Rick Moody on Author Blogs

Rick Moody addresses an interesting topic on Big Think with a very compelling (and some may say controversial) argument. He states that the “superficial, not revised, carelessness” about writing straight on the screen without significant editing makes blogging a detriment to a literary writer’s work. He believes that the writers who are pressured in the direction of publishing online are not able to put out the quality work that comes from “patient revision.” I am paraphrasing a bit what Moody describes as the abbreviated attention spans that online content tends to generate, but his point is an interesting one.

To quote from Moody’s latest release, THE FOUR FINGERS OF DEATH, his character, Montese Crandell, is conducting an author signing at an “old-fashioned used-media outlet” because of the advice of his wife “who’d spend her remaining time on earth counseling me on just how to boost my product.” There is something very accurate of the advice given to Crandell by his wife, because when it comes to publicizing your work, it is no longer about the art and craft that went into writing the book, it is about selling a product. Moody is right in saying that the internet and all of the available stories, videos and news items have led to “abbreviated attention spans” and authors are fighting for the attention of the elusive reader (and book buyer) so that they can continue the art and craft of writing a book, and get paid well for it. This is why we, as publicists, say that you really do have to wear two hats (the artist’s hat and the business hat) when it comes to being a writer. But should author’s blog?

I have spoken with author’s who feel that by blogging they are giving away their work for free. But at the same time, without giving potential readers something to grab hold of and get interested in, they may never discover you in the first place. It is imperative that as an author, you maximize your exposure and pull readers in. Blogs have proven to be an excellent way to gain attention and interact with readers. This is not to say that you shouldn’t edit what you put out there, because just as easily as your work can turn a reader on, if done haphazardly and without thought, it can turn your reader off and therefore defeat the purpose entirely.

fourfingers

Jonathan Franzen echoes this argument in the much publicized TIME Magazine article.

Reading in its quietness and sustained concentration is the opposite of busyness. ‘We are so distracted and engulfed by the technologies we’ve created, and by the constant barrage of so-called information that comes our way, that more than ever to immerse yourself in an involving book seems socially useful,’ Franzen says. ‘The place of stillness that you have to go to write, but also to read seriously, is the point where you can actually make responsible decisions, where you can actually engage productively with an otherwise scary and unmanageable world.’

So the moral of the story, and the advice we give to authors, is BLOG…but blog responsibly and edit, edit, edit.

Jonathan Franzen on Cover of TIME Magazine

jonathan franzen

According to MediaBistro’s GalleyCatJonathan Franzen has become the first living novelist to grace the cover of Time magazine in ten years. Novelist Stephen King was the last writer to hold to coveted spot, back in 2000.

Here’s an excerpt: “Franzen is a member of another perennially threatened species, the American literary novelist. But he’s not as cool about it as the otters. He’s uneasy. He’s a physically solid guy, 6 ft. 2 in., with significant shoulders, but his posture is not so much hunched as flinched. At 50 (he turns 51 on Aug. 17), Franzen is pleasantly boyish-looking, with permanently tousled hair.”

A complete list of all the authors that starred in Time cover stories follows below. The online edition of Lev Grossman’s cover story about Franzen is abridged. The online article explains: “This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the August 23, 2010, print and iPad editions of TIME magazine.”

Here is a list of author’s who have graced the TIME magazine cover.

Virginia Woolf (1937)
William Faulkner (1939)
Robert Frost (1950)
James Baldwin (1963)
John Updike (1968)
Norman Mailer (1973)
Alexander Solzhentisyn (1974)
John Le Carre (1977)
Michael Crighton (1995)
Toni Morrison (1998)
Stephen King (2000)
Jonathan Franzen (2010)

The New Yorker also has a post about the cultural weight of Franzen’s appearance on the cover.

Grub Street’s Muse and the Marketplace

Last weekend (April 25-27) we spoke at Grub Street’s 7th Annual Muse and the Marketplace held at the Omni Parker House in Downtown Boston. We were on the publicity and promotion panels and were able to provide some insight into the complex world of book promotion. Many aspiring writers were there to learn from the pros. Jonathan Franzen made the keynote address at the luncheon and the audience was filled with notable writers, agents and editors. Anita Shreve, Mameve Medwed, Trish Ryan, Amy MacKinnon, Michael Thomas, Lois Lowry, Lisa Scottoline, Julia Glass, Scott Heim, and Jenna Blum were among the writers in attendance.

Two of our clients, Lisa Genova (Still Alice) and Brunonia Barry (The Lace Reader) were also on various panels, each with their debut novels. Everyone involved with the event enjoyed the experience and are already eagerly anticipating next year’s event.

The Boston Globe ran an article this weekend on the event and brought attention to the fact that New England is truly a literary hotbed. Chris Castellani was responsible for the wonderful flow of the entire weekend and should be commended for his amazing work as well as his fabulous introduction to Jonathan Franzen’s speech. Below is a photo of Jocelyn Kelley and Megan Kelley Hall with local author and National Book Award winner, Julia Glass. We are all eagerly awaiting her newest release, I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE!

Jocelyn Kelley, Julia Glass, Megan Kelley Hall