BESTSELLERS & BEST FRIENDS
My book publishing blog, with murder mysteries woven through it.
If this is your first visit, be sure to start with “1. Let’s do it!”
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The Classic Writer-and-Editor Joke
(OK, this is a bit mean, but we joked about writers and agents; it’s time for editors.)
A writer and an editor are stranded in the desert. They’ve been crawling across the sand for days.
As they’re about to die of thirst, they come across an oasis.
The writer jumps in and enthusiastically gulps the water.
But when she looks up, she sees the editor pissing in the oasis.
The writer screams, “What the hell are you doing?”
“Making it better,” says the editor.
Gustave Flaubert’s comma
Friends visited Gustave Flaubert on a Friday, asking him to join their weekend trip. Flaubert declined, claiming he had work to do.
When the friends returned on Sunday evening, Flaubert reported that work had gone very well. Yet the friends saw he was at exactly the same place he was when they left—in the middle of a sentence, marked by a comma.
Flaubert noted that on Saturday he changed the comma to a semicolon, and on Sunday he changed it back, thus making wonderful progress.
Why I Don’t have a Beach House
Years ago I was in our booth at the big book publishing convention (ABA), and a colleague brought over this woman who had an idea, and introduced us.
I was publishing books-and-things, and she had a book-and-thing idea. She showed me a mock-up of a small book and a handmade doll that looked like one of Santa’s elves. The elf came with the book.
She called it “Elf on a Shelf.”
I thought it was the stupidest idea. Couldn’t wait to get away from her aggressive pitch. I made up an excuse to get out of the booth.
And that’s why I’m not posting this from my beautiful beach house.
Now for a biggie! I decided to get in touch with Aaron, who is both editor Larry’s husband and Katie Jatos’s hot lover. But before I could, out of the blue, he emailed me via my website, saying he wanted to get together with me.
Small world.
I suggested we meet in two days at Randy’s loft as I’m staying there (and I have a plan...oh lord). Aaron wrote back, “I know where you are. I read your stupid blog.”
Tomorrow: I’m nervous. I’m thinking about what’s good in life...just in case.