alg | (no subject)

Good morning! I have been awake since six am, and wow! It is a beautiful day. I have the windows open, and there is a wonderful cold breeze blowing in. My bedroom window faces Manhattan, which means it faces the water, even though I can't see the water, and I get wonderful breezes -- although when it's freezing outside and the wind chill is, like, negative seventy-million, it's not so much fun.

(All I want this morning is a cup of coffee and a Danish. Wow, how bad do I want a Danish? Pretty badly. Instead I had a crescent roll. Not quite as good, but what's a girl to do?)

I want to thank again everyone who provided me with links and stories on Monday -- that was awfully nice of you guys and I really appreciate it! I am well on my way to recovering (especially now that my dentist has called in a new prescription for me, and I have much stronger painkillers, phew).

Now that I can focus for longer than 500 words, I am ready to write more about demystifying publishing.

I am really glad that these entries are helping y'all. And I am flattered that so many people are reading them -- I know I tend to be pedantic and long-winded, so it's amazing to me that you guys can get through these entries. *g*

I do want to remind you that these answers are by no means universal. Remember the first rule: Don't be an idiot.

Publishing is Hard!

Writing is an art, but publishing is a business -- and here are a few basic suggestions on how to navigate that business. Complete with explanations of various departments within a publishing company, and how they all work together to make your book. And, of course, my witty and charming commentary!

Thanks for reading; I hope this has helped at least some of you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

*grin* Thank you for this fabulous post! I started reading it yesterday when

jaylake posted it and came back as soon as work had a break. It's nice to learn what each department does.

As for the 'don't be an idiot' advice--my day job right now is working as an assistant in a corporate law office. I swear half the people on the phone have never had jobs of their own. Isn't it obvious that if you treat people badly, they are going to remember? We do the work anyway, but don't catch us prioritizing. If you have a choice between being the squeaky wheel or attracting flies with honey, why are you considering the first option again?

At any rate, before I rant further on why 'common sense' is worth its weight in gold and how I wish common courtesy was more catchy than the common cold, I'm just going to thank you. Thank you for putting in the time and effort to write this. I appreciated it and hope to incorporate it in the future.

Heh, it's funny how the most common admonition to toddlers bares repeating to all age groups: be nice.

Thanks again! :0)

I actually believe, as

pnh said above, that there is a time and a place for rudeness. Sometimes there is no other way to get through to people. Sometimes being nice doesn't work.

But I do firmly believe that one should always start out being nice. There is no reason not to. Give people the benefit of the doubt -- at least in public. No one knows that you're gritting your teeth while you're smiling, you know? There are enough people in the world who are going to hate you no matter what -- why go out of your way to make enemies??

Anyway, you're welcome! Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to let me know I've been helpful. :)

*grin* Point! Just so long as you're yelling at the right person, that is a very good point.