friday links plus authors, will you talk about the difference between your ARCs and the final book?

This is going to be a short post because I've got a head cold and I slept horribly last night (thank you small dog who decided NOT to sleep--but is, OF COURSE, sleeping now)

In the comments on my last post benjamintchip asked:

Elizabeth, that was really interesting about the ARCs. I was wondering: In your own experience, how different have the ARCs of your novels been from the finished products?

So far (KNOCK WOOD!) it's been little changes--missing/changed words, grammar stuff. But I've heard of entire chapters being left out. I've seen characters names be completely different, and I actually once read an ARC where it looked liked every period had been replaced with a >.


*** Any authors out there care to chime in with their experiences between differences between ARCs and the actual final book? ***


On to links:

Can a blogger (or group of bloggers) "make" a book?

Great tips for writing when you don't feel like it

John Green offers Four Truths in Defense of Publishers -- as always, lots of interesting stuff in the comments.

Agent Jennifer Jackson on the agent's job

Editorial Anonymous answers more publishing questions

Dear Author wonders which bestseller lists are the ones that really count--some really eye-opening stuff here, including this: "One thing about bestseller lists, particularly like the NY Times, is that they aren’t based on actual sales, but projections and calculations and other mysterious woo woo guarded tightly by these bestseller list owners. The lists can be deceptive. Take, for example, Susan Andersen’s recent release, Bending the Rules, which made the NYT list (No. 14) and PW list (peaked at 12). According to her July 29, 2009, newsletter, Harlequin is axing the series, refusing to publish the third in the trilogy and Andersen will be starting with a new stand alone." And be sure to check out the comments as well!

Maggie Stiefvater has a great blog post about worry and self-doubt: Bring on the Angst, or Confidence: the B Side --Thoughtful and inspirational.

new contest and (of course!) links

Well, I'm back from vacation although oddly I'm more tired than when I left. Weird! I'm also thinking about defrizzing my hair via the Brazilian Blowout--has anyone out there done it? I would really love to be able to brush my hair and not have it poof out around my head.

Also! I'm so addicted to the Pretty Little Liars series, which I discovered while on vacation. I'm on the newest book now -- and the next one doesn't come out until January. waaaah!

And that leads me to this week's contest. This week, I'm giving away two ARCs: Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted and Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block. For your chance to win, tell me what book series you are--or have been--crazy for! I'll take comments through midnight EST this Friday, July 31st and then I'll pick one person at random to win both books. (And yes, you can enter this contest if you live overseas!)

On to links (loads today!):

Pimp My Novel explains what a comp title is -- this one is a must read. I never even new about comp titles until I read this post!

The New York Times has a great online section of essays by college students about classes, being a freshman, and college life in general. There's also lots of multimedia stuff too. (I liked What's In Your Locker?)

Jennifer Hubbard on a writer's need for patience

Susan Beth Pfeffer on book piracy or Why I'm Glad I'll Be Retiring Soon -- did you know she's written over 75 books? WOW!

Janice Hardy on making readers care about a story and why characters should have flaws

David Lubar on the truth about ARCs or why finished books are *ALWAYS* different

Intern Spills takes a look at the publishing process from inside a publishing house: from manuscript arrival to editorial meetings to making an offer

Editorial Ass on tiny print runs and what to do if it happens to you

Nicola Morgan blogs about how you must be willing to edit your writing -- "Those of us who want to be good writers, as good as we can possibly be, must be strong enough to allow (in fact welcome) professionals to judge our work. If we don't open ourselves to the notion that our work is not perfect, or is not even as good*** as it could be, then we don't deserve to improve. Or be published. Taking criticism is not easy, and I'm not saying we should always agree with it,. but we have to be open to it."

Not at all publishing-related but too good to not link to (I'm so making these for my husband!): a recipe for dulce de leche brownies

vaction! vaction contest winner! links! lots of !

I'm still on vacation--just a few days left (sob!) but I had to check out your vacation stories and they did not disappoint! I enjoyed them all, but the winner of the ten hardcover books is Dawn, who won my heart with this line: "Now, being from the flat state of Kansas, the rest of my family other than my dad didn't really believe that in July you would need to dress warmly," because I've SO been there--growing up, I was pretty sure summer=HEAT OF DOOM until the year I went to Maine and found out that summer could equal not just cool, but downright cold! The whole story was sweet and funny and I loved reading it. And a huge thank you to all of you who entered as well!

My husband and I had to run into Wal-Mart on Saturday to grab some Diet Coke for him (I swear, he drinks the stuff like water!) and they had copies of Something, Maybe, Perfect You, and Bloom!



(I confess, the reason my face is turned away is not because I was staring at the books--although obviously, I was!--but because I was thisclose to crying because I was so blown away to see not one, not two, but three of my titles in Wal-Mart--I mean, my books right there, surrounded by oodles of NYT Bestsellers? WOW!)

Before I head back to seize the last few moments of my vacation, I've got some links to share:

A short blog entry about marketing your books

Nicola Morgan on how writers need to get out and do/see things--"Thing is - and here's my learning point for this post - you should never write until your characters are clamouring to get out of your head, till they're pestering you day and night, rattling their cage, till they start to force your hands to move over the keyboards, till, in short, they absolutely demand that their voices are heard."

Lynn Viehl has ten ways to improve your writing fitness

Carrie Vaughn on regaining momentum when you've had to put a project aside

Agent Janet Reid has a reminder about query letters: make sure you tell prospective agents what your book is actually about

Okay, one last thing:

HarperTeen has posted a clip of me talking about Love You Hate You Miss You on YouTube--lots of stuff about the writing of the book, plus check out the eerie glow around my head!

contest! links! vacation!!!

Okay, so the video for this is pretty dorky (it is me, after all), but I think this contest is a fun one:




In case the video gets stripped out of the feed, here's the link to the contest info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoU_vtA_zEs

And of course I have some links to share:

Elizabeth Bear on writing and when something is good enough -- interesting because it talks about something I know I wrestle with, which is self-doubt: "See, the thing is, your average writer, every day, is a failure. She is failing herself, her talent, her vision. She can never make what she's working on good enough for her, so how can it be good enough for anyone else?"

Catherynne Valente has an interesting post on the idea of writers as vessels, along with some thoughts about muses--"We all just write what we know how to write and hope it means something to someone else. No one has a magic writing wand. No one has an underpaid, statuesque muse without a union to do the work for them. (Ever notice how muses are always female? Inspiring is women's work.)

Editorial Ass on the fact that forty percent (yes, that's right, 40%!) of all books are pulped and more importantly, why it happens

Can't wait to read your stories!!!

I'll tell you what's wrong with Esther. I'm tired of seeing ads about her.

I'm going on vacation soon! I know, why the ! but you know, I can't remember the last time I went somewhere that wasn't work-related for more than a day or two. So yes, the ! is deserved because actual! vacation!

Okay, that's enough of that. (!)

(sorry, couldn't resist)

On to the links:

Publishers Weekly Fall 2009 Children's Books issue is out now and worth buying if you want to get an idea of what the big fall YA books will be, and there's a preview for Spring 2010 online

A really great blog entry about context

Diana Rowland on second book mistakes

Bennett Madison has a great post up about writing and "teaching lessons"--"It's simply not a writer's place to teach people things or give anyone lessons. For some reason when you write books for teenagers this occasionally gets lumped in with the job description by well-meaning-types who don't get it. But there is a great reason there is an occupation called High School Teacher, and that's so no one else has to perform what seems like a totally horrible task. A writer has only one job (besides endless self-promotion and endeavors of "personal branding") and that job is telling stories. That's not to say you shouldn't take anything away from a story except entertainment or whatever...readers are smart enough to draw their own conclusions. Not only do I not need to tell people what to think, but the ideal reader will be able to learn things from a good book that the author never even considered. It's a mutual exploration, not a lesson. AND THAT IS THE POINT OF LITERATURE."

One last thing: is anyone else sick of seeing ads for Orphan during the Tour? At this point, I not only don't care what's wrong with Esther, I just want the stupid movie to open so the ads will STOP.

arc winner, links, longest weekend ever

I never thought I'd be so glad to say "It's Monday!" but this weekend--ugh. Let's just list things I don't like:

1. Having food allergies
2. Having to go to the ER

On the plus side, I did get to see 500 Days of Summer before all the drama happened, and I liked it. (Even if can't get a certain Hall & Oates song out of my head--I really loved that sequence. I won't say more for spoiler fear)

Congrats to Laura, who won the ARC of The Blonde of the Joke, and before I shuffle off to work (and I do mean shuffle, for some reason I'm walking like I need a walker today!), I've got some links:

Elizabeth Bluemle on what booksellers do--and don't--want to see in promotional emails

An interesting post from agent Annie Hawkins about why agents turn down good books

YAY! A report straight from ALA about the BBYA meeting

Wondering why you aren't writing? Maybe this can help

Editorial Anonymous offers a Publishometer -- "There are essentially three variables at work:

* Quality of Writing
* Consumer Interest in Topic
* Degree of Celebrity

Editors want to weight things in terms of Quality of Writing. But editors also know that the Public -- the book-buying consumer -- cares a hell of a lot more about Topic and Celebrity than Writing. And yes, publishing is a business."

thank you, Maryland! and BBYA update

Yesterday, I talked to a great group of teens about writing in Fredrick, Maryland--I want to thank Melissa for inviting me to come and speak and--of course!--everyone who came! I sent out the links I promised too, although if you have a hotmail addy the message may have gone directly to your spam folder. If you didn't get it, just drop me a note via the contact page

Also! I finally saw Something, Maybe at Wal-Mart!! I knew the book was there because I've seen pictures of it in other stores, but it isn't at any of the Wal-Marts in my area. However, there was a huge one in Fredrick so I thought, "Why not look?" and there it was! It was pretty amazing to see it, especially since it was right next to Sarah Dessen's books. I may have clapped like an idiot when I saw that. (yeah, okay, I did--but come on. It's Sarah Dessen! You'd clap too.)

Also, I've been able to find out a little more about what's happening with the BBYA list. You can read more here and here -- but it looks like the list is going to be discussed again during the 2010 midwinter meeting.

Again, if you know more about what happened during the BBYA discussion or if you have information or thoughts about the future of the list, please feel free to share your observations or links.

And don't forget to enter the contest to win an ARC of The Blonde of the Joke

more on BBYA and other links

Since I'm not at ALA, I don't know exactly what's going on with the BBYA list, but it looks like there were plans to have it phased out

I haven't been able to find out exactly what was decided in the meeting, but I did find this, and it does look like a Members/Readers Choice List is going to be created.

I'm still not sure about the fate of BBYA--if you know, or have links, could you leave a comment about it? I'll update as I find out more.

Other links:

Tess Gerritsen on Impostor Syndrome--this one especially hit home for me: "THE ILLUSION: A writer is confident. THE TRUTH: Are you kidding? I am the original quivering creature of self-doubt. I know I'm here only because of luck, timing, and massive re-writes."

A great post about Bookscan-- what I noticed is that in addition to not tracking sales from Wal-Mart (which would make a huge difference for romance authors, for example), Bookscan doesn't seem to track library sales--which are a pretty large market for young adult novels.

Agent Rachelle Gardner says "keep writing!"

A nice overview of what an imprint is -- For example, Something, Maybe is published by Simon Pulse, which is an imprint of Simon & Schuster

loads of links plus ARC giveaway

Lots of links to share:

A very sensible article about teens and online safety as well as a presentation

A very well-done explanation of sell-through--including why having a super high sell-through rate is actually a bad thing.

What it means when a chain skips your book

Editorial Ass has some fantastic advice about authors and public behavior

Morgan Stanley Research of Europe asked a 15 year old intern for his thoughts on teens and media -- lots of hype on this from the Financial Times to just about everyone you can think of. Leave it to Gawker to cut right to it: "The kid's report is very nice and all but it's basically full of common sense shit like teens loving cell phones, and Wiis, and big TVs, and not wanting to pay for music, and it really says more about the fund managers and CEOs who went wild for it than it does about teens. And what it says about them is: They are old, and you can hustle them, kids. Tell em about 'Sexting!'"

I've also got an ARC to give away--Bennett Madison's upcoming--and outstanding--The Blonde of The Joke. For your chance to win, just leave a comment by this Friday, July 17th at midnight telling me---hmmm. Ah, I've got it! What's your least favorite thing about summer? (Mine is how everyone wants to run around in the grass or have picnics on it and all that. (As someone who breaks out in hives if I just walk through grass, I seem to spend at least half the summer apologizing for not being able to roll around on various lawns expressing admiration for the new grass/landscaping/what-have-you. However, on the plus side, I have never mowed a lawn.))

guest blog winner and links

Congrats to last week's guest blogger winner, Melanie--and thanks again to all the guest bloggers and to those of you who talked me into twitter

The YA world is pretty quiet right now because of ALA, but I do have some links to share:

Keeping an Ideas File -- I don't actually keep a file--I have a couple of those expandable folder things where I put in bits of papers I've written things on, as well as whatever else has grabbed me enough to make me think "ooooh!" For instance, an article about fast food orders placed through giant call centers ended up in the folder I used when I was starting to think about Something, Maybe

Holly Lisle on wanting to write a novel, but not knowing what to write about

Diana Rowaland on tackling the editorial letter

High concept--an explanation and thoughts about putting it in your query letter

Mistakes Authors Make--part one and part two -- There's some particularly good advice in part one, like this: "Unfortunately, what works for one author promoting one title doesn’t often work for all the same way and heeding the wrong advice is often costly. It seems those who have the strongest and most vocalized opinions sometimes have the least experience to back it up. Always consider the source."

BBYA no more? and other links

The dog has her x-ray this morning and YAY! because everything looks fine. We have one more follow-up visit in two weeks but right not, it looks like she's not going have to have surgery at all, which is excellent news.

In not-at-all-excellent-news, it seems that YALSA is thinking of getting rid of its BBYA list (Best Books for Young Adults, which comes out every year) for another, smaller list.

I made the BBYA list last year for two books, Living Dead Girl and Stealing Heaven, and I know it helped me get onto a state list, become nominated for a few more, and introduced my books to quite a few librarians who may have never heard of my books otherwise. I imagine being on the BBYA committee is a lot of work--the nomination list is always quite long--but as an author who is not a best-seller and who has gotten a boost from BBYA recognition, the thought that BBYA might be eliminated....it terrifies me.

Here are some excellent blog posts on the subject:

Author Alex Flinn says everything I'm thinking about the possible elimination of BBYA far more eloquently than I ever could--"Since 2001, when my first novel was published, more titles are being published, resulting in it being harder and harder to get reviewed in major media. Breathing Underwater was reviewed by every major review journal except Hornbook. I have two friends with 2008 first novels from major publishers. Neither were "pushed" books. One was fortunate enough to be reviewed by everyone except Booklist and Hornbook. She also made BBYA. Another was less fortunate, being reviewed only by School Library Journal. It used to be that hardcover books from major publishers got reviewed everywhere except the picky Hornbook. That is not the case anymore, even for books by established authors (To date, even A Kiss in Time has still not been reviewed by SLJ). A friend won a Printz Honor a couple of years back without being reviewed by Booklist or Hornbook. BBYA is one of the few places where every book gets considered, as long as the publishers care enough to send a copy. But the publishers can't send a free copy to every librarian in YALSA!""

Librarians Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan -- Replacing BBYA--What Do You Think?

Librarian Elizabeth Burns shares her thoughts as well

Other links:

Author Joshua Palmatier on revisions and doubt

A very interesting post about managing editors (who track a book through production--a very important job!)

Agent Rachelle Gardner blogs about lunching with other agents and their discussion of what's going on in the publishing world

Another interesting blog post about co-op

Suggestions on what to include on an author website

guest blog and links

Before I get to today's guest blog, I've got some links to share:

Interesting article on children's/YA publishing and the economy

John Green continues to discuss advances and royalties

Old but lovely essay by Ann Patchett on writing--"It should be noted that there are two blissful things about writing novels: making them up and seeing them finished. The days I spend in either of these two states are so sweet, they easily make the rest of the process bearable." I'm also quite fond of this: "Sometimes if there's a book you really want to read, you have to write it yourself."

Interesting article about how today's young adult novels are actually a new genre

Great tips on choosing a freelance editor

And now for this week's guest blog!

Today's guest blogger is Korianne, one of the Teen Author Carnival organizers, and who can normally be found blogging at Korianne Speaks

I asked: If you could get publishers to do one thing, what would that be?

Korianne said: Hire me? I need an internship or something when I move to NYC! But seriously, I would probably say do more to involve teens. Publishers like reviewers to review books, but I haven't seen them really getting teens involved. Maybe sponsoring a teen podcast or something would be great. I am no longer a "teen" but I live in the world of YA and I have confidence that readers are ready for whatever publishers throw at them.


I asked: What do you wish authors would do more of online?

Korianne said: Silly things! The blog posts, videos or tweets that are authors doing funny things are the ones I love the most! I love book promotion as much as the next reader, but authors who take the time to tell us about their everyday lives hold a special place in my heart. Tell me about yourself! You may think your life is boring, but I AM INTERESTED!


I asked: What is your favorite book of all time?

Korianne said: Okay, I am not a big fan of the "favorite" questions, but this is one I can answer honestly and happily. It's Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian, no contest. I know it's still new on the scene, but I don't give the "favorite" title lightly. It booted Keeping The Moon by Sarah Dessen from 7 years in the "favorite" position. I still hold Keeping The Moon and lots of other books dearly, but Same Difference got to me. It talks about wanting to be someone you are not in order to please other people & how being yourself is one of the most important things you can do. I think that's something that every person should know, but teens more than anything need to know that being themselves is the best thing they can do for themselves. I am 20 and the message still hit home with me.


I asked: Best young adult novel you've read recently?

Korianne said: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. When I borrowed it from a friend I knew nothing about it, and I do mean nothing. I thought the cover was awesome, that's about it. I expected it to be fluffy & cute, which is sometimes all I really need for it to be a good book. However this wasn't just a cutesy book. The main character of Anna falls in love, just like any typical teen romance. Not typical... her love is taken from her at such a young age. I know how tough losing a good friend and love interest can be as I lost a close friend at a young age and Ockler really hit the nail on the head with the crazy emotions you feel when something like this happens.


I asked: Best young adult novel that doesn't get nearly enough love?

Korianne said: Now this is a tough one! I live in the book blog world, so just about every book I have ever read has been reviewed multiple times on the blogs I follow. Honestly, if I go through my bookshelves there is probably not a book on them that I haven't read at least one review for. {Note: This is how you know you are addicted to reading blogs} However one book I haven't seen clogging the review boards is Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. It's not officially "Young Adult" but the topics and ages of the characters have me tending to categorize it that way. Combine that with the fact that it was released in 2005 before I started blogging might explain why I haven't seen it reviewed very often. And while it still might be a bit mature for some teen/tween readers I think it's must read.


I asked: What's one question you wish people would ask authors?

Korianne said: I love hearing about the inspirations of their books and how they got there start writing because I am a writer myself. However the questions that always stand out for me in interviews are the quirky or unique ones. The point of an interview for both the author and the interviewer is to have fun! So ask: Zombies or Unicorns? Do you like Karaoke? Do you have any stupid human tricks? and any random tidbits you would never know otherwise. Getting to know authors on a personal level is one of the things I love best about blogging. I feel privileged to call an author a friend and I am lucky that I get to chat with some of my favorite writers daily on twitter and throughout the blog world. I live in my online dream world and I couldn't be happier!


Thank you, Korianne! I'm really enjoying reading what all these amazing bloggers have to say about authors, publishing, and novels--and I hope you are too!

And of course, I'm going to give away copies of the books Korianne suggested I give away, Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian. For your chance to win these books, just leave a comment by midnight EST this Friday, July 10th, telling me what young adult novel YOU feel doesn't get enough love.

Summer of Books contest winners and links (plus cute Something, Maybe wallpaper!)

Here are the winners of the Summer of Books contest--thanks to all who entered!

Twenty (yep, TWENTY) book winner: Meghan

$25 bookstore gift card winners: Alex, Ally, Callie, Carmen, Donna, Emily, Hailey, Jennifer, Josie, Karen, Laura, Lisa, Lucy, Macy, Mya, Nevaeh, Polly, Rebeka, Reece, and Viv

Thanks also for all your lovely comments about The Unwritten Rule cover--I confess, I LOVE it and think the designer did an amazing job.

I also have some links:

Justine Larbalestier on why agent websites don't matter all that much -- "When you have an agent you don’t care about their website or how clear their submission guidelines are or whether they take electronic submissions. You care about how fast they get back to you about your problems and how good the deals they make for you are."

Agent Rachelle Gardner blogs about writing what's hot

Agent Nathan Bransford's guest blogger, Eric, who works as a sales assistant for a publisher, talks about how publishers sell books, and determine which ones get co-op (displays, front of store placement, etc.) -- this is a great post to read if you've ever wondered how authors end up on the big tables whenever you walk into a store or get displays, etc. Loads of comments, including some from Eric explaining more about his job, etc.

Lauren Barnholdt on the myth of the "dream agent" -- "But here’s the thing: Deciding who your dream agent is before you’ve even worked with them? Is like deciding you want to marry someone based on their match.com profile. Think about it. One way, you’re saying, “This agent seems really nice on their blog, and they just sold a six-figure deal and they rep YA, which is what I write and OMG, THAT PERSON IS MY DREAM AGENT and look at their picture how cute!” It really is kind of the same as saying, “OMG, look at this person’s profile, they like soccer and have a dog like me and they seem really nice and I AM GOING TO MARRY THEM and look at their picture how cute!” An online presence does not a marriage make. Unfortunately, the only way to know who your dream agent is… is to actually, um, start working with them. I know this because I am on my third agent."

Simon Pulse has created an adorable wallpaper for Something, Maybe

In other news, the dog goes in for an x-ray on Thursday as a follow-up check. I've got my fingers crossed!!

guest blog contest winner, links, and cover for The Unwritten Rule

First, congrats to Jennie, who was the winner of last week's guest blog contest, and thanks again to Devyn for all the thoughtful answers (they got me to twitter!!)

Next, I've got a bunch of links to share:

Editorial Ass on hiring a freelance editor to help you edit your book before you sent it out--includes the pros and cons

The Wall Street Journal on overlooked books--and authors. Interesting short piece on literary novelists you've never heard of, as well as a link to The Neglected Books Page which is chock full of information on authors and books you've (most likely) never heard of.

Justine Larbalestier on why authors shouldn't engage with reviewers who don't like their books--"Because most of the time reviews are not about you. All you did was write the book. The reviewer is engaging with the book you wrote, and their relationship with it. They are bringing to bear their entire reading history as they do that. They will see and feel things you did not intend them to see. But you are not your book. If you can’t make that separation you are in for a world of pain."

Apparently a writer named Michael Moorcock can write a book in three days. (!!!)

Editor Cheryl Klein offers Four Techniques to Get at the Emotional Heart of Your Story

Jeff Vandermeer on writing full-time -- thoughtful and thought-provoking

Great little post about books people say they read, and books they actually do read

Wire fans, take note: Dominic West reading a bit of Pride and Prejudice (with actual accent!)

Finally, because I got a nice-sized picture of it, I have to share the cover for The Unwritten Rule!!




Didn't the designer do an amazing job? I LOVE the cover and can't wait for the book to come out (April 6th!!)

yep, I jointed twitter. Also, more publishing talk

Okay, okay, you talked me into it. Now I'm on twitter too: http://twitter.com/escottwrites

The talk about advances, marketing, and publishing in general continues, with another blog post from John Green as well as one from Justine Larbalestier

Editorial Anonymous has a fascinating post about the the two big chains (Borders and B&N) carrying your books

And hey, there are only FOUR days left to enter the Summer of Books contest, so what are you waiting for?

guest blog--and what social media platforms are YOU using?

Today's guest blogger is Devyn, another of the Teen Author Carnival organizers and the founder of Five Awesome YA Fans (also on YouTube). He also runs a book charity called BookTransfusion --and their annual book drive is starting soon!

I asked: If you could get publishers to do one thing, what would that be?

Devyn said: I think that it is very vital for publishing houses to realize the trend of online blogging. Teens these days are no longer enticed by colorful posters in bookstores or women the age of our grandmother telling us about the new "hip book".

Teens would rather hear about a book from someone their age. They do so by reading online book blogs. Most publishers support the book blogging community however most do not care to take part. Its one thing sending out an ARC but another to actually work with the blogger.

So in the end what I am saying is the publishing world is changing. Bloggers can help make or break a book and publishers really need to understand this if they want to stay ahead in the game. Not to mention online blogs provide and outlet for young and inspiring authors--an author that one day could make your publishing house known worldwide.


I said: What do you wish authors would do more of online? I know you've talked about this on your site, so going off that, what do you think is the best social media site for authors to use to connect with fans?

Devyn said: I think it is VERY important for an author to get to know their fans. One myspace comment (better yet "tweet" for you trendy folks!) can mean the world to a fan. An extra bonus is getting to know them by their picture--imagine meeting your greatest inspiration and them saying "Hey *INSERT NAME HERE*!" like you have been best friends forever.

And as for Social Media--I love it. It is possibly the greatest tool that an author can have--instant FREE access to your fans. Instant communication. It is an amazing deal like no other. Seriously, If you are an author reading this and you do not "have time" to run a social media account--Make time, it is the greatest marketing tool of all time!

As for media sites I currently suggest Twitter (www.twitter.com) -- Its the simplest social networking site as you can update it from your CELLPHONE! Imagine updating your information--with one easy text message!

Myspace was a trend--but you will see that it is slowly dying as it is trying to be more like FaceBook and not creating original ideas.

FaceBook is a good tool... But in my views it is dying as well. Teens are leaning twoards the satisfaction of a 140 character reply--also known as Twitter!

I keep seeing mention of Tumblr- (http://www.tumblr.com)-I personally know nothing about this site. However I am seeing more and more people using it. If you are an experienced web user why not give it a shot.

In a nutshell if you are not using social networking sites, USE THEM--If you already are KUDOS TO YOU!


I said: What is your favorite book of all time?

Devyn said: I love books. I don't think I could pick just one!

I must admit that I have an amazing copy of Ironside by Holly Black. I won't go into detail--but it is possibly one of the most amazing copies out there. :p


I said: Best young adult novel you've read recently?

Devyn said: Uhh, Are you sure you don't want to ask another media question? I hate playing favorites!

I've just read Vintage and Becoming Chloe. They are both amazingly good!

Vintage Review: http://fdreview.blogspot.com/2009/04/steve-berman-vintage.html

Becoming Chloe Review: http://fdreview.blogspot.com/2009/05/becoming-chloe-catherine-ryan-hyde.html


I said: Best young adult novel you love that doesn't get nearly enough love?

Devyn said:
Tips on having a gay (ex) boyfriend - Carrie Jones
Lessons From A Dead Girl - Jo Knowles

Seriously, I don't care who you are these are two amazing books dealing with real issues and everyone should read them!


I said: What's one question you wish people would ask authors?

Devyn said: Did you always want to become and author or did you at one point in life have another career choice in mind?


Devyn, thanks so much for your time, and for sharing your thoughts--not to mention all the work you're doing for the YA community!

Devyn's also listed a lot of books, but one of them (Vintage) is out of print, so this week I'll be giving away a copy of: Ironside by Holly Black, Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Tips on Having A Gay (Ex) Boyfriend by Carrie Jones, and Lessons From A Deal Girl by Jo Knowles

For your chance to win, just leave a comment by midnight EST this Friday, July 3rd, at midnight and tell me what social media platform you use most often: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter--or something else? (I have to admit, while MySpace use seems to be far less popular than it was, I'm not sure I'd count it as dead yet, and I'm not seeing a lot of people under 21 on twitter...but hey, I'll know better when I hear from YOU!)