Small Victories + Media Contacts, Summer Fun, Reading Recs & Industry Changes
Did-do lists; speculative fiction media contacts; racism survey in publishing; writing contests; fun reading links and recommendations; new hires, retires, and troubles in the industry; + a berry tea.
Greetings readers & writers,
On Friday, a hashtag was trending on Twitter: #MyBrag, where one was challenged to share a personal brag with no hedging or backpedaling, just pure self-celebration.
I’m not sure about you, but this isn’t always something that’s easy for me. But especially for us creative types, it’s extra important to take stock of the accomplishments (no matter the size) that we can take pride in. Amongst my parent friends, we call this a ‘did-do’ list, listing the things we’ve done, rather than all the things we have left to do.
So take some time to celebrate your recent victories, big or small, and I encourage you to share, whether it’s on Twitter, in your own personal journal, or in the comments.
What’s on your July “Did-Do” list? Here’s mine:
Made homemade Strawberry Ice cream for the first time with a fresh fruit swirl
Read THREE WHOLE BOOKS since my last newsletter: Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey (re-read); Woman at the Edge of Time by Marge Percy; and The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
Received the nicest novel rejection yet from a senior editor, which included the phrase “Allison is an undeniably talented writer…”
Completed a year-long pandemic re-watch of all eight seasons of Psych
ICYMI: Recent Newsletters
Book Marketing Now interviews with Namina Forna, Tara Sullivan, Andrea Wang, Heather Kelly, and Rachel Sarah, Aileen Weintraub & Diana Whitney.
And stay tuned for fall workshops, including a Marketing for Writers class on October 23rd!
Writing/Marketing Resources:
Writer Jadie Jang has compiled this incredibly handy public spreadsheet of media contacts, with specific emphasis on speculative fiction- and Asian American-friendly outlets.
People of Color in Publishing and Latinx in Publishing have just released the results of their Workplace Racism Survey of POC publishing professionals {Publisher’s Weekly} which highlights the micro-aggressions and emotional labor POC face in the industry, as well as action points and resources for addressing these issues in the workplace. You can view the full report here.
Are you as enraptured by Levar Burton Reads as I am? Levar Burton is partnering with FIYAH and Tor.com to host a writing contest during the month of August, with cash and publication prizes!
In “The Sound of My InBox” {The Cut} Molly Fischer thoughtfully examines the literary form of the modern email newsletter.
Summer Fun
July 18th is National Ice Cream Day: enjoy a scoop & delicious discounts!
This genius found fan fiction titles for every lyric in Christina Peri’s “A Thousand Years” and put it to music (second half here)!
emma 2: let there be carnage@msmegalodoni found ao3 fic titles for every lyric of a thousand years by christina perri2:17 AM · Jun 3, 202118.6K Reposts · 50.1K Likes
Reading Corner
Book Rec: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
The Light Brigade is a highly readable, brutal, intricate, military sci-fi that takes an intense look at war and who benefits, heroism, and power structures. Set on a future Earth where corporations have supplanted governments, recruits in the war against Mars are turned into light to be sent between worlds and battlefronts. But some soldiers, our protagonist Deitz included, come back changed. And the version of war they see is different from everything they thought they knew.
I’m not the only one with book recs this summer; Obama’s list has something for every kind of reader too! What’s on your summer reading list?
Industry News
Jordan Pavlin has been named the new Editor-in-Chief of Knopf after over thirty years at the imprint. {The New York Times}
Andy Jassy has taken over as CEO of Amazon {Yahoo! Finance} as Jeff Bezos leaves to pursue… space travel?
Amazon and Publishers Seek to Delay Discovery in E-book Price-Fixing Case {Publisher’s Weekly}, a class action lawsuit filed in accusing Amazon of colluding with the Big Five to restrain price competition in the e-book market.
Former literary agent, Brook Sherman, is being counter-sued by a former employer, The Bent Agency, for damages {Publisher’s Weekly} related to “hundreds of thousands of dollars of commissions that he was no longer entitled to receive following his gross misconduct” which came to light this past winter {Kirkus Reviews}. Sherman claims that those commissions are owed him, and that the agency is in breach of his terms of employment.
Tea
My most recent tea acquisition: Rishi’s Blueberry Hibiscus, which turns from blue to purple to ruby red when you pour over the hot water. Fruity and zingy, it’s all organic herbal tea and dried fruit. A quenching summer drink hot or iced!
Happy writing!
~Allison
Writer & Marketing Coach
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If you become my friend on FB, and then access John David Publishing upon my invitation, it will answer all your questions on my measures of success.
I wish that writers like myself, and many others, would not measure success only by the number of books that have sold of your latest novel. It may be a measure, but it’s not the most important one when creating fiction (or nonfiction). Just saying…….