EBooks-Don't be Scared . . .

Author and literary agent Peter Rubie has been involved in publishing for nearly 20 years. He is the CEO of FinePrint Literary Management, and has been teaching publishing at NYU and elsewhere for over a decade.

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Imagine this: It’s a couple of years into the future – maybe three. You’re sitting on the beach, sunbathing in 90 degree sunshine while kids around you squeal and build sandcastles. You pull out of your bag something that looks like a long lipstick holder. At the click of a button you pull out a flimsy sheet of plastic as if unfurling a window blind. Once it is fully extended to perhaps 12 inches, the flexible plastic sheet hardens into an opaque surface without any need of a frame. You switch it on, and call up the opening page where you select from a menu showing magazines, newspapers, books or graphic novels. At a click of a button on your touch-sensitive screen, through Wifi, you download the contents of the latest edition of a magazine you subscribe to.

Once you’ve finished your magazine, you decide to select a book. But rather than read something already resident on your eReader, you decide now is a good time to get that new novel you’ve promised yourself. You perhaps retract a little of the screen, so that it’s now the size of a book page, go online to The Tattered Cover.com, and there browse their personalized recommendations for you, based on your previous relationship with them.

You have already established a Napster-like account with them paying a flat $15 per month for the ability to download books through their website. They, in turn, have gone to some pains to determine, as Netflix tries to do, the kinds of books you like to read, and have a regular free, RSS-type downloadable newsletter crafted to your wants and needs informing you of new releases and reprints of books you might like to read. You choose two books -- J.K. Rowling’s just-published new novel and Louisiana Power and Light, by John Dufresne, an old book in the Norton backlist, and within a moment start reading. Both authors, meanwhile, get an immediate royalty deposited into their accounts at their publishers based on the sale of the books. And perhaps you get a discounted price on the book for buying both the e-version and the hardcover that is being sent in the mail to you which you will read in the comfort of your own home.

Far fetched? Not really.

In mid-November 2007, Amazon launched their eReader, called the Kindle, at New York’s W Hotel-- the same place Sony launched their Reader a year earlier. What links the Kindle and the Sony Reader, though, is that both depend on a special screen called an Electronic Paper Display, or EPD, which is the first commercially viable electronic paper substitute. The screen is the real revolution here.

By 2009, according to Russell J. Wilcox, President and CEO of E Ink, the company that makes the screen, (in an interview on the BtoB Media Business web site) said we’ll see 11-inch and 12-inch screen sizes, and beautiful color and images. Then, he said, “we’ll go into the magazine world.”

At least one publisher already seems to get it. In early October, 2007, Holtzbrinck, the German publishing giant, changed its American name to Macmillan. In his blog discussing this name change, Brian Napack, the President of Macmillan said, “. . . Our role as publishers is not really to turn paper into books. . . It is to publish . . . through all the channels – digital and traditional – where our audience can be found.”

Larry Kirshbaum, former CEO of Warner Books (now Grand Central Publishing), and current CEO of LJK Literary Management, told me what seems to be the dominant feeling in U.S. publishing, however. “Everyone is in a holding pattern right now waiting for something to happen.” eBooks, he said, is “a technology that has a long way to go.”

But the real issue for publishers is not technology, but being forced into a major re-evaluation of issues such as the current country-by-country model of subrights licensing. Barbara Marcus, former President of Scholastic’s Childrens Book Division, and now a self-described “industry gadfly” who is a strategic advisor to Penguin’s Children’s Group told me not so long ago, “If publishers believed there was a growing audience for ebooks they would price them differently.”

Besides the introduction of two viable high-profile eReaders within the same year, the major event that signaled the start of the current digital revolution in publishing happened on April 2, 2007, when Steve Jobs (the head of Apple) announced that DRM (digital rights management, also known as copy protection) has failed as a viable business philosophy in the digital music world. Jobs explained that a DRM system employs secrets. (http://www.apple.com/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/) “The problem [with secrets], of course, is that there are many smart people in the world . . . who love to discover such secrets . . . so any company trying to protect content using a DRM must frequently update it with new and harder to discover secrets.“

Jobs went on, “Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. . . . This is clearly the best alternative for consumers . . . . DRMs haven’t worked, and may never work, to halt music piracy.”
With that thought still echoing in your heads, consider that ebooks hold out the following promises:

• An expanding marketplace of readers for an increasing number of titles and topics;
• An expanding marketplace of booksellers via the internet;
• A marketplace where the publisher can start to regain from the book selling giants like Amazon and B&N some of the control over the kinds of books it wants to publish and how;
• An end to Returns, the bane of publishing economics.
• A disposable “mass market” book that costs $4 or $5, rather than current $8 or more.
• No reprinting costs;
• The ability to cash in with more speed and efficiency on the sudden success of the mass market paperback writer. Indeed, no need to go back to press again.
• A way to encourage, build and exploit a backlist
• With the pressure from chain bookstores diminished, ebooks could open up a way to once again publish idiosyncratic, not so easily categorizable writing on a broader scale. This would give the editor, in particular, a greater validity than she enjoys at the moment.
• A way to encourage more virtual, and bricks-and-mortar bookstores, not less, by developing a system that can enhance the sales rep system currently in place.
• A way for authors to instantly receive and track royalty payments on each downloaded sale.

So what needs to happen?

We need a reader that is not crippled by only getting its reading material from one source. I don’t want to have to buy my new ebooks only from the Sony store, or Amazon as at present.

We need a reader priced under $200 at the very most.

I want to pay $6 a book (mass market prices, in effect) and transfer that book from one device to another, not $15 or more and be forced to keep it only on one machine.

We need everyone to agree on a uniform standard format for etexts. EPub and pdf is getting there, but it isn’t quite established yet.

There are issues with who will own the material – authors or publishers -- and for how long, which far outstrip issues of digital theft. But it’s really not all bad, guys. Honest. Publishers shouldn’t let companies like Amazon or Sony dictate the pace and form of how this change in how we read will happen. Publishers owe it to themselves, and us, the reading public, to lead the way, not follow along reluctantly looking over their shoulder and mumbling about the death of the good old days.

Peter Olsen, former CEO of Random House, on Digital Publishing and E-Books

Peter Olsen, the former boss of Random House recently wrote an essay on the future of e-books which is fascinating. Click here to read the whole essay.
In part, Olsen says:
"Book businesspeople are about to make the same mistake that has devastated the music and newspaper industries: worrying about whether a new digital format will cannibalize their traditional business rather than focusing on how to make the new format more competitive with other digital media."
He then goes on to talk about various aspects of e-book pulbishing, including pricing, something I think has been a major stumbing block to the speed with which the format can grow effectively. (The other issue is transparency --i.e., the ability to move your ebook from one device to another freely and easily. The format will never thrive while it costs upwards of $12 for an electronic version of a mass market book which I can only use on one machine. This is the reason that Amazon will soon hit a brick wall. If you can only read your Amazon bought books on the Kindle, and a better machine comes along, they're banking on us staying with an inferior product because the the book -- the real reason you have the reader in the first place -- has to stay with the original machine. this also flies in the face of a growingmovement to make either a form of pdf, or E-Pub book the defacto standard format for books, in a similar way to mp3 in music.)
Olsen on Pricing:
"Setting E-book PricesPricing innovations are inevitable in the digital world as well. Prices of e-books should be shaped by cost structures and customer demand rather than by comparison to traditional p-book pricing. A stand-alone electronic book business has radically different economics than the print business: If we assume that the average retail price of a print book is $10, then the average wholesale price is $5 (the $5 difference represents the retailers’ costs for store rent and personnel, including a profit of, at most, only 50 cents for the retailer); the costs of paper, printing and binding are roughly $1, the author’s royalties (15 percent of retail price) $1.50, internal publishers’ costs (including marketing, sales, warehousing, inventory management and distribution) of approximately $2, on average, leaving a publisher’s margin of 50 cents.
About half of these costs vanish in the e-book world since the store rent and personnel that make up much of the $4.50 are unnecessary; $1 of paper, printing and binding are not be incurred; and an estimated 50 cents of publisher costs related to functions such as warehousing, inventory management, production management and distribution disappear.
This analysis suggests that e-books could, as a stand-alone business, be priced far below Amazon’s current $9.99 pricing and dramatically lower than p-books. Beyond this, pricing is likely to take many new forms, if recent developments in music are any indicator. Portions of nonfiction works could be sold by bits—for example, to a reader who wants only vegetarian recipes from a book on Mughlai cuisine or a student who only needs the chapter on differential equations from a book on calculus. Backlist titles could be offered in a bundle at a steep discount to bolster demand and enhance library-building and format conversion. Additional offerings (an author biography, for example) could be added for incremental revenue.
There is no reason, moreover, why e-books could not be priced dynamically, as are most products in an online world—the initial release price for Dan Brown’s new novel, for example, could start at $39.99, rather than the announced $28.99, for the first 24 hours to reflect the pent-up demand and the relative price insensitivity of his most devoted fans, dropping swiftly as demand declines toward the $4 price level shown above.
Finally, the e-book version of public domain books should be made available at very low prices or even for free to encourage reading in schools and at home. In the case of public domain books, the deep backlist of publishers, the digital format renders the role of publishers virtually irrelevant; online retailers become publishers of classics by default."
If you're interested in reading the complete essay, which I recommend, click on the link here.

Here's the latest on the Google Settlement for those who are following this issue and are concerned. You can also go to our google settlement page at our website www.fineprintlit.com.

From the Wall Street Journal 6/10/2009
The Justice Department has sent formal demands to Google Inc. and publishers for information about a deal that would allow the search giant to make millions of books available online, publishing company executives and people briefed on the matter said Tuesday.

The civil investigative demands, or CIDs, are the strongest sign yet that the Justice Department may seek to block or force a renegotiation of the settlement, which was struck last year and has not yet been approved in court. It's also an indication of the more intense antitrust scrutiny promised by the Obama administration.

Love Your Local Bookseller Online...

I know that many authors consistently go to pains to cultivate a good relationship with their local bookseller. But what happens if your local bookseller visits your site - maybe to check that posted information about an event in their store is correct? What links do they find for anyone who visits your site and wishes to buy your book "on the spot?" It's a question that in the throes of web design you might not have put enough thought into. If amazon.com is your only link, what message does that send to all the others?

I strongly urge every author to add links to a wide variety of retailers - whether you install these directly at your site, or via a link through your publisher. As an example of the latter, click on Concettabertoldi.com

Then, when you click on the "Buy" button on either of Concetta Bertoldi's books (shown on the Reviews page), you are taken to the HarperCollins website where many retailers from amazon to the major chains to the independents are listed.

Booksellers are our friends! Let's spread the love around by making it easy for readers to choose their favorite vendor when they want to purchase your book (they may want to use a club card or gift certificate). Speak with your publisher or your web master to find out the best way to handle this on your particular site.

Happy To Be Here

I suddenly woke up to the fact that the Boston Marathon, a race I've been looking forward to, is only about eight weeks away and I'm not ready. It's been a busy fall and winter – full of work and travel – and my running has suffered. I've pretty much lost my base and need to seriously log some miles – harden the haunches for Heartbreak Hill. So this morning I got up early to do two full loops of Central Park and a lap of the Jackie O. Reservoir (about 14 miles door-to-door). Since mini-doxy Sidhe has eaten my second pair of ear buds I don't listen to the iPod while I run; I think about my authors and their projects. In the past few months publishing has lost a lot of its base, too, and there's been plenty of grim news to go around. But I have been inordinately blessed in the month of February and feel extremely optimistic about all of it going forward. As I run, there's a lot that's making me smile...

Things like, Isla Fisher naming Ina May Gaskin's Ina May's Guide to Childbirth one of her five favorite books in O, The Oprah Magazine. (Can't wait till Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding comes out later this year, pubbed by Bantam, and increases the visibility of her already classic brand). Things like, Marisha Chamberlain's first novel, The Rose Variations (Soho Press) being selected as an Indie Next Pick this month, being featured in MORE magazine (and we are looking forward to her review in this week's New York Times Book Review!). Things like, Rowan Jacobsen (A Geography of Oysters, Bloomsbury 2007) being dubbed "The Oyster Man" in this month's Bon Appetit, and being invited to discuss his book Fruitless Fall (2008) on C-SPAN's "Book TV." I just finished reading his newly delivered manuscript for The Living Shore (2009) – another terrific gem! What else is making me smile? Oh, let's see . . . maybe the starred review Molly Harper's first novel, Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs (Pocket Books) just received in Publishers Weekly. An in-house fave among all of us who love to laugh, we have been waiting impatiently for this one to hit the shelves – just a few short weeks now! Marvelous medium Concetta Bertoldi's second book, Do Dead People Walk Their Dogs? (Harper) is just around the corner, too, with a first printing three times as juicy as enjoyed by her first (New York Times bestseller, Do Dead People Watch You in the Shower?). Other sweet subjects to muse upon – Nathaniel Altman's The Healing Power of Honey (due soon from Hatherleigh), a deal for new author Kim Marcille (The Science of Making Things Happen, New World Library, 2010), and a third Navy SEAL romance contract for Mary Margret Daughtridge (SEALED with a Kiss, Casablanca, 2008) as we eagerly await the imminent release of her second, SEALED with a Promise. I'm also smiling about summer and fall releases on my list (more about them tk), the necessary new nonfiction projects and spanking new novels that my authors and I have poured hours into, readying them for editors' desks.

Yes, there has been contraction in publishing like there's been in all other industries. But personally, I have a lot of faith in this ever-fascinating, entertaining, and enlightening exchange of ideas known as the book business. I'm very happy to be here, and I'm looking forward to, together, logging a lot more miles and building back our base!

FinePrint Client Link Round-Up!

Some fun things going on with some of my FinePrint clients:

• Paul Jessup has a wonderful new short story posted up at Fantasy Magazine.
• At long last, Mike Jasper's new book A Gathering of Doorways (Prime Books) is finally available at a bookseller near you! Here's what Lucius Shepard had to say about A Gathering of Doorways: “A strong and compulsively readable novel about family and friends and the horrors, ordinary and not so ordinary, that beset them. From first page to last, Mike Jasper’s A GATHERING OF DOORWAYS is a cut above.” Go pick up your copy now!
  
• Alan DeNiro, whose new book Total Oblivion More or Less will be coming out this November from Bantam, just had a short story accepted for Interfictions 2, coming out from Small Beer Press this Fall. Additionally, if you can't wait for more Alan DeNiro, you can go download a free copy of his novella-length speculative poem The Stations. Alan has also set up a Twitter feed for the poem, where he'll be posting snippets as the mood takes him.
• S.E. Ward will have a short story appearing in the final issue of Realms of Fantasy magazine (that would be the April 2009 issue).
• And last, but not least, my colleague Stephany Evans represents the amazing Molly Harper, whose debut paranormal romance Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs will be coming out from Pocket Books very soon; Publishers Weekly just gave Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs a *starred review*: "Hysterical laughs are the hallmark of this enchanting paranormal debut....Jane's snarky first-person narrative is as charming as it is hilarious, retaining enough humanity to connect instantly with readers. Harper keeps the quips coming without overdoing the sarcasm, and her take on vampire lore will intrigue and entertain even the most jaded paranormal fan." Congratulations, Molly!
  
  

Publicists You Want to Boast About

FinePrint is creating a list of freelance publicists that published authors have enjoyed working with, and would recommend to other authors. These are our colleagues however, and we understand the complex nature of publishing relationships, so we're not interested in negative comments -- they'll be deleted from the blog. We're trying to do just a "Good News" thing here. We're solely interested in hearing from authors who through personal experience would recommend any freelance publicist they have worked with over the last couple of years. A positive directory will be a real help to others if we can manage to compile one, I think.
Thanks,
Peter Rubie

Guest blog: Marisha Chamberlain: Do I Hafta Self-Promote?

We asked debut novelist and FinePrint client Marisha Chamberlain to talk a little bit about author self promotion, a subject that is the bane of many authors' existence. Marisha's new book The Rose Variations just came out from Soho Press.

As I write this, my first novel, The Rose Variations, has been out for just a few weeks, and the buzz has been terrific. This is partly due to the efforts of an outstanding agent (Stephany Evans) and a remarkable publicist (Sarah Reidy) at Soho Press. But I’m working hard at it, too, and I started without a clear model to follow about how to promote your own book.

Social psychologist, Carol Dweck from Stanford University, in her book, Mindset: a New Psychology of Success, published startling findings that show that talent and high intelligence (which many writers possess) can actually undermine success. Why? Because of an unexamined conviction that if one is required to make an effort, it means one might not be supremely talented. Could that be at work in some of these lackluster fiction events by novelists whose work is sublime on the page? I suspect so. Dweck shows us in study after study that effort equals success. Artistic success plus marketing success—that’s what we writers want. No matter how terrific the writing is, if it doesn’t reach readers, what’s the point?

So let’s say a strong effort to market is intrinsic to the writing life. If we accept that, maybe we can face the numbers. Such as: a first novel must achieve hardcover sales to readers of a certain number, in the thousands, for the novel to come out in paperback, and even more crucially, for a second manuscript by that same writer to be sellable. Is that enough to motivate the excellent, if grumpy and introverted, writer? I don’t think so.

The private writing self moans—do I hafta? Do I really hafta do a radio interview at 6 in the morning, followed by a classroom visit at 11, and a reading that evening, of this novel I finished two years ago, when I just want to hole up in my study and work on the book I’m writing now?

Yeah, I hafta. Because if my book doesn’t sell and I haven’t done everything I could think of to get it into the hands of readers, how grumpy am I gonna be then? However, if I can find ways to get back to my study, even in the middle of book promotion, then I remind myself of what it’s all for: to make a life of this. To bring in enough dough to go on writing. Regular writing hours on a new project hidden from public view—that’s what keeps me going, promoting the book that’s out there now.

Enemy of the State, by Michael Newton and Michael Scharf

Now that the Bush administration has gone the way of the dodo, this book is worth a second look as the concept and reality of the rule of law is restablished in America and elsewhere. This is in no small measure due to behind the scenes work of two FinePrint clients, Michael Newton and Michael Scharf who are leading US law professors asked by the justice department to go to Iraq and help set up the trial of Saddam Hussein and train the lawyers and judges. The criticisms of the transparency of the trial, and the fact that the defendant was able to speak his mind as he did is testimony to how well they did their job. Below are some appreciations of the importance of this book and the work of its authors.

Television and Radio

Michael Scharf, interviewed about Enemy of the State on WVIZ/PBS Feagler & Friends, Friday, February 13, 2009. http://www.wviz.org/index.php/WVIZ/feagler/

Cross-Fire Discussion of "Enemy of the State" featuring co-author Michael Scharf, Nuremberg Prosecutor Henry King, and National Public Radio commentator Daniel Maulthrop, held at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage on December 10, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z7IRYpQ5CA

On the two-year anniversary of Saddam's execution (December 30, 2008), WCPN broadcast a one-hour interview with Michael Scharf: http://www.wcpn.org/index.php/WCPN/soi/15840/

Uganda Plans for War Crimes Trials, VOA News.com, December 24, 2008: http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-24-voa32.cfm?CFID=105960706&CFTOKEN=54481034&jsessionid=8830f3aa9f2679618e6d493065686f7ad692

More than a witness to history: Michael Scharf helps shape trials ranging from Saddam to the Khmer Rouge, WKSU News, November 25, 2008. http://www.wksu.org/news/story/22618

C-SPAN Book TV aired the discussion from Brentwood, TN by Michael Newton on Sunday, November 9, at 11:00 AM and on Monday, November 10, at 1:00 AM.Michael Newton discusses Enemy of the State on Nashville Channel 4 News, September 29, 2008: http://www.wsmv.com/video/17589015/index.html?rss=nash&psp=news

KYW Newsradio 1060 with Larry Kane, �Foreign Policy Challenges,� with Michael Newton, October 19th, 2008. http://www.kyw1060.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=2994690&topic=true

PRI �The World,� �Bin Laden and U.S. foreign policy,� with Michael Scharf, October 9, 2008. http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/21633

PRI The World, Saddam's Final Chapter, July 16, 2008, Newton and Scharf interview about Enemy of the State, audio available at: http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/19506 Minnesota Public Radio, Karadzic Trial a Test for War Crimes Tribunal, July 30, 2008 (1 hour interview), audio available at:http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/07/30/midmorning1/?refid=0

PRI The World, Saddam's Final Chapter, July 16, 2008, Newton and Scharf interview about Saddam on Trial, audio available at: http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/19506

On-Line Reviews and Features:

Mayada Al Askari (Staff Writer), �Book Review: In Camera Revelations: Going Behind the scenes into Saddam Hussein�s Trial,� Gulf News, Friday, October 24, 2008, at page 24. http://enemyofthestatebook.com/pdf/Gulf_News_book_review.pdfGregory S. McNeal: �Book Review: Enemy of the State corrects the public record on the quest for justice in Iraq.� National Review Online, October 10, 2008. (http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NjY4YTFmNTdmZDg2YWIxMjBmMzU5MGZjNmQyYmZlYjIJonathan Adler, Review of �Enemy of the State,� the Volokh Conspiracy Blog, January 22, 2009. http://volokh.com/posts/1232630361.shtmlChatham House, London, Summary of Discussion of �Enemy of the State� book, featuring co-author Michael Scharf, Salem Chalabi, and Elizabeth Wilmshurt: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/publications/papers/view/-/id/692/�Case Western Reserve Professor Works for Justice in Uganda while Government Troops Hunt Down Dreaded War Lord,� Case Western Reserve University, December 24, 2008: http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/12/24/michaelscharfuganda�Case Western Reserve Law Professor and Students Play Key Role in Preparation for Killing Fields Trials in Cambodia,� Case Western Reserve University, December 19, 2008: http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/12/19/killingfieldstrials�Sept. 11 Suspects Want To Confess: Defendants: Guilty Plea Decision Came On Election Day,� by Michael P. Tremoglie, The Bulletin, December 9, 2008. http://enemyofthestatebook.com/article_suspects_want_to_confess.htm�Scharf Writes Book About Trial of Hussein,� by Edward A. Sotelo, Cleveland Sun Press, December 11, 2008. http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/communitylife/index.ssf?/base/features-0/1228945033253670.xml&coll=4�Foremost Criminal Law Academic to Address Gates Scholars,� University of Cambridge, December 3, 2008. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2008120201�Case Western Reserve Law Professors to discuss global fight against genocide, offer insiders' look at Saddam trial and execution,� Case Western Reserve University, December 2, 2008. http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/12/02/enemy�Judging Saddam Hussein: Inside the Trial of the Iraqi Dictator,� Think, Case Western Reserve University Magazine, Fall/Winter 2008. http://www.case.edu/magazine/fallwinter2008/judgingsaddamhussein.html�Law Professor Has Inside Look at Saddam's Trial and Execution,� Newswise.com, November 20, 2008. http://www.newswise.com/p/articles/view/546702/ �Michael Scharf '88 discusses trial of Saddam Hussein,� Duke Law, October 28, 2008. http://www.law.duke.edu/news/story?id=2628&u=11

Reviews for Enemy of the State

"The story of the Hussein trial, from the creation of the tribunal through Hussein's conviction and execution, is told in Enemy of the State: The Trial and Execution of Saddam Hussein by Vanderbilt law school's Michael Newton and my colleague Michael Scharf. Both participated in the development of the tribunal. As a consequence, the book offers a detailed, inside account of the court's creation and its proceedings, including gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial itself and legal analysis of its decision. The book offers many insights and revelations omitted by contemporary media accounts, and places the tribunal in its broader international law context."--The Volokh Conspiracy Blog (Read full review)

"When Saddam was being tried in Baghdad, no one needed to issue orders for a curfew, as the people remained at home, their eyes glued to the televisions. 'Enemy of the State,' a book authored by Newton and Scharf, has the same effect on readers. The book is a chronicle of the trial and a behind-the-scenes account of its goings-on - where the phrase 'one of the most important chaotic trials in history' seems to become an understatement." --Gulf News, book review of "Enemy of the State," October 24, 2008, at p. 24Read full review (pdf file)

"The trial of Saddam Hussein will likely be remembered as one of the 'messiest' in legal history, according to Newton and Scharf, American legal scholars who helped write the rules of the Iraqi High Tribunal. After highlighting Iraq's long and esteemed history of recognizing the rule of law, Newton and Scharf detail the internal and international tensions that pushed and pulled the process of restoring the justice system after the tall of the Ba'athist regime. The trial focused on the complete destruction of the town of Dujail after an alleged assassination attempt on Saddam. Newton and Scharf set the stage of the legal drama: Saddam, confident--even arrogant--carrying a Qur'an to court each day; the chief prosecutor, who achieved rock-star status with the public; and a no-nonsense judge. They go on to detail Saddam's outbursts, hunger strikes, boycotts, and walkouts, forcing the judge to choose between letting Saddam rant and challenge the legitimacy of the court or restraining him and risking accusations that the court was a sham. Making comparisons to Nuremberg and other trials of infamous regimes, Newton and Scharf highlight the legal implications of the trial, including international debate on the death penalty. Although written by legal scholars, this book will have wide appeal among readers hungry for details about a hugely important trial."--Booklist "Law professors Newton and Scharf recount their involvement in the trial of Saddam Hussein, from the Iraqis� iconic removal of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdus Square in April 2003 to the deposed leader�s chaotic hanging. Newton and Scharf helped write the rules of the Iraqi High Tribunal for the trial, giving them an insiders� view of the case. They candidly summarize the difficulties posed to courts and lawyers intent on bringing Hussein�s crimes to light and exposing him to fair and unbiased judgment. Most illuminating is the day-by-day recounting of the tensest period of the trial, in a chapter aptly titled 'Disorder in the Courtroom.' They admit that the trial was 'both revolutionary in its aspiration and at times rudimentary in its applications.' Readers interested in the future of global jurisprudence will find much to ponder in this frank and detailed account."--Publisher's Weekly "Semi-insiders� account of how fallen president Saddam Hussein ended up being tried by the Iraqi High Tribunal in Baghdad and executed on Dec. 30, 2006.Scharf (Law/Case Western Reserve) previously worked at the U.S. State Department, where he helped devise the mechanisms for prosecuting heads of state including Serbia�s Slobodan Milosevic and Liberia�s Charles Taylor. Newton (Law/Vanderbilt Univ.), a West Point graduate, later taught at the U.S. Military Academy and also worked for the State Department as an advisor on war crimes. Both of them spent time in Iraq helping train the judges who would preside at the trials of Hussein and dozens of lesser-known Iraqi officials complicit in his regime. Those attempting to rule Iraq after the U.S. government intervened wanted advice on the means for determining consequences of Hussein�s regime for the tyrant himself. The focal point of the narrative is the town of Dujail, where a 1982 attack on Hussein�s visiting convoy led to retribution that included the execution of at least 148 Dujail residents. Those deaths formed the basis of the prosecution against Hussein after his capture by U.S. military forces on Dec. 13, 2003. Newton and Scharf explain to the best of their ability what really occurred at Dujail, as well as the significance of evidence about that event in determining Hussein�s fate. Throughout the book, they emphasize the importance of nations operating under the rule of law to punish those who have ignored or flouted both national and international laws. They defend Hussein�s trial against a highly critical report published by Human Rights Watch, noting that the trial was televised 'gavel-to-gavel' in Iraq and that the judge had to deal with 'a defendant and his lawyers whose trial strategy was to be as disruptive as possible.' Because the narrative relies on numerous obscure legal concepts and practices, the authors wisely include a glossary.Often technical, but always educational, explaining how nations invent forums to reckon with extraordinary evil."--Kirkus Reviews "Newton and Scharf are noted experts on international war crimes and former advisers to the U.S. Department of State. They provided judicial assistance to the trial of Saddam Hussein and other Ba'athists, including training of judicial personnel, writing rules for the Iraqi Tribunal, and observing the nine-month trial proceedings. Here, they write of their experiences and provide perspective on the trial, which began in October 2005, including gavel-to-gavel coverage of the proceedings. The Iraqi High Tribunal was a newly formed court, and its base of authority was a complex mixture of Iraqi law, international law, and trial law. The authors examine how this tribunal sought to develop its credibility with the Iraqi people, a task complicated by the defense team's efforts to delegitimize the legal process at almost every stage. They also often effectively draw analogies between this trial and trials before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg after World War II. Their insiders' account is directed toward general adult audiences and will effectively aid them in understanding this crucial phase as Iraq struggles toward its future. Recommended for major public and university libraries."--School Library Journal "It�s been two years since Saddam Hussein�s conviction and execution for killing 148 Iraqis in the town of Dujail, and until now, the true history of that trial was largely unwritten. Distortions and accusations, by contrast, have been common; recently, for example, critics have renewed allegations that the Iraqi High Tribunal (the process set up to adjudicate the culpability of Saddam and his henchmen for crimes against humanity) failed to provide adequate due-process rights. The criticism is clear and familiar: Saddam�s trial was unfair, tainted by torture and political influence, and failed to meet the standards advocated by human-rights groups and our more sensible European allies. This narrative, coupled with an unending stream of conspiracy theories, provides a perfectly timed platform for the release of the book Enemy of the State: The Trial and Execution of Saddam Hussein."--Gregory S. McNeal, National Review Online read full review (pdf file)

"Enemy of the State: The Trial and Execution of Saddam Hussein tells a vivid story of the creation of the Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT), the trial of Iraq�s former despot, and his infamous execution. Enemy�s accurate details are commensurate with one�s expectations for a book written by world-renowned legal scholars like Vanderbilt�s LTC (Ret.) Michael A. Newton (USMA, �84 and USMA Dept. of Law 2002-2005) and Case Western Reserve�s Michael P. Scharf. Experts in the field, Newton had served as senior legal advisor to the U.S. Ambassador for War Crimes and Scharf as a State Department attorney deeply involved in the establishment of the Yugoslavia Tribunal prior to being asked to assist with this �Mother of all Trials.� As such, the authors bring a wealth of academic and practical experience to this detailed work of non-fiction. Whether speaking about the behind-the-scene politics involved in drafting the tribunal�s rules, recording the daily trial proceedings, or assessing the trial�s ultimate impact on history, the authors document this vital piece of history for an English-speaking audience in a way few others could. Speaking from their perspective as sometimes-insiders and arms-length observers, the authors� visibility of the legal process towers over the limited TV coverage reported by English-language media outlets at the time of trial. Newton and Scharf describe the inherent difficulty in upholding international humanitarian norms while respecting Iraq�s rich judicial history. Not merely a record of trial reserved for legal cognoscenti, Enemy comes alive with the authors� ability to weave colorful facts and eyewitness accounts into the rich tapestry of the book. Enemy is non-fiction that reads like a novel. The authors set the scene and bring the characters to life. Enemy takes you inside the Green Zone, and provides the reader with a personal introduction to Iraqi lawyers, judges, and defendants. It unveils tensions between well-meaning Western legal experts and Iraqi jurists proud of their own rich legal history dating back to Hammurabi. It shows the cult of personality that surround the deposed Saddam and other Baath party officials, even as they are reduced to criminal defendants who complain about insufficient cigarettes. It highlights the dangerous work done by Iraqi judges and court-appointed defense attorneys, and it details the lack of decorum at Saddam�s execution. Finally, Enemy of the State places the IHT, with its successes and flaws, in a historical context. The fast-moving novel-like work of nonfiction is destined to enlighten both academics and casual readers, who can find additional information on the book at http://www.enemyofthestatebook.com/."--Captain Nathan Jacobs, Assistant Professor and Executive Officer, USMA Department of Law

Skeleton Creek starts to catch fire!

Patrick Carman's new book from Scholastic, Skeleton Creek, hit stores on Tuesday, February 10th. The first project of its kind, Skeleton Creek is a book and a movie at the same time. Scholastic have dubbed it one of their three major projects for this year.

With the enormous web based effort Patrick Carman has put into publicising the book, we thought you might be interested in seeing what has happened to date. To begin with, Target has agreed to take the book and include it in their weekly newspaper roundup -- a huge boost for us.

To find out more about the project click here. Friday the 13th Live Webcast Event Watch the live webcast! Author Q and A / Presentation 6:30PM (PST) on Friday the 13th Third Place Books in Seattle, WA. Watch the live webcast and ask questions via chat here:http://www.mogulus.com/skeletoncreektv

We've also just uploaded an audio file which is a 20 minute audio interview with Patrick and the director. For anyone that wants to understand the format, the story, the setting, and the opportunity here, I think it's a super engaging and clear presentation. It answers all the questions. www.patrickcarman.com/skeletoncreek Here you'll be able to hear interviews with the principles, view videos of the project and its genesis and see what how the blogging world is embracing this project with open enthusiasm.

Six Stellar Publishing Blogs

Saw this on GalleyCat the other day and thought it worth reproducing here. Go to GalleyCat to see other suggestions and their list of sites worth checking out.
Peter Rubie
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Six Stellar Publishing Company Blogs
A few months ago, publisher HarperStudio asked the literary blogosphere: "Why do we 'need' a website?" GalleyCat appreciated the question, and picked a few publishing sites that illustrate how other stellar publishers use their websites effectively.
On their blog, Beacon Press runs timely short essays by the publisher's authors. We appreciate how this extra content supplements, rather than reproduces, the company's titles.
The NY Review of Books Classics blog does an excellent job of interacting with book clubs and popular culture.
The Melville House Books blog has become a great resource for publishing news, and the site has also launched a book-in-progress.
Penguin Blog has a large collection of multimedia extras, and makes great use of authors as a rotating crew of bloggers.
For science fiction and fantasy fans, Random House's Suvudu has grown into a fan-focused website with a fairly active comments section--a rare sense of community for a publisher blog.Finally, Open Letter Press's Three Percent blog has grown into a valuable source of translation publishing news, championing translated literature with contests and essays while promoting their titles at the same time.
Keep reading for a long list of publisher blogs. If you have a favorite publisher blog that's not on the list, add it in the comments section... [Click here to see the rest of the GalleyCat article.]

The Elements of Narrative Nonfiction

There are a lot of very good books about how to write fiction that sells, among them Don Maass's outstsanding Writing the Breakout Novel, Scott Meredith's classic Writing to Sell (out of print but well worth searching out a used copy) and The First Five Pages by Noah Lukeman.

There are also a lot of great books about how to put together a non-fiction proposal for everything from prescriptive diet books to serious history, books like Susan Rabiner's excellent Thinking Like Your Editor.

But what about narrative non-fiction, ie, non-fiction that reads like a novel? Books like Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, A Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger or The Rape of Nanking by the late Iris Chang are all great examples of non-fiction that reads like a novel, a true story with prose so compelling that you simply cannot stop yourself from turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Well, I have some good news for you narrative non-fiction writers: The Elements of Narrative Nonfiction: How to Write & Sell the Novel of True Events by my FinePrint colleague Peter Rubie has just been released by Quill Driver Books. Originally published by Harper Collins in the early 90s as Telling the Story, Peter has extensively revised and expanded the book to include case histories of some of today's bestselling narrative non-fiction titles, as well as plenty of hands-on advice and sample non-fiction proposals. Worth checking out!

Scholastic Executive Editor David Levithan Interviews Bestselling FinePrint Author Patrick Carman about his new YA novel--Skeleton Creek

With the imminent release of Patrick Carman's new video-novel -- Skeleton Creek -- due to be published February 10 with a laydown of 100,000 copies - the Skeleton Creek site goes live the same day - I thought this would be a good introduction to two very interesting guys doing some cutting edge stuff in young adult literature at the moment.

Click here to link to the Publishers Weekly article about this novel.

Peter Rubie

============

David Levithan has been Patrick Carman’s Scholastic editor for many years. He is also an award winning writer of many books including Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist (a collaboration with Rachel Cohn).

Q: Usually, I start off Q&As by asking my authors “Where did this idea come from?” But here that question has multiple parts. Let’s start with: Where did you get the idea for Skeleton Creek’s groundbreaking format?

A: I’ve always preferred writing books where there are illustrators, artists, sculptors, filmmakers, and visionaries involved in the process. All of my past projects have included outside creative forces in many forms (including editing!). For me, Skeleton Creek was the answer to a fundamental problem I was having as technology entered the picture.

In the past, when technology has been included in one of my projects, I’ve never felt like it was deeply connected to the story. So for example, the last project I worked on contained a lot of filmed segments for the web, but they weren’t tied to the story in a very meaningful way. This kind of web-based add-on feels hollow for the reader, as if it’s been bolted on as a bonus rather than essential to the experience. It was frustrating because I know technology means something different to my kids (11 and 13 years old) than it does for me. It holds more weight in a way I don’t completely understand.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this problem, often when I was on the road after having visited two or three schools earlier in the day. On one of my trips I was working in a journal, trying to think about how to bring these two artistic mediums together – printed word and online video - and I drew a picture. It was a page from a book that twisted in the middle. When it came out the other side it was a piece of film stock. The image completely ignited my imagination.

Was there a story that could be told in which the printed word and online videos could contribute equally? And better still, from my perspective, could they be made inseparable?

Q: And where did the idea for the story come from?

A: I had a strong feeling from the very beginning that this idea was doomed if the material didn’t fit the format. It takes a specific kind of story to be told successfully in this way. I scrapped four different drafts in the beginning because it felt too much like the structure was taking center stage. For this format to work - in the same way that a movie or a book works - the story and the characters had to be front and center, not the medium that presented them.

I knew I needed two distinct characters, one that loved to write and one that loved to shoot video. Ideally, they would almost compete with one another over the power of storytelling in their chosen field, trying to convince the reader and the watcher that their medium was best. I love this idea, especially for young readers, because online video has become so integrated into their lives.

I also liked the idea of creating two characters who loved their craft in part because of their own personalities. A filmmaker is usually outgoing and adventurous, while a writer often prefers the quiet of a room behind a closed door or the safety of a familiar café. These competing personalities created the basis for Ryan and Sarah. Ryan (the writer) is motivated at least in part by his fear of what lies outside the safety of his journals. Sarah, on the other hand, feels happiest when she’s investigating the world outside.

A ghost story always felt like the perfect fit for this format. It gave me so much to work with! Ryan loves to write scary stories, not experience them in real life, so the idea of a real ghost keeps him isolated from Sarah. And for an outgoing girl with a camera it doesn’t get much better than a mystery wrapped in a good scare. A ghost story also gave me the kind of imagery I needed with Sarah’s short videos, which needed to hold the readers attention and provide payoff for having done the work of reading 20 – 30 pages of text.

Q: What was it like for you, as an author, to suddenly be telling stories in both written and visual form?

A: Writing a book feels very linear compared to working on a story told in video form. When I write a book I have a plan, a sort of straight line from start to the finish that drives the effort. We had seventeen people working on different parts of the video segments all at one time and it was my job to oversee the production, so in that respect I was the producer / writer. I quickly learned that whether I liked it or not, the script I wrote would have to be a fluid document. Me in a room writing a book is different than my shooting script having to survive locations, actors, sets, lighting, music, the director, videographer, weather, sound effects…well, you get the idea. Bottom line, I had to become much more flexible as a writer.

Q: From the beginning, we knew this would be a massive behind-the-scenes undertaking. And while I’d love to say it was just you and me the whole time, with you manning the camera and me playing every part in the videos, there were actually a lot of people involved in this process. How did you form the Skeleton Creek team?

A: I was extremely lucky to have a close friend on the project who had spent 20 years in Hollywood working on films. Jeffrey Townsend worked on Sleepless in Seattle, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Night Shift (Martin Scorsese), and Pacific Heights, to name a few. He’d also won an Emmy for writing on the Tracy Ullman show, so he really understood how my script would need to evolve. Having him involved in filming, editing, and visual/audio effects was huge. From there we worked together to bring in a seasoned videographer and all the other important parts of the crew.

The video sections of the story were purposely developed as GIRL WITH A CAMERA. I put those words in caps because ultimately the girl we chose would have to carry a lot on her shoulders or it wasn’t going to work. Both guys and girls would have to like her and want to root for her. She had to show a wide range of emotions. And above all, the girl had to look into the camera as if she was simply talking to her best friend, because in the context of the book, she’s looking right at the reader. I wanted the reader to feel like Sarah was their best friend, taking them out of the book to join her in the real world.

I flew to Los Angeles with the videographer where an agent had pre-screened 500 girls and narrowed it to 100. We filmed every one of them doing a scene from the book, narrowed to ten, then to three, then went home and decided to screen another 10 girls from Walla Walla (the small town where I live). I didn’t expect to find a talented enough actress for the part in a small town, but I wanted to at least try. No one, least of all me, expected to be blown way when Amber Larsen, a local Walla Wallan, read for the part. But when she left the room we all knew Amber was the one. There was very little discussion. The way she connected, the way she looked, everything about her said Sarah.

I searched Myspace for a band with the right kind of sound and got them involved, and worked with Jeffrey to build the rest of the team (make-up, set design, lighting, the works).
Needless to say, making Skeleton Creek wasn’t cheap. I’ve never blown an advance faster in my life!

Q: How long, in all, did it take to develop Skeleton Creek?

A: Start to finish, three years. A year developing the story, another year preparing, and a final year filming / editing / packaging the online experience.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in telling a story this way?

A: If I had to pick one thing it would be dealing with the fear of failing. Nothing came easy on this project because we were inventing a new way of telling a story. For a writer, it doesn’t get much scarier than that.

I understood not everyone was going to respond positively to Skeleton Creek, that it would create some controversy over what constitutes an actual book. My hunch, pre-publication, is that Skeleton Creek will be a polarizing project. Not everyone is going to be comfortable going back and forth between the printed page and online videos. Knowing this going in was really hard, because I knew it would meet with some resistance, particularly from my adult peers (thus the fear of failure noted above!).

But here’s what kept me going….

I've traveled to over 600 schools in the past five years, and that experience has shown me first hand how wired kids have become. Three important take-aways from my travels:1) Every year kids are drawn into communication and entertainment technology at a younger and younger age, and the noise is getting louder and louder. Two short years ago I saw almost no cell phones in the hands of middle school students, now they're beyond common in middle schools and grade schools. 2) Books are having a harder time holding the attention of a wired youth culture. iPods, cell phones, movies, the internet, video games, and television are distracting even our best young readers. 3) While there will always be plenty of room for traditional books for young adults, publishing has to think outside the box in order to bring back many of our young readers.
I developed Skeleton Creek for 10-16 year olds who have grown up with Youtube and Myspace for one reason: I want them to read. I’ve come to acknowledge the fact that some people aren’t going to get it.

Q: For a New Jersey boy like me, when you first said that the series would involve a haunted dredge, I will confess I had no idea what you were talking about. But then the first videos came in and IT WAS SO SPOOKY. How did you find the dredge? Is it still there now?

A: Finding the dredge was one of the magic moments on this project. It’s a very uniquely scary location. Back in the 40’s and 50’s the northwest was open to gold dredging, but they’ve long since been banned because of the environmental damage they do. The gold dredge was like a giant earth eating monster, filled with conveyer belts and gears. The fact that I was able to locate it was the first bit of magic, the second was the unbelievable privilege of being able to film inside it. The dredge we used is part of the Oregon parks system, so it was a small miracle we were able to gain access to shoot for weeks on end.

Someone was killed on the dredge a long time ago, back when it was still in operation, and there’s a thriving urban legend about the dredge being haunted. Our crew filmed at night, from dusk until dawn, and the place definitely felt haunted at 2 in the morning. Low flying bats were a serious problem, but more than that, the dredge at night just felt incredibly spooky. There weren’t too many on our crew that would go in there at night alone. We worked in teams or as larger groups.

The dredge is real and they give behind the scenes tours. If you want a really good scare, or if you just want to see the incredible shooting location for yourself, visit http://www.friendsofthedredge.com

Q: You’ve already been getting feedback from the book’s target audience – 10-to-14 year olds. What have they been saying?

A: The feedback has been very exciting. We’ve let about 50 young readers go through the Skeleton Creek experience top to bottom, and they absolutely love it. I think it hinges on interesting characters, a strong plot, and a good scare, but there’s also a genuine reaction to the format itself. They get it, love it, and want more of it.

When we first started on this, it was before the iPhone had come out, and I know there was some concern that webvideo was confined to desktop computers. Now, of course, many kids have webvideo capability in their pockets. How has this impacted the project? The delivery method is sort of beside the point with Skeleton Creek, because the videos will show up on whatever device a reader uses to access the web. We designed it that way on purpose, at first for international markets that are ahead of us in this area (Japan comes to mind) but then because we knew mobile internet on a phone was quickly taking over.

It’s very interesting, because my 13 year old daughter is a typical teenager, and she never does one thing at a time when it comes to communication. She’ll sit with her laptop open, IM’ing her friends and surfing the web, while collecting and sending text messages on her phone, while listening to iTunes in the background, while trying to do what we told her to do, which was to clean her room. Having Skeleton Creek available on a phone is important, but kids are consuming media in so many different ways all day long that I actually think the web versions will be far more popular for awhile yet.

This takes me to another small but important point. The passwords used to access Sarah’s videos online are completely by design. They may seem esoteric at first, but with our early readers, I was very excited to find that they did exactly what I hoped they would do: watch the video, then go straight to a search engine and put in the password. Every password leads to something interesting that’s connected to the story. Some of them are characters from old gothic novels, others are connected to classic scary films – and in all cases, if they search a little bit, they’ll see a connection between the password and what’s happening in Skeleton Creek. To me this is very exciting, because it brings the whole experience full circle: the story sparks curiosity, and being online, there is instant gratification as they go out and learn something new. The passwords are also designed to point readers towards some of the most important authors, stories, and filmmakers of the past.

Q: While kids completely get this project, and most teachers, parents, booksellers, and librarians do as well, there are some people who still get skittish when there’s a marriage of books and technology. What do you say people who are concerned about the format?

A: There will always be endless space in bookstores and libraries for traditional books and I hope to write a few more of them. But as an author who stands in 100 different school gymnasiums every year, I’m here to tell you: we need to start thinking outside the box more often, not less often.

Movie studios, video game companies, music labels, social networking site, cell phone companies – all of them would much rather our kids spend time consuming their brand of entertainment than reading books. And the toughest part? Books are by far the most difficult entertainment sale for our kids. No sounds, no lights, no gaming strategy, no beat to dance to, no person on the other line to talk with. And yet all the studies show the same thing: reading is king when it comes to educating kids.

Skeleton Creek is a project that goes all the way out to the edge and back again – it’s not about bridging the gap between technology and books – its about erasing it.

To answer your question more directly:

What do I say people who are concerned about the format? I say visit a middle school or a high school. Ask the students what they spend their time doing. Ask them when they last read a book purely for the fun of it (make sure and ask both boys and girls). Ask them how much time they spend surfing the web, texting, playing video games, watching TV and movies, or listening to music. Then ask yourself: is it so hard to imagine a book that cuts directly into all that noise and brings students back to the printed page?

Q: The Skeleton Creek story has, of course, taken a life of its own, outside of the books and the videos. Can you tell us something about the skeletoncreekisreal.com site that’s popped up?

A: No comment.

Q: After reading book one, I’m sure the first question on every reader’s mind is going to be: WHEN CAN I READ BOOK TWO?!? Care to comment?

A: This is a two book only experience and it’s going to happen fast. Skeleton Creek will be out February 10th and the second book, Ghost in the Machine, will be out six months later. The big reason for this is the cliffhanger ending of the first book, which I defend as absolutely necessary to what my vision for the story is. I’m highly influenced by other people doing groundbreaking story formats. Shows like Lost, 24, and even 30 Rock broke the mold in their respective areas and reinvented storytelling along the way. And I make no distinction between the writing of a show and the writing of a book – it’s all writing as far as I’m concerned. Lost and 24 in particular have a cliffhanger element to them that, I think, is an important part of the story itself. Lost would be nowhere near as interesting if it wasn’t so darn frustrating sometimes to have to wait. Sometimes the wait is a week, sometimes it’s many months, but what happens in between is important. Everyone talks about it, everyone has their own ideas about what will happen next. In that way we all become part of the developing story. Make no mistake – Skeleton Creek ends on a cliffhanger – but there will be a lot to keep readers going during the six month wait for Ghost in the Machine. The wait will provide a critical moment for readers to ask themselves and each other: what’s going to happen next?

I said no comment on http://www.skeletoncreekisreal.com but I’ll at least say one thing: go there between books. Whether I have anything to do with it is beside the point. It’s where the story is unfolding, real or imagined.

See it-Read it! Skeleton Creek -- The Groundbreaking New Novel from Patrick Carman

Here is the web advert we've put together for Patrick Carman's groundbreaking new YA ghost story - Skeleton Creek. A new novel in a new format for Generation I-ers. Keep an eye out for more on this project as the February 09 pub date fast approaches. The blogosphere is chattering about this one and Scholastic are slating this as one of their major titles for 09.
Peter Rubie

FinePrint is closed for the holidays! Heads up!

Just a quick head's up that FinePrint Literary Management will be closed for the holidays. Our last day in the office for 2008 will be Tuesday, December 23rd; we'll be back on Monday, January 5th, all bright-eyed and bushy tailed and...oh, who are we kidding? We'll all be fifteen pounds heavier and bloated from holiday over-eating.

anyway..!

If you're thinking of sending a query to anyone here at FinePrint next week, you might want to consider waiting until after January 5th so you're not adding an extra week to your wait for a response. (Unless you're querying Janet Reid, who will be actively reading queries and submissions over the holiday. Just a heads up!)

Guest blog: Mystery writer Jennie Bentley on writing with a story-bible.

We asked FinePrint client Jennie Bentley (not her real name; after you read the post below you'll understand why!) to write about working with a story-bible. A story-bible is basically another person's concept and guidelines for writing a book or a series of books within a specific franchise. It can be as short as a couple of pages or as long as several hundred, depending upon the creative property in question. Writing within another person's creative idea can be challenging; here's one author's perspective on it:

Writing a Good Book from the Bible

The first time I heard the term ‘bible-based mystery,’ I wondered how anyone could take the epic tragedy of Cain and Abel and turn it into a whodunit, when the whole world knows that Cain had motive, means and opportunity, and did indeed whack his brother over the head with the proverbial blunt instrument. Little did I know—then—that a bible-based mystery has nothing whatsoever to do with the Bible or anyone in it.

That all changed when I was asked if I’d be interested in writing a series of mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, about a home renovator in New England.

The catch?

It was a bible-based series, a work for hire: based on a concept dreamed up by someone else, in this case my editor. I’d do the work and get the advance and the royalties, but the pseudonym would get the credit, and the publisher would get the copyright.

I admit it: I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. As they say in the Bible—the real Bible—I counted the cost. There are drawbacks to writing someone else’s vision, and not getting to retain copyright to the work is the least of it. Spending months, maybe years, writing books with characters and a setting someone else has invented, isn’t all fun and games.

I guess I don’t have to spell out what I chose. After all, I’m sitting here writing this. In the end, I decided a three-book contract with one of the biggest publishers in the world, along with seeing my words in print, outweighed the any negatives.

That doesn’t mean writing the first book was easy.

Usually, I’m a pantser. One of those people who go along for the ride, just seeing where the story takes them. I don’t like to outline. If I already know everything that’s going to happen, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to write the book.

This time I had a ‘bible’: a two page outline provided by my editor. She’s the one who named the characters—most of them, anyway; I changed a few names here and there -- e.g., the name originally assigned to the love interest was the same as my husband's when they cut too close to the bone—and she also chose the background or gimmick for the series, in this case home renovation. I chose where to drop the fictional town where the action takes place, and how to arrange the story and animate the characters behind the names. And of course I wrote the 90,000 words between the front and back covers. Including the tips for the Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation projects.

Once I figured out how to make the characters and setting ‘mine,’ I had fun creating the series. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my work in print, even if it isn’t my name on the cover. I’ve gotten some excellent reviews and I’ve had a lot of nice things said about me. I’ve been named an IMBA bestseller. I’ve received a few bona fide fan letters from people who’ve read and enjoyed my work, and I’ve been compared to my favorite author. I’ve had to learn to answer when someone calls me Jennie.

In the end, it’s not much different from writing any other book. You pour your heart and soul into it just as if the idea was yours to begin with. You spend the same time and effort you would on any other book. The only difference is that you know, from the moment you start writing it, that this is the manuscript that’ll get published, and you won’t have to worry about anything but creating the best story you can. And that’s worth quite a lot right there!

"Jennie Bentley," author of Fatal Fixer-Upper (Berkley Prime Crime, November 2008)

Office Space for Rent

We have space available for rent here at FinePrint. If you know of anyone looking for an office rental, send 'em our way! (Please.) We're a great group of people and looking for 1-2 more to add to the fun.

Here's the original post:

The agents of FinePrint Literary Management at 240 West 35th Street, Suite 500 presently have an opening in their suite. The available space is large enough to accommodate two desks (15x11), and we are open to a single tenant or a flexible time share arrangement. Another publishing professional (or two) would be ideal. Collegial atmosphere - long time suite-mates are literary agent Nancy Coffey, and Jan Erik Guerth, publisher of Blue Bridge.

Call for more details; contact Amy Tipton at 212-279-1282.

The 21st Annual Indie & Small Press Book Fair

While big corporate trade publishing may have suffered a temporary collective brain fart these past couple of weeks, there's another segment of publishing that is thriving: small and independent presses.

Some of the best new writers - especially in fiction - come out of these great alternative publishers, publishers like Small Beer Press, Soft Skull Press, Manic D, Soho Press, Akashic Books, and others.

This weekend you can meet some of the people behind more than one hundred of these small, innovative publishers (and buy some great books while you're at it!) at the 21st Annual Indie & Small Press Book Fair. It runs all weekend at the New York Center for Independent Publishing, located at 20 W. 44th Street, between 5th & 6th Avenues.

So instead of sitting around at home and bemoaning the Great Publishing Meltdown of 2008, why don't you go out and explore a segment of the publishing industry that seems to be doing something right? (And pick up some awesome gifts while you're at it!)

** Oh, and if you see me, say hi! I'll be the fat dyke with glasses wearing a bright orange hoody and a black pea coat, looking perpetually cranky. (I'm not; I just look that way.)

Thank You, Michael Crichton

By now I think everyone in the world knows that Michael Crichton passed away on November 4, 2008, the same day we made history in the voting polls. I was stunned when I first heard this news through my colleague, Colleen. It was like a bad joke, a that's-really-not-funny moment. When I realized it was true, I felt like I'd been socked in the gut. Because if there's one author that first made me want to write my own stories, it was Michael Crichton.

The first time I read Jurassic Park, I was ten. Talk about love at first sight. I was a weird little dinosaur freak who got three different paleontology magazines a month and begged my parents to rent the movie The Land Before Time at least every week (they could have saved a lot of money if they'd just given in and bought the darn thing, but noooo...). Needless to say, when Jurassic Park came out in theaters, I was dying to go see it. Unfortunately, my parents thwarted me again by deciding it was too violent. Well, they may have monitored my movie-watching, but what they never bothered to check out was what kind of books I borrowed from the library. I got myself a copy of Jurassic Park, practically drooling over the big black T-Rex skeleton on the cover. That Saturday, I locked myself in my bedroom and read the whole thing in seven hours. The seven most glorious hours of my life. By the time I stumbled bleary-eyed out of my room, I knew two things: 1) Michael Crichton was my hero, and 2) I wanted to grow up to write books just like his.

Since first reading Jurassic Park, I'm sorry to say I've outgrown my dino-philia. But what I never outgrew was my respect for Michael Crichton. His books fused fact with fiction so well that while we're in the pages of Jurassic Park or The Lost World, we have no doubt that scientists could and still may clone dinosaurs, that we humans will (of course) try to harness this power for our own selfish purposes, and that all flying heck will break loose because of it.

So thank you, Michael Crichton, for sharing your gift with us. Thank you for changing not only my world, but the world of every reader who fell in love with your books.