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On the TED talks site, there is now a 17-minute video of a talk by the wonderful (if very loopy) Maira Kalman, artist and illustrator.
It's a whirlwind stream-of-consciousness trip through her mind--hang on to your hat, she doesn't stop for breath! But it's a great peek into the mind of a charming woman who creates equally charming art.
She's like a zany aunt you'd enjoy visiting three times a year. Maybe four.
There was a long article by Jimmy Lee Shreeve in the Independent recently about whether Ebooks (downloadable to your computer or a special reader) were about to kill off the traditional book. Not yet, and maybe never, but there's one paragraph that I found especially interesting in terms of its implications for writers. Jimmy Lee Shreeve writes:
"My first book came out in 2000 under the pen name Doktor Snake. It was published by St Martins Press in the US and fast became a cult classic. After that, I wrote as Jimmy Lee Shreeve. But reader reviews on Amazon.com were saying: "Write more Doktor Snake." So I did – but as 20,000-word ebooks, which I sold from my website at $7.77 each. To date, I've sold about 5,000, more or less by word of mouth. Not only are readers happy, but I get all the proceeds from sales rather than the 10 per cent I normally receive from my publishers."
Obviously it was a traditionally published book that gave him the cult following but what he's done since is quite encouraging and, I think, I sign of things to come--and probably rather nervous-making for publishers...
Here's one of the more extreme examples of ghostwriting I've ever encountered. This was listed on craigslist:
"Very busy executive would like to hire a writer to send emails on his behalf on personal dating websites. And do a few emails back and forth to get the ball rolling.
This person needs to know how to write in a masculine, but romantic way and at the same time create a challenge for the reader of the emails."
Does it surprise you that this ad appeared in Los Angeles?
And, in a more aggravating story, at least for writers, Coleen McLoughlin, 21-year-old girlfriend of UK footballer Wayne Rooney, already had a deal worth a reported £2 million ($4 million) to "write" two volumes of autobiography, and has now signed a big deal with HarperCollins to "write" five novels. Unkind observers have suggested that she may never have read five novels. Even her fiance, when asked what she had on her bedside table, replied, "The phone." Well, at least some ghostwriter should make a bit of money...
The MediaBistro membership website features a video of three journalists pitching to the editor of a music magazine called Blender. Some interesting little lessons about pitching emerged:
* The first guy pitched an idea that wasn't really substantial enough. Afterward he said that the editor said pretty much what he'd expected, he knew there wasn't enough to it, but he thought he'd give it a try. Big mistake. Getting a chance to pitch to somebody who can buy your work shouldn't be wasted on an idea you already know is flawed. Fix it or don't pitch it.
* The second guy had a good idea that fit the magazine. He could have improved his pitch by having a couple of specific examples that would spice up the article if he wrote it. For instance, he talked about "some pretty crazy bands" that play a particular event. If he'd had the name of a band and had described what makes it "pretty crazy" that would have helped a lot. Even in a brief pitch, one or two specific details always helps.
* The third guy pitched an idea that was interesting, but totally wrong for a music magazine. "Know your market" has become a cliche but so many people still get this wrong that it has to be repeated.
Is it possible to make money with a blog? Yes, although relatively few are profitable enough to allow their creators to quit their day jobs. But some of the exceptions are pretty surprising, at least to me. An article on doshdosh.com revealed some of the blogs that are making serious money, usually from the ads they are able to sell on the site due to their high level of readership. They include:
* Overheardinnewyork.com - pretty much what the title suggests--random comments overheard on the streets of New York. Brings in an estimated $8000 a month and has resulted in a book as well.
* gofugyourself.com - photos of celebrities with added sarcasm about what they're wearing. Also resulting in a book.
* icanhascheezburger.com - funny pictures of cats, captioned in a weird urban-text-message slang. Apparently brings in $65,000 a year.
The added genius of "overheard" and "cheezburger" is that most of the content is sent in by unpaid contributors.
So far I've avoided putting any ads on this site just because i think they'd clutter up the place--but then I don't have as many hits as funny cats or badly-dressed celebrities...
