The Stupidity of Lashing Out

You feel an editor treated you roughly. A review of your novel angered you. A "competitor" gets some notice by a market that seems indifferent to your work. What do you do? If you're like novelist Alice Hoffman, you lash out publicly, in this case on Twitter. And if you do, unless you have a sizeable and unreasonably loyal following, you're burying yourself.

In Hoffman's case, she took particular offense at a Boston Globe reviewer's view of her latest book:

In a series of Twitter posts, Ms. Hoffman fired back with her own opinion. “Roberta Silman in the Boston Globe is a moron,” she wrote. “How do some people get to review books? And give the plot away.” Ms. Hoffman also lambasted The Globe and went so far as to post Ms. Silman’s phone number and email, inviting fans to “Tell her what u think of snarky critics.”

There was only a story in the New York Times because the subject was high enough profile. But it doesn't take such a strong media lens to inadvertently damage yourself. I've seen writers go on at length about idiot editors, unappreciative clients, uncooperative sources, and all manners of other things on various forums.

Guess what? Also on those forums are editors and people in a position to recommend you, or not, for work. This is about the worst type of PR you can create for yourself, so why do it? If something is bugging you, complain to a close colleague or two. But even then, remember that conversations can be repeated, often inaccurately, and emails can be passed on. Better to forge ahead on a new project, close a sail, send an invoice, or do something else productive.

The Evil Editor and Other Useful Web Sites

I happened upon one web site useful to writers the other day, which made me think about putting together a list of some that can offer helpful tips and backstage glimpses that can help you better understand publishing and how to navigate the business:

• Evil Editor: Why you don't get published is a hoot. Yes, you can laugh at unfortunates, if you are so inclined, but this is also a useful site. Aside from the mocking for amusement, the owners claims to be a publishing industry pro, and the reactions are telling, offering good clues on what not to write in a query. The brave can also submit their own queries and book openings for critique.


• Pub Rants is less snarky (a position that Miss Snark took with her when she stopped new blog entries) and is by a literary agent in Denver. She still rants - politely - and in some of her material there is useful information, such as this entry about mentioning a book by an agent's client in your query letter.


• Lyons Literary has a blog explaining terms, some book publishing contract basics, and some of the dos and don'ts that make agents either more or less disposed to considering you and your work.


• If you are concerned about possible scams - a reasonable attitude for writers - you might check Writer Beware Blogs! by A.C. Crispin and Victoria Strauss, who hunt down scams and their perpetrators.


• If you like to hear the story behind books, Backstory has them. By e-publishing pioneer M.J. Rose and Jessica Keener, fiction editor at Agni Magazine, it seems like light lifting - authors send in the back stories to their books. But who cares? It's an interesting concept.


• Shrinking Violet Promotions is worth a stop just because the name is so apt for the concept. However, if you consider yourself an introvert (or not), you might find some useful information about promotion here.