Terry Shames's Blog: 7 Criminal Minds, page 2

Hooked and Scrolled

Hooked and Scrolled: Fiction in the Age of the Feed

How do you think the publishingindustry is adapting to the ‘attention economy,’ and how do you feel aboutthose shifts? Are books an antidote to shortening attention spans?

Fiction might be the last quiet act of rebellion.

The publishing industry today is running its own campaign in the “attentioneconomy,” and the product is still—miraculously—selling: books in all theirformats, paper, digital, and audio. But the pitch has changed. In a w...

How do you think the publishing industry is adapting t...

 

 

 

How do you think the publishing industry is adapting tothe “attention economy,” and how do you feel about those shifts? Are books anantidote to shortening attention spans?

The simpleanswer, yes! Books are definitely an antidote to shortening attention spans, ifthey’re read in the traditional way. Now, hold on audio readers before you getyour knickers in a twist. That was not a dig at people who choose to listen totheir reading verses sitting down and cracking open a book. I do beli...

The joys of the writter's life - by Harini Nagendra

Share a "hot take" about the book world? An opinion of yours that might be unpopular but is a hill you're willing to die on (at least for now).

Ok, here's mine - writing is not soul-suckingly awful, and the writer's lot is not a pitiable one. That is, writing is stressful in many ways, but it's far from the worst job out there - not in comparison with so many of the other, really challenging, unrewarding, thankless professions and jobs environments that helpless people are forced into, for all ki...

Publishing by the Numbers from James W. Ziskin

Share a "hot take" about the book world, an opinion of yours that might be unpopular but is a hill you're willing to die on (at least for now).

Not sure if this qualifies as a hot take or as an unpopular opinion, but I don’t understand how the publishing biz works. How do they manage to sell books on a large scale? They’ve obviously figured it out, right? Of course they have. They sell millions of books every year. Just not mine.

In general, I have trouble imagining large figures. When I see book ...

Spare Me

Share a "hot take" about the book world—an opinion that might be unpopular but is a hill you're willing to die on.

by Dietrich

There’s been a recent slew of celebrity memoirs and tell-alls: cheap, shiny and they read like they rolled off a conveyor belt. These obvious cash-grabs don’t seem written; more like they’re manufactured. The trauma within the pages feels curated, the redemption arc seems focus-grouped, and the only thing raw is the advance check. We’re told they're “a courageous tell-all,...

Don't Ask

 

Terry here with our question of the week: Share a "hot take" about the book world?
My “hot take” in a few words: Publishers are only in it for the money. So what’s new? Everybody knows that. It’s been a long time since publishers were in the business of books because they love books. Writers look back with yearning to the days when publishers held the hands of their beloved writers, giving them advice, editorial assistance, and then free rein to write what they chose. They loved books. 
 If pub...

A publishing "hot take" (in brief) - by Matthew Greene

Share a "hot take" about the book world, an opinion of yours that might be unpopular but is a hill you're willing to die on (at least for now).

A couple weeks ago, I took a nice, long train trip in two legs—New York to Chicago, then Chicago to Minneapolis. I must admit, one of my "happy places" in life is an Amtrak observation car where I can devour a good book while sipping snack bar chardonnay and munching on Skittles. (Underrated pairing, but I'm getting off the subject.) I'd packed a healthy ...

Wish Upon A Star by Poppy Gee

Since we just wrapped “spooky season,” do you subscribe to any writing superstitions? Any mythical or spiritual practices that help your process?

Coffee to start. After two hours, another coffee with a sweet treat such as cake, a nice biscuit or a piece of chocolate. These are not superstitions but a beautiful ritual which must be observed. Writing is such a pleasurable activity and it goes perfectly with coffee and cake. If I’m still writing at the four hour mark I definitely deserve a toasted c...

All this and some eye of newt, by Catriona

Since we justwrapped “spooky season,” do you subscribe to any writing superstitions? Anymythical or spiritual practices that help your process?

Irrelevant but irresistible

Superstitious, moi? I'm the most rational person I know apart from my husband who is just as rational but can also build you a model of the cumulative probability of any set of related outcomes.

So, no way, I absolutely do not need to have a washed-up-on-the-beach brick penholder full of blue Bic Cristals on my desk and a spare...

Not-so-super stitions by Eric Beetner

 Since we just wrapped "spooky season," do you subscribe to any writing superstitions? Any mythical or spiritual practices that help your process?

Superstitions are loosely defined, I've found. Do I have habits? Sure. Preferred processes? Yes, indeed. Nothing I'd call a superstition, though.

I've written all of my books at the same desk. Does that mean I would suddenly freeze up if I moved to a different space? Doubtful (not that I'm going to test the spiritual waters) I write with the same word p...