In preparation for his Bar Mitzvah on June 16, my twelve-year-old son Sam is doing a “Mitzvah Project” with the goal of helping repair the world in some small way.
This act of charity, generosity or simple compassion can range from anything to raising money for the local homeless shelter or volunteering at the town library to collecting and donating clothing for children in developing countries. It’s a pretty standard step along the path to becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah these days.
Looking around at how things are typically done, I’ve been struck by an odd, unsettling paradox: a hefty majority of the projects kids are doing and those touted by the various how-to resources out there come packaged as activities that are so much fun, so cool and so…chic!…that any kid participating could easily forget what the heck the point was in the first place.
For example:
On Sunday I wrote a post over at Writer Unboxed called A Look at Writers’ Day Jobs, which concluded by asking readers whether they have day jobs and what they are.
Along with the dozens of people who stopped by to describe their jobs in fields such as teaching, physical therapy and martial-arts school management, three moms talked about their experience staying at home. I was fascinated to note that two of them them picked up on the language of “jobs” and “work” and wove it into their comments.
Stacy Jensen, mom of young Enzo, said, “I’m CEO of Enzo Corp — that’s mommy code for stay at home mom. I finally figured out a writing schedule, so I don’t feel like chairman Enzo will fire me.”
Stephanie Alexander commented, “I now work for my three kids!”
(Both Stacy and Stephanie have kindly agreed to be quoted here.)
Amid all the buzz about the new book Bringing Up Bebé, I’ve been mulling these comments over — especially their use of language implying that the kids are their moms’ employers. Their boss.
I realize that my post lent itself to this sort of play on words, and that Stacy and Stephanie were more likely having fun with words than literally positioning their kids as “the boss.” At the same time, though, I think the temptation to use this very play on words reveals a glimmer of truth about Continue Reading
Traditional publishers’ decisions about which manuscripts to accept and which ones to pass on can be mystifying to writers.
Sure, there are a few things that seem to tip the balance in favor of “yes,” like loud events, likeable characters and a plot that pulls readers constantly forward, making those pages turn.
Yet vast numbers of well-written books with all those qualities wind up in the “pass” pile every day, leaving authors to second guess themselves and to feel confused, dejected and downright depressed.
In case it can help anyone climb out of that dark place, I thought I’d share a letter I received last week from the 19th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards committee. Of the many thousands of submissions it receives, the committee selects just 5 finalists and 1 winner. Not having been one of them, I’d long since forgotten about my entry (sent in last April) when this feedback arrived from “Judge # 46:”
On a scale of 1 to 5, which 1 meaning “poor” and 5 meaning “excellent,” Continue Reading
My husband is in the food business, so the debate over whether higher prices mean better quality is constant in our household. Pricier restaurants are usually better, right? And those underpriced gems? Why are they underpriced if they’re really gems?
The same debate is raging in the book world right now. An e-book priced at $9.99 has got to better than one at $2.99. And let’s not even talk about those 99-cent “dollar dreadfuls.”
But… wait. Haven’t you ever been disappointed — disgusted, even — by a meal you’ve paid a lot for? Or delighted to discover a cheap neighborhood café where someone’s uncle or grandma is cooking up family recipes with a dash of love?
(Don’t even get me started about what actually goes on in the kitchens of those pricey joints. You don’t want to know.)
The parallels are eye-opening. Fancy restaurants have fancier amenities and higher overhead costs to cover. Many are run by corporations backed Continue Reading
You may have already heard me shouting in excitement about the fact that the Kindle version of Veronica’ Nap has been selling like crazy!
Since the free promo I ran on Friday, January 13, it’s been downloaded by over 6100 people, has reached #1 in the Kindle Jewish fiction category (it’s now hanging in there at #4, just a few spots below international blockbuster Sarah’s Key) and hit #2 in the overall contemporary fiction category. Sales have continued steadily since the promo at about 40 per day.
People have been asking: “What’s the trick to making this happen?”
While there’s no single trick, there are many steps authors can take that’ll up the chances of making Amazon work to sell their books. Most importantly right now is: Enroll in the Amazon KDP Select program, which gives authors who agree to sell their e-book exclusively on Amazon the chance to run 5, 24-hour promotions over the course of 90 days.
With millions and millions of users each day and all sorts of mythical algorithms that supposedly help get books in front of their most likely audience, Amazon is perhaps the single most powerful book promoter there is.
I’ll also venture to guess that two things may have contributed to Continue Reading
A great post this week on Jane Friedman’s blog got me thinking, as I often do, about the word “literary.”
It’s everywhere: Literary festival. Literary agent. Literary success. Literary web site or blog.
Maybe I’m an anachronism, but when I hear the word “literary,” my former-French-literature-major mind skips immediately to titles by authors like Tolstoy, Dickens, Voltaire and Sartre. Or on the contemporary side, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, Annie Proux. I don’t for a minute think of Amanda Hocking, Jennifer Weiner, Steig Larsson or Tom Perotta. (Sorry, guys.)
But they’re among today’s “literary” stars.
According to both Dictionary.com and my good old paper edition of Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, the word “literary” relates first and foremost to “literature,” which in turn is related above all to “the expression of ideas that are of permanent and universal interest.”
Not permanent OR universal. Permanent AND universal.
Do books represented by literary agents and featured at literary websites or at literary Continue Reading
Warm wishes to all for 2012!
To kick off the new year, I’ve published Veronica’s Nap as an e-book, available exclusively in the Amazon Kindle Store.
Swing by and grab your e-copy, priced “to sell” at $2.99.
Amazon Prime members can download it for free. :-)
As always, feel free to tweet about this, post it to Facebook and generally share with your friends.
When I launched this blog in September of 2010, I had no particular outcome in mind but knew that it would generate momentum toward…something.
That “something” has indeed materialized. In the form of many things, in fact. So heads up about a number of exciting changes in the air:
1. I’m officially launching myself as a book publicist.
The active role I’ve played in the blogosphere’s writing community and as an advocate for independent authors has led not only to a position as Indie Alley book reviewer at Reader Unboxed, but also to number of unanticipated freelance jobs publicizing novels.
It’s been exhilarating and profoundly gratifying to be an ally and friend to authors and to help tell their stories. Making it a focus of my professional life is truly the next logical step for me as an author, a PR pro and book lover. More on this soon!
2. I’ve started writing a new novel.
Immersed in books now more than ever, I finally gave in to the temptation to write again and found a way over the hurdle of fear. It was inevitable — just a matter of time. More on this soon, too.
3. As you’ve surely noticed, I’ve slowed down my blogging here at Veronica’s Nap.
Dedicated to a busy day job on top of everything else (not to mention to a husband and two kids!) my plate’s incredibly full. So something had to give even though I’ll miss it terribly. Going forward, I’ll keep posting the serialized novel excerpts till they’re done and will still write the occasional post on motherhood, parenting, work-life balance, etc.
4. I’ll soon be sharing tips and insights about book publicity and publishing at my forthcoming book PR web site.
As always, stay tuned!
Time Magazine’s October 5 cover story, “Why Mom Liked You Best,” claims that nearly every parent has a favorite kid. And that parents who deny this are lying through their teeth.
Is anybody else offended?
Aside from making sweeping generalizations like “If you absolutely must have a favorite (and you must),” the story tosses around phrases such as “best-loved” that completely underestimate parents’ ability to sift through the nuances of their emotions.
As a mother, daughter, sister, friend and wife, I for one am aware of feeling love and affection in very different ways for different people. I may not share the same knowing, deep-belly-laughter connection with my parents as I do with my sisters, for example, but that doesn’t mean I love them any less. And luckily I don’t have the same kind of affection for the two men in my life: my husband and my father. Yet I love them equally.
Same goes for my children. Twelve-year-old Sam is intense and cerebral. He’s not the cuddly type and never has been, even as a baby. Yet I’m completely enamored by his laser-sharp mind and its constant search for Continue Reading
Tired of the same old take on books and book reviews?
Interested in hearing an *unboxed* perpspective?
Then swing by Reader Unboxed, the brand-spanking-new sister site of the wildly popular blog Writer Unboxed.
With a focus on *unboxed* fiction — that is, fresh works that bring something new to the table — and on the writers and publishers who have the courage to push boundaries, Reader Unboxed offers a community connecting readers with thoughtful book reviews.
As a huge proponent of pushing boundaries, I’m proud to add that I’m the Indie Alley reviewer on the RU team, reviewing gems by independent / self-published authors.
Founded by Writer Unboxed mamas Therese Walsh and Kathleen Bolton with the support of Fairy Godmother Larramie and others close to the heart of the WU team, Reader Unboxed promises to be just as warm, welcoming, dynamic and forward-looking as its sister.
I look forward to seeing you there!
