On Second Thought

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

actually, I'm pleased. You made me chuckle. What with the dead-man poking and all. I'm going to make my self a stick of dead-man poking.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

heh, hurrah

[EUOL]

I would just like to point out that Covenant's incestuous cover-quote relationship is NOT the standard for the publishing industry.

At Tor, at least, they expect to give potential cover-quotes six months or so to get back on the book.  And, there's no promise that the person you send the book to will even read it, let alone give you a quote.  Authors are very stingy with their cover-quotes.  As L.E. Modesett told me "Your name, and your reputation, is the only thing you have in this business.  It's what sells your books.  Authors, rightfully, will not put their names on books that they don't think are worthy of the honor."

[Prometheus]

That's good to know. I already have a hard enough time finding books that don't sound like slightly-better-than-average slushpile material.

[House of Mustard]

That's the odd thing about the LDS market, EUOL.  No one, it seems, is allowed to speak ill of anybody else.  The other day, on one of the LDS authors forums I visit, I asked what LDS movies other people liked because, I said, some are good and some are really really awful.  Most people responded that they didn't think ANY were bad, and someone even said that we, as LDS artists, should never criticize other LDS art.  It's screwy.

Even though I disagree with that, however, I'll most likely try to be nice to the book.  If it's really bad, I won't comment at all, but I'll do my best to find something good to say.  It's a weird little world, LDS publishing, but for now I'm fine playing their games.

[stacer]

They're probably the same sort of people Orson Scott Card talks about in the first chapter of A Storyteller in Zion, how so many people think that evil shouldn't be depicted in stories.

[EUOL]

but for now I'm fine playing their games.

I think you've got the right idea.  If Tor sent me a book right now, where I am in my careers, and said "Give us a good cover quote for this!" I'd be quick to do as they said.  (Not that they're likely to do something like that....)  

We don't have the luxury of being picky right now in our careers.  We pretty much have to do as we're told.

[42]

So, your saying cover quotes are all bribed. I'll never trust a books cover again.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

well, no, he didn't say that per se. But the main idea is...
Wait, you trusted book covers in the first place?

[House of Mustard]

So what are some good back handed comments I could use if the book stinks?  For example, Groucho Marx once said "From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it."

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

"This was the best book I read today. Think I'll go have breakfast."

[EUOL]

So, your saying cover quotes are all bribed. I'll never trust a books cover again.

...?  What are you talking about 42?  Didn't you read my post:

I would just like to point out that Covenant's incestuous cover-quote relationship is NOT the standard for the publishing industry.

At Tor, at least, they expect to give potential cover-quotes six months or so to get back on the book.  And, there's no promise that the person you send the book to will even read it, let alone give you a quote.  Authors are very stingy with their cover-quotes.  As L.E. Modesett told me "Your name, and your reputation, is the only thing you have in this business.  It's what sells your books.  Authors, rightfully, will not put their names on books that they don't think are worthy of the honor."

I thought I said the opposite....

[House of Mustard]

I now have the manuscript in hand.  It's titled REWIND by Jeff Downs.  It's labled by Covenant simply as "drama."

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

"Almost as much fun as disembowelment by a screaming horde of ninja monkey assassin priests"

[House of Mustard]

Ugh... So the book wasn't very good.  It wasn't awful, but there wasn't an original idea in the whole thing.

For a plot summary: imagine It's a Wonderful Life, at the end of which George Bailey sits down with his family and reads the scriptures.