Booklife Strategies And Survival Tips For the 21st Century Writer by Jeff Vandermeer

Booklife Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer by Jeff Vandermeer

Booklife is about the process of becoming a better writer. It is not as focused on how to write, although there is an essay called How To Write A Novel In Two Months. The author suggests
you should have a blog, be part of social media, and participate in online activities.

The language is very clear and concise. We learn about what an agent does, the process of how a book goes from a submitted manuscript to a published book, how book public relations and marketing are done, and many other skills a writer needs to understand to succeed.

The book is not just about the public aspects of writing. It is also how about how to manage your time as a writer, keep healthy and focused, and have good relations with other writing professionals like librarians, booksellers, editors, and agents.

I enjoyed reading the book. For those interested in learning what a writer does, or who are seeking a better understanding of how social media and new media changes a writing career this book would be a useful tool.

In order to get the full benefit of the book, I think it is necessary to take a little time to look at the blog as well, Booklife Now, http://www.booklifenow.com . Jeff Vandermeer includes many useful tools which are not in the book in the associated blog including a blogroll and numerous additional essays on writing.

The main complaint I have about the book is that there is no index in the book. This made it hard to backtrack to find certain subjects. The layout of the book was excellent. It had wide paragraph breaks, bolded headings, and many bullet pointed suggestion lists.

Jeff Vandermeer invited a variety of guest writers for the appendices. The two essays which I liked were Marketing Versus Publicity by Colleen Lindsay and Additional Notes on New Media by Matt Stagg.

This is well worth reading. Jeff Vandermere has a blog at http://www.jeffvandermeer.com . He has written many fantasy novels including Finch and edited a variety of anthologies including Steampunk which he co-edited with his wife, Ann Vandermeer.

Daily Thoughts 7/18/2010

Scottish Poetry Library, Crichton's Close, Canongate, w:Edinburgh Designed by Malcolm Fraser Architects, shortlisted for Channel 4's Building of the Year 2000, Picture taken by Brian D. Osborne, Creative Commons Share Alike Attribution 2.0, Found on Wikimedia.

Daily Thoughts 7/18/2010

I checked Google Webmaster Tools this morning and found two sites that were interesting with links to mine. The first is More Vikings which uses this title because the author wishes Jane Austen had more vikings. It is a blog about speculative fiction. I like their lists of different genres including Noire, Steampunk, Weird Westerns, and Cyberpunk. http://www.morevikings.com/

Another blog which had me in their blogroll is http://shakespearewroteformoney.wordpress.com/ It reviews many literary titles.

I changed the signature on my personal email to include a link to this blog and added a link to the Mount Vernon Public Library Foundation http://www.mvplfoundation.org/ . In addition I went into my work email and changed it to include a link to the Mount Vernon Public Library Foundation with the words please donate.

There is something called Signature Marketing. This means if you work in a company, all of the signatures should contain the persons name, title, address, phone and extension, a link to the company, and a link to the products for sale. This way if someone sends out a message, they will always be selling the company.

First-ever National Study: Millions of People Rely on Library Computers for Employment, Health, and Education 77 million people used library computers and Internet access in past year
http://www.imls.gov/news/2010/032510.shtm

Jeff Vandermeer on a Persons Private Booklife Versus Public Booklife

I read some more of Booklife on the train to work today. While I was reading Publishers Weekly, I came across a starred review for The Third Bear a collection of fantasy short stories by Jeff Vandermeer. I also put Clay Shirky's new book, Cognitive Surplus Creativity and Generosity In A Connected Age on hold. I don't usually work Sundays. This is the first time.

On the way home, I finished reading Booklife on the train. The book is more about the process of being a writer than about how to be a writer. It explains what is being done, not how to do it. I will probably write a review later this week.

Daily Thoughts 7/17/2010

House of the Tragic Poet (Pompeii), Edward Bulwer Lytton's "The Last Days of Pompeii"

Daily Thoughts 7/16/2010

07/13/10 Mt. Vernon, NY Statement from City ComptrollerFunds found to restore lost library positions http://www.mvinquirer.com/ . There was a restoration of $250,000. The debt listed for Mount Vernon Public library was $400,000 in the Westchester Journal News.

This basically says that the Mount Vernon Public library needs to do a better job of raising funds. If any of you are interested, there is a Friends of the Library and a Library Foundation both of which act to help the library raise funds and do publicity. http://www.mvplfoundation.org/ . In addition, people can sign up to be a Friend of the Library. They run the booksale.

This means there is a little bit of shortfall still and the library needs to make a concerted effort to raise funds and cut costs so that this does not happen again. The time period is basically five or six months.

I watched Ivanhoe on dvd today starring Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Taylor. It was a very interesting movie to watch. I have not read Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott which is considered a classic of historical fantasy. Sir Walter Scott is credited with creating the historical fantasy genre with his Waverly novels. We have a lot of Sir Walter Scott's lesser known novels including Rob Roy in our storage area. They are quite interesting to look at. The trailer for the film Scaramouche included in the dvd for Ivanhoe looked quite interesting. Scaramouche is a book by Rafael Sabatini. It is a romantic swashbuckling film set during the French revolution.

I read some more of Booklife by Jeff Vandermeer in the laundromat. Right now, the author is writing about balance in life and how it effects writing. He reminds people to get enough sleep, take time for exercise, and not spend all day in front of a computer. Some writers like Dickens and Thoreau walked a lot to help their thinking process in writing.

I do a half hour of floor exercises every day and try to get enough sleep. I also enjoy walking a lot. I like to take short walks every day as well. It is not always easy. I tend to like food and caffeine a little too much. On average, I drink three cups of coffee a day. I rarely drink alcohol.

Daily Thoughts 7/15/2010

Der Gemeindeschreiber, Gemälde von Albert Anker, 1874, 64.5 x 51 cm, Privatbesitz, Von Anker bis Zünd, Die Kunst im jungen Bundesstaat 1848 - 1900", Kunsthaus Zürich, uploaded by Adrian Michael. I am not sure what it says, but I like the picture. Germany has donated large amounts of images and content to Wikimedia and Wikipedia as a state effort. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Bundesarchiv

Daily Thoughts 7/15/2010

The Bookcase You'll Want to Live In from the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jul/13/the-ark-bookcase

State Cuts Library Aide and NYLA reacts. This article has a bit on Mount Vernon Public Library and mentions one good thing, there now will be cooperative bidding for services which might reduce some of our costs. http://books.lohudblogs.com/2010/07/13/state-cuts-library-aid-nyla-reacts/

There is something else happening here with the message that the internet can provide all we need. The problem is that it comes at a price. Netflix is not free, it is a lending model for videos where people can send the videos back by mail. Another service like Netflix, except for books is Bookswim which sends 3 books a month in the mail for $23.95 which get sent back in packages sent in the mail, much like Netflix. http://netted.net/2010/07/15/shelf-space/?id=Today#toggled The emerging models on the internet cost money, in most cases more than a library does. In an increasingly competitive business world, many publishing companies see libraries as indirect competitors for their revenue.

Today, we did a Brown Bag Book Talk where people sat with us from 12:15-1:45 p.m. and discussed the books they were reading during the summer. A lot of the patrons were reading books on spiritual subjects like feng shui, dreaming, and buddhism. One patron mentioned the book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho who is a Brazilian writer. It was interesting talking to patrons about what they were interested in reading. In a way, this was directly tied in with my Readers Advisory 101 class which helped me focus on what was being said.

I also took some time to collect some of the new graphic novels for my Graphic Novels Club next week on Wednesday. I like talking about books and graphic novels with patrons.

On a more serious note, I spent some time looking at Buy a Book forms which many libraries use to get donations. These usually involve someone making a donation to purchase books. The books purchased then get a bookplate with the persons name on it on the inside. We try and pick out the nicer, more literary quality books, illustrated books, and art books when we put bookplates tied in with donations inside books.

All of my colleagues are back which is a tremendous relief. I am happy that we got the money to keep going. However, it is far from over. We still have to figure out how to get more allies, raise funds, improve library services, get more people through the front door, and improve our public relations. Government budgets do not look like they will improve in the near term.

I am going to Poets House tomorrow http://www.poetshouse.org as part of the New York Library Meetup. Hopefully, I will get to talk to some people there and have a very nice tour of a poetry library. Maybe, it will help me do a better poetry program in the future.

On the train home, I read some more of Booklife which is turning out to be quite interesting. I am reading about online booktrailers, public relations for authors, blog tours, and many other surprising subjects. The book is better than Jeff Vandermeer's fiction which is saying a lot. I very much enjoyed his fantasy novel, Finch.

Daily Thoughts 7/13/2010

Mary Pickford, writing at a desk in a kimono, February 1918
This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs Division under the digital ID ppmsca.18842

Daily Thoughts 7/13/2010

Seeing Stars: How I ignored my inner librarian and got kids excited about books again! This is an entertaining comic. http://www.slj.com/slj/home/885428-312/seeing_stars_how_i_ignored.html.csp

The city found emergency funds to restore the laid off people as well as prevent the demotions. It makes me quite happy to say this. Sometimes things change for the better. Now, it is on to the next step that deals with advocacy, trying to make sure this does not happen again. This means playing closer attention to fundraising.

I picked up a copy of Booklife Strategies and Survival Tips For the 21st Century Writer by Jeff Vandermeer. It is about how to have a writing career in the modern publishing world. Jeff Vandermeer has done many anthologies, has a blog, facebook account which I follow, and is very up to date with the latest technology. He writes weird tales and fantasy.

I had a little bit of time today to read Publishers Weekly and the New York Times Book Review, check the donations for items to add, and look through the new books. I had a chance to pick out some of the new graphic novels which I ordered recently for the Graphic Novels club which is tomorrow. As always, I checked the displays to make sure they are up to date.

Tomorrow, my colleagues come back and it should even be busier than usual. I have a lot to do. There is also a Brown Bag Book Chat from 12:15-1:45 p.m. in addition to the Graphic Novels Club which is later in the afternoon.

I have been reading more for my Readers Advisory 101 course and learning more about reviews. I know most of the review sources, Library Journal, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and the New York Times Book Review. I just learned that the Washington Post Books is also a standard for reviews. I guess I might have to start reading it. I have an assignment to do tomorrow for the class which compares review database that looks interesting.

There were a few new sources for reviews which I saw, NPR Book Reviews http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1032, Overbooked, http://www.overbooked.org and the Amazon New York Times Bestseller Page http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/549028/ref=b_tn_bh_ny/002-7565199-2545635

I started reading Jeff Vandermeers' book Booklife. Jeff Vandermere has a blog called http://www.jeffvandermeer.com which is entertaining. He also runs a site with his wife Ann Vandermeer called http://www.booklifenow.com which is about being a writer. I follow Jeff Vandermeer on Facebook as well. It is rather entertaining to follow writers on Facebook.