Sometimes the universe makes decisions for me, decisions like “Thou shalt have an electronic reader device other than the laptop or your computer at work.”
Last week a friend of mine in Oz told me she had a spare Kindle floating around, which she kindly donated to my cause until we discovered that the thing’s lithium batteries create a bit of a tizz with the postal services. Hence, I told her not to bother…only to have another friend drop down from upcountry for a visit, and give me his old Sony Reader, which he isn’t using anymore.
It’s taken me less than a week to fall irrevocably in love with my new Reader. No more getting my nice books munched at the bottom of my bag. No more having to haul out the laptop to read ebooks. I can read in bright sunlight. I can make the text bigger. The document opens on the same page where I left off.
The Reader is compact, it’s slim and it doesn’t weigh as much as a book (or at least the doorstoppers I'm accustomed to reading). I’ve now got almost 90 books stored on it, with plenty of space for more. There are two SD card slots as well, so I can expand with further memory, should I need to. And, after hearing some of the frightening capacities of the memory cards coming onto the market nowadays…
I’m a happy puppy. A really happy puppy.
Because, to be quite honest, I’ve run out of shelf space at home. It’s chronic. I have to start making some hard decisions about letting some books go. And, while I’ll always have a bit of a book problem **laughs** I’m so chuffed I’m now fully into this ebook thing. It feels more “real” now that I’ve a reading device in hand.
I’ve been keeping pace with some of the changes the publishing industry is undergoing, and I’m glad I got my toe in the door about two years ago because I’ve a feeling this whole electronic publishing shindig is still going to do some amazing things for a lot of authors who wouldn’t ordinarily have had an opportunity.
I don’t care much for the attitude that “ebooks” aren’t real books. To me it’s the words that count, how the content of what I’m reading makes me feel. It’s not about holding paper in my hand. New forms of media are changing the way we exchange information, and I embrace this change with open arms.
Gone are the days with me stressing about a package in the mail, of waiting sometimes more than a month for my precious book to arrive from the US or UK. What I’m getting now is instant gratification to feed my reading weevil.
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reading. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Words! Words! Words!
One of the problems of being both author and editor happens when said sad individual (me) tries to read for pleasure. I wouldn’t be in this sorry mess if it weren’t for the fact that I love reading. The blame can be dropped squarely in JRR Tolkien’s lap, as well as subsequent authors such as Ursula K Leguin, David Eddings, Ann McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman, Poppy Z Brite and others, who filled my teenaged head with the wild notion that I, too, could one day write books or pursue a career in publishing.
Granted, nowadays, my time for reading has been curtailed severely. I sneak in ebooks while I work (one of the benefits of .PDF documents, which can conveniently be minimised) and read for exactly one hour each day on the train in the afternoons. These novels are, invariably, review books. My feedback is published with a review website, as well as South African newspapers.
Review books are, generally, within the genres I’ll read (fantasy, SF, horror and paranormal romance) but are not the books on my “to read” list. No, those books languish on my hard drive or on my bedside table, which by now resembles the leaning tower of printed material slowly trying to topple onto me while I sleep.
Reviewing books has some benefits. For instance, I have now discovered that I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, read Laurel K Hamilton willingly. You’d have to hold a gun to my head. I would never have discovered this if I didn’t review books. Likewise, I’m now eternally a Giles Kristian fangrrrl and I’ve interviewed him for the newspapers. Now THAT rocks!
But…
I also read submissions for one of my publishers, for whom I’m under contract as a content editor. These are either cold submissions, where I have to read a good few pages before I can decide whether a manuscript blows my hair back, or will be a submission from one of my existing authors, whose writing won’t make me want to gouge my eyes out with a ballpoint pen.
Somewhere, between these activities and my day-job as a sub-editor at a newspaper publisher, I still find the time to edit manuscripts and, oh, gosh, write a little on my own. (Add disclaimer: I do not have children. Also, I do not have a social life beyond a meal or drinks with friends here and there or Facebook.)
So… **takes deep breath** It is a rare thing indeed if I read something I want to.
People keep telling me, “Oh you must read so-and-so.”
I sort of look at them blankly and say, “That’s nice dear. I’d love to.” Of course the chances of me reading a book someone recommends are about as good as a snowball’s survival in Hell. I still have a friend’s copy of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, somewhere in the pile on my bedside table. I want to read it. I just don’t know when.
So, here are two of my pet gripes:
Publishers that have sub-par editing. It drives me absolutely dilly when I read published works riddled with homophone and apostrophe abuse, weak transitions, typographical errors, misplaced modifiers, plot holes… I see it. All the time. It makes me want to claw my way up the walls. Mostly, all I can do is point and laugh. Human error creeps in everywhere, it just depends how much of it is concentrated in one manuscript.
Authors who make the same mistakes over and over again: this dubious honour I also extend to newspaper sub-editors and writers who, despite years of being exposed to years of house style and proofing, insist on repeating the same mistakes. This suggests that the idiot with the red pen clutched in her hand (that’s me) is wasting her time trying to communicate the need for improvement so that my job (proofing and editing text) can be made easier and said offending wordsmith becomes better at doing their job. And also not run the risk of defenestration from a third-storey window.
Or maybe I’m just OCD. Maybe it’s my mother’s fault. She used to be an English teacher. Maybe I need to go on a long holiday on a remote farming hamlet where there is no electricity and they’ve conveniently hidden all form of written word. Just for a while until I stop frothing and get more than four or five hours’ sleep a night.
Or maybe I’m just crazy, because whenever someone has told me “Hey, your writing sucks badly here, here and here…” I’ve generally sucked up my pride and made damn sure I didn’t make the same mistake again.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, shaping words is my passion and if I’m your editor, I’m going to be absolutely vicious. I’m going to make you do horrible, nasty things to your darlings, but I’m doing it because I love your writing. I wouldn't be tearing it pieces if I didn't see ways to make it so much better.
Granted, nowadays, my time for reading has been curtailed severely. I sneak in ebooks while I work (one of the benefits of .PDF documents, which can conveniently be minimised) and read for exactly one hour each day on the train in the afternoons. These novels are, invariably, review books. My feedback is published with a review website, as well as South African newspapers.
Review books are, generally, within the genres I’ll read (fantasy, SF, horror and paranormal romance) but are not the books on my “to read” list. No, those books languish on my hard drive or on my bedside table, which by now resembles the leaning tower of printed material slowly trying to topple onto me while I sleep.
Reviewing books has some benefits. For instance, I have now discovered that I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, read Laurel K Hamilton willingly. You’d have to hold a gun to my head. I would never have discovered this if I didn’t review books. Likewise, I’m now eternally a Giles Kristian fangrrrl and I’ve interviewed him for the newspapers. Now THAT rocks!
But…
I also read submissions for one of my publishers, for whom I’m under contract as a content editor. These are either cold submissions, where I have to read a good few pages before I can decide whether a manuscript blows my hair back, or will be a submission from one of my existing authors, whose writing won’t make me want to gouge my eyes out with a ballpoint pen.
Somewhere, between these activities and my day-job as a sub-editor at a newspaper publisher, I still find the time to edit manuscripts and, oh, gosh, write a little on my own. (Add disclaimer: I do not have children. Also, I do not have a social life beyond a meal or drinks with friends here and there or Facebook.)
So… **takes deep breath** It is a rare thing indeed if I read something I want to.
People keep telling me, “Oh you must read so-and-so.”
I sort of look at them blankly and say, “That’s nice dear. I’d love to.” Of course the chances of me reading a book someone recommends are about as good as a snowball’s survival in Hell. I still have a friend’s copy of Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, somewhere in the pile on my bedside table. I want to read it. I just don’t know when.
So, here are two of my pet gripes:
Publishers that have sub-par editing. It drives me absolutely dilly when I read published works riddled with homophone and apostrophe abuse, weak transitions, typographical errors, misplaced modifiers, plot holes… I see it. All the time. It makes me want to claw my way up the walls. Mostly, all I can do is point and laugh. Human error creeps in everywhere, it just depends how much of it is concentrated in one manuscript.
Authors who make the same mistakes over and over again: this dubious honour I also extend to newspaper sub-editors and writers who, despite years of being exposed to years of house style and proofing, insist on repeating the same mistakes. This suggests that the idiot with the red pen clutched in her hand (that’s me) is wasting her time trying to communicate the need for improvement so that my job (proofing and editing text) can be made easier and said offending wordsmith becomes better at doing their job. And also not run the risk of defenestration from a third-storey window.
Or maybe I’m just OCD. Maybe it’s my mother’s fault. She used to be an English teacher. Maybe I need to go on a long holiday on a remote farming hamlet where there is no electricity and they’ve conveniently hidden all form of written word. Just for a while until I stop frothing and get more than four or five hours’ sleep a night.
Or maybe I’m just crazy, because whenever someone has told me “Hey, your writing sucks badly here, here and here…” I’ve generally sucked up my pride and made damn sure I didn’t make the same mistake again.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, shaping words is my passion and if I’m your editor, I’m going to be absolutely vicious. I’m going to make you do horrible, nasty things to your darlings, but I’m doing it because I love your writing. I wouldn't be tearing it pieces if I didn't see ways to make it so much better.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Changing my reading habits
I have a problem. The house I share with my husband, two cats and two dogs, is too small for all the books we own. It got so bad a few years ago we had to sell our cottage and move into a bigger place. I’m not kidding. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but we do own far too many books, many of which we’ll probably never read but own for the sake of having the title.
To say that I love books is an understatement. But it’s not so much for holding paper in my hands, it’s about reading the story and the easier it is for me to access the story, the better. That’s why I absolutely love electronic formats. It’s easy to get to the last page I was reading and, the other bonus: electronic files don’t take up a lot of space or constitute a fire hazard. I keep a few ebooks on my hard drive at work so I can read during down-time. I keep ebooks on my netbook, so I can read when I’m hanging around my husband’s photo- and film shoots. That’s when I’m not busy editing and writing, of course. Or mopping up the fake blood, for that matter (not kidding on that one).
There will always be “keepers” as I call them, that I absolutely must own in physical form but I’ve found over the years that reading physical, as in “that rectangular object with paper pages in it” becoming more and more difficult. I like being able to zoom in on text, scroll down or press a button to get to the next page. So, I keep a few “paper” books in my backpack and try to read on the train in the afternoons. I find, however, that it’s taking me longer to read physical books than their electronic counterparts.
But this shift to electronic publishing has gotten me thinking. I buy most of my physical books second hand. This means the author doesn’t get paid royalties for this sale. Some books, if looked after, change hands several times, the sellers often making a tidy profit, none of which goes to the authors.
As someone who is passionate about writing, I’d like to show my support to authors and what better way than now, with ebooks? Yes, the publishing industry is changing, and not all of us can afford to buy new books in print, which means in the old days, it was difficult to pay tribute to favourite authors. This is changing now. And more of my favourite authors’ writing is coming available electronically. I have an opportunity to thank them for the hours of enjoyment they’ve given me. The other benefit: no stressing about a package getting lost in the mail, and no postage fees. Instant delivery instead. Instant gratification.
This is not going to be a rant about how bad piracy of electronic books is. But think of it this way. An author has written a story they are in a position to share with you. You wouldn’t go to a music concert and slip in through a back door to skiv off paying the performers, would you? In the same way, we can show our support to authors by buying their books electronically. The benefits? You’re saving trees. You’re supporting creative people. There are fewer middlemen and more of the money goes to the person who deserves it, your favourite author who, I can guarantee, often slaves away for many hours crafting his or her words so you can have hours of enjoyment.
Think of yourself as being a patron of the arts, like in the olden times when musicians and artists were often attached to noble houses. By becoming a patron of the arts and supporting creatives, be they musicians, authors or artists, you are bringing more beauty into the world by helping these people pay their bills.
Don’t forget also the people behind the scenes: the publisher and his or her team of dedicated professionals—cover artists, technical support and editors. These folks deserve to be thanked for the often unnoticed support they offer authors so you can carry on reading the latest fiction. They are the quality control so neccessary in this industry where the world and his wife can claim to be published.
Things are definitely shifting in authors’ favour with the advent of the smaller presses, and what better way to feel warm and fuzzy knowing your favourite author has a roof over her head, a shiny computer that works and some nommy biscuits to feed her muse?
To say that I love books is an understatement. But it’s not so much for holding paper in my hands, it’s about reading the story and the easier it is for me to access the story, the better. That’s why I absolutely love electronic formats. It’s easy to get to the last page I was reading and, the other bonus: electronic files don’t take up a lot of space or constitute a fire hazard. I keep a few ebooks on my hard drive at work so I can read during down-time. I keep ebooks on my netbook, so I can read when I’m hanging around my husband’s photo- and film shoots. That’s when I’m not busy editing and writing, of course. Or mopping up the fake blood, for that matter (not kidding on that one).
There will always be “keepers” as I call them, that I absolutely must own in physical form but I’ve found over the years that reading physical, as in “that rectangular object with paper pages in it” becoming more and more difficult. I like being able to zoom in on text, scroll down or press a button to get to the next page. So, I keep a few “paper” books in my backpack and try to read on the train in the afternoons. I find, however, that it’s taking me longer to read physical books than their electronic counterparts.
But this shift to electronic publishing has gotten me thinking. I buy most of my physical books second hand. This means the author doesn’t get paid royalties for this sale. Some books, if looked after, change hands several times, the sellers often making a tidy profit, none of which goes to the authors.
As someone who is passionate about writing, I’d like to show my support to authors and what better way than now, with ebooks? Yes, the publishing industry is changing, and not all of us can afford to buy new books in print, which means in the old days, it was difficult to pay tribute to favourite authors. This is changing now. And more of my favourite authors’ writing is coming available electronically. I have an opportunity to thank them for the hours of enjoyment they’ve given me. The other benefit: no stressing about a package getting lost in the mail, and no postage fees. Instant delivery instead. Instant gratification.
This is not going to be a rant about how bad piracy of electronic books is. But think of it this way. An author has written a story they are in a position to share with you. You wouldn’t go to a music concert and slip in through a back door to skiv off paying the performers, would you? In the same way, we can show our support to authors by buying their books electronically. The benefits? You’re saving trees. You’re supporting creative people. There are fewer middlemen and more of the money goes to the person who deserves it, your favourite author who, I can guarantee, often slaves away for many hours crafting his or her words so you can have hours of enjoyment.
Think of yourself as being a patron of the arts, like in the olden times when musicians and artists were often attached to noble houses. By becoming a patron of the arts and supporting creatives, be they musicians, authors or artists, you are bringing more beauty into the world by helping these people pay their bills.
Don’t forget also the people behind the scenes: the publisher and his or her team of dedicated professionals—cover artists, technical support and editors. These folks deserve to be thanked for the often unnoticed support they offer authors so you can carry on reading the latest fiction. They are the quality control so neccessary in this industry where the world and his wife can claim to be published.
Things are definitely shifting in authors’ favour with the advent of the smaller presses, and what better way to feel warm and fuzzy knowing your favourite author has a roof over her head, a shiny computer that works and some nommy biscuits to feed her muse?
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Read, read, read…
If there’s one pitfall many first-time writers fall into, it’s that of not reading. Since I’ve started fiction editing professionally, I’ve seen it again and again. It’s admirable that people are inspired to write, especially in the wake of highly popular made-into-film novels such the Harry Potter and Twilight phenomena. Hell, I’m biased. Anything that gets people to give fiction writing a go is a great idea. The problem comes in that often people who start writing do so haven’t grown up in a culture for loving words, which suggests having read novels across more than one genre.
For me writing fiction is therapy. Sure, most of the time I admit I write fluff, be it purely commercial fantasy or erotic fiction. Hell, my husband despairs of me creating anything “literary” and, who knows, maybe one day I will write something a little more serious, but right now I’m having too much fun. I love the English language, I love telling stories. But that doesn’t mean I’m not averse to a bit of William Burroughs, John Fowles or Aldous Huxley when the mood fits, on top of reading popular contemporary offerings.
The problem comes in when first-time authors haven’t built an awareness of the other stories that are out there. I’ve lost count of how many Twilight and Underworld clones I’ve encountered during the submissions-reading process. While it’s all fun and games to play with an existing concept, many first-timers end up with a work that’s entirely derivative. My feeling: you may as well be writing fanfiction then, which is also fine, since websites such as fanfiction.net cater for exactly that market. I understand the enthusiasm for timeless classics, such as werewolf vs. vampire conflict and the sheer joy of continuing the excitement of what you enjoyed about the book/movie in your own writing, but unless a writer puts a seriously original spin on the existing theme, it’s not going to pique the interest of editors who see this kind of writing daily.
Derivative works make slush-pile readers say “Meh” and move onto another manuscript that shows more potential, in the process dashing the hopes of hundreds of promising authors who may have stood a chance had they taken that idea one step further.
There’s a current underlying opinion that vampires in fiction are so passé it hurts. This is not the case. While the bigger publishers who have more of a capital outlay in the fiction they release may think twice about the horse they perceive to be flogged to death, there are scores of small presses willing to publish variations on popular themes. The trick is finding that X-factor in a classic scenario and putting a unique spin on it to make it your own, which means avoiding Edward-and-Bella clones, okay?
And to do that, my advice to first-time authors is to read, and read widely. Go read The Great Gatsby. Read Wuthering Heights. The Magus by John Fowles: yes, it’s a doorstopper but in my opinion it’s also one of the most important works of literary fiction to be published in the past century. Gorky, William Golding, Burroughs, the Brontë sisters… Go read them. Go visit the “classics” section at your local bookstore or library and read at least one of these titles a month.
There’s a reason these are considered timeless examples of fiction (and there’s a reason these books were foisted upon thousands of schoolchildren during their formative years at school).
If you, like me, can step back and say “This is why I don’t like Ernest Hemingway” then you’re on the right track. Learn to love words, to eat, sleep and breathe them. Then you’re already on the right path to being a fantastic author.
* * * *
Books one and two of my urban fantasy Khepera series are available at the following links:
For me writing fiction is therapy. Sure, most of the time I admit I write fluff, be it purely commercial fantasy or erotic fiction. Hell, my husband despairs of me creating anything “literary” and, who knows, maybe one day I will write something a little more serious, but right now I’m having too much fun. I love the English language, I love telling stories. But that doesn’t mean I’m not averse to a bit of William Burroughs, John Fowles or Aldous Huxley when the mood fits, on top of reading popular contemporary offerings.
The problem comes in when first-time authors haven’t built an awareness of the other stories that are out there. I’ve lost count of how many Twilight and Underworld clones I’ve encountered during the submissions-reading process. While it’s all fun and games to play with an existing concept, many first-timers end up with a work that’s entirely derivative. My feeling: you may as well be writing fanfiction then, which is also fine, since websites such as fanfiction.net cater for exactly that market. I understand the enthusiasm for timeless classics, such as werewolf vs. vampire conflict and the sheer joy of continuing the excitement of what you enjoyed about the book/movie in your own writing, but unless a writer puts a seriously original spin on the existing theme, it’s not going to pique the interest of editors who see this kind of writing daily.
Derivative works make slush-pile readers say “Meh” and move onto another manuscript that shows more potential, in the process dashing the hopes of hundreds of promising authors who may have stood a chance had they taken that idea one step further.
There’s a current underlying opinion that vampires in fiction are so passé it hurts. This is not the case. While the bigger publishers who have more of a capital outlay in the fiction they release may think twice about the horse they perceive to be flogged to death, there are scores of small presses willing to publish variations on popular themes. The trick is finding that X-factor in a classic scenario and putting a unique spin on it to make it your own, which means avoiding Edward-and-Bella clones, okay?
And to do that, my advice to first-time authors is to read, and read widely. Go read The Great Gatsby. Read Wuthering Heights. The Magus by John Fowles: yes, it’s a doorstopper but in my opinion it’s also one of the most important works of literary fiction to be published in the past century. Gorky, William Golding, Burroughs, the Brontë sisters… Go read them. Go visit the “classics” section at your local bookstore or library and read at least one of these titles a month.
There’s a reason these are considered timeless examples of fiction (and there’s a reason these books were foisted upon thousands of schoolchildren during their formative years at school).
If you, like me, can step back and say “This is why I don’t like Ernest Hemingway” then you’re on the right track. Learn to love words, to eat, sleep and breathe them. Then you’re already on the right path to being a fantastic author.
* * * *
Books one and two of my urban fantasy Khepera series are available at the following links:
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Leaving the paranormal behind--for now
Last week I told you I was finishing up a novella regarding demons. I did finish it and for awhile, that will be the last book that has any paranormal connotation.
Don't get me wrong, I love writing in the paranormal genre, but in an effort to not become burnt out on it before I need to write the last book of my trilogy, I'm switching gears and taking a dip into the contemporary world for awhile.
Taking a look at my writing schedule, I won't do a paranormal until the first of the year--that is, that's what the plan is. Unless I get a severe craving before then ;-)
What do you do as writers to challenge your brain and prevent burn out?
What do you do as a reader? Do you get bored with one genre and leave it behind for awhile until you crave it again?
Don't get me wrong, I love writing in the paranormal genre, but in an effort to not become burnt out on it before I need to write the last book of my trilogy, I'm switching gears and taking a dip into the contemporary world for awhile.
Taking a look at my writing schedule, I won't do a paranormal until the first of the year--that is, that's what the plan is. Unless I get a severe craving before then ;-)
What do you do as writers to challenge your brain and prevent burn out?
What do you do as a reader? Do you get bored with one genre and leave it behind for awhile until you crave it again?
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