tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post114711278154543899..comments2024-03-26T18:28:06.391-04:00Comments on Evil Editor: Face-Lift 18Evil Editorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03879826770199639420noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147213601120565812006-05-09T18:26:00.000-04:002006-05-09T18:26:00.000-04:00anonymous of 11.42pm... if you want to have a look...anonymous of 11.42pm... if you want to have a look at the fees charged by one reputable assessor, have a look here www.kirstybrooks.com/driftwood/fees.html. She claims that most of her assesors are people already working in the field (writers, editors etc) and they do this as a kind of 'peer review' service - I'm not sure how many assessors, if any, are full-time. And yeah, I have also been pitching overseas, and will continue to. I have two versions of my manuscript - one with American spellings, one with Australian, just to make it easier on those US agents.<BR/>And thanks to all others for the excellent suggestions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147207654404430342006-05-09T16:47:00.000-04:002006-05-09T16:47:00.000-04:00I think the idea has potential, but like anything ...I think the idea has potential, but like anything else, it's got to be done right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147203030102519382006-05-09T15:30:00.000-04:002006-05-09T15:30:00.000-04:00I'm still trying to figure out how one can draw wi...I'm still trying to figure out how one can draw with a missing arm. <BR/><BR/>I guess I'll have to read the book to find out!Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05943062466398436785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147198488849713702006-05-09T14:14:00.000-04:002006-05-09T14:14:00.000-04:00Jane:Why not Jami for a short form of Benjamin?Jane:<BR/><BR/>Why not Jami for a short form of Benjamin?Dayna_Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16911207081058418496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147180496426706732006-05-09T09:14:00.000-04:002006-05-09T09:14:00.000-04:00Hmmm...I would just be sure your plot doesn't alig...Hmmm...I would just be sure your plot doesn't align too much with the movie <A HREF="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101492/" REL="nofollow">Body Parts</A>. It sounds like it's on the way in that direction already.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147166671443034312006-05-09T05:24:00.000-04:002006-05-09T05:24:00.000-04:00I'm in an MFA program section (yes, I know that ma...I'm in an MFA program section (yes, I know that makes me pretentious by default, but how else was I supposed to get people to lend me money?) called "Popular fiction". It means "science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery & thriller." It is what literary fiction people call fiction that is not shelved under "literary fiction", regardless of its literary merit. Silly? I think so. But the people teaching and adminning the program are way more published than little ol' me, so maybe they're using a term common to their social circles.<BR/><BR/>It's certainly not being used to mean a <I>genre</I>, at my MFA program -- it's being used to mean a lump-together of several genres. So, Jane, maybe you should try "comedic SF" or "satirical SF."<BR/><BR/>Nothing wrong with gender-bendy naming, at least not if you're postulating that the current time period has occurred as normal. I regularly see babies of either sex being named "Taylor" and "Bailey" (an acquaintance of mine has kids named Sydney and Madison) and though this has only been a major trend in the last twenty years or so, it's perfectly reasonable to think that the kids being named by feminist parents right now will make it to the near future, unless you postulate a terrible plague that only takes out gender-bendy liberal kids. And Johnny Cash recorded "A Boy Named Sue" in 1969. :-)<BR/><BR/>Whether her friends call her Benji, Benjamin, or something else should have to do with her personality. How does SHE like having a boy's name? Does she love it or run from it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147150305634857112006-05-09T00:51:00.000-04:002006-05-09T00:51:00.000-04:00I haven't laughed so heartily in quite some time. ...I haven't laughed so heartily in quite some time. I do have to say, however, that the original version of this query letter is somewhat better than the letter I started out with in my own query journey, which read something like this: "To Whom It May Concern: I am a college dropout with no qualifications whatsoever to have written this hyperintellectual Victorian literary mystery. You'll probably hate it, but why not suffer through the first ten pages anyway?" Astonishingly, I got a pretty good agent this way. One never knows, do one?David Rochesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07084315223515340046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147146136132877572006-05-08T23:42:00.000-04:002006-05-08T23:42:00.000-04:00Hey Jane!I say G'day on a regular basis - but then...Hey Jane!<BR/><BR/>I say G'day on a regular basis - but then I live about 1000km north of where most people think Australia finishes.<BR/><BR/>What do professional manuscript assessors get paid in Oz? I can't quite reconcile the fact that I think it would be a great job for me, with the fact that I suspect 90% of the work they do involves taking money from people who haven't a hope of getting published.<BR/><BR/>You do realise that the print runs of the Australian publishers are typically a fraction of the OS ones, and it might be a sensible business decision to try international publishing houses and agents?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147134072232320692006-05-08T20:21:00.000-04:002006-05-08T20:21:00.000-04:00I laughed so loud my kids wanted to know what was ...I laughed so loud my kids wanted to know what was funny from downstairs. This blog is great. Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147128893304464732006-05-08T18:54:00.000-04:002006-05-08T18:54:00.000-04:00howdy - or, as we allegedly say in my country, g'd...howdy - or, as we allegedly say in my country, g'day. I'm the author of the above piece. You're right, it isn't really mainstream fiction - it's satire and comedy and it's a little bit speculative fiction, being set in the near future. But how do you describe such a thing? I'd hope that reading the first few pages would make it clear, but I guess it needs to come over better in the query letter.<BR/>Thanks very much for the suggestions. Unfortunately, Benjamin's name is integral to the plot, but maybe if I referred to her as Benji or some other diminutive in the letter it would avoid the distraction (or maybe not...). Anyway, yeah: thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147128585773361982006-05-08T18:49:00.000-04:002006-05-08T18:49:00.000-04:00I agree. The tone and circumstances in this query ...I agree. The tone and circumstances in this query letter reads more like a comedy...maybe along the lines of a dark comedy?Patrice Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12061901112336162568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26791026.post-1147118727134040162006-05-08T16:05:00.000-04:002006-05-08T16:05:00.000-04:00From popular fiction to satirical farce!Maybe this...From popular fiction to satirical farce!<BR/><BR/>Maybe this is the right time to ask: where can I find a list of genre types? I'm just getting a serious start on a dramatic novel, but am not sure how to categorize it for future submission. Dramatic Fiction? Popular Fiction? Desperately Hope it's Good Fiction? Are there standard categories that you would expect to see, or do people just make up their own? (scary thought!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com