Sarah Pinneo's Blurb is a Verb!

On Tuesday, the Library's Writing Life Daytime Talk Series was thrilled to welcome back former member Sarah Pinneo, whose popular blog Blurb is a Verb, features adventures and misadventures in book publicity. Sarah shared what she's learned on the topic firsthand (by publicizing her Ski House Cookbook and her new novel Julia's Child) and from other writers. She was gracious enough to share her notes - and valuable web links...



Sarah says:

Postcards - You must have these!
- Your "Christmas Card" List: if you don't tell your friends when and where to buy your book, they won't buy it
- Postcards are cheap! I like NextDayFlyers
- Envelopes which fit poscards are size A6. Staples sells inexpensive A6 envelopes, and Paper Source sells beautiful ones.
- Booksellers I have loved: send a postcard and a note to booksellers who ought to know you're nearby

Events
Private Parties: much likelier to be well attended than bookstore events
Libraries: many public libraries will hold book events
Bookstores: have a STUMP SPEECH = why I wrote this book, fun research details, visuals, why you should care about this book
Sponsors?: If your book lends itself to alliances with companies, don't be shy!

Your web presence: Blogs and Twitter and Author Websites
Guest blogging: rent your audience
-Quality of blogs, not quantity
-Don't feel you must become a blogger. Driving traffic to your blog takes as much time as driving it to your book

Author Page
-You do need a landing page with your contact information: example.
-"Buy Links" should be more than just Amazon. Include B&N, Powells, IndieBound, and local booksellers.

Facebook: Unless you love it, skip it. "Sharers" will still link to you on Facebook. Goodreads: What is it even for, besides humiliation (possibly author talks); RedRoom is useless for authors.

Amazon - take control of your Amazon presence!
- Sign up at AuthorCentral
- Tagging: "tag" your book so that searchers can find you
- Solicit reviews from your friends. It matters.

You and Your Publicist
House Publicist
-Knows the book venues only (perhaps)
-New model: send out books, no follow-up
-Feel free to give a presentation: here is my reader, and here's where you can find her

Hiring Help
-Publicist: get someone good, and know what you want. Sector + follow-up.
-Publicists who do excellent work include: KMSPR's Kathleen Schmidt and Lauren Cerand, among others. {note from Carolyn - also check out Gilda Squire who gave a fabulous Writing Life talk Beyond the Book Tour: Marketing Your Book back in 2010.}

Paid book blog tours: Blurb is a Verb post about book tours

The Writing Life Winter 2012

I'm really excited about the Winter 2012 programming for The Writing Life at The New York Society Library. The January events have already been announced to the membership in the e-newsletter that came out this week, but I thought I'd give the faithful blog readers a heads up on the rest...Don't forget to register, because spaces are limited.

The A-B-C's of E-Book Publishing
with: John Snyder, author of Hill of Beans; Joshua Tallent (Founder and CEO of eBook Architects); and bestselling author Parnell Hall.
January 10 at 10am, Members' Room
Free of charge. For Library members only.

Literary Magazine Salon
hosted by Adam Kirsch
January 18 at 6:30pm, Members' Room
$10. Open to the Public. Nonmembers can register by calling or emailing Events office at 212-288-6900 x230 or events@nysoclib.org
Celebrate the literary magazine at our third annual Salon, featuring food and wine, conversation, visual presentations, and readings. Editors of The Paris Review and Triple Canopy will discuss thoughts on literature old and new, on the page and on the Web.

Blurb is a Verb! Adventures (and Misadventures) in Book Publicity
February 14 at 10am, Whitridge Room
Free of charge. For Library members only.
Sarah Pinneo is the author of the popular blog Blurb is a Verb!, in which she shares true (and sometimes terrible) stories of book publicity gone right (and wrong). In this talk, the self-described publishing nerd will reveal what she's learned about online book publicity, book bloggers, social media, bookstore events, working with your in-house publicist, and how to find your audience.

Close Reading: The Craft of Reading Fiction Like a Writer
with: Dylan Landis
March 13 at 10am, Whitridge Room
Free of charge. For Library members only.
In this session we'll take the first chapter of Daniel Woodrell's novel Winter's Bone, read it aloud one sentence or paragraph at a time, and hold each part up to the light. Close reading is a slow, surprisingly exciting process. It reveals how a writer does the critical jobs of storytelling: creates conflict, ramps up tension, reveals and deepens character, establishes place and time, anchors a world in sensory detail, and moves the story forward. Through close reading we refine our ability to learn, as writers, the craft of fiction from the authors we admire.

Notes on: Organizing Your Notes

Thanks to all the member writers who attended the Library's Writing Life discussion Organizing Your Notes on Tuesday, Dec 13. The event was structured as an audience forum, moderated by biographer Gayle Feldman, whose current project (a biography of Bennet Cerf, a man of many lives) would sorely test the limits of patience of even the most organized among us.

The discussion revealed one observable fact: the majority of the member writers in the audience (Gayle included) do not use organizing software and actually do not use many electronic tools in organizing research notes. Those of you that do use organizing software, please weigh in in the comments section below!

Gayle Describes Her Own Project to Set up the Discussion
As she sees it, there are 2 separate organizing challenges:
1) the "stuff" itself - papers, archival materials, photos, etc.
2) how to have the material available to use it for writing

Gayle's own research "stuff" includes:
1) Physical Files - these are papers that she has organized in three ways: People, Thematic, and Chronological. Cross-referencing of paper files is ESSENTIAL.
2) 7 dedicated Bookcase Shelves - organized thematically and chronologically
3) Computer Files - these mirror the paper files in some respects
4) Archive Files - Archival collections in libraries often have finding aids online; some archival libraries are organized better than others. Gayle keeps physical file folders for each archive and since many will let you photograph materials, she does, prints them at home, and adds slips of paper with notations on the archive (eg. "Faulkner Box 20, UVA")
5) Interviews - Gayle's project involves over 200 interviews. She started the project 9 years ago using mini discs, which are now unfortunately obsolete. She does not transcribe interviews as it takes too long. Instead, she's developed her own form of shorthand, and she records the interviews in steno notebooks. An interview index (name, date, a few sentences of the important info or quotes) helps her to find the stuff later.

What Gayle does with the "stuff":
She has a big, general outline
- Each decade of her subject's life is a section
- Within each section are individual chapters
- She creates an outline for each section, sub-divides the section, culls all the "stuff" from filing cabinets and the computer files and puts it into files. Also uses post it notes on papers in files to flag things according to the outline. Once it's written, she pulls off the post it notes.
- Each chapter has a title
- Each chapter also has a footer indicating its place in the grand outline (eg. "Part 4, Chapter 6, Draft 12_2011)

The Discussion
Q (to Gayle): When do you get rid of drafts? A: She keeps them all.

Q (to Gayle): How do you manage transitions in the work and know when you've used material or mentioned various people, events, etc? A: Use search/find in the document

Q: How to manage bibliographies? One audience member suggested Worldcat.org, which allows you to register, create lists, and export bibliographies and citations in various formats. Other suggestions were citation software like the fee-based EndNote and the free Zotero. Check out Zotero in the notes from the tech class on Citations Made Simple that one of our librarians taught last year.

Q (to Gayle): Do you ever convert the paper research you've acquired to electronic? A: No, there's basically too much photocopied correspondence. Audience members weighed in to suggest easy ways to digitize various files and formats so it can be used electronically. Adobe Acrobat can be expensive, but you can then run optical character recognition (OCR) on the output to make the content searchable. Paper Port software from Nuance was reported to be cheaper than Acrobat. Scanning can be quick and easy too. One audience member recommended her Fujitsu Scan Snap S1300 which is relatively inexpensive and can scan 8-10 pages at a time. It's also possible to purchase attachments for feeding slides for scanning.

Q: Perhaps off the topic for writers, specifically, but how would the audience suggest organizing personal papers? A: Again, much like when you're writing, you should think about the "stuff" and how you'll be using the "stuff". Audience suggested putting some order to it possibly by topic, and then by chronology.

Q: Any suggestions for software to cross-reference material? Writer has been using FileMaker Pro, which she finds difficult to use. Audience did not have alternate suggestions.

Q: Dictation software? A: Many audience members reported having great experiences using the latest edition of Dragon Naturally Speaking, which is very accurate. Another member suggested the add on software Utter Command, a speech command system that works with Dragon Naturally Speaking.

Other audience members recommended OneNote, which according to the Microsoft website is a "note-taking and information-management program where you can capture ideas and information in electronic form".

Please continue to inform the discussion by adding your own comments and suggestions!


These notes were taken with plain old pen and paper and were therefore difficult to decipher and interpret 5 days later. {sigh}

Poets Meeting on Tuesday

Poets writing group will be meeting Tuesday, August 23, from 4:30pm - 6:30pm in the Whitridge Room.

Library members only.

Writing Groups This Week

Memoir Group
Monday, August 15, 2:30pm - 4:30pm, Whitridge Room
This the last meeting of the full group. In September, interested memoir writing members will be split into 2 groups. If you are not sure which group you've been assigned, please contact me.

Fiction Group 1
Tuesday, August 16, 5pm - 6:45pm, Whitridge Room

Please note that NYSL writing groups are open to Library members only.

WOOPS! Correction Non-fiction Writers Group TOMORROW

WOOPS! I made a big mistake. The Library's Non-fiction Writers Group will actually meet TOMORROW. (I previously inaccurately wrote they were meeting today; the August meeting of the group is not being held on their regularly scheduled day.) Sorry for any confusion.

Tuesday, August 9, 3pm - 4:45pm
Whitridge Room

*open to NYSL members only

This Won't Take But a Minute of Your Time!

August. The writing life slows down. It's the time of year agents and publishers shut down for a little R&R. The Library thins out as the members leave for the country (and I don't mean Brooklyn). Maybe you're vacationing, maybe you're taking a little break from writing. But I'm here, planning The Writing Life programming for Fall and beyond and I'd love to know what you think about the following topics. Could you help me out by leaving a comment below or better yet, send me a postcard! from whatever fabulous place you're at. Oh, and I am ALWAYS open to suggestions.

Organizing your work - tips, tricks, and tools for keeping your notes in line

Using the collections at NYPL - NYPL librarians talk about the collections and resources available to scholars and writers

Social Networking for Writers Redux - we had a very popular program in the Spring 2010, but it might be time for a refresher

Getting Published WITHOUT an Agent

Overcoming Writer's Block - strategies and stories

Finding and Applying for Grants and Prizes

Ebook Basics - publishing and publicizing your book for the ebook market

Week of May 23

I am on vacation (arrivaderci, folks!) but here's what's going on this week:

Mon, May 23, 6pm
The popular Books at the Bar lecture series (run by NYSL member Diane Kiesel) is back with their last program for the season: author Daniel Feldman will talk about his latest book with Gerald Benjamin Tales From the Sausage Factory: Making Laws in New York State. If you've ever wondered how in the world things work -- or don't -- in Albany, now is your chance to find out. Wine and cheese reception, reading & discussion, book signing. FREE.
City Bar Association, 42 W. 44th St. (betw. 5th & 6th Aves)

Tues, May 24, 4:30pm
Poets Writing Group {NYSL members only}
Whitridge Room

Wed, May 25, 11am
Fiction Writing Group II {NYSL members only}
Whitridge Room

Fri, May 27 - Thurs, Jun 2, 6:30pm
Screening of NYSL member Michael Bergmann's very funny movie Tied to a Chair. Discounted tickets ($6.50 instead of $13) are available if you email michaelbergmann@me.com and indicate which day you'd like to attend.
check out the trailer here
Big Cinemas Manhattan, 239 E. 59th St.(betw. 2nd & 3rd Aves)

BLURB is a VERB

About 2 years ago now {my, how time flies}, we held a Writing Life talk called Marketing and Publicity for Writers. It was less a talk than a moderated discussion, and member Ellen Feldman and former book editor/NYSL Circulation Assistant Andrew Corbin led the assembled audience of writers in a spirited give and take about the new realities of book marketing and publicity. The bottom line was unanimous: authors are pretty much on their own. Member writers shared lots of terrifically creative ideas that day, as well as plenty of sad (and unfortunately, humiliating) stories about self promotion.

One of the audience members that day was member Sarah Pinneo. Sarah has since left New York for greener pastures (or more literally, White Mountains) but she has continued her quest for the holy grail of book publicity.

Her new blog Blurb is a Verb is subtitled "adventures (+ misadventures!) in book publicity". HuffPo has already picked up one of her posts and it seems clear that she's going to get a lot of publicity about ...publicity. She wants to hear your stories. Plenty of other writers will too.

p.s. we miss you, Sarah...

It's a Busy Week: April 25 - 29

Next week is a busy one at the library....

Monday, April 25, 10am - 12:00pm
Children's/YA Writers Group {members only; Whitridge Room}

Tuesday, April 26, 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Poets Group {members only; Whitridge Room}

Wednesday, April 27
11am - 1pm Fiction Writers Group II {members only; Whitridge Room}

6:30pm Meg Wolitzer and Elizabeth Strout: A Conversation about Character and Contemporary Fiction {Members' Room; this event is FULLY REGISTERED}

Thursday, April 28, 6:30pm
A Literary Magazine Salon featuring BOMB and Electric Literature
{Members' Room}
Join us for food, wine, conversation, readings, video, and more celebrating two amazing literary magazines.

The Week Ahead: April 18 - 22

A few writing group meetings, a few tech classes of note...Open to NYSL members only. All programs are held in the Whitridge Room.

Monday, April 18, 3pm - 4:45pm
Memoir Writers Group
Please be aware that this group is now at capacity. Interested new members are welcome to sit in and observe at this time; a new group will be forming in the Fall.

Tuesday, April 19, 5pm - 6:45pm
Fiction Writers Group I

Wednesday, April 20
10am - 11:30am Tech Workshop: Etsy {taught by Peri Pignetti}
2pm - 3:30pm Tech Workshop: JStor/Project MUSE {taught by yours truly}
A little space still available for both. Register here.

Literary Journals are thriving, have you heard?

Literary magazines are thriving, according to The New York Times.

Are we supposed to be surprised? We aren't. Our members are passionate readers of literary magazines - and thanks to some generous donors, we recently added subscriptions to jubliat, BOMB, Ploughshares, the Southern Review, and Barrow Street to our collection.

The Library is also proud to sponsor an annual Literary Magazine Salon, this year featuring the 30 year old BOMB magazine and the 1 year old Electric Literature. Both magazines have been using new media to explore different forms and attract audiences. This year's event will be held on April 28 at 6:30pm in the Members' Room. There will be food and wine, readings, short films, and a good dose of great conversation. Join us! Event information is on our website and on Facebook.

There's also a great program TONIGHT at NYPL. And truth be told, Periodically Speaking is the inspiration for The New York Society Library's Lit Mag Salon. As a library student, I interned with Karen Gisonny, the Helen G. Bernstein Librarian for Periodicals and Journals at NYPL, who has been running this literary magazine series along with the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses for a number of years. The experience was eye opening - I discovered magazines I'd never seen before and received a real education in what a labor of love it is for the people who tirelessly work to put out these gems. I highly recommend you attend tonight's event - I think you'll be amazed.
Periodically Speaking: The Little Magazine Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room
The New York Public Library, 5th Ave at 42nd St.
TONIGHT at 6pm, FREE




A Literary Magazine Salon featuring BOMB and Electric Literature
Members' Room, The New York Society Library
53 E. 79th Street (between Park and Madison)
Thursday, April 28 at 6:30pm
$10 w/advance registration

Non-members can register by calling or emailing our Events office: 212-288-6900 x230 or events@nysoclib.org.

The Writing Life this week

Monday, April 11
10 am - 12 pm! Children's/Young Adult writing group starts!
Whitridge Room

3 pm - 4:45 pm Non-fiction writing group
Whitridge Room

Tuesday, April 12
10 am Journaling for Writers with Hilary Thayer Hamann
Whitridge Room
room still available; email me at cwaters@nysoclib.org

Journaling

We still have some room in next week's daytime Writing Life talk on Journaling for Writers.

Next Tuesday, take a break from your writing and join us for an illuminating discussion about how to use journaling to improve your writing,

Our speaker is Hilary Thayer Hamann, the author of the cult classic novel The Anthropology of an American Girl, which was independently published and later picked up by Spiegel and Grau.

Tuesday, April 12, 10 a.m.
Whitridge Room
register by

e-mailing me at: cwaters@nysoclib.org

Writing Groups this week

Writing groups meeting this week (all meet in the Whitridge Room):

Memoir Writers: TODAY, Monday, Jan 24 @3pm

Poets: Tuesday, Jan 25 @4:30pm

Fiction Writers Group II: Wednesday, Jan 26 @11am

All groups are open to active members of the Library.

Finding a Literary Agent, Part III

This is the last post on the Q&A from last week's The Writing Life daytime talk series program on finding a literary agent. Read Part I and Part II.

Our speakers:
Zoe Pagnamenta (ZP), founder of The Zoe Pagnamenta Agency
Sharon Bowers (SB), partner at The Miller Agency
Elisabeth Weed (EW), founder of Weed Literary

Q: When can I move on from my current agent?
EW: Look at the term clause
SB: If you're unhappy, drop the agent an email to let them know.

Q: Why would you need an agent if an editor is already interested in your book?
ZP: I think it's in the best interestsof a writer. The agent can guide the writer through the process.
SB: Agent is more involved in the marketing than an editor is. For example, we can call the NY Times if we know them to try and get attention. The agent is your buffer. If you're unhappy with the editor or something going on with the publishing process, the agent will work with the editor.

Q: Why is the standard agent fee 15%?
EW: It used to be 10%. It's just become the industry norm.
SB: Fee is not negotiable.

Q: The Miller Agency website says it doesn't take unsolicited manuscripts. How could we submit to you?
SB: We do look at unsolicited work and will always take on writers we want to sell. We take a lot of referrals. It's just become our house policy not to solicit because we get so much. So in keeping with that, we've also made our website very minimalist.

Q: Is it appropriate to send a full manuscript?
SB: I like having the full manuscript of a novel, but if there's a good hook...

Q: What's the easiest kind of book for you to sell?
EW: A sexy, upmarket thriller
SB: If you're currently on a tv show right now. Also, a really smart mystery series -not a standalone mystery. Something like Tana French...
ZP: Historical fiction

Q: Are parenting books over?
EW: I've done some. But I've been told it's tough now because so much information is online. The more specific the topic, the better.
SB: Author's expertise on the topic is crucial.

Q: Would you ever introduce an editor to an author before signing?
EW: Typically no. Sometimes when there's an auction for a book.
ZP: Very often we might do a phone conversation. Editor might want to know how receptive the author is to edits.

Q: Who does fact checking?
EW: Publisher will fact check.

Q: Is there an argument for smaller agencies versus large powerhouse agencies?
ZP: Definitely you get more attention from smaller agencies. They take fewer meetings.
EW: Smaller agencies like ours have more time for writers.
SB: If you have the choice of a larger agency, though, you probably have more choices. If a large agency wants to sign you, go for it. I say make hay while the sun shines.

...and that's all folks. Did I catch everything from the Q&A? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Finding a Literary Agent, Part II

I'm not sure why yesterday's post (notes from Finding a Literary Agent, Part I) looks like it was published last week. It wasn't. I just posted it yesterday. Anyway....here's more from the Jan 11 talk in The Writing Life daytime talk series program.

{Also, if I've missed something key or you have something to add that the speakers mentioned, please add that to the comments below or email me and I'll update these notes.}

Our speakers:
Zoe Pagnamenta (ZP), founder of The Zoe Pagnamenta Agency
Sharon Bowers (SB), partner at The Miller Agency
Elisabeth Weed (EW), founder of Weed Literary

Q: What if you write in various forms - fiction, screenplays...
ZP: Agents at ICM and William Morris do both film and books. But most agents would work with you and connect you with the right people for the work.

{our agents had differing viewpoints on this question:}
Q: What should writers ask an agent they are looking to sign with?
EW: Ask "where would you send my book?". An agent should be able to answer that?. Ask to speak with other authors on their roster.
SB: If you want to speak to my other authors, that's a red flag for me. I might get the impression you're going to be difficult. What you're paying us for is our experience.
ZP: Ask "what do agents do everyday?" - they should answer that they take a book all the way through the process, because that's what we do. Ask "what do they see their role as?"
SB: Ask how many clients they have. If an agent asks you for money, that's a red flag. Agents should never ask you for money. We get paid when the book sells.

Q: How necessary is it to have an editor in advance for a first time author?
EW: I do 2-3 edits before sending to an editor. I suggest putting it away for a month, read it, edit again, send to friends you trust, put it away again. Get it as polished as you can first.
SB: It's not done till the agent feels it's done, so many edits may be necessary before sending it to publishers

Q: I'm writing memoir - how should I tell a prospective agent about it?
ZP: Your cover letter should outline the full story. There are some great books out there: Susan Rabiner's Thinking like your editor : how to write great serious nonfiction-- and get it published is a good one.
SB: Put your credentials at the top of the cover letter - if you're a doctor specializing in {blank} and your book is about {blank}

Q: Which chapter do I send as a sample? The first? last?
EW: For fiction, send the 1st 3 chapters.

Q: How much of a book must be finished before inquiring about an agent?
EW: For fiction, the whole thing.
SB: For non-fiction, I don't necessarily want the whole thing. Publishers will buy on proposal.

Q: Is it ok to send queries to more than 1 agent at the same time?
EW: 5-10 at a time ok, but say that it's a multiple submission
ZP: Definitely tell us that you're sending to other agents. We like to know if we have competition.

Q: What should the submission look like?
ZP: It should be as simple as possible
SB: 12 pt double spaced Times New Roman or Courier

Part III of the Q&A tomorrow....

Finding a Literary Agent, Part I

I promised to take notes and share the Q&A from last week's Writing Life daytime talk series program on finding a literary agent. Thanks to our terrific speakers, I have 9 pages of furiously scribbled notes. It's going to take me a few days to get them all transcribed (mostly paraphrased, I'm afraid).

Our speakers:
Zoe Pagnamenta (ZP), founder of The Zoe Pagnamenta Agency
Sharon Bowers (SB), partner at The Miller Agency
Elisabeth Weed (EW), founder of Weed Literary

I love our members. No reason not to cut right to the chase:
Q: How do we submit to you?
EW: Submit 1 page query about the book and about you via email. Definitely mention NYSL
SB: Do mention NYSL. Do some research - do mention "I saw that you sold this...". Don't say "this is the book that's going to make you rich". What's selling? Women's romance is growing, publishers are buying in quantity.
ZP: Keep cover letters short, say less. Agencies post guidelines on websites. Look at my client list to see the kind of things I go for. I prefer mail submissions (cover letter, 1st 50pp synopsis, sense of how you write)

Q: How democratic is this process? Does an anonymous writer have a chance?
EW: I read everything that comes through. Publishers Marketplace is a great place to start to find out what kind of work specific agents are buying
SB: Our site is minimal. We say we don't take unsolicited manuscripts, but we do look at them if they come in. We do take a lot of referrals. Sometimes as an agent you just fall in love with the work.
ZP: There is a degree of luck involved in getting it sold. The timing of the submission is sometimes influenced by what's already on the editor's desk, what else is going on. May not work the 1st time, sometimes the next. Authors shouldn't give up, especially if you're given comments which could help improve the work.

Q: Has the publishing industry changed in the past 2 years?
EW: I have 10 books coming out between April and June, including debut fiction. There are less $ for marketing, definitely, and a lot will fall on the shoulders of authors, including tweeting, blogging. I'm hopeful about e-books and think it could revive book industry.
SB: Definitely feel an uptick. 1 year ago, buys were down, advances were down.

Q: How will industry restructure with e-books? What will industry look like 3 years out?
ZP: Printed books must be higher production quality, better looking, and must be something you want to own.
SB: Industry will still look to agented work. Agents are the 1st line filter and editors sometimes refer writers to agents so an agent is involved in process. I also see books being less expensive for consumers. Unfortunately, I also think fewer people will be able to make a living as a writer.

Q: Do agents ever look at work outside their comfort zone?
EW: Yes. I am always surprising myself.
ZP: Yes, but it's in your best interest to submit your manuscript to an agent that knows about your subject. Especially true for non-fiction.

Q: Are there agents interested in work other than commercial fiction?
ZP: Younger agents at bigger agencies
EW: Sometimes it's a labor of love. I'm selling 1 book now to a university press.

Q: What does commercial mean?
ZP: Difficult to talk commercial non-fiction versus fiction. For fiction, must have characters, good story, universal themes. Watch the market, see what works.
EW: Just talk about the work and let the market work it out. Will or will not get that label once it's published.

Q: What qualities make you fall in love with a memoir?
ZP: Must be utterly convincing, not artificial, a powerful story. Also must be right length. If it's a misery memoir, add some lightness.
SB: Must be literary above all. Market is overdone on redemption memoir.

Part II of the Q&A tomorrow....

Today's Finding a Literary Agent talk is FULLY REGISTERED

This took me a little by surprise. I knew this morning's Writing Life daytime talk series program was going to be popular, but I am still shocked by the overwhelming response.

I wish I could accommodate every member who is interested, but at this point, if you are not officially registered or were not notified that your waitlist status was transferred to registered, unfortunately I do not have a seat for you.

I will be taking copious notes of our presenters' comments and the Q&A and will record as much as possible of that in upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned!

New books for writers

We've purchased a few new books on or about the craft of writing. For those of you who need a little encouragement, a little instruction, or just some writerly camraderie...

According to Booklist, New York Times columnist Stanley Fish "communicates and instills in readers a deep appreciation for beautiful sentences that do things the language you use every day would not have seemed capable of doing" in How to Write a Sentence .

Stony Brook University professor Roger Rosenblatt takes you through the winter/spring 2008 semester of his class "Writing Everything" and tackles the questions that trouble his students in Unless it Moves the Human Heart: The Craft and Art of Writing.

Personally, I am eagerly awaiting Volume 2 of Gail Godwin's The Making of a Writer, covering her journal entries from 1963-1969 (yes, that's me with the first hold on it). I recently finished The Making of a Writer: Journals, 1961-1963, and was rapt. I'll write more about this in an upcoming post because I'm also working on booking a Writing Life Daytime Talk series program on journaling. More to come...