Writer News

Remember the other day when I mentioned that as aspiring writers we need to stand out? Well, here’s a quote from literary agent Nathan Bransford that illustrates my point quite nicely:

“To put it another way still, when a sales rep goes to a chain and tells the buyer about the books on the upcoming list, they need something to point to that makes a book stand out. They need to be able to say, “This is what makes this book different.” A unique character, a unique way of telling the story, a unique plot, a unique world, something, anything that sets a book apart from the thousands of other books that are published every year.”

In other news: Publishers Marketplace is offering a free few days with their service. (Until January 3rd when they start charging $20 a month again.)

As well, Firebrand Literary is offering a query holiday until the 15th of January.

Go forth and prosper my good friends. (And check out your local bookstores, the deals are a plenty.)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday. If it warms up, I think we’ll hit the slopes! See you there.

From one scary looking elf, to you.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town: Track Santa!

Have you been naughty or nice? If you’ve decided to be naughty and save Santa a trip, then read no further.

However, if you were nice, or simply want to watch Santa on his journey, go to Google Earth and watch Santa’s progress across this great world. (You will have to do a bit of downloading, but don’t worry, they make it simple and easy. And just think how cool it will be to show your kids where Santa is. Gee, kids, Santa Claus is coming to town, better hit the hay!):

Interested in more? Try these links:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/tracking-santa-backstory.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10128642-2.html?tag=mncol;posts

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/12/norad-keeps-the.html

Stand Out

With the economy dipping down low, there are obvious implications in the publishing industry. Everyone from agents to editors are going to be more careful about what projects and clients they take on. Nobody wants to take a risk when the business itself is already risky. They want a sure thing. They’re going to be searching for the professional newbie in the pile. The one who has done their research, is easy to work with, takes the time to ensure small mistakes are corrected and the like.

That means us aspiring types must take the time to personalize our queries, ensure our queries make sense and express in simple terms what our story is about. We have to showcase. We have to sell. Now is not the time to sit back and say, “I am so wonderful, they will come to me. They’ll ignore a few typos and ill placed adverbs because they’ll see how stellar my story is. My talent will speak for itself.” Not. Give it your best shot, folks. Dazzle them. Make them jump up from their desk and whoop in joy for finding someone who knows the business and has taken the extra few days or months to ensure their submission is A1.

Case in point, Kristen Nelson of The Nelson Literary Agency read 35,000 queries in this last year. Of that, she read 88 fulls and of that, found 2 new clients. 2 in 35,000. You heard right.

Make sure you stand out. Make sure you’re the best you can be.

‘Tis The Season for Parties

With the advent of virtual relationships, global business, and email friends, what do you do when you want to hold a Christmas party for your friends, family, colleagues and fans, but they are spread out all over this great big world? Why, you hold a virtual Christmas party, of course. No worries about food or someone falling into the punch bowl. It’s prefect. Or is it?

You can’t see me very well, but I’m the gal in green with the blue hair. To say I was undressed is an understatement, and that was even before I took ‘off’ my hair and couldn’t get it back on. There were actually three of us who had the same avatar. However, nobody seemed to find it funny when we were all together in the same party venue (there were 4) and I yelled, “Hey look, triplets!” I guess virtual party humour is different.

So other than riding the dragon, the carousal, learning I had the ability to walk great distances under water, playing bumper cars by myself, wearing a big present on my avatar’s hips, and discovering that I could slam through a tree with a sleigh with nobody would get hurt, it was actually kind of, well…lame. I’m sorry, really I am. It was a great idea. It was just, well, virtual. Maybe if I knew someone, or if I had met the hostess. Or figured out how to get my hands on a dress so I wasn’t the only dame (okay, one of three) in fish nets and a skull t-shirt. Honestly, I did try to dress up, but my first attempt left me nude for about 15 minutes while I tried to figure things out and after that I was a tad hesitant to mix things up.

People mingle differently online. People didn’t chat much and often wandered around by themselves. You can’t tell affect and body language is at a bare minimum. Plus, everyone has weird names. So, it’s not like a real Christmas party in a lot of ways. Near the end of my time in the party (I got bored and wondered why I was there), some guy walked by and gave me 5 Lindens (Second Life money). Didn’t say hi or anything, just suddenly I had money. Weird. Maybe he thought I couldn’t afford a dress. Either way, I tried to thank him, but by the time I figured out what was going on, he was half way across the venue. Oh well.

So while it was an interesting adventure it was also an hour of my life that I will never get back. Maybe if I had figured out how to put on the skates. Or I had met someone to talk with for more than a second or two. Or even if I had gotten my numbers for the draw, then it would have been a bit more exciting. Or if I wasn’t naturally a wallflower in that sort of setting. Or…it was real.

Career Plans for the New Year

2009 is approaching rapidly. And while I know that we haven’t even ‘done’ Christmas yet, my mind is already moving towards the new year.

In January, I plan to begin querying agents for The 15 Date Rule. While I am querying, I will work on two of my works in progress that are currently in the editing stage. 2009 will be my year. It’s time to take the next step. I can feel it. I’m ready.

In case you need some ‘science’ to back up my feelings check out my January horoscope:

“There’s new hope for a project of relationship you almost gave up on last year. Your expectations–whatever they are–will be met.” (From Chatelaine, January 2009. Holiday Mathis.)

I know it’s a horoscope, but it gives me a strange sense of ‘yes, this will work’. 

What are your career goals for the upcoming new year?

Mommy Might Have Kissed Santa Claus, But I Saw His Reindeer

This summer, a funny thing happened on the Oram family travels. I noticed that not all deer signs along the highway are created equal. There are indeed regional differences. So, in the spirit of Christmas, Santa Claus and his posse, here’s a little something for you all. Season’s Greetings!

Now Dasher:

Now Dancer:

Now Prancer:

And Vixen:

On Comet (he’s a fast one and hard to photograph):

On Cupid (gosh, he’s chubby, huh? His poor little stick legs):

On Donner (he used to be called Dunder, kind of like the paper company, Dunder Mifflin, in The Office):

And Blitzen (used to be called Blixem, but it sounded too much like he’d been drinking until everything took on an over-exposed sort of feel):

And don’t forget the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolph:

In case you were wondering about Olive, ‘the other reindeer’, and her kid sister, I saw them too:

Here’s the real thing, in case you feared I was being too goofy (his reindeer lounging and getting fat at his summer cottage):

On a final note, I also saw a sign for Santa’s summer crossing:

Hello, Welcome, Thank You

Hello!

To all of you new to my blog, I want to welcome you and thank you. In the past two weeks, I’ve had over 4000 visitors! So, I want to say, thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoy my blog. If you have comments, by all means drop me a line.

Here’s a little treat to keep you warm:

And if you are from a warmer climate, something to keep you cool:

If you want to have some goofy fun, pop over to the Pristines and make a nomination for something that makes your everyday life better, or cast your vote. It’s a romping good time.