The BookEnds offices will be closed today through Monday in observance of Labor Day. Have a great weekend, and we'll return on Tuesday with a new post. [Link]

I've been looking forward to this long weekend - I'll be busy Saturday and Sunday, but on Monday Labor Day I'm taking the day off. Because it's my birthday.Not sure what I want to do yet, but when I'm looking forward to a day off, I sometimes find myself overly stressed about how to make it a "perfect day." Sounds dumb - but I bet I'm not the only one who does this!I'm not sure how I'll make Monday the Perfect Day, because different things sound good at different times. Occasionally I daydream about a whole day of staying in ... [Link]

STATUS: Life in the fast lane…not. Sheesh. Where has this day gone? I’ve got three more things I absolutely must do before leaving tonight.What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? AMERICAN PIE by Don McLeanFor professional advice. Having been an agent for 8+ years, I’ve certainly dealt with interesting events in publishing. Bankruptcy is just one of them.A couple of years ago, an independent sports publisher filed for bankruptcy to re-organize. One of the first books I sold in my agency’s infancy was impacted.What I learned? Most publishing contracts have bankruptcy clauses and ALL of them are useless. ... [Link]

by MichaelEspecially on the Thursday before Labor Day! I’ll admit, part of the problem is that I’m distracted getting some great submissions together for Fall and, of course, by the action at Flushing Meadows. It’s my favorite two-week stretch of the year! Sad to see Roddick and Oudin lose yesterday, but I’m happy to cheer on the many Americans still left in the draw. I actually like so many tennis players that I often get confused about who I really want to win. But today, I’ll say I’d like to see Clijsters and Fish win. Just don’t expect the same ... [Link]

Ever since I put the final period at the end of the last sentence of JACOB WONDERBAR AND THE COSMIC SPACE KAPOW, I had always imagined the beginning of #2 starting a very certain particular way. It was unexpected! Shocking! A little bit unsettling!But after I submitted a partial to my editor, she came back and said very politely : the opening didn't work. My agent very politely agreed.GAH!But... but... I wanted to sputter, this is how I always imagined it. It's part of the fabric of the novel. How can I write this novel if this isn't the beginning?Then ... [Link]

Happy summer, everybody! For the next while, there are going to be some absences from the blog as we take vacations, but we'd hate to leave you guys hanging. It's no secret that we blog much more now than when we started this baby, and there are far more of you reading than there were way back when. So we thought we'd bring back some blog entries of days gone by that you may have missed if you just joined us in the last year. We've cued up enough, but if you have any favorites you think your fellow readers ... [Link]

One of the things we discover as school children even if we might take a while to come to this realization is how we learn best. Some of us do better when we have information explained to us in a lecture, while others absorb more when we read to ourselves. Others need to take notes because the act of writing down the information in our own words is what imprints it on our brain. Sometimes a combination of these things works best. But how does this translate into learning how to write? Ultimately, you need to practice in order to ... [Link]

What are you?Pre-published?Multipley published?Award winning?Cantankerously represented?No.You're a writer. Even if your books have not been published. Or if they have. Or if there is more than one. You may have won an award congrats! . You may be agented, not-agented, soon-to-be-separated from the agent from Hell.But: you're a writer.That's all you need to tell me, and you don't need to tell me even that. Let your writing show me you're a talented and amazing writer. Show me. Don't tell me.I'm cantankerous, sardonic and perpetually annoyed enough at this stage of my career that I don't believe anything anyone tells me."I ... [Link]

This series is called "Successful Queries" and I'm posting actual query letters that succeeded in getting writers signed with agents. In addition to posting the actual query letter, we will also get to hear thoughts from the agent as to why the letter worked. The 40th installment in this series is with agent Meredith Kaffel Charlotte Sheedy Literary and her author, Anastasia Hopcus, for her young adult paranormal novel, Shadow Hills, which came out July 13 from Egmont. School Library journal said this about the book: "Even characters with minimal roles are fleshed out via Hopcus's rich use of language ... [Link]

Ever had any of these questions? Should you blog? If so, what should you blog about? How do you start a blog? Can you post work online on a blog without endangering its prospects with agents and editors? How does a fiction writer gain an audience through their blog? How can a blogger increase traffic and gain a platform? How can a blog help me get a book deal? These are the kinds of questions Jane Friedman will be answering in her webinar, "Build Your Author Platform Through Blogging," on Sept. 16, 2010. Here's the gist. Jane Friedman, former publisher ... [Link]

Some days ago I made an off-hand reference to a poem by Yeats. The ever-clever, and highly utilitarian Meredith-the-Godsend gave me a quizzical look. I am used to those by now; they come most often when I talk to myself in the office a bit too loudly M-t-G's look did not say "pipe down, I'm working here" as much as it did "what the hell are you talking about over there bucko."Aha! The moments I live for! When I can pontificate at length! from my superior reservoir of knowledge since I am older than M-t-G by a factor of 600 ... [Link]

Kim and I both just finished reading Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Okay, I take that back. Kim and I both devoured the book, immediately bought the second on our Kindles, and followed that by reading the third which just released . It’s been a long time since I’ve read something that so engrossed me. I actually dreamed about these books.During one of the many hundreds of conversations Kim and I had about the book, Kim asked if I thought it would become a classic, and I didn’t have to hesitate. Absolutely, I said. It has all of the makings ... [Link]

As an author pursuing publication, have you thought about the fact that you're going to need a professional headshot? Many people brush off the idea initially, thinking they can have a friend take some nice shots in the backyard. That might be true and you may think your snapshot looks great, but many people will perceive it as a snapshot or an amateur photo. You don't want the look of an amateur - you're a professional all the way. A great headshot is key to presenting exactly the right image to the world - whatever you want that image to ... [Link]

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STATUS: This week is actually rather quiet. I’m checking off lots on my To Do list. Next week, after the holiday, will be zany I’m sure.What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? LOVE SOMEBODY by Schuyler FiskOne of my new to-be-published authors recently decided that she might publish her debut novel under a pseudonym and she had an interesting reason why.She had gone to lunch with a few of her author friends and one of them was in the job market but having trouble landing a job—even after a good interview. Prospective employers were Googling her, discovering her ... [Link]

Happy summer, everybody! For the next while, there are going to be some absences from the blog as we take vacations, but we'd hate to leave you guys hanging. It's no secret that we blog much more now than when we started this baby, and there are far more of you reading than there were way back when. So we thought we'd bring back some blog entries of days gone by that you may have missed if you just joined us in the last year. We've cued up enough, but if you have any favorites you think your fellow readers ... [Link]

A little of this, a little of that...Google's Earth by William Gibson, over at the New York Times. An intriguing op-ed piece about our relationship to Google.Reading and Race: On Slavery in Fiction by Edan Lepucki, over at The Millions. It caught my attention because I'd been discussing the old mini-series of Roots with a few friends the other day. We wondered how it would hold up in today's culture. Not too well, I suspect.The Homes of Edgar Allan Poe, over at Tin House. It's an expert from an A.N. Devers story in issue #45 about a pilgrimage to various ... [Link]

There is perhaps no archetype more persistent throughout the history of art and literature than that of the tortured artist. From the tragically real cases like Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and David Foster Wallace , to self-conscious poseurs who shall remain nameless , angst-filled writers in both fiction and real life are an enduring staple in culture. Is there something to it? Is there a link between creativity and the darker sides of life? Does angst help you write? For me, I can't get a lick done when I'm feeling down. But then again, my books involve corn dogs and ... [Link]

Happy summer, everybody! For the next while, there are going to be some absences from the blog as we take vacations, but we'd hate to leave you guys hanging. It's no secret that we blog much more now than when we started this baby, and there are far more of you reading than there were way back when. So we thought we'd bring back some blog entries of days gone by that you may have missed if you just joined us in the last year. We've cued up enough, but if you have any favorites you think your fellow readers ... [Link]

From the home office in beautiful Tampa, Florida, I bring you: Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Purchase ReVamped,The Latest Novel by My Wife, Lucienne Diver: 10 It’s just the right size to level out the coffee table that your Mom has been nagging your Dad to fix for the last 6 months; 9 Kids who read about vampires make Bill O’Reilly cry; 8 You spent all those years learning how to read, you might as well do something with the skill, right? 7 It uses many of the same words as the Bible without all the “Thou”s and “begat”s ... [Link]

Barbara Poelle is an agent with the Irene Goodman Literary Agency, representing thrillers, literary suspense, historical romances, humorous/platform driven nonfiction, and upmarket fiction. Barbara’s co-agent, Irene Goodman, offers manuscript critiques on eBay every month, starting on the first day of each month, with all proceeds going to charity. Click on the link for more details on these critiques and charity auctions. Juxtaposed against the dog days of August, the publishing industry in September is all amped up like a toddler on speed. Many agents have spent the summer digging deep into their slush and attending conferences all in the hopes ... [Link]

"Agent Advice" is a series of quick interviews with literary and script agents who talk with Guide to Literary Agents about their thoughts on writing, publishing, and just about anything else. This installment features Catherine Drayton of InkWell Management. Catherine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts/Law from the University of Sydney and a Masters of Law from University of New South Wales. She worked as a copyright and defamation litigator in Sydney for four years before moving to the United States in 1995. She had a brief stint as a literary scout and then joined Arthur Pine Associates in 1998. ... [Link]

I was wondering if you could address on your very helpful blog the difference between literary and upscale fiction. "Upscale" is a term I can't quite get a grasp on, and I'm hoping you'll be able to enlighten me!Frankly, I have no idea. It sounds to me like a term that was created by someone who thinks of genre fiction as “lowbrow,” but that’s just me guessing. I would have to say that I suspect there’s no difference between literary and upscale fiction. If, however, someone else knows differently, I’d love to hear it.Jessica [Link]

Okay, here are more questions I've received lately. I'll warn you right now, my answers are NOT FUNNY. They are, in fact, boring. Sorry.JR Beasley said:I have queried multiple agents. One agent has requested a full manuscript and three others are reviewing partials. When offered representation by an agent, what is the proper protocol regarding the other agents?First, congrats! That's a terrific situation in which to find yourself. When you're offered representation and other agents have requested partials, send them each an email to let them know and give them an opportunity to respond before accepting representation from the first ... [Link]

STATUS: I spent 3 hours on one conference call this morning. Means the rest of my day should have gone uphill, right?What’s playing on the iPod right now? CRAZY by Gnarls BarkleyThis may be a sign that we have officially turned some kind of corner in publishing.I just literally got an email from my author Kristina Riggle who is out doing bookstore appearances for her second novel THE LIFE YOU’VE IMAGINED.So she’s at her signing when a twenty-year-old gal approaches her to say that her mother is a huge fan of Kristina’s novels and would Kris sign her mom’s Nook.How ... [Link]