Bookish Humor
“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman where the self-help section was. She said if she told me it would defeat the purpose.” –Dennis Miller “Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good.” –Samuel Johnson
continue readingGotta Know Where You Stand
The whole section starts laughing. There are a couple of leering looks, but mostly, mouths drop in amazement. This woman bounds down the aisle, dressed in shiny black supposedly-leather-but-its-really-twenty-dollar-vinyl. Her pants are skintight, laces run up the sides of her boots, and there’s a bolero jacket over a shiny red bra. It’s clear that she thinks…
continue readingPromoting Your Book
So many of us think that simply being accepted by a publisher is the end goal. Once we sign the contract, cash the advance, and turn the manuscript in, then we think we’re on our way to the bestseller list and award banquets. Then we realize that about 150,000 titles are published in this country…
continue readingReality TV a Tool for Exposing Literary Frauds
James Frey, J.T. Leroy, Nasdijj. These literary frauds recently captured headlines and office gossip around the gin-coolers of publishing houses everywhere. Oprah, feigning ignorance of the book biz, blamed the publishing companies for not checking their facts. The publishing companies pointed the finger at economic realities and said it’s not financially feasible to examine every claim made…
continue readingHitting the Jackpot with Mustang Sally
I was in Las Vegas a couple of weekends ago and I kept thinking about the literature of that city. Of course, my affinity for John O’Brien’s Leaving Las Vegas is well known. But I also kept thinking of a novel that you might have forgotten, or perhaps never knew about in the first place.…
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