Uncreated Conscience

A bit of an update for the winners of the St. Martin’s “New Adult” contest. I have received partials/synopses from:

• Elissa Hoole THE DHARMA BUM BUSINESS
• M. P. Morehead ZOMBIE PROOF FENCE
• Kristan Hoffman TWENTY-SOMEWHERE
• Barbara Hacha THE ART OF CARVING METTLE
• Sharon Biggs A MAD, WICKED FOLLY
• Jennifer Rummel WAITING
• Rae Carson REBEL PRINCESS
• Laura Diamond THE PICTURE OF FATE
• Paul Sungenis MALL BATS
• Jennifer Al Lee VINNIE’S DINER
• Simon Barkley IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD
• Topie Winn VERTERE
• Glenn P. Johnston THE WORLD AND ITS PARTS
• Bonnie Davidson AFTER THE END
• Ruth F. Long MAY QUEEN

I still need submissions from:

• Luke Tennis BERNARDO THE DAREDEVIL
• Amanda Brice PARTY LIKE IT’S 1899
• Nicole Beattie POE

Thanks again and congratulations, everyone! Elissa, Mark, and Kristan, copies of TEMPTED are winging your way soon.

I know I promised to review some books, and I have a (very long) post about worldbuilding in the works, but I was thinking about agents updating their “What I’m Looking For” posts and thought, why shouldn’t I have one?

Of course, the difference between an agent and me is that what I acquire is definitely going out into the marketplace (because we’re buying), which adds extra pressure from On High to MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL, MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL. My Hamster of Personal Aesthetic is not everyone else’s Hamster.

THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM by William Dean Howells

Regardless, do you know what I would love to find in a bookstore? A novel of manners. I will admit my tastes are somewhat eclectic and old-fashioned, but I do love a book that examines class. I realise that class, like race, is something of a delicate issue, especially with today’s societal values, but I’m fascinated by the concept.

One of my favourite novels of all time is THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM by William Dean Howells. (I love anything by William Dean Howells, really, including A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES. He’s a contemporary of Henry James and while I love Henry James, he don’t got nuthin’ on Howells.) It’s a familiar story: Old Money vs. the nouveau riche, but I love SILAS LAPHAM for many reasons. First, it addresses the notion of “class” in the way we refer to someone sophisticated and elegant as “classy” rather than “class” as a socio-economic strata to which people belong.

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The awesome Georgia McBride has posted her initial thoughts and reactions for the winning submissions of the St. Martin’s “New Adult” Contest. This is where I think publishing gets interesting, because Georgia sent me recommendations for submissions that didn’t interest me and I suggested a few that didn’t interest her either.

This is not the Hamster of Personal Aesthetic. This is Oruchuban Ebichu, the Housekeeping Hamster.

Wicked Cool Riley would say this is where the Hamster of Personal Aesthetic steps in. I’m not sure what the exact origins of the Hamster of Personal Aesthetic are, but suffice it to say, it involved a Kitchen Girls meeting in Lou Reed Girlfriend’s UWS apartment and a hilarious rodent impression. (Also involved: honeyed goat cheese and wine.)

What the Hamster of Personal Aesthetic says is, “Just because you wouldn’t read it doesn’t mean it’s not good.” The flip side of this is, “Just because you would read it doesn’t mean it’s good at all.”

Taste matters in this industry. Bear and I get into debates about this all the time because he asks why I would turn down something I don’t like that will make money.

The answer to that is 1) no one knows what will make money and 2) pure profit (however small) is not “making money”.

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