Wednesday, March 3, 2010

A Funny Thing Happened Yesterday

And no, it wasn't that my Internet finally came back on (that happened this morning--grumble, grumble, grumble). This Eureka! Moment happened at Barnes & Noble. I was chit chatting with my gal pal, Sheri, when suddenly the books on the shelves started talking to me (metaphorically of course. I haven't gone that cuckoo yet.). I knew them personally--the authors who wrote them and their publishing journeys. It was all Grease Lightning and I felt like a total insider.

First I saw Jennifer Stanley's new release Stirring Up Strife and I immediately thought about her guest blog post at BookEnds. Her post, Take a Risk--Stay True to Your Voice, reminded us to "Forget what you think people are looking for and write your story." It's totally easy to get caught up in publishing trends, but in the end "you don’t want to ride a trend; you want to start one."Amen girlie.

Then I spotted Jennifer Hubbard's The Secret Year and was all excited to check out the author's debut. After following Jennifer's tweets and Nathan Bransford's blog posts on the subject, I already knew so much about the novel and its history, which made seeing it sitting on the bookshelf even more special. It's awesome to follow an author throughout the publication process. Congrats Jennifer!

And what book was next to Jennifer's? Liar written by Justine Larbalestier. For those who don't know, there was a little controversy last July regarding the book's US cover. The protagonist, Micah, is described as "black with nappy hair which she wears natural and short." So what did the US cover look like? Of course it featured a white girl with long brown hair. Yeah, not sure what the publisher was thinking exactly, but after an uproar, the cover was eventually remedied (that's the revised cover to the left). You can check out Justine's post on the subject here if you want.

The coolest part about all of this, is now more than ever I feel like I'm a part of this industry, or at least I know a thing or two about it. And I really have all of you, my fellow Bloggers, to thank for this. I've learned so much in the past year and it keeps getting better. So THANK YOU. I can't wait to continue to share my journey with you.

8 comments:

Stephanie Thornton said...

I can't wait to see your book on the shelves- that will be so awesome!

Roxy said...

I'm also thankful for the opportunity to participate in this community of writers. I love reading other people's excerpts, hearing about their successes and challenges, and learning about the commercial side of the industry. Thanks for a great post, Stephanie. The mention you made of Barnes and Noble makes me want to go there.

Unknown said...

It is cool isn't? I think the blogging experiance has been a great tool in understanding the in's and out's of the business.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I've had a few moments like those too, and they always catch me by surprise. It's so cool to realize we know more than we thought. :-)

I agree with Stephanie, btw!!

Stephanie Damore said...

Aw, thanks Stephanie. You too. BTW, how's the querying process going for you? I hope you're getting positive results.

Stephanie Damore said...

Roxy, this community really is amazing. I can't imagine attempting this journey alone. B&N and the library always make me smile and remind me of the big picture--I write because I love books.

Stephanie Damore said...

Jen, yep, it's cool alright. I would know diddle squat about publishing if it wasn't for the great blogs out there. Oh, how I love the Internet (most days!).

Stephanie Damore said...

Shannon, Thanks!!! I think that was the coolest part--how surprised I was by my knowledge. Maybe I'm not a natural blonde after all :)