Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
ARCHIVE (General Topics)
>
Writing Questions for Josh
Mod
http://larissaione.com/blog/books/int......"
This soon to be released new book Into the Storm seems to be part of the ACRO series (I've read the first five books and this one is marked #6.5). ACRO books already have a nice, quite lovely m/m side story (Dev and Oz, and later on Dev and Gabriel) in them, so the m/m theme isn't entirely new thing to this series.
Charming wrote: "Pete wrote: "I am not sure if you know but it seems that the author of the famed series Demonica and Lord of Deliverance is about release a M/M novella in June. http://larissaione.com/blog/book..."
Hmm.. I've actually read many worse blurbs in the M/M universe ;-D It's nothing special, but I wouldn't mind taking a look at it based on this text!
Lou wrote: "Do you think they read the genre at all? ..."I think it's entirely possible that many m/f writers don't even know that there is an m/m genre. They think they're being all daring, breaking new ground...
Mod
I think pretentiousness is the driving force, but what is pretentiousness except too much desire to please fueled by the self-importance that all artists (especially young artists) have in surplus?
Mod
It was Lori Foster..."
That poor woman. I'm sure her intentions were the best. But seriously. Better to simply fess up and admit you can't do it, then do a piss poor job of it.
Mod
And preserves sanity and lives.
;-P
..."
Yep. That's my take on it.
Mod
How about undercover sex club stories? :P"
Shoot. Me.
Mod
..."
I adored the Poppins books, the Doolittle books, and the Oz books. All so wonderful. So much better than any movie.
Mod
Every writer I know listens to the underground whispers and samples widely. They may not read full books, but every single author I know -- NYT Bestseller or not -- is paying close attention these days because writing has never seemed so precarious a profession. Which is saying quite a bit given how unsteady a paycheck it has always offered.
Mod
http://larissaione.com/blog/book..."
The positive thing about that is readers are apparently pushing for more.
Josh wrote: "Hj wrote: "Josh wrote: "You cannot underestimate the power of popular entertainment to change society. It is pulp fiction, NOT literary fiction that changes the world. And preserves sanity and li..."
Perhaps "the world" is stretching it a bit. My world has been enormously enriched by literary fiction. Pulp fiction is entertaining, by not necessarily enriching.
Mod
And preserves ..."
Then you're reading the wrong pulp fiction.
Josh wrote: "George wrote: "Josh wrote: "Hj wrote: "Josh wrote: "You cannot underestimate the power of popular entertainment to change society. It is pulp fiction, NOT literary fiction that changes the world. ..."
Hah! Perhaps I am. Just recently read something to the effect that many great literary authors began their careers writing pulp. God knows I've written my share of it...
Lou wrote: "Do you think they read the genre at all? "Maybe they only read the other M/F authors who have put out an M/M book. So Larissa Ione thinks, "OK, J.R. Ward did gay vampires and Lori Foster did mercenaries, but I bet I will be the first to do an undercover operative who thinks he's "undeniably" straight! It'll be like he turned gay for this one hot guy!" :-)
Charming wrote: "I bet I will be the first to do an undercover operative who thinks he's "undeniably" straight! It'll be like he turned gay for this one hot guy!"She won't be the first: one of the books I'm giving away in Manchester is The Assignment. BTW lots of people appreciated it, also some friends of mine (and I still talk to them!).
Mod
I'd love it if someone would email them and ask what their fave mm books are just to see what they say.
Mod
Maybe they only read the other M/F authors who have put out an M/M book. So Larissa Ione thinks, "OK, J.R. Ward did gay vampires and Lori Fo..."
:-D :-D :-D
There is that. There is the fact that much of mainstream publishing remains blissfully unaware that there is a whole universe of books and authors and readers out here.
Does anyone else have the odd fault which I've noticed only on this thread, in the last few days? The first post to show marked "new" is always the one which was the last one posted on my previous visit i.e. the "new" marking is out by one. Of course, we do have over 4,500 posts in this thread. Our group seems to be testing the limits of the Goodreads technology!
Jordan wrote: "Or they've read the "cult" best sellers only like Cut and Run and think they can do better because its the only mm title they've heard of.I'd love it if someone would email them and ask what thei..."
I think that's generally the case for people who don't regularly read in our genre. Or any genre. A handful of well-publicized names/books are regarded as "representative." (I've noticed this on Dear Author. The same m/m writers, or books by favored publishers, are the ones they review.) That kind of locked-in focus applies to all popular-fiction -- sci fi, horror, fantasy, urban fantasy, m/f romance, etc.
Unless readers and reviewers are enthusiastically devoted to a genre, they don't want to bother exploring beyond the names that are familiar to them.
Hj wrote: "Does anyone else have the odd fault which I've noticed only on this thread, in the last few days? The first post to show marked "new" is always the one which was the last one posted on my previous..."Yes - that's been happening with me, too.
Dear Author just doesn't seem to have more than one m/m reviewer at the moment, which isn't nearly enough to even remotely keep up with the genre.
I don't even know if they have ONE, as I'm pretty sure Sunita is out of the M/M game at this point?
I'm in touch with Sunita (casually), and I haven't really been following DA for a while, but I heard rumblings they all but stopped reviewing M/M.
Aleksandr wrote: "I'm in touch with Sunita (casually), and I haven't really been following DA for a while, but I heard rumblings they all but stopped reviewing M/M."
They've had guest reviews of m/m and f/f in the past few weeks.
And I thought they'd put out a call for new reviewers. Don't know if they've had any takers.
They've had guest reviews of m/m and f/f in the past few weeks.
And I thought they'd put out a call for new reviewers. Don't know if they've had any takers.
Ah, yes I remember Sirius guest-reviewed.
Tamara - regarding your work on Amazon, have you ever considered putting on new covers? When I click on a list of your work on Amazon, like here:http://www.amazon.com/Tamara-Allen/e/...
What jumps out is that nothing jumps out--the colours are grey, sepia and washed-out sepia/light brown, the motives themselves extremely static, even removed (like the photo one--I'm finding the filter of "oh, it's just a photo rather than real" somewhat problematic when you try to grab a reader's attention or imagination.)
I understand that sepia is often coded for "the past" or "grandparent time" but the time itself would be colourful as all hell (look at how they market The Great Gatsby--not a faded sepia in sight).
Also, in my experience, and as a design rule at Riptide, it's important that the covers work in thumbnail--the title and author should be readable. Your covers have fairly mixed results there, sadly, in my humble view.
That's really my two unbidden cents on the matter. :)
Does anyone have any suggestions for sites where a person can upload a story and someone else would have access to it to edit and comment on it?I know we're using mopad for the blurb project, but I don't know how private that is and if it's good for long documents.
Mod
I know we're using mopad for the blurb project, but..."
Wattpad? Has anyone checked it out? We talked about it a while back.
Tina Kay wrote: "Does anyone have any suggestions for sites where a person can upload a story and someone else would have access to it to edit and comment on it?I know we're using mopad for the blurb project, but..."
Google docs?
You need a google account, can put your document there and decide how to share it (publicly or with certain persons only)
The other person can comment or change things. You can track the history of changes and undo them.
Other option: use Word. Mail the doc back and forth. You can track changes and add comment.
Josh and Calathea, thank you... I will check out all those options. :-)ETA: Zev, thanks to you also... we must have been posting at the same time. :-)
Curious to know what you guys do about submissions. Do you pick a publisher and just send it to the one place, pinning all your hopes on it getting accepted? Or do you try the scatter gun approach and see who picks up the option first?I know this question isn't relevant if you have an existing relationship with your publisher. I'm thinking more if you are trying to find a home for a particular story that for whatever reason might not fit so well where you are.
Lillian - I don't do scattergun, but I did fire three-round bursts, aka, sent a story to my 2-3 favourite publishers. Once I started to get routinely accepted, I went with one.
Aleksandr wrote: "Lillian - I don't do scattergun, but I did fire three-round bursts, aka, sent a story to my 2-3 favourite publishers. Once I started to get routinely accepted, I went with one."Thanks Aleks. I think scattergun is kind of dangerous. The better quality publishers are bound to take longer since I would imagine they receive more submissions.
I did the same as you with my first story, went with my top two (of course I knew very little about the business & who would be best for my needs) and that was all good. This time I looked at the place I thought could best service my needs, but the more time that elapses as I wait (im)patiently for the ever looming 'we'll let you know' deadline date, the more I wonder if I did the right thing! Maybe I should have chosen two again.
Oh well, live and learn I guess. Who needs to have a story published in 2013!
Lillian - yeah. I had "Clean Slate" accepted by both Carina and Dreamspinner, which was pretty mortifying at that point. You're trying to build a relationship, after all. That said, m/m pubs are MUCH faster than the traditional process. From sending out to publication, I've waited 2 years in some cases.
Aleksandr wrote: "Lillian - yeah. I had "Clean Slate" accepted by both Carina and Dreamspinner, which was pretty mortifying at that point. You're trying to build a relationship, after all. That said, m/m pubs are ..."
Wow, two years. And here I'm moaning about three/four months.
Hmm, I can see how having to turn one down could be awkward to say the least. Especially with them both being big players in the genre.
Lou wrote: "Lillian wrote: "Curious to know what you guys do about submissions. Do you pick a publisher and just send it to the one place, pinning all your hopes on it getting accepted? Or do you try the scatt..."Thanks Lou. Aim high, that's what I always say. And find a publisher who'll let me stick with UK English for this book. I didn't mind so much with the first two; one was set in the States and the other had an American MC, but for this novel I'm feeling picky.
The bigger players will be booked out 8-12 months in advance, too, so they are now acquiring books for mid-2014. Usually, that time also serves to get reviews in from big sites/magazines (as is def. the case with Samhain and Riptide).So the best bet? Send it out, forget it, keep writing. Ideally have 2-3 things out on submission and a couple more in production at some houses. Once you've filled the "pipeline", it's a steady stream of releases and a steady income.
The British English thing was a dealbreaker for me and Counterpunch. Storm Moon Press was OK with it, so's Riptide. Readers are getting more used to variety. :) Also, yes, "house authors" get fast-tracked in many places. They definitely escape the slush pile.
Aleksandr wrote: "The British English thing was a dealbreaker for me and Counterpunch. Storm Moon Press was OK with it, so's Riptide. Readers are getting more used to variety. :)..."As a reader, I really HATE when they Americanize a British author. I want to listen/read to the native English which I'm very familiar and comfortable reading or listening.
And on a completely unrelated note, I have a friend who was born in Lincolnshire, England, and when she went to the University here in the states, they tried to sign her up for English as a second language. It took quite lot of persuasion on her part to change the woman's mind. She saw foreign student on the paperwork and that was that.
Also once you have that foot in the door you generally have an editor who for the most part is "yours" so you have that first point of contact you can talk to and submit things to directly, versus sending them to the general "submissions" email etc., and often you're on better terms with them than an unknown acquiring editor (LOL) so you can email for an update or ask their thoughts on a project etc. Also, depending on the press you might get a contract before you actually finish a book, and then just have a delivery date written into the contract. I've done a couple books this way now, although not all my books, and not with all presses.
Thanks guys, you all pretty much confirmed my own thoughts on the subject, shoring up all the doubts I was having about the the way I'd handled this particular submission. Aleks-I wish I had the time at the moment to get myself 2-3 stories ahead. What makes it more frustrating is I have storylines storylines coming out of my ears. I knew Riptide would accept British English (I think that was a subject we covered at last years Meet) but didn't realise Storm Moon did. I understand Carina do too.
Susinok-It's always refreshing to hear someone say that, I wish the publishers would listen. And LOL about your friend!
Heidi-I do have my own editor with my current publisher and I do like that less formal communication that follows, don't think I could cope with that delivery date clause though.
Hehehe, I find the delivery date clause very useful. Lights a fire under my butt. Just depends on whether you are the kind of person who works well with deadlines, which I most certainly am!But yeah when I was first getting into publishing I wish I wouldn't have spent so much time waiting for a response on my first book and spent more time writing my second! I submitted my first book in mid-august, but didn't start writing something new until mid-october! I definitely would advise against that, much better to keep busy and always have SOMETHING on the go. Nowadays I'm constantly working, which cuts down a little on the stress and impatience and means I have a nice steady release schedule.
The fastest publisher for me from submission to publishing was definitely Loose Id. We submitted there in January and our book came out in June of the same year (and was VERY well edited, I should add.) Longest has been Carina. Our first book with them we submitted in August, heard back in December, and were published the next August, just short of a year after we submitted. Our current book with them we submitted in January and that will come out at after Christmas.
Susinok wrote: "As a reader, I really HATE when they Americanize a British author. I want to listen/read to the native English which I'm very familiar and comfortable reading or listening.And on a completely unrelated note, I have a friend who was born in Lincolnshire, England, and when she went to the University here in the states, they tried to sign her up for English as a second language. It took quite lot of persuasion on her part to change the woman's mind. She saw foreign student on the paperwork and that was that. ..."
And for those that don't know, you're an American! I make the point because the excuse I often see given for Americanising British English is that "our American readers don't like it and won't buy it", which I think is insulting to their readers. If we English reader have managed to learn a new vocabulary (sidewalk/pavement, trunk/boot, etc. etc.) I'm sure your brains are up to it too!
As for the University, I do hope that your friend managed to resist telling the admissions tutor that we were speaking English before you were!! She sounds a real jobsworth (another English slang word for you to relish).
Heidi - I struggle with deadlines, makes all the words dry up!I need a couple of weeks break and then I get straight on with the next book, but I do write very slowly.
I submittted my first book in May, got accepted in August and published in February. My second to the same publisher got accepted a lot quicker (dedicated editor) but still took the same time period (if not longer) to get to publication.
Never tried submitting to Loose ID, not enough sex in my books for them I suspect.
Any opinions of which m/m romance publishers are best with the editing process? I keep hearing nightmare stories of poor editing.
Outside Riptide, Carina and Samhain.
Mod
I target the project to a specific publisher.
Loose Id is thorough too.One thing I respect about Carina is the care they take with their revise-and-resubmit letters. The one I got was lengthy, detailed, and encouraging. For a number of reasons I chose not to go that route with them, but I was very impressed by their professionalism.
Mod
..."
The potential publishing dates do become determining factors in submission. Samhain is requiring full manuscripts in order to get a publishing date on the tail end of 2014 and that's just too hard for me to do -- to complete an entire project for next year in the middle of this year's work? I can't do it. I can do a partial and complete it in the latter half of this year, but that would be too late for getting on the 2014 schedule.
I could conceivably write them something next year for 2015. Next year is a much lighter year.
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
Alphabears: An ABC Book (other topics)Rag and Bone (other topics)
As Meat Loves Salt (other topics)
The Well of Loneliness (other topics)
The Selfish Gene (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Julie Smith (other topics)Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Robin McKinley (other topics)
Tove Jansson (other topics)
Astrid Lindgren (other topics)
More...
http://larissaione.com/blog/books/int......"
I am not impressed with the blurb. I wonder if it is inevitable that M/F writers who venture into M/M have to start with so many cliches of the genre, simply because they haven't been reading the genre enough to know that they are cliches?