Jane Friedman's Blog: Jane Friedman, page 239

The Evolving Role of Literary Agents

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Today I'm
a guest interviewee over at Jungle Red Writers, on the evolving role of agents.
The incredible Hallie Ephron interviews me. Here's a snippet:

Hallie: Is the agent's traditional role as link
between author and publisher going the way of the dodo?




Jane: I'd rather say that the agent's limited role as link between author and publisher
is going the way of the dodo. Most authors will always need someone to assist (and
trust) in contractual negotiations, licensing deals, and...

The Digital Age Has Only Helped Storytellers

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Today's Q&A is with author Eric Rickstad,
a novelist and screenwriter living in Vermont. His unnerving novels, stories, and
scripts strip back the bucolic veneer of rural America and root around in its tragic
and blackly comic underbelly. Big thanks to Darrelyn
Saloom for bringing my attention to Eric and his work.




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Your first novel Reap was
published by Viking/Penguin, and was a New York Times Notable Book. Tell us about
the journey in getting that traditionally published.

Self-Published Authors Should Band Together

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Today's Q&A is with longtime author and publisher Eric
Hammel, who started his own publishing company in the 1980s alongside his traditional
author career. Given his 30+ years of experience as an author, marketer, and self-publisher,
I find his in-depth perspective on the industry invaluable for anyone considering
DIY options, or contemplating the future of authorship and publishing.




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You've been self-publishing in parallel with a traditional writing
and publishing career for 25...

Your Self-Help Book Should Not Be a Thinly Disguised Memoir

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If you're writing a memoir, and it's your very first attempt at writing (or
writing seriously for publication), odds are good that you won't yet be skillful enough
to pass muster with an agent or editor. (See
this YouTube lesson from master storyteller Ira Glass on why.)



Many people are sparked to write a memoir after they overcome great pain and adversity
in their lives, as a means of catharsis, as well as to help others going through the
same thing.



Based on writers I meet at conferen...

Make the Most of Your Memory: 10 Tips for Writing About Your Life

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Today's guest post is by Stacey Dubois, a graduate student at Tufts University,
as well as an aspiring children's/YA novelist. For
more on the psychology of the creative process, visit her blog.





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In the courtroom, witnesses pledge to "tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth." An admirable goal, but a laughable one to memory researchers. Unless
you're Jill Price, a woman suffering from the first known case of hyperthymestic
syndrome ("total recall"), such a fea...

Best Tweets for Writers (week ending 8/27/10)

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I watch Twitter, so you don't have to. Visit each Sunday for the week's best Tweets.
If I missed a great Tweet, leave it in the Comments. Want to know about the best stuff
I read each week? Click
here to subscribe to my shared items.




Quick plug for upcoming Writer's
Digest online classes:




Publish
Your Children's Work in Today's Market by Mary Kole, on September 23







Best of Best

B happened because A happened ... Plotting
advice stripped to...

Don't Annoy People on Facebook

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I have a wide range of friends of Facebook—including many writers who are using the
site to market their work. While this isn't wrong in and of itself, some approach
the site as their personal direct marketing tool, and do more damage than good.



That's why I wrote this lengthy post at Writer Unboxed:

Using
Facebook to Amplify Your Reach and Not Annoy People

There you'll find basic principles for using the site beyond socializing
with close friends, 5 un-marketing principles, and speci...

Writers & Publishers Need to Act More Like the Art World

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Today's Q&A is with Dan Holloway, who I first met on Twitter as agnieszkasshoes.
Dan is a founder-member of Year Zero
Writers, and curator of eight cuts gallery and
eight cuts gallery press. I was very intrigued by the new publishing operation he's
launched, eight cuts gallery press, and asked him some questions about how it'll work.




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Okay, let's start from the top. You're starting a press called eight
cuts gallery that focuses on contemporary urban fiction (sorry to...

Q&A: My Thoughts on Book Publishing Today

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Many writers ask me about changes in the publishing industry, how to make sense of
the transformation, and what it really means for them.



I
try to tackle that, in part, in this Q&A with WetMachine, where the insightful
John Sundman poses a variety of questions about trends, e-books and e-publishing,
self-publishing, author promotion, and online marketing.



Here's a brief snippet, where I share my thoughts on how to meaningfully participate
in online communities once your book is relea...

You Can Learn As Much From Writing Friends as Writing Experts

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Today's guest post is by writer David B. Schlosser,
who attended the 5th annual Killer Nashville literary conference. My thanks to him
for summarizing for us the best information he heard. Follow
David on Twitter.





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We're all in this together. By "we," I mean people dedicated to stories and the words
authors use to tell them: successful authors, newly published and excited authors,
regularly published but struggling authors, yet-to-be published authors, and readers.




Asso...