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Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 602
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - 10:01 pm: | 
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from mediabistro.com/galleycat/ http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/authors/is_having_an_imaginary_publicist_so _wrong_73917.asp
Just before Christmas, the New York Times ran a short profile of Troy Tompkins (left), a young author whose self-published YA fantasy, The Marvelous Effect, attracted the attention of Simon & Schuster... after Tompkins sent out press releases for one of his readings that he signed "Alan Chase." And that detail in his success story bothered a few writers, like Jay Lake, who described the NYT story as "bad messaging to aspiring writers," because, as one commenter summarized the situation, "this guy lied, pretended to be someone he wasn't, and not only does he get rewarded by landing a contract with a big publisher, he goes in front of high school classes and brags about it."
Others couldn't see what all the fuss was about. "He wrote the book, he published it himself, he publicized it himself," commented Andrew Wheeler, a marketing manager at Wiley. "He was smart enough to know that signing the author's name to a press release is the kiss of death... The release still had to be compelling; it still had to grab interest. Signing 'Alan Chase' just kept it from being thrown away immediately; nothing more." The bigger picture here, Wheeler adds, is that Tompkins was only able to make the shift from self-publishing to a book deal with S&S because he's exactly the sort of "insanely energetic self-promoter" you need to be if you want any kind of success publishing your own work. (It might also be worth noting that Tompkin's success as "Troy CLE" parallels that of E. Lynn Harris, Omar Tyree, and other African-American writers who undertook the DIY approach and proved they had a sizable audience before "real publishers" recognized their potential—and, too, there are authors like Tina McElroy Ansa who break away from the conglomerates to start up their own publishing companies.)
As S&S children's book publisher Rubin Pfeffer told the Times, The Marvelous Effect was considered an effective reflection of "the style, attitudes and feelings of children from the inner city... [with] elements of hip-hop, video gaming, anime and science fiction," all of which Tompkins deploys to get more kids reading—so that maybe in the near future, we won't hear about situations like his presentation at a Newark high school where only eight students in an audience of 200 said they read books for fun. And if the worst thing he did to get us to that point is pretend he'd hired a publicist so he could get on the radar of overworked publishing and media professionals, then, yeah, I don't see a problem, either.
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Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 463
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - 10:34 pm: |
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Believe me, this happens in lots of industries, not just publishing. Large companies and media outlets do not want to do business with a one-person organization who may be working from a garage or a bedroom at home so the smaller companies create imaginary employees, publicists, etc. So what if you get your spouse to create your voice mail greeting and you use a pen name to create press releases so that you don't look like a small fry. The strategy works and is encouraged by some of the best business people in the industry. If it works, it works. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11030
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 12:42 am: |
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I'm not surprised that this type of "creative" marketing is the wave of the future. Self-hype goes hand-in-hand with self-publishing. But some attempts at do-it-yourself promotion are so transparent and contain so much hyperbole that they are more ridiculous than effective. Bottom line: the proof is in the reading. All the "spin" in the world won't turn a dull boring book into an interesting one. Welcome to 2008 as we hover on the threshold of a new era where nothing is what it seems. And so it goes. |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 603
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 08:50 am: |
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True story: Years ago I used to work for a textile vendor in the Garment District. Many people worked out of their homes, but tried to play it off like they were major fabric vendors; some were up and coming fashion designers running boutiques out of their homes. Anyhowway, by buying direct from us, they could set up accounts, open a line of credit, and get material at wholesale prices on credit - provided they were a "real" company/business.
Thing is, the company I worked for had a database. Before we allowed people to open an account with us, we checked their "business" address. When it came back as a residence, rather than a business, their application was rejected, and they were directed to our retail department; where they received no line of credit and had to pay retail prices upfront.
Some people expected to get caught in their fabrication (pun intended). Those people just went to the retail department and ordered from there instead. Others would become belligerent when we informed them that we knew they weren't a "real" business, and were working out of their homes.
When it comes to publishing, my thinking is different. I have loads of respect for people with the initiative to do it all themselves: writing, publishing, and promoting their work. At the same time, I expect "truth in advertising". If you're a one-man or one-woman army, say so. Be proud of it. Use it as a selling point. I also question the mental stability of a person pretending to be five different people.
Based on my experiences in textile vending and publishing, I know industries can and do turn their noses up at the little guy, the home-based one-man/woman business. So I fully understand the reasons why some people find it necessary to appear bigger than they are. At the same time, my thinking is, what would they do if some bigshots learn of their company, are impressed, want to meet all of these people, and make them a considerable businees offer? Then they'll have to come clean, revealing that they're all one and the same - and risk appearing shady and/or unbalanced, therefore, blowing a deal that could set them up for life. To me, it's not worth it. Promote your company as a one-person home-based entity from jump, and you don't have to worry about it coming back to bite you in the ass later. Historically, many successful enterprises grew from one person working out their home. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 464
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 10:04 am: |
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But like it was stated in the original post: He was smart enough to know that signing the author's name to a press release is the kiss of death.
Most industry folks turn their noses up at self-pubbed authors. In fact, authors do whatever they can to avoid using the term for themselves. This includes calling themselves the CEO of a publishing company, creating a website for their company to throw off suspicion, and writing their own press releases.
So what's a one-man shop to do? |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6038
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 02:42 pm: |
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By any means necessary, some say |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 604
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 03:21 pm: |
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In a major city, such as NY, I would take it to the streets; like most self-pubbed NYC residents already do. I also would set up a company website. I think that in itself doesn't say the self-publisher is trying to deceive, rather it says to me that the self-publisher is serious about the business end of publishing in addition to the creative side; and wants to present a professional presentation. And if you're self-pubbed and know how to write your own press releases, then have at it. BUT, sign your name to the press release. If you feel doing that will make you look "too small," or be "the kiss of death," then you can always add a contact email to your website (and on your press releases) that you don't need to sign with a name, such as: media@urbanscribepublishing.com <<<note that is not a real email address).
There are many ways self-pubbed authors can look more professional without deceptive practices. To me, it seems more like Tompkins didn't want to "pay his dues" as a self-pubbed author, wanted to bypass all the redtape and politics in the industry, and skyrocket straight to the top. IMO, he bears watching. And I don't mean that in a positive way.
Yes, being self-pubbed will cause many industry top dawgs to disregard you and your work. But, as the article also brought out, if you can successfully and honestly self-publish, it will cause just as many industry top dawgs to take note of you.
Did you know that approx 200k books are pubbed each year in the US? Of those, only 25-30% are pubbed by a company other than the author. Roughly 3 out of 4 books are self-pubbed in this country each year. So the top dawgs in the industry, be they publishers, editors, reviewers, etc, aren't shocked when they receive self-pubbed works. Most reviewers, especially, know that most books submitted to them for review consideration will be self-pubbed works. The reason they choose not to review the majority of those self-pubbed books, outside of technical production reasons, is because most self-pubbers don't have a big enough budget for proper promotion or a decent size initial printrun. So why would a PW reviewer, for example, waste time reviewing a book with a 1000-unit printrun and advertising in the form of email or forum spam, fliers passed about the self-pubbed author's local community, no distribution, and no or limited bookstore and library shelving; when that same PW reviewer could spend the same amount of time reviewing a book pubbed by a small press, with a 3000-unit minimum initial printrun, distribution or in-house marketing and sales team, and a minimum $5,000 advertising budget just to promote that one book?
In my view, it's not the self-publishing itself that makes self-pubbers look bad, rather it's their obvious failure to put a viable business and marketing plan in place. Y'know, when I put together an acquisition proposal, the first questions I must answer are: How do you plan to market this work? What are the projected costs associated with your marketing plan? Who is the target audience for this work? What is the author's platform? Most self-pubbers never bother, or don't know, to ask themselves these questions. Most self-pubbers go about self-pubbing with a "write it and they will come" approach.
Getting back to Tompkins, his approach was to make himself look larger than he is with an "imaginary publicist". I wouldn't call that a business or marketing plan. I'd call that a big fat lie. Be that as it may, it worked for him. And I'm willing to bet that his success has pissed off a great deal of honest, legitimate self-pubbers. As an honest, legit self-pubber, Emanuel, what's your take on Tompkins' approach? |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11035
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 03:30 pm: |
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I'm sure Nafisa Goma & Co., is smarting over how snug her shoes fit as she reads this thread.  |
Jmho
Veteran Poster
Username: Jmho
Post Number: 317
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 05:01 pm: |
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Urban_scribe wrote:
When it comes to publishing, my thinking is different. I have loads of respect for people with the initiative to do it all themselves: writing, publishing, and promoting their work. At the same time, I expect "truth in advertising". If you're a one-man or one-woman army, say so. Be proud of it. Use it as a selling point.
As I reading all of this, I thought, this is same kind of author who would post glowing 'reviews' of their work, sign another's name, and think there is nothing wrong with such promotion. Why stop at making up an imaginary publicist. That slope can very slippery, very quickly.
Urban_scribe wrote:
I also question the mental stability of a person pretending to be five different people.
Now you know who came to mind, when I read this. ;-) |
Nafisa_goma
Veteran Poster
Username: Nafisa_goma
Post Number: 323
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 05:32 pm: |
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As usual, Cynique, you spin lies.
Your own board member, Sisgal (Diane Dorce), signed a contract with our company's editor in chief, Robert Wright and met him in person.
Mr. Wright flew to Georgia to meet with Sisgal
(Diane Dorce) in person.
Dr. Rosie Milligan, a L.A. Publisher, the board
at UCLA and the local Urban League have all met
Door of Kush President Robert Wright.
Then there's me, Nafisa Goma.
I appeared at Kola Boof's event in N.Y.C. at the Schomburg Center and if Troy Johnson or Urban Scribe had bothered to show up, they would have met me and they would have seen that I am a real live person.
I was the pretty Arab Yemenese woman who welcomed people in the corridors as they entered.
The N.Y. Times, by the way, interviewed and published comments by Kola's previous publicist Yi Lee Ning. Is she an imagined person as well?
I think the lies that Zane, yourself and others on this board try to advance about myself and Kola Boof are pathetic and only demonstrate to people after all this time, what hateful, bored, unattractive and lonely people you are.
Many people, in fact, who UrbanScribe claims to know in publishing have actually met me in the flesh. The gentlemen at the Schomburg being prime examples. They know I'm a real person, yet Urban continues to spread hostility and gossip-mongering because she hates Kola so much.
Unfortunately, what Kola has cooking is so big that the "ill wishes" made by women like Zane, A_Womon, Urban and yourself won't be enough to stop her ascendacy.
Kola has enormous talent, charisma, energy, creativity and real people who've always backed and believed in her. The woman is gifted.
Oh, forget to tell you---and perhaps Zane's cousin or assistant or whoever can confirm this for you---but Al Sharpton has also met me in the flesh.
I'm sure Zane could check on that for you.
Nafisa Goma
Door of Kush Books
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Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 470
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 05:36 pm: |
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I agree with the Wiley marketing manager who said in the story, "Signing 'Alan Chase' just kept it from being thrown away immediately; nothing more." If the release contained lies about book sales or provided a false resume for the author, I would see how it would be a big deal. But appearing larger than what he was didn't hurt anybody, except a few haters. He got his deal now they need to go and get theirs. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11039
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 06:39 pm: |
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Oh blah, blah, blah. Speaking of spreading lies, we've heard it all before, nafishy gomez. If the shoe doesn't fit, then stfu. You should be grateful to me for providing you with an opportunity to once again go into your patented routine.  |
Troy
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 1015
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 06:41 pm: |
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I think making up publicists names on press releases or posting glowing reviews of your own book is simply wrong.
E, there are other ways of appearing larger than you are. The creation of false folks is just an unnecessary lie that only arouses suspicion in my book -- nothing else.
Dag Cynique, you could not resist getting Nafisa wound up again, huh?
Nafisa_goma, were it not for me enjoying a Stevie Wonder concert (http://aalbc.com/blog/labels/Stevie%20Wonder%20Concert) in Baltimore that day I would have loved to come by and enjoy Kola's performance.
Even if I did attend I would resist being used as a tool to prove identity. So if we do ever meet please do not use me to "prove" who you are. Right now you are in my "Thou Dost Protest Too Much" category.
Look, I've published two favorable reviews of Kola's books. Dairy is one of the top selling books of the year (again) http://books.aalbc.com/2007_by_month.htm (page under construction). I can prove that -- nothing else.
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Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 606
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 07:13 pm: |
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Nafisa Goma wrote:
They know I'm a real person, yet Urban continues to spread hostility and gossip-mongering because she hates Kola so much.
Who said ANYTHING about Kola? My posts on this thread were regarding Tompkins' unsavory, unethical marketing approach, imo - and no one else. Then again, if the shoe fits... |
Mzuri
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Mzuri
Post Number: 5882
Registered: 01-2006
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 07:15 pm: |
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Hey Kola Spoof, Why don't you change the name of your business to DoucheBag Books? That's much more fitting. And BTW, happy new years beotch 
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Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 607
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 07:17 pm: |
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Emanuel wrote:
But appearing larger than what he was didn't hurt anybody, except a few haters. He got his deal now they need to go and get theirs.
I wouldn't call honest, legit self-pubbers "haters". But that may just be a matter of semantics. To me, they would be justifiably pissed to see someone get ahead by employing unsavory tactics, whereas they're doing all the right things in the right ways, yet haven't achieved the brass ring. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11040
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 07:37 pm: |
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at MZURI.
Happy New Year, Girlfriend. |
Urban_scribe
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Urban_scribe
Post Number: 610
Registered: 05-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 08:10 pm: |
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Jmho wrote:
As I reading all of this, I thought, this is same kind of author who would post glowing 'reviews' of their work, sign another's name, and think there is nothing wrong with such promotion. Why stop at making up an imaginary publicist. That slope can very slippery, very quickly.
How true. However, there is an industry recognized format for reviewing your own books. It's known as a house review. Naturally, it would be a favorable review, but if it's laid out in proper format that lets the industry know that it's a house review; therefore it becomes perfectly legitimate advertising. These house reviews can be written by the author, editor, publicist, or even someone from the marketing and sales team. Sometimes the company that distributes for the publisher writes the house review. We see these house reviews all the time, even on national bestsellers, but the average person (read: someone outside the publishing industry) doesn't realize they're reading house reviews. This doesn't just pertain to book publishing. Record companies, film studios and so forth also write house reviews for their products. Sadly, most self-pubbers don't know the format, so they write a glowing review of their own work and sign a fake name. That's where they go wrong. It's painfully obvious they wrote the review themselves. But, if they learn and follow the format for a house review, they can review their own work without a problem.
Think of a house review as a commercial where the company is telling you that their cookies are the best you'll ever taste. There's nothing wrong with that because it's common knowledge that opinion is coming from the company. A house review follows the same principle. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 471
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 03, 2008 - 10:13 pm: |
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Interesting. I haven't heard of authors reviewing their own work, although I suspect this happens with customer reviews on online bookstore sites. |
Jmho
Veteran Poster
Username: Jmho
Post Number: 320
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 04, 2008 - 04:46 pm: |
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Urban_scribe wrote:
However, there is an industry recognized format for reviewing your own books. It's known as a house review. Naturally, it would be a favorable review, but if it's laid out in proper format that lets the industry know that it's a house review; therefore it becomes perfectly legitimate advertising. These house reviews can be written by the author, editor, publicist, or even someone from the marketing and sales team.
Where would these house reviews appear and would a name be attached? I can't imagine giving any credibility to a book review that was written by the author. Where is the objectivity? There can't be any. Would any author cite, in the review, the weaknesses of their own work? It's one thing to speak highly of your book, in an interview, but to write a review of your own book, I don't know about that.
Urban_scribe wrote:
Think of a house review as a commercial where the company is telling you that their cookies are the best you'll ever taste. There's nothing wrong with that because it's common knowledge that opinion is coming from the company.
Yeah, but as you said above, those not in the business (mainly the readers) doesn't know that a house review was really by the author, whereas when I see a commercial, I know the company paid for the ad. Paid advertising is expected to be slanted.
Emanuel wrote:
I haven't heard of authors reviewing their own work, although I suspect this happens with customer reviews on online bookstore sites.
Which is why I don't read them. I remember, years ago, clicking on a reviewer's name, to see what other books they had reviewed, and it took me back to the author's name. Yikes! |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11048
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 04, 2008 - 05:14 pm: |
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I would think that in summarizing the plot on the cover of a book, the author could get away with referring to the story in such terms as it being an "engrossing page-turner".  |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 6044
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 10:44 am: |
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I think making up publicists names on press releases or posting glowing reviews of your own book is simply wrong.
(Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman,and I believe Alan Ginsberg, among others, did it all the time.
I think it is dishones (unless you slam the hell out of yourself or are brutally honest) but everbody got to get theirs, knowutmsayin'?
I mean, it ain't as bad as pimping or slangin'dope...) |
Troy
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Troy
Post Number: 1022
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 12:15 pm: |
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Chris using white folks to justify something that is wrong does not make it right.
I read a lot of reviews. In my mind, the author of the review is very important. The Amazon user reviews are virtually useless. I know folks write positive reviews for friends (or themselves) and slam books of foes.
I give credence to the review written by known, independent, entities PW, Kirkus, etc.
Urbanscribe, the in house reviews you talk about I always treat as advertising copy or as a commercial as you describe. It is pretty clear, whether it appears on the Amazon site, AALBC.com or in a magazine ad that it was generated by the publisher. There is nothing wrong with this unless it is presented as if it came from an independent entity.
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A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2040
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 01:15 pm: |
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What is the purpose of an "in house" review then? If everyone knows it's from the author or their publisher, why even put it on the cover? It is absolutely useless in my opinion, since it does nothing to give independent insight into how good or bad the book really is. Is the purpose to make people who don't know think it is an independent review? It sounds just as dishonest as the guy who made up the publicist. |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2041
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 01:27 pm: |
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And I guess this in house review thing means that ANYONE can write the words "critically acclaimed" on the cover of a book too, right? Even though not one real critic has busted a page or critiqued it.
The more I learn about the world of publishing the more disingenuos it seems. *BIG SIGH* |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2042
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 01:31 pm: |
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that's disingenuous |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11067
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 01:49 pm: |
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Well, a_womon, a back-cover blurb certainly has to be a synopsis that will make the a person want to buy the book. It's like the front cover art; it should be eye-catching. It would seem that a book's covers are equivalent to a billboard. Publishing is a bizness. Almost anything that involves making money is disingenuous. And so it goes. |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2043
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 02:52 pm: |
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True, Cynique. But while a synopsis should certainly peak the reader's interest and make them want to buy the book, there is a huge difference between writing the synopsis of a story and writing your own review of a story. And if a person and their publisher are going to write glowing reviews and plant them all over the cover, why not expend that same effort on cotacting real reviewers,(there are hundreds available, some even online to give your book a free, unbiased review) or other published authors who will do the same if they have the time? I still don't see the need to do this. It would be the same as calling all of your friends and family and asking them to write favorable reviews on b&n or amazon, as others have pointed out. Just my opinion though. |
Emanuel
Veteran Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 477
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 03:15 pm: |
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C'mon now. Ya'll know marketers are going to do whatever they can to pique the interests of book buyers, even if it includes a little fluff. If one critic acclaims a book, it's technically critically-acclaimed. If a book reaches the top 2000 out of a 3 million books on Amazon, it could technically be considered a bestseller. It's up to book buyers to read through the fluff and make a buying decision.
Advertisers are clever in all facets of marketing, not just the publishing biz. It's a thin line between outright lying and stretching the truth.
This reminds me of the movie biz. You know how you read those one-word quotes about a movie like "Incredible" says Roger Ebert. Of course, they neglect to tell you Ebert said, "It's incredible this horrible screenplay even made it to the big screen."
I make book buying decisions based on credible review sources, suggestions from people I know, authors' previous works, and the history of similar titles I've liked by other authors. Not fluff.
Now we've touched on that slippery slope. I still don't think the author did anything so wrong when he used an alias name for a publicist. |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2044
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 03:26 pm: |
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True. I have seen an actual movie review butchered to make it seem like it's favorable, but come on! Where do we draw the line? Or do we even need to draw one?
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A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2045
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 03:27 pm: |
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Do we make a distinction between fluff and guff? |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11074
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 05:47 pm: |
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We're talking about a product; and mainly about fiction. We're not discussing how to showcase a text book. And a synopsis, in briefly describing the plot and characters and how they contribute to making the book appealing, is a mini review. It's just a slanted one. |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2046
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 06:06 pm: |
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no, a synopsis itself is just summing up in a few sentences or paragraphs what the book is about. It generally does not contain an opinion about whether the book is good or bad. |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2047
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 06:13 pm: |
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Here are a couple of examples of a synopsis that might appear on a back cover, or inside flap of a dust jacket.
The Darkness
L. A. Banks
After the battle at Masada, the Neteru team returns to San Diego believing forty-thousand demons had been eradicated and that Lilith's spawn has been killed. But somehow the treacherous little creature got away. Just as had been prophesized at the dawn of the Armageddon, the anti-Christ has been born and will soon rise to power.
Rewarded for her creation, Lilith is given the daylight bite and power to make Councilmen day-walkers. Having Fallon Nuit and Sebastian able to withstand sunlight is a huge problem, especially when they are adding new master vampires at recordbreaking levels. Meanwhile the dark realms are healing and adding to what had previously been wiped out—feeding off the dark energy of the newly created anti-christ who is only waiting to emerge
Nappily Faithful
Trisha R. Thomas
Hoping to get away from emotional baggage in Los Angeles, Venus and Jake move to Atlanta. Yet the constant cloud of the past follows them: a difficult pregnancy and Jake being charged for the murder of his accountant. Though Jake never spent one night in jail, he fears the case will be reopened and he’ll once again have to fight for his freedom.
And the timing couldn’t be worse since Airic, the biological father of Venus' daughter Mya, suddenly demands parental rights with the child he hasn’t seen since her birth. A nasty custody battle ensues. Airic's new wife, Trevelle Doval, a famous TV evangelist--may be behind his sudden interest. Venus is in for the biggest fight of her life.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 11076
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 06:24 pm: |
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Yes, but when a book is self-published and so many of black ones are nowadays, the author has a tendency to embellish the synopsis in order to hype the book. Self-published authors make their own rules. |
A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2048
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 06:40 pm: |
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yes, that's probably true. |
Jmho
Veteran Poster
Username: Jmho
Post Number: 322
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 08, 2008 - 11:04 am: |
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Emanuel wrote:
Now we've touched on that slippery slope. I still don't think the author did anything so wrong when he used an alias name for a publicist.
The man lied, as a publicist didn't exist. He created a position and a name, for a non-existent person. His is intent was to deceive, and not to conceal an identity, as say, as an author who writes under a different name other than their own. |
Yukio
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Yukio
Post Number: 2471
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 11:30 am: |
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this is all very interesting...someone here, perhaps Troy or a hired hand, should organize the salient and valuable insights and advice for inexperienced writers.
For a long time, I have wanted to write a book of short stories, though time doesn't permit me at this point, and would be helpful to have some resource, from a source that I respect like Troy and AALBC, that could facilitate this process.
This potential resource could be published by AALBC; it could be divided into two sections--one laying out the how-tos(written by Urban Scribe and Emanuel), and another laying out the experiences of writers, such as A-Womon(greetings, by the by), Cynique(self-published), and whoever else can contribute their veritable experiences in either/both self-publishing and/or obtaining a contract with a publishing company.
Of course, I know nothing about this industry, and I'm sure that there would be more than 2 sections.
So my point:
AALBC should publish a how to book....people respect and trust the website!
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A_womon
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: A_womon
Post Number: 2064
Registered: 05-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 13, 2008 - 08:33 pm: |
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"...greetings by the by"
Ditto Yukio. You are sorely missed! |
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