From Somewhere in Time

I folow Nathan Bransford's blog - he used to be an agent with Curtis Brown and is now an author himself. ((I had an agent at Curtis Brown once, Imogen Parker, nice lady who turned into a novelist and stopped being an agent. So based on those 2 examples, it's obvious that agents are really frustrated authors. )

Anyway I read about Spaghetti Agents in Nathan's blog and since then I've read several references to spaghetti agents and publishers.

Basically, they hurl your book at the wall and hope that something sticks somewhere.

Although I've read lots of stuff about book marketing and promotion, this is just one more thing to baffle me. The bottom line is that I don't understand how creative work (writing, music, art) makes real money, big money, enough to pay for office buildings and publicists and editors' and agents' salaries.

I've made a respectable amount from the Mystery of LC's American sales but it's definitely more "new car" or "new kitchen" money than "phew that's the underpinning sorted out" money
Must try to find a professional book markete'r's blog to get an insight into what really goes on.

So off to look for a book marketer's blog.

There are so many sites for writers and would-be writers, and it can be hard to find ones that consistently come up with interesting ideas and opportunities. So if I find them I try to mention them. I can personally recommend Travelwriters UK which regularly produces offers of travel work for pro travel writers - yes, it really does, even in these days of austerity. Another is Essential Writers which has a wonderful variety of ideas and opportunities for writers of all types and is always full of surprises.

A friend told me about a book called "Everything Alice" which is full of Alice in Wonderland makes. It's not for me, since I have 10 thumbs and am not into making things. But there are some strange items in it, items I can't even imagine, actually, such as No-sew Fabric covered Teapot Planters. We will have to wait until it's published in August to find out what these, and all the other things, are like. I like the cover.