During a recent discussion with colleagues, a rating for a recent review I’d done was met with surprise. How could I not have given five stars to a novel I had, in fact, very much enjoyed? Allow me to explain It occurred to me my rating system is quite different from that of my colleagues’. They rate according to emotional response, which is quite fine. However, for me, when I’m reading whether for pleasure or…
Five Rivers’ editor, Robert Runte, recently posted the following very cogent article on his blog at SFeditor.ca. We’re reprinting it here with his permission. Reading a “review” of Five River’s new Dave Duncan release on Amazon, I was taken aback by someone rating the book was one star because it was priced at $4 for a novella. The reviewer made it clear that he hadn’t actually read the book, but was merely incensed at the price.Leaving aside…
In the publishing world the turn of every new year raises discussion of marketing strategies for possible literary awards. Marketing strategies for awards, you ask? Indeed yes. Let it not be thought that even in a juried award that some tacit form of opinion lobbying doesn’t take place. And if the award is a people’s choice, well, let loose the mavens of marketing. It doesn’t seem to matter if the literary award is the Giller…
For as long as I can remember I’ve been reading articles, and listening to discussions, about creating the perfect pitch to a publisher. I used to spend hours refining cover letters, CVs, synopses, and then refining again when the manuscript would be rejected, again, by my prospective publisher. Fast forward several decades, switch chairs, I find myself now behind not only the editor’s desk, but the publisher’s desk, reading submission after submission (I refuse to…
Against my better judgement, Five Rivers applied this fall for a Canada Council Grant, under the Book Publishing Support, Emerging Publishers division. As I knew would occur, our application has been summarily denied. In our application we submitted 22 books, and a line-up next year that would make many publishers examine 50 shades of green. Five Rivers’ application, however has been denied without even cracking the cover of any of the worthies which thus far…