Over the years, many have asked me why I haven't put out a book containing the funniest Face-Lifts from this blog. A big reason was that they wouldn't be the same in black and white, with no blue words or color illustrations. And color printing is expensive. However, during the lull in submissions over the past month I've put together such a book, and while color printing still costs a lot, my experience with Evil Editor Strips, Evil Editor Strips Again, and Schliegelman Saves the Universe has convinced me that it's worth it.
Who would want such a book?
Possibly only myself, but that's no deterrent, as I'll be having it printed by Blurb, a photo-book printer, and they regularly print single copies for customers.
Possibly people who've been with us for many years and like the idea of a collection of just the funniest query critiques. For nostalgic reasons. Like buying a collection of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips even though you read them all when they first appeared in the newspaper.
Possibly people who are new to the blog and would like to catch up, but find the idea of reading 6500 posts or even just 1228 queries too daunting.
And of course there are those who feel they might absorb some useful information.
Still working on a title. I'm thinking Dear Literary Agent...
With the subtitle: 50 Query Letters and Why They Fail.
I'm leaving out the fake plots so I can fit each query onto no more than two pages. I've created new artwork for those critiques that didn't already have illustrations (a few won't be illustrated because they fill the full two pages. The pages are 8 by 10, glossy photo paper. The book has 100 pages. Blurb will create such a book for about $40 (paperback) and $50 (hardcover). They offer volume discounts, but that requires ordering 20 copies, and I'm guessing there aren't even 10 of you willing to spring for a copy. If you're one of those few, let me know with an email or a comment and I'll keep you apprised.
8 comments:
I'd buy one.
I'll take one.
EE, why do you think the submissions have dwindled? Are less people trying to write the great American novel? It seems that since the recession, the number of queries have dropped. Maybe more people are employed now and have less time. ?
Cav, one guess I have (speaking from experience as both a commenter and a submitter) would be that while people may be totally able to accept honest constructive criticism, they're less eager to subject themselves to outright ridicule, especially when that ridicule often comes not as the result of the actual text but out of the commenter's own false assumptions about the text or off-topic ramblings.
Maybe all the writers who've discovered Evil Editor have already submitted queries for all their books. Maybe we need to find a way to reach writers who haven't found us here, who are sending out their queries without our feedback, getting rejected, and giving up on careers as writers. It's sort of like if no one had shown Bill Gates how to program his Commodore 64, he might have tossed it in the trash and become a porn movie director. Maybe if we schedule a deluge of #EvilEditor tweets we could trend on Twitter and writers would find us.
People are allowed to send in queries for different books?
Permission granted.
My guess is that more people are self-publishing now without even trying the query route. There seems to be a widespread perception that self-pubbing is the only way to break in these days, and of course the "self"-publishing companies are not in any hurry to disabuse people of this notion.
I refuse to self publish!!!!
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