My fourth book is about to come out in print—the advance copies, in fact, may already be out by the time this post runs—and my mind lately has been dwelling on my first book, The Devil’s Share. It’s the story of a kid from Fairbanks named Jack who goes to work for a hunting lodge …
I want to speak a moment to those of you who aren’t “making it” in publishing the way you’d hoped. J.A. Jance, Dan Brown, James Patterson, J.D. Robb: you can quit reading now. For the rest of you—those who’ve been struggling to place your book with an agent, those who’ve placed a book but suffered …
I’ll begin with the same disclaimers as last year: I have no crystal ball. I’m not clairvoyant. And admittedly, Alaska is pretty much as far as a writer can get from the Right Coast publishing industry without needing a passport. But I’ve published several books in a variety of ways—mostly traditional, but also independently and in …
Publishing has never been easy. First, there’s writing the beast, be it a poem or a story or an essay or an entire book. A large accomplishment, pouring yourself onto the page. Let’s not lose sight of that. From there, it used to be that f you wanted readers, you had to find a way …
As many of us gear up for the 2014 AWP Conference this week, it’s a good time to talk publishers. Among the vast halls of booths and tables, you’ll find plenty of fine small publishers. One of them might just be the best home for your book. Many years ago, my first novel came out from Lodestar, …
Deb: When publishing, you might want to think small Read More »
Following up on previous interviews with Sara Juday at Alaska Northwest Books and Barbara Farris at 40 Below Ink, we’re launching a mini-series on small and regional presses that feature Alaskan books. Today’s post brings an update on 40 Below Ink. Watch for more publisher interviews in the coming weeks. Tell us about your company. …
Alaskans are innovators. Risk-takers. Maybe even opportunists. We’re not afraid of change. (I refuse, however, to embrace the M word, leaving maverick to the Texans, the occasional Arizonian, and Alaskans with large political aspirations.) Stereotypes aside, I think there’s a fair pile of evidence behind these assertions. Indigenous Alaskans are ingenious, master of developing and …
The news is everywhere, and it’s grim. Yesterday, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publisher and v-p Becky Saletan quit abruptly. Today, more firings and layoffs at HMH, Simon and Schuster, and elsewhere were announced, as was a massive restructuring at Random House, affecting a complex web of imprints. Oh yeah — and locally, poor forecasts for Alaska …
“Black Wednesday” in Publishing: How does if affect you? Read More »
That’s why I’ve been extra glum the last few days, even before the news was official. HMH is my publisher. Ripples are expected to reach across the larger publishing world. Find the details reported locally here thanks to Deb’s keen eye, or the Publishers Weekly coverage by Sara Nelson here. Enough said, I guess. Each …
Acquisitions Freeze at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Read More »
Oh, irony of ironies. After talking about the endurance needed in order to write and be published, I spent today reading an article that makes everything look even darker than I thought. (Note, if you’re not interested in publishing economics, stop reading; I promise a return to the subject of Alaska books next week.) Somehow, …
