Oh to be young and fancy-free!
I’ve been following a young author/blogger, Hannah Moskowitz. When I first read a post of hers - on Nathan Bransford’s site, I left her a comment and addressed her as Ms. Moskowitz. She laughed (lol) and said, call me Hannah, Ms. Moskowitz is my mother - which made me laugh too because that’s how I felt (and still feel) when I was first married and somebody called me Mrs. So-So. I looked around, expecting to see my mother-in-law. Anyway, Hannah is very old for her years. In other words, she doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously and she doesn’t sweat the small stuff. Case in point, her post yesterday, or today, Saturday, depending upon your time zone. With her permission, I’m commenting on the questions she posed.
http://hannahmosk.blogspot.com/
THINGS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT. (In the world of publishing.)
Me - Hannah, as a Jew, I worry about pretty much everything. Fortunately, this tendency seems to decrease with the passing of generations. My father worries less than his mother. I worry less than my father and my children worry less than I do. Knock wood. Thank God.
1. People leaving the publishing world. I actually don’t worry about this, what with global warming, Iraq, Afghanistan, the state of the economy, overfishing…just kidding. People come and go in every profession. In my own case, editors have, very unfortunately, vanished into thin air. It’s like Dorothy said in The Wizard of Oz…My…people come and go so quickly here. And all the munchkins nod their little heads and giggle.
2. (Paraphrasing) Printed books are dead and self-publishing is taking over the world. Hannah does a very succinct job of pointing out that to even think this is nuts. No, it’s not the end of life as we know it. IMO if anything, kids may have short attention spans, but ereaders will get them reading again. And we’re witnessing the rebirth of the short story…remember those?
3. Celebrity books and huge advances, or in other words, do you really need to worry about crap? I love Hannah’s answer - please go read it. The truth is, I don’t worry, but Hannah, I also don’t think that the money celeb books bring in means the publishers will turn around and toss a little my way. That’s capitalism baby, capitalism.
4. Twilight - yeah, Hannah’s right. Old news. All I can say is this…Stephanie Meyers came up with a great concept and it made her oodles of money. Good for her.
5. Small advances - I’ve never had an advance so I don’t worry about its size. I much prefer to worry about penis size, that’s of far more importance to my readers. I love the fact that Hannah says - I am midlist and my life fucking rocks. So don’t worry about it. Very cool, girl.
6. Bad reviews - ack! She nailed me with that one! I will never ever ever say anything except thank you so very very much. Really I don’t get upset and I appreciate every single person who takes the time to read my books. I lost my cool once and that was not cool, never again.
Anyway, I think she’s a bright, talented young woman and I appreciate her good nature and the fact that she allowed me to share her post. Oh, and my Scottish friend, Nigel - remember him? He says I make him sound like a character from Brigadoon. I love that movie! Do I do that to him? He also compared me to the editor of Penthouse Magazine! Geez, Nigel! I only talk about you because you are so amazing! I swear I will not stick you in one of my books wearing a kilt in gusty winds. Promise!
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November 7th, 2010 at 7:06 am
Hi Julia! Thanks for introducing me to this blogger…you’re right, she is wise beyond her years!
November 7th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Yeah, she is quite mature. And very smart - it’s sort of scary. I shouldn’t be scared…two of my three kids act older than their ages - in some ways. One of my kids would prefer to remain a baby forever but even she’s growing up!
November 7th, 2010 at 8:44 am
I see a very mature group of souls in the young ones. I makes me feel old to still be tangled in the petty stuff that doesn’t seem to be touching them. I’m just going to love them and let them take over the world! lol
XXOO Kat
November 7th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Well, my love Kat, they’ll take over the world regardless! Yes, interesting times to grow up.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Thanks, Julia! (and I’m a Jew too, if it wasn’t clear from the last name, haha. And I worry too! I’m just trying to worry less about publishing.)
November 7th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Yeah, Hannah, I figured! One of my aunts married a Lebowitz. I had the added benefit of growing up in a farming community in Iowa where we were the only Jews. Farmers worry about the weather. It’s a good thing.
Having spent a number of frustrating years skirting the margins of the publishing world, I can say that worry does no good. Just makes you feel bad about yourself. The truth is, talent isn’t always enough. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s connections, sometimes it’s fate - being in the right place at the right time with the right idea. Once you accept this eternal truth, you feel better.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
Oh, this was a great post. I now have to go check her blog (I was once one of those “grown up kids). While I still worry way too much myself, I am often telling people that they need to step back and figure out if something is really a big deal, if what they are upset about is really worth all the stress they give themself. Yes, sometimes it is, but sometimes we need to enjoy what we have instead of looking for more trouble.
Vicky
November 7th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Vicky - I was a big worrier as a kid…I’m much better now! Life is stressful all by its lonesome without us adding stress needlessly.