When Writerspace’s oh-so-fabulous leader Cissy Hartley invited me to start dropping by on Tuesdays as her intrepid book industry blogger, I was intrigued but wary.
The book industry these days moves as fast as scene cuts in Moulin Rouge, and I could only remember how that movie had left me so nauseated I’d been forced to leave the theater to my chagrin.
Still I had to admit I was intrigued by the notion.
Who wouldn’t love to pick the brain of industry insiders like Nancy Berland of Nancy Berland Public Relations (one of the PR queens of the book business for more than two decades) or Liza Dawson of Liza Dawson Associates (a literary agent and pioneer when it comes to ebook backlists and her authors) or bestselling authors like Robyn Carr or Sabrina Jeffries who are known to go that extra mile for their readers . . . and the research for their books.
Before I knew it I had a list of more names and topics than we could get to in a decade of Tuesdays.
Could be dangerous, I thought, but what the heck—let’s give it a go.
Though it may be like trying to hold a tornado while it spins, the plan for this blog is to give readers a peek behind the curtain at the book industry, while adding to the ongoing conversation that runs each and every day among authors, publicists, publishers, booksellers, librarians, and other industry insiders.
Get your Dramamine ready . . . and starting next Tuesday let’s talk books.
And until then, send me your questions: If you could ask one person in the book business a question, who would it be and what would you ask?
— Jeanne Devlin