It's Ask Anything week for premium subscribers!
Publishing, writing, books, feelings: ask me and each other (nearly) whatever you'd like.
Hello! It’s been nine months and a couple hundred-ish new premium subscribers since I did my last open thread Q&A, so I thought it was high time for another one. Thank you in advance for letting me get to know you better and bringing me and each other your excellent questions.
In the comments, please feel free to:
Introduce yourselves!
Ask me questions about publishing, your careers, or anything your heart desires!
Ask the rest of the commentariat those questions!
Answer other people’s questions!
Commiserate on the difficulties of creative work and life!
Post music recommendations! I need those. (I like basically everything you’d expect an elder millennial from Bethesda, MD would, plus pattern-based minimalism, plus anything where the bassist gets a little steak instead of the typical hamburger.)
Over the next few days, I and possibly Kent and Eloy will be in and out of the post as we’re able, chiming in and answering what we can in as juicy a manner as circumstances allow.
Please do not use this chat to:
Pitch me or either of my colleagues at Neon. That’s what our submissions procedure is for.
“Ask a question” that is clearly just a pitch in disguise.
Be a dick.
Ask any other commenter for specific professional favors, e.g. blurbs. This is an exercise in mutual aid and group solidarity, not individual networking. (If someone violates this rule with you over email or DMs, please narc to me.)
Shit talk, gossip, or ask for gossip about specific writers or publishing professionals. Companies, celebrities, foreign royalty, and anonymous, unidentifiable friends who don’t even go here are all okay.
I will delete all comments that violate these rules and reserve the right to delete any others for any reason I want.
Happy chatting! A x
I remember (not necessarily verbatim) what Natalie Goldberg said in Writing Down the Bones, which I read ages ago, about writing a book: Your little will cannot do it; it takes Big Determination.
(I second the request for you to name your Neon Lit sitcom from that photo!)
Okay, this may be too open ended: But what advice would you give for someone going after a contract for their second book?
My debut was in the non-fiction trad published world and seems to have done well. I also have a first right of refusal with my current publisher. My agent (John Blase at The Bindery... badass to the bone!) is helping with the angles to pitch it.
But I so appreciate your wisdom and would love any feedback on your experience here.