"Shit My Dad Says" is a Twitter account. (And the author is a professional writer who's been collecting the stuff for years and definitely deserves a deal.)
Plus the LA Times said he's being *approached* -- not that he's already signed.
I'd think publishing was dead too, if I couldn't even be bothered to read an article.
Not just book publicists but any job in publishing will get you in. Sales, editorial prole, production. Keep track of the names of everyone you come in contact with. Friends of friends and family members of friends of friends trump a query letter every time.
And here I am pursuing "quality" in writing a la Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, with my MFA and submissions to lit journals. I think we all know what I should do...
Fuck Eliot Spitzer on a bed of puppies while simultaneously debating health care reform, posting press releases on Tumblr for Jill Abramson's book, and shooting a reality TV show.
Or...you could just pitch a solid, well-researched piece of journalism. Or have a good timely novel. Publishing and book deals are by no means over. I know lots of people who have been signed in the last year-- with real advances, too.
It's just too bad that some publishers think the way into the future is by reducing the quality of the product (see your five suggestions). People go to the internet for blather, they buy books for content.
@EverettCurvus: I totally agree. People are too busy crafting the perfect Facebook status to sit down and write something meaningful. I can't believe more people are taking advantage of the current literary snoozefest and churning out something worthwhile.
@EverettCurvus: Lots of "solid, well-researched" books of journalism end up, within two weeks, on the discount rack. People would much rather read sloppy, poorly researched books of fiction, like The Da Vinci Code.
@Vancougar: yeah i like him too, seems like he'd be fun and in his absense "vice" has gotten really serious. kind of funny that he is hawking tevas though because he is always such an advocate of no sandals on anybody.
Damn it! Tevas have pretty much been my uniform for years ... because my feet sweat in shoes and Birkenstocks seemed so douchy. But all those CGI bees have proven that Tevas are actually the worst. I guess I'm gonna have to switch to (shudder) Crocks.
@TeFrey: Chaco sandals are superior to both in every way I can think of. They're great for hiking: I've done long weekend treks in good weather with just them (no boots).
So, okay, you are comfortable getting your news from multiple "observers" who are not bound by any communal or professional standards of how to report and how to redact or order what they report. Can I just ask: are you also comfortable BEING one of those "observers"? Do you think that the quality of life that a career of web journalism can offer is comparable to that which print journalism offered when free informational digests weren't an option? I'm talking about a living wage, paid vacation, insurance, relative job stability. It seems to me that this concern is also motivating Simon's hostility to the internet as a substitute instead of a supplement.
09/04/09
Plus the LA Times said he's being *approached* -- not that he's already signed.
I'd think publishing was dead too, if I couldn't even be bothered to read an article.
09/03/09
09/03/09
09/03/09
Fuck Eliot Spitzer on a bed of puppies while simultaneously debating health care reform, posting press releases on Tumblr for Jill Abramson's book, and shooting a reality TV show.
09/03/09
09/03/09
It's just too bad that some publishers think the way into the future is by reducing the quality of the product (see your five suggestions). People go to the internet for blather, they buy books for content.
09/03/09
09/03/09
09/03/09
09/03/09
08/26/09
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08/26/09
We can all hope.
08/26/09
08/26/09
Stop finishing your sentences with prepositions and start using the shift key, if you want some respect.
08/26/09
07/22/09