Wednesday, October 26, 2005
New Links
(Warning: Shameless plugs ahead!) I've put up some new links, most importantly the one to www.mynewcompany.com where you will find out everything you need to know about starting your own business and www.postwritersgroup.com where you will find out everything you need to know, period.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Out of Catchy Titles For the Moment
As I go through the process of revising LIB, I can't help but ask myself if there is a place in today's women's fiction market for a wealthy heroine whose main romantic dilemma is that her dude doesn't like that she has so much $$$? So if you're one of today's women and you read fiction (along with this blog), by all means let me know if it's: A) more important to read about a heroine you can relate to, or B) more important to read a compelling story that allows you to lose yourself and forget your own woes/issues/b.s. for a few hours?
On a personal and totally non-book-related note, it is with great joy that I report my glorious, beautiful and amazing mother has come through her hip-replacement surgery (yesterday) well (or, as well as one can be after a hip-replacement surgery) and ready for recovery.
And for those of you considering a move to Las Vegas, here's some fine print when it comes to your apartment search (since on your paltry LV salary you'll not likely be buying a SoCal priced house!) They may advertise that the security deposit on your soon-to-be posh pad is only $200, but what they're forgetting to advertise is that they will also expect a non-refundable $40 just to fill out the application, and a non-refundable $200 (on top of that sweet, cheap security deposit that made you want to shout with "What a deal!" type happiness) that will be explained quite nonchalantly as a "redecorating" fee. Hey, way to find an all-new method of screwing the common man is all I have to say. Well done!
On a personal and totally non-book-related note, it is with great joy that I report my glorious, beautiful and amazing mother has come through her hip-replacement surgery (yesterday) well (or, as well as one can be after a hip-replacement surgery) and ready for recovery.
And for those of you considering a move to Las Vegas, here's some fine print when it comes to your apartment search (since on your paltry LV salary you'll not likely be buying a SoCal priced house!) They may advertise that the security deposit on your soon-to-be posh pad is only $200, but what they're forgetting to advertise is that they will also expect a non-refundable $40 just to fill out the application, and a non-refundable $200 (on top of that sweet, cheap security deposit that made you want to shout with "What a deal!" type happiness) that will be explained quite nonchalantly as a "redecorating" fee. Hey, way to find an all-new method of screwing the common man is all I have to say. Well done!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Marketing...or Lack Thereof
I'm starting to notice a disturbing national trend. It goes like this:
Los Angeles, CA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Washington, D.C.: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Reston, VA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Las Vegas, NV: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Seriously...I really think I could be onto something. And no, it's not that the "avid reader" claims are false.
I think I'm going to do an experiment. I will run an ad in every newspaper and magazine in America guaranteeing every man who buys Love Like That a lengthy look-see at my hottest friend's naked body. And though it may seem like a cheap gimmick for me to want to expose my hot friend like this, she will likely agree to pose because like me, will know that after this ad has gone public, sales of Love Like That will reach stratospheric heights and we'll both be living in large villas on the French Riviera with all the shoes and booze we've ever dreamed of forever and evermore.
Never mind that it's not a man's book or even a man's market. My point is, it's all about marketing.
Los Angeles, CA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Washington, D.C.: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Reston, VA: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Las Vegas, NV: Young, hip, modern women find out I've had a book published. They ask about it. I explain. They claim to be avid readers, yet seem surprised to learn that there's an entire market of fiction that's written almost exclusively for young, hip, modern women. They've never even heard of Red Dress Ink.
Seriously...I really think I could be onto something. And no, it's not that the "avid reader" claims are false.
I think I'm going to do an experiment. I will run an ad in every newspaper and magazine in America guaranteeing every man who buys Love Like That a lengthy look-see at my hottest friend's naked body. And though it may seem like a cheap gimmick for me to want to expose my hot friend like this, she will likely agree to pose because like me, will know that after this ad has gone public, sales of Love Like That will reach stratospheric heights and we'll both be living in large villas on the French Riviera with all the shoes and booze we've ever dreamed of forever and evermore.
Never mind that it's not a man's book or even a man's market. My point is, it's all about marketing.
Monday, October 17, 2005
What's Going On
I apologize for the lack of posts lately, I've been so caught up in trying to get a job that I haven't much felt like doing anything else except lie around and wonder why I couldn't get a job. Anyway, now I've got a job so I guess instead of lying around I'll go work there. The job is that I will be employed by an architecture and design firm (conveniently located just west of the Las Vegas Strip, behind the Bellagio and barely a hop-skip-and-jump from the Rio, ahem...) in an administrative position. True, I came to Las Vegas with the thought in mind that I would resurrect my PR career and get into something snazzy at one of the major hotel/casino chains...but true also that my PR career wouldn't leave much room for my writing career and it's your best guess which means more to me.
Speaking of my writing career, though, I've had a sort of epiphany about this whole impasse that's had me basically hating the alphabet for about a year and a half now. And that epiphany is that I was a better writer when I didn't allow the politics of the publishing industry to plague me. So now it's my geniune plan to say fuck whatever's going on in the publishing industry and just get back to writing because it's what I really, really love to do. That said, I have hopped back into revising the book of mine that I most adore and now do truly remember all the reasons I've always enjoyed being a writer. So what if I can't think of what genre it belongs to--I will let my agent worry about that when the time comes to shop it. So what if it contains themes and elements that have been squeezed to the brink of dry, brittle death in today's contemporary women's market--I will let whoever decides to publish it worry about that when the time comes to market it. And until then...won't concern myself about anything except what's actually going on in the story.
You may or may not be pleased to find out that what's not going on in the story is the lengthy repertoire of a single girl who hates her life and is desperate to find out what would make her feel satisfied. No, LIB (not the actual title but the title's monogram) is the story of an idyllic vacation in which a group of friends garner the wisdom to make life-changing decisions from observing each other and sharing their secrets.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!
Speaking of my writing career, though, I've had a sort of epiphany about this whole impasse that's had me basically hating the alphabet for about a year and a half now. And that epiphany is that I was a better writer when I didn't allow the politics of the publishing industry to plague me. So now it's my geniune plan to say fuck whatever's going on in the publishing industry and just get back to writing because it's what I really, really love to do. That said, I have hopped back into revising the book of mine that I most adore and now do truly remember all the reasons I've always enjoyed being a writer. So what if I can't think of what genre it belongs to--I will let my agent worry about that when the time comes to shop it. So what if it contains themes and elements that have been squeezed to the brink of dry, brittle death in today's contemporary women's market--I will let whoever decides to publish it worry about that when the time comes to market it. And until then...won't concern myself about anything except what's actually going on in the story.
You may or may not be pleased to find out that what's not going on in the story is the lengthy repertoire of a single girl who hates her life and is desperate to find out what would make her feel satisfied. No, LIB (not the actual title but the title's monogram) is the story of an idyllic vacation in which a group of friends garner the wisdom to make life-changing decisions from observing each other and sharing their secrets.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Amanda's Blog
I changed the name of my blog to reflect my current mode of creativity. I didn't like my other blog name, anyway, I only chose it because it was the first thing that popped into my head the day I signed up on Blogger. So there you have it. Just the basics. Amanda's Blog.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Even More Humbled
So this morning I was sent by one recruiter to meet with one of her colleagues at another branch of their company. At which point a good discussion ensued about: why any employer should trust me when I left my last job after only seven months, why any employer should trust me to stay in Las Vegas when I've "moved around so much" (i.e., to D.C. 2 years ago and then to here 2 weeks ago, Christ that's a lot!), and finally, my favorite...
Recruiter: "Oh, what kind of books do you write?"
Me: "Chick-lit."
Recruiter: (Laughs) "Oh, one of my friends reads that stuff. I call it trash. Personally I never read anything unless it's going to better me intellectually."
Me: "A-ha-ha-ha...well, er...you see, sometimes people just like to have something light to read at the gym or you know, to take their mind off of the stress of their day-to-day lives...er, uh, but, uh, I also write science fiction?"
Recruiter: (Raises Eyebrows) "So anyway, how would you feel about an entry-level receptionist position?"
Recruiter: "Oh, what kind of books do you write?"
Me: "Chick-lit."
Recruiter: (Laughs) "Oh, one of my friends reads that stuff. I call it trash. Personally I never read anything unless it's going to better me intellectually."
Me: "A-ha-ha-ha...well, er...you see, sometimes people just like to have something light to read at the gym or you know, to take their mind off of the stress of their day-to-day lives...er, uh, but, uh, I also write science fiction?"
Recruiter: (Raises Eyebrows) "So anyway, how would you feel about an entry-level receptionist position?"
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