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I just finished editing an anthology for Rick Ramsey at TripleTree Publishing, and I need to say a word about professionalism in our industry.
I hear would-be writers cry the blues all the time about not being able to get published. Well, I just remembered why. You don’t do your homework, and you have a misplaced sense of entitlement.
I received manuscripts late. I received manuscripts that were incomplete. I received manuscripts that were single spaced. Or that were double spaced, with an extra space between paragraphs, some of which had no paragraph indentations. I got manuscripts that had funky punctuation which I had to fix (very time consuming) before it could go into the file for the book designer. I edited manuscripts, kicked them back to the authors for their okay on the revisions and never heard back. I got whole new manuscripts back after editing, making all my hard-earned revisions useless, because the old formatting was back. Which I had to re-do.Some of these were professionals. And then, on top of all of that, I had two rude authors. I don’t need rude.
Not everybody behaved badly, but I could easily tell who was a professional.
One manuscript stood out because of this: It was perfect. It arrived on time, in pristine condition. I had not one single editing suggestion. It didn’t even have a misplaced comma. The story was tight, well-told, and I knew instantly that this was a professional author. I was right. Linda Clare.
So listen up. If you want to be a professional, then dammit, act like one. Stop whining. Make your deadlines. Submit what you’re asked to submit when you’re supposed to submit it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Act like a professional.
And be nice.
If you do those simple things, chances are, you’ll get published. A lot.
This is not an advertisment. It is a shout of joy.
I received an Amazon Kindle as a gift last night, and I’m already hooked on it. The New York Times is automatically delivered to it at 3am, so I can browse it over breakfast. I wirelessly downloaded (in about twenty seconds) a book I’ve been wanting to read for $9.99 (all new release books are only $9.99). I can get all kinds of newspapers, magazines and blogs downloaded for free over their “whispernet” which doesn’t cost anything extra. It uses the cell phone technology.
It’s easy to read, and there are thousands of books available. I’m going to make my backlist Kindle-ready in the next month or two.
Is this the Beta or the VHS? The HD-DVD or the Blu Ray? Is the Sony e-book going to become the standard in the industry, or is Kindle? I know that people have been trying for a long time to get the e-book right, and I have to say, I believe the Amazon people have finally done it.
It will revolutionize publishing.
I’ve heard this word for years. Namaste, almost always accompanied by hands held together mid-chest, fingertips up almost like praying, and a small bow of the head. It is like a greeting, or a farewell. I see it written in signatures after an email or a forum post. But what does it mean?
Wikipedia says this: Nepali and Indian greeting as well as a gesture. Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than Namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in Nepal and India by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists, and many continue to use this outside the Indian subcontinent. In Indian and Nepali culture, the word is spoken at the beginning of written or verbal communication. However, the same hands-folded gesture is made wordlessly upon departure.
In recent times, and more globally, the term “namaste” has come to be especially associated with yoga and spiritual meditation all over the world. In this context, it has been viewed in terms of a multitude of very complicated and poetic meanings which tie in with the spiritual origins of the word. Some examples:
- “I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me.”
- “I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace, When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are One.”
- “I salute the God within you.”
- “I recognize that we are all equal.”
- “The entire universe resides within you.”
- “The divine peace in me greets the divine peace in you.”
- “Your spirit and my spirit are ONE.”
- “That which is of the Divine in me greets that which is of the Divine in you.”
- “The Divinity within me perceives and adores the Divinity within you.”
I love this.
I’m not the type of person who would hold up my hands in such a gesture and bow my head either in greeting or in farewell, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have that sentiment in my heart every time I meet someone or say goodbye. It’s a sign of respect. It means that I honor the God within you.
We could all do a little more of honoring the God within each other, don’t you think?
Namaste.
So I’ve been long advised by my dentist that the time will come to do some major work, and suddenly, the time is here. I have good oral hygiene, I just have the type of teeth that seem to need lots of work. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough confidence in this general practitioner to mess with my front teeth, so I consulted a cosmetic dentist.
This was a really good thing according to me, and not such a great thing according to the budget.
Yesterday I had my teeth whitened. I cannot believe the difference. If you want to give yourself a treat, or a fairly expensive gift to a loved one, send them to a cosmetic dentist (at this point I can highly recommend Dr. Vodvarka) for a “Brite Smile” one-hour teeth whitening. Wow! I had no idea how stained my teeth had gotten over the years, not until I saw that “before” photo next to the way my pearly whites look now. I wish I had done that a decade ago. The only aftereffect so far has been a little achiness last night that required an Aleve before bed, and I have a little blister on my lip this morning. No big deal.
In two weeks I go in for veneers. If I come out of that office with my mouth looking the way his does, and the beautiful teeth of his staff (especially the exquisite Denise), this will be money well worth spending.
Stay tuned.
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