com]

Will you have TPB editions with you at Necon?

[lagilman]

Um. Necon. Right.

Would you believe (you would, actually) that I never followed up on getting a roommate and a room confirmed?

*hangs head, is 'shamed*

I might come up on the train for the day, though -- they have my depoist, they can't kick me out for one day!

[tina-jens.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I believe. (See note below.)

Barry and I are signed up for a room, and we put you down as our preferred suite-mate. We've been rooming together so long, and they have your deposit already, so they may have a room they're holding for you. Might be worth asking. (It won't be the same without you!)

Note referred to above: I fooled around and didn't get a room lined up for WFC. The main hotel is sold out and the overflow hotel is 4 blocks away. Not a good situation for me with the back and stuff. I'm gonna have to go begging around to see if anyone in the main hotel is looking for a roommate. If I can't find one, I may not go.

[lagilman]

I've e-mailed Dan. We'll see what he says.

Also: I've decided not to go to WFC, with a very heavy heart but a firm grasp of Practical Deadlines. This is the first year in two decades, I think, I've missed both WorldCon and WFC. It's for good reasons (work and other travel) but it's still a shock to my system).

Hrm. Methinks you guys need to come spend a long weekend in NYC in November....

[tina-jens.livejournal.com]

Himself can't get time off in November - it's a ratings period. But I could...

I can Haz Necon!

[lagilman]

Oh lord. Now I have to figure out how to get up there, now that I am car-less...

Re: I can Haz Necon!

[tina-jens.livejournal.com]

Woo Hoo!

Were they indeed holding a bedroom for you in the Jens' suite?

Re: I can Haz Necon!

[lagilman]

all I got was "you're covered. No mocking."

With my luck, I've been put in Kaufmann's suite....