Week in Short

This week was AMAZING. Best week I've had in a long time. :)

Song of the week: Glee's rendition of Teenage Dream. I am so addicted to this song.

Must Read:
Writing through doubt
References and dating your manuscript

News:
Jessica Faust updates on submissions and is closing to them from November 25 to January 5

James Frey's Book Factory Mess:
Basically: James Frey is running a young adult book factory. He recruits writers and then asks them to sign their lives away. Almost literally. A few of the worst terms even continue after the contract has been terminated.

This is the essence of the terms being offered by Frey’s company Full Fathom Five: In exchange for delivering a finished book within a set number of months, the writer would receive $250 (some contracts allowed for another $250 upon completion), along with a percentage of all revenue generated by the project, including television, film, and merchandise rights—30 percent if the idea was originally Frey’s, 40 percent if it was originally the writer’s. The writer would be financially responsible for any legal action brought against the book but would not own its copyright. Full Fathom Five could use the writer’s name or a pseudonym without his or her permission, even if the writer was no longer involved with the series, and the company could substitute the writer’s full name for a pseudonym at any point in the future. The writer was forbidden from signing contracts that would “conflict” with the project; what that might be wasn’t specified. The writer would not have approval over his or her publicity, pictures, or biographical materials. There was a $50,000 penalty if the writer publicly admitted to working with Full Fathom Five without permission.
New York Magazine: Inside Full Fathom Five
Read the full contract
Writer Beware cautions writers
The Man in the Frey Flannel Suit by John Scalzi
The James Frey Problem by Maureen Johnson
What is a book packager? at BookEnds
Book Packagers at kt literary
Positive personal experience with a book packager at Teen Writers Bloc

BookEnds:Right to first refusal

Caroline in Space:
What I've learned from NaNoWriMo

GLA:
How I got my agent: B.A. Binns

Nathan Bransford:
The importance of being yourself

Pimp My Novel:
Dealing with procrastination

Pub Rants:Top 3 culprits of errors in royalty statements and what happens when they're found
Queryshark:
#187 -- commercial (literary?) fiction

Querytracker:
The wicked truths of edgy young adult

Rachelle Gardner:
Answering questions on contracts part 1 and part 2

YAHighway:
iPhone Apps for NaNoWriMo
Interview with Neoagents

In Movies:
  • According to Greta -- This movie reminded me of Wintergirls and Cracked Up to Be. The main character was rather annoying, but I had to hear her story anyway. 8/10
  • Unhitched -- relatively cute movie. 7/10
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- AWESOME! Formal review to come tomorrow. 10/10
In Writing:
Started BB's second pass of revisions this week. It's coming along quite well.

Everyone have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

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