Jennifer,

Cannie's career as a science fiction novelist seemed a good fit for her. It's always good to see strong, capable women!

Hmm, how might Cannie's career evolve in a future work?

Do you read much Science Fiction?

A funny story about ARCS: whenever I get early copies of one of my books, I send one to my Mom, with this inscription: “Best wishes, happy reading, and DO NOT SELL THIS ON EBAY I WILL KNOW!”

Either the finished book was intended to a have a photo section( usually nonfiction but more and more novels are using photos these days)or someone goofed up big time there,Patrice.

My guess is option two;it's not a regular practice unless they sent you only a section of the book,which is usually about the size of a pamphlet.

No problem,Jenny. I've seen some weird typos and misprints in ARCs myself,part of the fun of them:)

Oops, sorry for repeating Lady.

An ARC is an Advanced Readers Copy--distributed to bookstores to get word of mouth going...the booksellers get to read the copies for free...they're generally uncorrected proofs. I actually have an ARC of Little Earthquakes where one scene is repeated in the text.

Lady,

D'oh! Thank you for the explanation, obviously the acronym just wasn't clicking with me. I do run across some of those ARC's and ARE's at used book stores. I'll need to do some reframing as ARC makes me think of character arc (or a curved line, and even Noah's Ark), and ARE is a passive verb!

The one time I received an advanced copy as part of a reader-feedback opportunity through an online book review I was hideously embarrassed when I couldn't bring myself to read beyond a few pages of the book. I rarely have that kind of response to a book (and I have slogged through some unwieldy beasts), but I had a total knee-jerk reaction to it. I couldn't bring myself to lie about it either so they never sent me another advanced copy!

A big center chunk of that book was blank, is that a common practice? I'm guessing it may have made it cheaper/more cost effective to bind?

Hi, Patrice. ARC stands for Advance Reader's Copy(also known as ARE,Advance Reader's Edition). Those are the copies of upcoming books made available to book reviewers and bookstore owners/employees by publishers,seeking some good word of mouth for the book.

I worked at an independent bookstore for a number of years,which is what introduced me to the whole ARC deal and helped me discover many great new writers like Jennifer Weiner. ARCs are not meant to be sold commercially (it even says so on the cover,"not for sale")but are sometimes found on the second hand market or sold as a collectible.

That practice is pretty much frowned upon,particularly if the book has not been officially released for sale. Sorry for the wordy explanation:) I hope it helped!

Karen - how wonderful that someone is paying attention to such details!

I love a good cover that reflects the content of the book, a glimpse or teaser -- even if I'm far more interested in what's inside. When the cover and content don't connect it often results in disappointment upon disappointment.

When I've got the time to linger, I'm willing to do more browsing, but if I'm pressed for time and feeling stressed, I'm far more likely to reach for the pink or maybe some fun colors.

Lady -- what's an ARC? I keep thinking I should know this but clearly I don't.

thanks

Jennifer - I'm just a small voice out in Colorado - BUT - I LOVED THE PINK BOOK!!! It made me smile:)

Thank you,Jennifer-I do agree that bookselling is a business that's pretty competitive(I was a bookseller for several years)and that a good eye catching cover really helps to sell the book.

Your superhero story sounds cool, I look forward to reading it this summer:)

As a librarian, I am intrigued by the whole topic of how book covers are chosen. I always start a book by examining the cover, looking on the back flap for the credits (designer, photographer, etc)and then after finishing, examine the cover again to see if it was a good representation of the book. Sometimes I am amazed at how well they match up, other times, not so much.

I know someone who writes sci fi romances and she is constantly disappointed at the choice of titles and covers her publishers choose. Always heaving bosoms and manly men, which attracts a certain audience, but is going to alienate the book from others. Men would probably enjoy the technical details of her books (and be hooked by her vivid sex scenes!) but they'll never pick one up with those covers.

Jennifer, I think your covers fall somewhere in between.

Given the much-discussed travails of newspapers in general and book sections in particular, I'll just say that I'm happy to have my books reviewed anywhere, whether it's by a professional critic of a fellow novelist.

In terms of covers, I think wise writers (and publishers) rely on feedback from the marketplace -- if pink covers, or truncated female body parts, or the backs of women's heads, are proven to catch reader's attention, then why would you dig your heels in and demand a cover that you've decided is better (or, worse, designed to appeal to a male readership that I'm pretty certain doesn't exist)? I think even prize-winning, critically-esteemed novelists have accepted the reality: bookselling is a business, and you have to give your book a cover that will get it noticed in a store full of a thousand competing products. At least they seem to accept that reality in paperback (and, for the record, I think the semi-decapitated, lingerie-clad body, aspirational accessories, and pink, pink Cosmopolitan on the cover of Jane Smiley's latest are just lovely. They'd get me to pick up the book, anyhow).

My superhero story is entitled "League of Justice (Philadelphia Division)." It's about a woman who's going through a divorce from a fellow novelist who's written a Jonathan-Franzen-sized hit (without the Jonathan Franzen Oprah-dissing controversy). Beaten, bitter, and broken-hearted, she moves to Philadelphia, gets a job at an advertising agency...and starts getting emails from dead people. I'm not sure how it would work as a full-length novel, but I never say never.

Hi,Jennifer,I'm a longtime fan of your work ever since I came across an ARC of Good In Bed back in my bookstore days (don't worry,I have actually bought some of your books,too!) and hope you don't mind my asking two questions together.

The first one is about that review of Certain Girls that Jane Smiley wrote,where she kept freaking out over how pink the jacket was(I think she wanted her copy in a plain brown wrapper,if you ask me).
Is more bothersome to have a fellow published author criticize your book than a regular book reviewer?

On to a more pleasant topic, I was recently at a panel at the NYC Comic Con that was discussing an upcoming superhero short story collection called Who Can Save Us Now?,and you were listed as one of the contributors.

What is your superhero story about,and
could it become a full length novel someday?

Thank you for your patience:)