publication news

Things you should never, ever ask an author.

The  stranger asks:

 
The author answers:
You’re a novelist? Have you published anything?

>

You’re a surgeon? Have you ever operated on anyone?
Have you written anything I might have read?

>

Do you read novels?
Um….

>

Then, no.
Any bestsellers?

>

I read a couple every year.

Still haven’t figured out the formula.

Literature or fiction?

>

Yes.

Any of your novels

made into movies?

>

Only in my nightmares.

Who do you get compared to,

as a writer?

>

My brother compares me to a

volcano of repressed anger.

My therapist doesn’t disagree.

So self publishing, how difficult is that?

>

It’s a challenge, from what I can tell.

I am not self published.

You have a publisher? how did that happen?

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I wrote a proposal and a first chapter. My agent tapped the right editor on the shoulder, the publisher bought it, and that started the ball rolling.
You have an agent? how did that happen?

>

I wrote a lot of letters and talked to a lot of people

and had a really good proposal and first chapter.

Could you introduce me to your editor, publisher, agent?

>

Wait, you write fiction?

I plan to give it six weeks.

That should do it.  

>

Now that’s a coincidence. I was planning on

learning how to take out an appendix this summer.

That’s a no to the agent, editor, publisher intro?

>

Technically it’s a no, no, no.
So you’re writing a novel now?

>

Are you still practicing medicine?
What are your novels about? Any good reviews?

>

Funny you should ask. I’m wondering what kind of surgery you do and how your patients evaluate you.
You are tough.

>

Yes, I’m a published novelist.
So when is your next novel coming out?

>

 

About six to ten months after I finish it.

 

Really? So what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home working? When will it ever be finished, the way you slack off?

>

Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate.
 

 

 
   

 

 

11. April 2022 by memoir *my work publication news writerly habits cranky pants

book reveal? your opinions please

The cover art for The Gilded Hour is done, and I’m really pleased with it. I asked my editor when I could post it here, and she gave me a choice.

I can post it as soon as it gets through all the approval stages (in about three weeks), or if I want, I can do a cover reveal.

It’s true that I haven’t been reading a lot of weblogs over the last year or so, trying to stay focused on writing and dealing with family issues, so I shouldn’t be surprised about new trends creeping into the way authors promote their books on the internet. But this did surprise me. I’ve read what I could find about doing a cover reveal, and I’m still not clear beyond the fact that it involves asking other writers and weblogs to participate, some how. This goes against my nature, but I could possibly do it, if the results warrant it.

So here’s the question: do you pay attention to cover reveals? Are they interesting and worthwhile, or strained and silly?

Examples where you liked a book reveal would be welcome. Also, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, that would be interesting information. New online marketing techniques evolve, and many fail. It would be good to know where this one stands.

 

13. February 2015 by marketing publication news Gilded Hour

Blame Amazon. Please.

I emailed my editor about the Amazon situation (in which they give 29 December 09 as the release date for The Endless Forest), and got this reply… but before you read it, I ask you NOT to shoot the messenger.

But as it turns out, [at Amazon] they don’t know everything. In the usual shift of getting the best position on our list, THE ENDLESS FOREST has moved a month later to an on sale date of 1/26 and a pub month of February. Amazon will have the new date within a couple of weeks when they update their feed from our system.

I’m not happy, either.

28. April 2009 by surviving the biz publishing Amazon publication news The Endless Forest

(1) Disaster Down-Under (2) Pajama Pyjama Girls

First, I want to say a word about the wildfire disaster in Australia. With more than 1,800 homes lost and as many as 200 people dead I went to see about how to make a donation — but without much luck. If anybody in Australia has information about this — is there an Australian RedCross, for example? Please post in the comments.

In the meantime, I had a question from Meredith:

So, here’s my stupid question of the day – has Pajama Girls been published in Australia yet? I’ve searched for it all over the place (both here and in Brisbane) and have met with blank looks and offers to order it from the States… I’m happy to order it from the US if I need to, but I do like to support the Australian industry where possible.

Pyjama Girls in Australia

Pyjama Girls in Australia

Not a stupid question. In fact, I should have posted about this long ago. The novel did come out in Australia and is still available, but it may be difficult to find for a couple reasons:

  • In the U.S. this novel came out under Rosina Lippi; in Australia you’ll find it under Sara Donati.
  • In the U.S. the title is The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square; in Australia the spelling is different:  The Pyjama Girls of Lambert Square.
  • It may be listed under The Pyjama Sisters of Lambert Square.

This is how number three came to pass:

Random House Australia was getting the book ready for publication. As a part of the process they sent me a mockup of the cover, which is very visually appealing but has little to do with the story. However, that wasn’t the real problem. Somehow, somewhere along the line, the title got changed to The Pyjama Sisters of Lambert Square. The mockup of the cover was the first I knew of that. I pointed it out to my agent, and she got in touch with Australia, pronto.  Unfortunately, by that time a lot of promotional material had already gone out.

They did their best to fix the problem but the confusion remains in many places. You’ll note that on this Australian bookstore page Pyjama Girls and Pyjama Sisters are both used.

The Random House Australia webpage for Pyjama Girls also has a long list of bookstores (brick-n-mortar and online) where the book is available.

So thanks to Meredith for raising the subject.

14. February 2009 by surviving the biz publishing publication news

You've stumbled across my official website and landed on the front page of my weblog.

My name is Rosina Lippi. I'm a former academic and tenured university professor,  writing full time since 2000. Under the pen name Sara Donati I am the author of the Wilderness series, six historical novels that follow the fortunes of a group of families living in upstate New York from about 1792-1825. A new series based on later generations of the same families was launched September 1, 2015 with The Gilded Hour. The next volume in the new series,  Where the Light Enters, was  released in 2019.

 

Please see the pinned post for an overview of what you'll find on this weblog, and what has been moved to the wiki  (including the FAQ page).

 

Wise Guys

If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it at an hour when it isn’t expecting it.

— H.G. Wells (attributed), Sir Osbert Sitwell
See the whole Wise Guys collection here.