Well, it's kind of hard to explain how I got here....I linked to Making Light through wicked_wish's recommendation of a first-time con-goers' article, and from there to you...I think.
Anyway, I don't have a particular genre in mind at this point. I'm a pretty avid reader of SF/F, but I'll read nearly anything I can get my hands on. I enjoy recommending books to others, and I think perhaps what caught my attention the most was your discussion of the person who goes over the frontlist and decides which and how many books to purchase for their store (I think you called that a buyer, but I'm not sure). That seemed like a good fit for me. I thought I wanted to be an editor, but I agree with your assessment of an editor's position--caught between the publisher, who wants to keep costs down, and the author, who wants to relieve him/herself of "starving artist"-ness. But without being in the industry in any way, I haven't the slightest idea of how to break in and where I'd want to be if/when I were able to.
At any rate, PW has been my industry magazine of choice because a) it's free at the library (even in the US, the subscription fee is atrocious--I can hardly imagine the Canadian cost), and b) it's a good general overview with what's happening in the industry. But I think that maybe it would be easier if I were to focus on a genre like SF/F, because the houses are typically smaller, more likely to be independent, etc. But I'll definitely check out Locus and People and Publishing to see if I can find something that jumps out at me.
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branchandroot
blanket explanation
Date: 2004-08-08 07:09 pm (UTC)Anyway, I don't have a particular genre in mind at this point. I'm a pretty avid reader of SF/F, but I'll read nearly anything I can get my hands on. I enjoy recommending books to others, and I think perhaps what caught my attention the most was your discussion of the person who goes over the frontlist and decides which and how many books to purchase for their store (I think you called that a buyer, but I'm not sure). That seemed like a good fit for me. I thought I wanted to be an editor, but I agree with your assessment of an editor's position--caught between the publisher, who wants to keep costs down, and the author, who wants to relieve him/herself of "starving artist"-ness. But without being in the industry in any way, I haven't the slightest idea of how to break in and where I'd want to be if/when I were able to.
At any rate, PW has been my industry magazine of choice because a) it's free at the library (even in the US, the subscription fee is atrocious--I can hardly imagine the Canadian cost), and b) it's a good general overview with what's happening in the industry. But I think that maybe it would be easier if I were to focus on a genre like SF/F, because the houses are typically smaller, more likely to be independent, etc. But I'll definitely check out Locus and People and Publishing to see if I can find something that jumps out at me.
Thanks for your answers!