Uncertainties of Life

Sep 11, 2012 by

Uncertainties of Life

On Sept 11, 2001, the world came to a crashing halt, and that included the book industry. Every book on an editor’s desk that was set to get published? Scrapped. Every manuscript that had an agent’s attention was shoved aside. Every book already at the presses was halted. For six months the industry came to a stand still. Contracts were cancelled, series were paused, sequels didn’t come out. There are no guarantees in the world, least of all in the book business. If you come to me with a manuscript and ask for a promise that after I’ve worked on it, it will be published by a major publisher, I show you the door. No matter how good the book is, there’s never any way to be certain. Today is the 11th anniversary of a deep tragedy,...

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Community Etiquette

Sep 7, 2012 by

Community Etiquette

I use music when I write, because it helps me tune everything else out. I work on a main street in an office with other people, so if I can’t concentrate through random cars, typing, laughs, chatter, and in many cases a very loud cat meowing incessantly because he wants to be fed now, now, NOW…I listen to music. However, that’s a bit rude, eh? I’m in a room with other people. They may actually need to speak to me. It’s been known to happen. So putting on headphones isn’t exactly the most polite thing I could do. On the other hand, I do need to get my work done. It’s how I make my living. And especially when someone’s on the phone, it’s very difficult to write around the voice. Really, though, when it comes...

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No Easy Day

Sep 4, 2012 by

No Easy Day

I’d expound on the dangers of publishing a book when, say, Langly or the Pentagon are already threatening legal action should you do so, but instead, I’m just going to link you to an excellent article at The...

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