randomness from the redhead

What happens when I legitimately fuck up

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:31:28 -0400

First, the realization:

Then, denial.

Panic.

Shame.

Sadness.

Learning.

Moving on.

Fin.

(Submission from SpecialEdition87, thanks!)

marisreview: Last week I spoke to a college senior who was...

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:39:09 -0500

marisreview:

Last week I spoke to a college senior who was contemplating a career in book publishing (editing, specifically) and wanted my advice. I thought I’d write down a few of the things I told her.

1. Being a book person is the best. Working in book publishing is not as lucrative as working in many other professions (if you can afford to consider factors other than salary, be so very thankful that you can), but there are other rewards.

2. Rewards include: free books, working with great writers, being surrounded by smart/passionate people with similar interests, free books!

3. There are jerks in every industry. That’s life. But there are enough non-jerks to make the whole enterprise worthwhile. Learn to deal with the jerks and learn to laugh at the absurd—it’s so much better than crying in a bathroom stall. Not like I’ve ever done that, ever.

4. Oftentimes, especially at first, you might not get to work on the kinds of books you love to read. So what? Learn as much as you can. Take it all in. Dr. Phil’s book sales allowed for me to publish literary fiction. For that, I will always have a soft spot for Dr. Phil.

5. Read. Read all the time. Do not tell a prospective employer that each and every one of your favorite authors died decades ago. Have opinions about the books that get published today. Know what critics are praising today. And know what people are buying today. (Hope there is some overlap!)

6. Take a copy editing course. I can’t guarantee that you will be happily employed and secure forever. But if you can do a decent job at freelance editing, you’re going to be better off. Especially as self-publishing grows, and more authors/agents will be looking for input from freelancers.

7. Your peers are your best allies. Make friends with colleagues in every department, make friends at other publishing houses/lit agencies/PR firms/booksellers/writers/critics/etc. This is not just a helpful strategy, this is fun.

8. The book industry is not going anywhere anytime soon. It is changing, as it should. But it will be around as long there are people who want to read books—in print or on their phones and tablets, or otherwise. We like to complain in this industry. Complaining is an art form. But don’t mistake that complaining for gloom-and-doom prophesy. I think most of the people I know in book publishing are an optimistic bunch, and rightly so.

outlandermovie: Keep Calm and … Outlander Style !!!

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:51:14 -0500

outlandermovie:

Keep Calm and … Outlander Style !!!

classicpenguin: As Valentine’s Day approaches, may we suggest...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:12:05 -0500

classicpenguin:

As Valentine’s Day approaches, may we suggest some Drop Caps for that special someone in your life?

edithwithgooglyeyes: EdithWithGooglyEyes Valentine #6! Okay,...

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:46:56 -0500

edithwithgooglyeyes:

EdithWithGooglyEyes Valentine #6!

Okay, everyone, this is the Valentine you’re getting from me this year.

Finalists Announced for Agatha Awards!

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:36:06 -0500

harpercollins:

Congratulations to Charles Todd, Agatha Christie, and Jacqueline Winspear!

Todd’s An Unmarked Grave: A Bess Crawford Mystery, Christie’s The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery, and Winspear’s Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel are finalists for the Agatha Awards, which honor traditional mysteries and books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie.

For a complete list of current nominees and past winners, visit MaliceDomestic.org.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:51:09 -0500

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Synopsis from the publisher:
Oct. 11th, 1943–A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before…

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4/4 photoshoots ♚

Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:26:28 -0500

4/4 photoshoots ♚

Pretending not to look up when a very famous author walks past your desk

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:50:01 -0500

lifeinpublishing:

(submission from JV, thanks!)

Oh my god, yes!

Photo

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:01:12 -0500

Circles of Time by Phillip Rock Circles of Time by Phillip...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:30:51 -0500

Circles of Time by Phillip Rock

Circles of Time by Phillip Rock

Summary from the publisher:
A generation has been lost on the…

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duttonbooks: Disney movies and the books they were inspired...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:30:04 -0500

duttonbooks:

Disney movies and the books they were inspired by.

Are you following Les Mean Girls? Seriously, go follow Les Mean...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 13:08:44 -0500

Are you following Les Mean Girls?

Seriously, go follow Les Mean Girls.

*goes back to laughing hysterically*

Waiting around for the New York Times Bestseller List

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:03:58 -0500

lifeinpublishing:

Me. Most every Wednesday.

When seminars advise me to stop always relying on email and actually pick up the phone to pitch

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:43:23 -0500

lifeinpublishing:

Truth.

cumberbatchcollection: Blog entry from Copenhagen’s...

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:00:44 -0500

cumberbatchcollection:

Blog entry from Copenhagen’s director.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio3/2013/01/copenhagen—-the-directors-blo.shtml

But a drama about the uncertainty of a character’s motivation presents an interesting dilemma to actors and director, who are more used to asking ‘why am I doing what I’m doing?’ and making a decision one way or another. Fortunately, I had a terrifically bright and engaged cast – Simon Russell Beale, Benedict Cumberbatch and Greta Scacchi – who were more than capable of taking on these mind games.

In Simon and Benedict’s portrayals of Bohr and Heisenberg, we worked on creating a real sense of a friendship that has become strained, but that was once incredibly close – the friendship between an eminent physicist and his mercury-witted protégé, or between a father-figure and his adopted son. And Greta, as Margrethe Bohr, presents a fiercely intelligent woman, torn between her inherent instinct towards graciousness and hospitality, and her irritation with Heisenberg.

It seems the Cumberbatch is doing a radio play of Copenhagen.

Must find now.

edithwithgooglyeyes: “It doesn’t seem to want to go!”

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:29:51 -0500

edithwithgooglyeyes:

“It doesn’t seem to want to go!”

When an author suggests their publicist submit the book to PW/NYT/GMA/LATimes etc.

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:46:59 -0500

lifeinpublishing:

Ahahahaha! And it’s Sherlock!

When I get a lot of replies to my pitch

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 12:48:07 -0500

lifeinpublishing:

True.

nprfreshair: Your afternoon photo break. Yup.

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:39:57 -0500

nprfreshair:

Your afternoon photo break.

Yup.