Category / Uncategorized
Litbloggers and Journalists: How Much Do Publicists Track You?
The New York Times has a fascinating story on how some publicists keep extremely close track of journalists. It seems that an in-house memo from Microsoft was accidentally emailed to Wired reporter Fred Vogelstein. The memo contained a good deal of information on Vogelstein, as well as some opinions (“Fred’s stories tend to be a bit sensational, though he would consider them to be balanced and fair.”).
Nearly any litblogger or journalist who deals with publicists should read this article, if only to be aware that they are possibly being tracked in some way. In fact, two publicists have told me privately that there are files containing some of the things I have written about specific authors. I haven’t a clue why. I’m just a hapless litblogger. I have no idea if there are specific speculations upon my temperament or testaments about how my writing and podcasting, or the offerings of other bloggers, is viewed at large.
But if the publicists are good, they are collecting as much information about bloggers as they can and trying to capitalize upon this. The best thing to do is to keep them guessing. Judging by the book haul I received last weekend, it would seem that I am viewed as a guy who likes extremely slim comedy books written by Brits, 900 page science fiction books from authors I have never heard of, and books that are vaguely (but not explicitly) sexual. All this amuses me to no end.
You can read a PDF of the Microsoft memo in question here.
So Much for Cracking Down on Software Piracy
Jane Smiley to Stop Writing About Horses
Author Jane Smiley decided over the weekend to stop writing about horses.
“There’s only so much equestrian prose you can pen before you get sick and tired of it,” said Smiley, who had pledged to write about more humans and leave the horse writing to other professionals.
“I think it’s safe to say that I cornered the horse writing market. It’s really not fair to writers just starting out.”
Smiley’s sudden transition has not been without its problems. Smiley’s current novel-in-progress has featured a human protagonist, named Clive Seabiscuit, spending most of his days grazing upon the grass and frequently muttering theories about four foundations.
“Old habits die hard,” said Smiley. “But at least this is easier than the glue-sniffing habit it took twelve years for me to kick.”
Richard Powers’ Secret Ghost Writing Career
National Book Award-winning writer Richard Powers has been revealed as a ghost writer of books “authored” by Tom Clancy and James Patterson.
“I’m not proud of what I did, but we needed a new porch,” said Powers in a rare interview. “Ever wonder why Dave Wallace picked The Hunt for Red October as one of his top ten books? Well, now you have your answer.”
Powers’ ghost writing career started off quietly under Tom Clancy. Word got around. Powers confessed that he had been approached by James Patterson, because Patterson was writing so many books that he had exhausted his rolodex of contacts.
“It was easy money,” said Powers. “I could put these books together over a weekend, because there wasn’t any neuroscience or VR environments involved. Just bad writing. In fact, writing bad sentences was the hardest part of the job.”