The Momentum Blog

Who owns your favourite character? Author vs Reader

Posted May 8, 2013 by Alex

‘If “books are the windows to the world” as they say, then their pages are the magic carpets that lead us there.’ - EDEWEDE ORIWOH

‘If “pages are the magic carpets” as they say, then e-readers are the fabric of the magic.’ - ANONYMOUS KINDLE USER

‘Ereaders are great. Ebooks are great. Buy Momentum ebooks.’ - ANONYMOUS MOMENTUM PUBLISHER

Does an author have exclusive rights to the world they have created in their book, or series of books? Would you say intellectual property trumps the captured imagination of the fans? Can an author really ‘Lucas’ their franchise with sequels, reboots adaptations or revised editions to fulfil their fantasy, just because they had the idea in the first place? Or does the world, once set loose into the public domain, belong to the readers as much as the writer?

BREAKING NEWS: George Lucas now can be used as a verb

You can apply this train of thought not just to books, but across all mainstream entertainment media. This is from the Star Wars Special Editions to The Amazing Spider-Man reboot, to all the movie sequels that should never, ever have been made, and can never be undone. Many a time have millions cried out in terror, their voices suddenly tweeting a lot of complaints.

I tip my hat to authors. Family homes, cities, countries, worlds, even galaxies beckon for you to inhabit them and go on incredible journeys of wonder, gore, sex, technology, action, suspense, intrigue, and ‘OMG no way!’  They can be epic or intimate in scope, with events that can span a day, year, decade or even a century. They are the ones who take us on these sojourns of emotion.

A typical author sheds blood, sweat and tears in the creation of their work: tears from the struggle of getting a publisher; sweat from being told they have to work out how to use Twitter to help promote their book; and blood from smashing the keyboard after reading their first bad review. However, does an author’s role as ‘creator’ automatically mean they trump the rights of the reader?

Try to count the hours an author may spend imagining their world, dwelling on the characters and talking about their plot bunnies incessantly to their partners. What about all the writing, rewriting, re-rewriting, the endless struggle to get a publisher, having a mental breakdown that involves copious chocolate and/or alcohol, then somehow finally landing a deal? After all that there is that little thing called the publishing process to go through and all the marketing (read: tweeting) that goes into promoting the book once the text is finalised. The hours stack up. How long did it take you to read the latest instalment in your favourite series, and how do you think that compares to the length of time invested by the author? Unless you’re an epically slow reader, you’ll end up losing.

An author can take a year or more writing a book – six or seven if your last name is ‘Martin’. I may read that new book I’ve been waiting for in a day, over a weekend or up to a fortnight, depending on its length and how much time I have. One-on-one the author wins, right? Of course. The author has spent far longer on their work, no matter how dedicated I am to the series.

Like I said, one-on-one.

Whether you are thinking of a franchise spread over multiple mediums with a large and fervent fan base, or your more typical author who still has thousands of readers per book, the hours quickly sway from favouring the writer to the readers.

So, does the author of a book have exclusive rights? Does intellectual property trump the captured imagination of the fans?

Let’s look at a book-orientated example. You can barely open the internet without seeing a reference to HBO’s Game of Thrones. Whether it’s hating Joffrey or loving Daenerys, this nerdy series of books about medieval-like lords and ladies fighting for an iron chair with direwolves, dragons and ice-zombies thrown in the mix has captured pop culture imagination after being realised in television form. George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is the latest fantasy franchise to cash in on the ‘once-geek now-mainstream’ trend. While some fans of the first season may have mistaken the show for porn’s answer to endless complaints of lousy acting, low production values and flat storylines, the HBO show has unsurprisingly sky-rocketed sales of the books. New trade paperbacks and mass market formats, including those with covers to match the show, are everywhere, not to mention the Enhanced Ebook editions.

Sean Bean being a sport on the front cover

So what does Game of Thrones have to do with reader rights versus author rights? Well, quite a lot. George R.R. Martin not only gave HBO his blessing, but is a co-executive producer and writes at least one episode per season. It’s fair to say Martin enjoys a reasonable amount of influence steering the direction of the show. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss also fill in the role of ‘writers’ in this context. This begs the question (from me, at least), what about the readers?

Skip the next paragraph if you are not up to date with Season 3 Episode 2 of Thrones, otherwise keep reading.

On a case by case basis, you may get convincing answers from HBO as to why Kahleesi’s visions in the House of the Undying were replaced by the ones featured in the TV show, or why Peter Dinklage didn’t lose more of his face in the Battle of Blackwater Bay, and so on. I’m happy to let Peter keep his nose, so I’ll let that one slide, but the visions? I would like to have seen them. Everyone will have different nitpicks they are willing to concede, or for which they are deeply upset. I’m largely lenient towards changes in the show as I appreciate a lot of stuff on the page would not work on screen as well as what HBO decided to do. The showrunners have also given nods to the fans: Cersei says she heard Tyrion had lost his nose, acknowledging the difference between the book and the show; and Gendry criticises Arya for not spending one of Jaqen H’ghar’s kills on King Joffrey or Tywin Lannister. The latter is a conversation never seen in the books, but a common fan reaction. To me, this indicates that Benioff, Weiss and Martin are listening and engaging with the readers to create the best adaptation they can.

Do the readers get a say in the Thrones adaptation? Of course not, there are far too many differences of opinion for HBO to conform to, and why should they? So far HBO have shown they not only understand make good television, they understand the books as well. If anything, Benioff and Weiss represent the readers, and are our voice in ensuring the characters we have come to love – or pray that they die – are treated with respect. They were fans of the series before the show came into being, after all. It may not be absolutely perfect in the eyes each individual, but for most, it will be pretty damn close.

If you find Martin’s books too gargantuan to tackle, or just think boobs are far better on the screen than on paper, there are plenty more examples. The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings have all shared some criticism on how they have been adapted to film. They have also enjoyed a lot of fan adoration, from both readers and filmgoers-only. I chose Game of Thrones as my main example, though, as George R.R. Martin has a constant, active presence in the writing room, exercising his ‘author rights’. J.K. Rowling exercised some for Harry Potter, but loosened the reigns after the first couple of films, or at least that’s how it seemed.

Are you a Game of Thrones fan? Have you read the books too? What do you think of the show as an adaptation? Have your say in the comments below.

Have I picked a fair example with Game of Thrones, or is the fact the TV show has received such high critical acclaim make the changes in the adaptation ‘acceptable’? Is a critically unsuccessful but ‘true’ adaptation a failure? Can you think of any examples?

In terms of ‘reader rights’ being respected in adaptations like Game of Thrones, I think we will have to hold our breath and pray to the Old Gods and the New. Can we make a practical difference? Not likely. Does that render readers’ combined hours of love, dedication and eyestrain as obsolete? Not to me. Then does no power come with no responsibility? I suppose so, but it doesn’t take away my sense of entitlement.

What do you think about the rights of authors vs the rights of readers? Are we sentenced to just watch whatever may happen to our favourite books with no say?

Alex Lloyd is an editorial assistant at Pan Macmillan Australia. He interned briefly at Momentum before Pan snapped him up for full time employment. You can follow Alex on twitter at @AlexDNLloyd

If you’re a fan of consuming culture episodically you might like to try Adina West‘s Dark Child series. Find them here.

Author writes on author rights

Posted March 26, 2013 by Erica Hayes

The book industry is changing, and publishing contracts are changing with it. We’ve seen higher ebook royalties, the demise of large advances, strange ‘profit-sharing’ arrangements that didn’t make any sense. But it seems that many authors feel publishers still don’t get it. They don’t get what we need, or why, or what they can do to make themselves an attractive prospect.

Of course, not every author has the same needs. But here’s my take on things I’d like to see from publishers in the new age.

The no-advance contract

Sure, authors love an advance. It’s guaranteed income, and a statement of faith. A no-advance contract shifts the financial risk away from the publisher towards the author, who presumably has spent time and effort (which equals money) on writing the book.

Not all the way. The publisher still pays production costs. A self-pubbed author owns 100% of the risk—but they also keep 100% control. If publishers don’t pay an advance, I’d like to see them offer more control in return. How about more consultation on promotion and marketing? In particular: cover prices. Higher retail prices for ebooks are a big disadvantage for trad-pubbed authors right now. Let’s see more experimentation and audacity there.

One seldom mentioned point about advances: that’s where the author’s promotional budget used to come from. ‘Spend at least half your advance on promo,’ people used to say. These days, we’re expected to do more with less. Now, it’s with nothing. Higher royalties are great, but you don’t see the money until it’s too late to do book release promo. So let’s see more no-advance publishers broadening and consulting with authors on their own promotional efforts, in return for no up-front payment.

The rights grab

I’ve seen contracts recently that take pretty much every right you have. Audio, feature film, short film, graphic novel, theatre, game, picture book, hologram, cartoon, stone carving, porn movie adaptation, and the partridge in the pear tree’s firstborn. For the life of copyright. In other words, forever.

Forever—even with an ‘out-of-print’ clause—is a very long time. Personally, I’m more comfortable with automatic termination after a set period, with option to renew. Not a contract that never ends unless I make a big expensive noise, and probably not even then.

Giving away all those extra rights leaves a bad taste, too. True, some authors don’t have the resources, or an agent, to exploit movie rights, for example. It remains to be seen how much effort these publishers make to exploit them. Historically? Zilch. And if your book sales are so gargantuan that you attract attention from movie producers, the odds are you’ll attract agents, too. I’d rather pay an agent 15% and control the deal.

If I self-pub? I keep all my rights, with no options or first look at everything I ever write ever again until judgement day. Higher royalties in return aren’t enough, not when I can get 70% from self-pub. I’m not sure the publishers can offer anything that’s worth it… except a contractual promise to produce what they buy. If I sell you audio, you have to produce and make available the audio book. If I sell you TV rights… oh, wait. You’re not a television studio? Guess you won’t be needing those, then.

So why do we do it?

Don’t get me wrong: digital lines don’t have the monopoly on lousy clauses. Some foul contracts are floating in the sewers under print houses, too. So why do people sign?

Because self-publishing isn’t for everyone. Some writers genuinely can’t afford the costs. Some haven’t the time, or the desire. Some just like the idea of having their books on a publisher’s website or catalogue, and the benefits that might bring. Some already tasted self-pub, but didn’t like its flavour.

But if I’ve learned anything in my brief 5 years of publishing? It’s that a publishing contract is like any other business arrangement. Do your due diligence. Get contract advice from a professional with recent industry experience—what was happening last year, or even last week, might not be current anymore.

And don’t assume that any contract—whether it’s from a paperback imprint in NY, a Big 6 digital line or a smaller press—is ‘industry standard’. Even if the publisher tells you it is. Find out what other houses are doing. Talk to other authors. Join writing organisations. Hell, get an agent. That’s what they’re for.

The better-educated authors become, the sooner publishers will have to stop acting as if they’re the only game in town. Until they shape up their contracts, a lot of them aren’t even the best game in town. Some have responded better to the changes in the industry than others. Some have already moved forward into the new age. We authors have the power to encourage that behaviour, by not accepting poor contract conditions that come our way—but also by working with publishers, to let them know what they can do for us. If you don’t ask, you won’t get.

Erica Hayes is a Momentum author, and she also has several other books published with publishers around the world. Her book Dragonfly is available now.

Podmentum: How to get a job in publishing sans pants

Posted March 18, 2013 by Anne

On this week’s Podmentum Joel and Mark talk about world building with authors Nathan M Farrugia and Nina d’Aleo, and then Joel, Mark and I talk about how we got started in publishing, with some tips for those looking for a job in the book industry.

In the first segment Nathan and Nina discuss how they approach creating fictional worlds in their writing, and Mark and Joel join in to discuss their favourite world-building writers. A really interesting conversation for sci-fi and fantasy fans, with lots of culture recommendations (including the ubiquitous China Miéville, of course).

Then we talk about how we all came to book publishing, and Mark reveals something terrible that will make everyone hate him.

Recommendations

In the interests of diversity we all recommended something futuristic and science-fiction-y. You’re welcome. (Next time I’ll demand we all have something romance-based to recommend.)

Mark – Redshirts by John Scalzi

Joel – Strata by Terry Pratchett 

Anne – Omens by Russ Andersen (article in Aeon magazine)

This week’s Podmentum was brought to you by Nathan M Farrugia‘s The Seraphim Sequence and Allison Rushby‘s Keep Calm and Carry Vegemite. You can buy them now from all good online retailers, just click on the covers to choose your favourite.

Podmentum 7: The Bingeing on First World Problems Episode

Posted February 15, 2013 by Anne

On this week’s Podmentum we talk about the idea of reselling used ebooks, bingeing on books and television, and then the Macquarie Dictionary publisher joins us to talk about the Word of the Year.

Topic 1 Amazon second hand ebook patent

Amazon has received a patent for a system for selling “pre-owned” digital files, opening the way for a secondary market in ebooks

Publisher’s Weekly

“Amazon’s business model has long been dependent on resellers of used books and other merchandise. But a U.S. patent that Amazon Technologies in Reno, Nev., received last week indicates that the mega-retailer has its sights on digital resale, including used e-books and audio downloads. According to the abstract, Amazon will be able to create a secondary market for used digital objects purchased from an original vendor by a user and stored in a user’s personalized data store.

Boston-based ReDigi opened the first marketplace for pre-owned digital music, which it launched in late 2011, redigi.com. Once a lawsuit that Capitol Records filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan over the way it handles music downloads is behind it, ReDigi plans to expand into e-books and other digital items. In a press release issued yesterday, ReDigi commented that “the Amazon patent is further proof that the secondary market is the future of the digital space and that there is no turning back.”

Gizmodo article

Motherboard article that so angered Joel (tell us why)

Topic 2 Serialisation

With the Netflix series House of Cards being the talk of the entertainment world for the past couple of weeks, we thought we’d take the chance to talk about how the consumption of content is changing. While TV used to be serialized and consumed in episodic chunks, the trend is now to binge-watch whole series. On the other hand, where we used to read a whole novel in a sitting, publishers are now experimenting with serialized novels in the time-honoured tradition of Charles Dickens.

John Scalzi – The Human Division (episodic narrative) 13 episodes

Alison Rushby – The Heiresses (new adult serial with St Martin’s Press)

“‘An e-serial is a series of digital-only discrete dramatic novella-length “episodes” that advance an overall “season” narrative arc through 4-6 installments, published at regular intervals at a low price. We are conceptualizing e-serials as a loose bridge between a full length novel and a TV show. An e-serial episode is analogous to a one hour drama, one installment of a season of dramas.’

In other words, think Downton Abbey, but in serialized digital book form! Yay!”

Adina West – Dark Child 

Mark Z. Danielewski – serial novel The Familiar (beginning in 2014) 27 volumes, first 10 to be published by Pantheon in 3-4 month increments

“’Volume’ speaks to it being a little different from a standard trade paperback book,” Danielewski said by phone Monday. “I can’t write something that takes months and months to read if we’re releasing one every three or four months. It’s possible that [our publishing] schedule could be accelerated. We’re constantly open to new ideas — where will we be in 2014? Maybe digital releases every week, every few months a trade paperback or hardcover. The novel is designed to accommodate, anticipate various platforms.”

Topic 3 Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year

The Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year for 2012 was announced last week, and the winner was “Phantom Vibration Syndrome”. We have the Macquarie editor Sue Butler in to have a chat with us about the dictionary and how they go about naming their word of the year.

Recommendations

Anne – Medium, and Connor O’Brien on twitter

Mark – The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Joel – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

This episode of Podmentum is brought to you by Kylie Scott’s Skin

Podmentum: Burgers and Porn

Posted December 20, 2012 by Anne

On the last Podmentum of 2012 we discuss blockbuster movie franchises and their relationship to gourmet burgers, and then do a round up of the year in book publishing: the year of mummy porn. 

Topic 1: Gourmet burgers

Charlie Brooker: Q: What do Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises and a hamburger have in common? A: See below

Topic 2: Yearly round up

Publishers Weekly named EL James as the person of the year

PW’s annual accolade, for “shaping and, sometimes, transforming, the publishing industry”, has never gone to an author before: winners in the past include Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, and, last year, Penguin US’s chief executive David Shanks. But citing the huge sales of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy – they have sold more than 35m copies in the US alone and brought in over $200m (£125m) in revenue to publisher Random House – Publishers Weekly said that James had exerted a comparable influence. “Because the success of the series continues to reverberate throughout the industry in a number of ways – among other things, the money it’s brought in helped boost print sales in bookstores and turned erotic fiction into a hot category – we have selected James as the most notable player on the publishing stage this year.”

Ebook gift-giving guide. 

Recommendations

Anne: Goodreads, Bookrageous podcast

Mark: Stephen King’s The Wind Through the Keyhole

Joel: Wild Cards series by George R R Martin

Hannah: Daniel Handler’s Adverbs

Podmentum was brought to you this week by Kelli Fox’s Big Book of Astrology and Chopper Unchopped by Mark “Chopper” Read.

Podmentum 3: the one with ice cream and puppies

Posted November 22, 2012 by Anne

You can listen here on the blog, over here at PodOmatic, or via iTunes.

Topic 1 – Why Publishers Hate Authors

HuffPo ran a piece by entrepreneur Michael Levin about his views on how publishers treat authors, including lines like

“It’s completely unfair, but destroying the options of a writer actually has some benefits for publishers. Which leads me to think that maybe publishers are actually happy when authors fail.”

Felice Howden wrote a reply on Book Machine called Publishers We Need to Talk about how publishing employees need to communicate better with authors and readers.

She makes the point that a publishers job is to sell their authors, not themselves. I think we take a slightly different tack here at Momentum, in that we want to start a conversation around our authors that includes us, and is not simply facilitated by us.

Topic 2 – Tim Ferriss and Amazon Want to Reinvent Publishing

Tim Ferriss and Amazon Try to Reinvent Publishing 

Barnes and Noble refuse to sell 4 hour chef because it is published by Amazon’s new publishing arm

“Our decision is based on Amazon’s continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent,” Barnes & Noble announced earlier this year. “Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content.”

Topic 3 – Who Wants to Read This Stuff?  

Joel on book apps and storytelling in the digital age

Recommendations

Joel – Faber apps The Wasteland and Sonnets

Mark - In the Tall Grass by Stephen King & Joe Hill and Seven Psychopaths

Anne – Small Demons and Negronis

  Podmentum is sponsored this week by Hot Down Under and Defender: Intrepid 1

Podmentum: the one where we discover “bathetic” is a word

Posted November 9, 2012 by Anne

Second podcast! We’re totally on a roll. In this episode we discuss the epic Genre versus Literature battle to the death in the wake of the inaugural GenreCon Australia, then we make fun of Joel for being such a gadget nerd. Also Mark outnerds himself in the recommendations. Enjoy.    

Topic  1 - What we read: Genre v Lit

Arthur Krystal’s Easy Writers: Guilty pleasures without guilt in May in The New Yorker laid down the theory that the divide between genre and literary fiction is becoming less clear, and some genre fiction is now being afforded “literary” status.

Lev Grossman in Time April 2012 responded with an article entitles Literary Revolution in the Supermarket Aisle: Genre fiction is disruptive technology, challenging the idea that literary fiction should be regarded as “superior” to genre fiction. He basically lays down the theory that literary fiction is itself a genre with certain tried and true tropes that every book identified as such follows.

Krystal then responded to Lev Grossman with It’s genre, not that there’s anything wrong with that! in October, which had Joel absolutely apoplectic with rage, and convinced us that it was worth discussing.

Interesting look at horror in The Guardian recently with Horror: a genre literally doomed to hell? 

*note – The Ian McEwan novel that was released the year before he won the Booker for Amsterdam was Enduring Love, not On Chesil Beach (which was actually released a decade later). To my enduring shame, I completely forgot about Enduring Love, which is actually one of my favourite McEwan books. Golf clap.

Topic 2 - Devices: how we read

Joel got his new Paperwhite last week and now that he’s had enough time to fall completely and utterly in love with it, it is probably time to talk about reading technology.

Amazon Paperwhite

 iPad Mini 

Recommendations

Joel’s Recommendation The Silent History – Eli Horowitz The Victory Lab – Sasha Issenberg

Anne’s Recommendations January First – Michael Schofield Life in Publishing Tumblr

Mark’s Recommendation Star Wars Expanded Universe

This episode of Podmentum was brought to you by Stalin’s Hammer: Rome by  John Birmingham, and Drive Me To Distraction by Caitlyn Nicholas 

Media Release: Hot Down Under – 13 Erotic Short Stories

Posted August 15, 2012 by Mark

Why Do You Write?

Posted July 31, 2012 by Maggie Dana

One of the most frequently asked questions of authors is why they began writing. Their answers range from “I wrote my first story when I was five and I’ve been writing ever since” to “There are characters inside my head that were dying to be heard.”

At a recent writers’ conference my answer to this question invoked a couple of throat clearings, several red faces, and a lot of shuffling in chairs. I guess I’d hit a nerve.

“Boredom,” I said. “That’s why I began writing.”

The panel’s moderator gave me a sharp look.

Okay, at this point you—and the rest of the audience—can be excused for jumping to conclusions. Here I was, a reasonably well-dressed, middle-aged woman who clearly needed something to fill her time between hairdresser’s appointments, coffee klatches, and neighborhood cocktail parties.

Except you’d be wrong.

When I began writing I was a newly divorced mom with three kids at home, a massive mortgage, and two jobs that barely covered my expenses. One of those jobs was editorial assistant at a children’s publisher.

I worked in the super secret “New Products Department” and it was so secret that nobody else in the company knew what we did. Half the time, we didn’t either, but it involved lots of closed-door meetings, clandestine mutterings in the corridors, and much speculation around the water cooler. When my boss was in the office, I was busy. When he wasn’t there, I had nothing to do.

So when he was laid up in bed for three weeks with a slipped disc, I was bored witless. My workload dwindled to a ten-minute meeting at his bedside every morning. To keep from going crazy, I asked if I could help out in other departments.

“No,” he said, through gritted teeth.

The poor guy was in a lot of pain.

“Why not?” I said.

“Because they’ll find out what we’re doing.”

“I promise not to tell them,” I said. At that point, our top secret project was a series of index cards on make-up tips for teens by a celebrity model with legs like a giraffe, tangles of blond hair, and teeth that were whiter than they needed to be.

My boss groaned. “I can’t risk it.”

“So what should I do?” I said, feeling cross that he didn’t trust me enough to keep my mouth shut. “I’m sitting outside your office doing absolutely nothing while everyone else is swamped. People will talk.”

“So look busy,” he said. More gritted teeth, plus a few curses. “Pretend you’re working.”

“On what?”

“Write letters, a shopping list.” My boss plucked a book off his night table. “I’ve been trying to get through this miserable thing for six weeks,” he said, wincing. “Do me one better. Write a novel.”

So I did.

On their time-clock, their typewriter (it was the 80s, okay?), and their paper.

And then, sweet irony, I sold it to them for $1,500—a princely sum.

From that point, I was hooked on writing for life.

Want to read more from Maggie? Her book Painting Naked is available at a special pre-order price until the start of August.

Ten questions my girlfriend asks about my job in publishing

Posted July 27, 2012 by Mark

1. Why aren’t you paid more?

Because I’m not a professional athlete.

2. Why are you always on Twitter?

I’m the hero that Twitter needs. Not the one it deserves. Or something.

3. Why don’t your friends ever eat?

Because they’re alcoholics.

4. Why don’t you tuck your shirt in?

Nobody does that anymore.

5. Why do you still buy books? Can’t you get them for free now?

Books are awesome.

6. Aren’t you running late?

Pfft. No.

7. Is the book you gave me for my birthday one that you publish?

…no.

8. Did you go to the bar? I thought you had a meeting?

We had a meeting at the bar.

9. Can you stop putting photos of your coffee on social media?

No.

10. Why did you come home in a bad mood?

I had a nasty argument with my boss about Batman.

Confessions of a Publishing Intern Part II: I Didn’t Know Money Was Real

Posted June 21, 2012 by Alex

From March to May this year I was a publishing intern at Pan Macmillan Australia and Momentum Books. I debunked the myth of intern slave labour  purported by the media. I was looked after, gained insights into the publishing industry, taught skills I’d need for an editing career, and given invaluable contacts.

I interned as a part of my Communications studies at UTS for credit points towards my degree. My tutor was blown away with my portfolio submission of all the work I’d done. So, was that the end of my stint in the publishing world? Had my hours of unpaid experience been limited to helping my uni degree, with no chance of furthering my career?

It turned out to be just the beginning.

The stupendous Editorial Assistant at Pan Macmillan, who had been managing a lot of my work during the internship, was going on maternity leave and a fifteen month contract was advertised. Joel Naoum brought it to my attention and told me to go for it. I applied at the start of May. A month later I’m called in for an interview. The next business day, I was formally offered the job.

There is no question that my experience at Pan Macmillan made it all possible. Without the chance to show my skills and prove my suitability to the team, I would just be another applicant. The internship gave me the skills and connections to realise the dream; I’ve begun a career in the publishing industry. I start next Monday.

In my last blog, I touted all the fun I was having as an intern. Writing a follow-up entry to say I’ve gone from interning to paid work feels like a dream. So get out there, and give yourselves up as slave labour. You never know where it will lead.

Follow Alex on twitter at @AlexDNLloyd.

Reflections on the Lindy Chamberlain case

Posted June 12, 2012 by Mark

I’m writing this late on Friday night. We’ve been informed that on Tuesday, the final ruling of the coronial inquest into the death of Azaria Chamberlain will be handed down. As someone who has just begun a career in publishing, working on this book has been an amazing opportunity. I had grown up with the case on as background noise. Azaria vanished a little over a year before I was born, and Lindy’s ordeal through the court system, imprisonment and then freedom went on during my early childhood. It was always on in the news, spoken about by my parents and their friends at social gatherings, and as the years progressed the saga continued.

As a child, my understanding of the case was limited. How much can a child understand the many layers of the case? My parents didn’t have strong opinions on it, at least nothing they shared with me. My father was always a passionate advocate of outback and rural Australia, and he always spoke of the need to protect dingoes. He is a country person stuck in a city person’s life and body. At least, that’s how I think he perceived himself for several years.

He took us on a trip to Uluru when I was eleven. I loved it and felt connected to that place in a very real way. Whenever I return from an overseas journey, the first sense I have of being ‘home’ comes when I see the red centre of this country from 30,000 feet.

The first time I saw a dingo was near Uluru on that trip. We were on a day trip with a group of others and we’d stopped for lunch. We were fairly isolated. There was no main road, just a dirt track. One or two trees were the only shelter from the sun. It was eerily silent. Our tour guide whispered, and pointed. We all looked and there was a dingo, simply walking past. He wasn’t close, and barely paid us any attention, and was soon gone. What I remember most is the uneasy look in my father’s eye, and the way he positioned himself between me and the dingo.

I went to Uluru when I was eleven and I didn’t think of Lindy or Azaria Chamberlain once. When I go back, I know that I will.

I have a child of my own now, and working on this book has been a harrowing experience. My daughter is 18 months old. Over the previous year and a half I’ve watched her grow, watched her personality develop, and taken great pride in all her little achievements – learning to say ‘bath’ and ‘more’, understanding that she needs to cover her mouth when she coughs, playing hide and seek. But my favourite part of being a parent comes from those moments when she needs her daddy. Today I took her for a needle at the doctor’s. It hurt and she cried, and I wouldn’t have been anywhere else. When she’s distressed or in pain I need to hold her and protect her. I can’t stop the pain, but my grip on her makes her think that I can.

I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for Lindy and Michael. To know that despite their daughter’s pain and distress there was nothing they could do. They didn’t get to hold her tight and whisper that everything would be ok. Because of this they never got to see her grow, and take pride in hearing her say ‘bath’.

Had Azaria lived, she would be a grown woman. Older than me, probably with a career and family of her own. And the world would not have known her name, and her mother would have never been wrongly imprisoned for her death.

Today is about many things for Lindy. It will be a painful and satisfying day where she will no doubt reflect on what she has lost but finally get to close a traumatic chapter of her life. I’ve never met Lindy, but I’m sure she’ll be thinking of Azaria.

I hope one day to take my daughter to Uluru, as my father took me and as Lindy and Michael took Azaria. And when I’m there I’m going to think about the little girl who vanished that night. Her body was never found. That place is now her place.

Click here for more information on The Dingo’s Got My Baby by Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton 

Confessions of a Publishing Intern

Posted April 30, 2012 by Alex

I’m an intern at Pan Macmillan and Momentum Books. Am I being abused, exploited and treated like slave labour? If you read Clay Lucas’ article in the Sydney Morning Herald on April 11, you may be worried for my wellbeing.

I’m studying Communications at the University of Technology, Sydney, and elected to undertake professional placement in my third year.

The pros?

• Credit points that go towards my degree
• An extra line on the resume
• Contacts
• Taking a step towards realising my dream of working in the arts industry. For money.

The cons?

• Potential torture.

Was I doomed to a semester of slavery? Would I find myself becoming a Barista Master for my publishing overlords? Should I have taken it as an ill omen when I saw my desk was the closest one to the photocopier?

Not a chance.

I’m writing this on my seventh day of the internship. I’m counting down the days until it’s over, but not out of anticipation. I don’t want it to end.

I’ve read through dozens of first chapter submissions for unsolicited manuscripts and edited page proofs of books nearly ready for printing. I went with a sales rep on the road to bookstores to promote upcoming titles to the owners. I’ve helped decide the fate of books. Those are just the highlights.

At the end of my first day, I turned to the assistant editors sitting in the desks next to me. I said, in my most awestruck tone, “you get paid to do this?” – they smiled, lucky and knowing it.

I haven’t been a filing grunt, a photocopy slave or a coffee waiter. The staff have taken great efforts to teach me. I’m regularly asked if I’m enjoying myself, if I’m learning. They even apologised if things were boring. I was speechless at that question. I was asked to photocopy a manuscript last week. They’re still apologising to me about it.

For all those out there dying for a way into your chosen field, don’t despair. The word “internship” isn’t a euphemism for slavery. You can find unpaid work that gives you invaluable experience and teaches you about your desired industry. No, I’m not been held at gunpoint to write this either.

So don’t be afraid of an internship. Give it a go. You might just find yourself having as much fun as I am.

Things I’ve learnt about publishing in the last six weeks

Posted April 5, 2012 by Mark

Momentum is a new operation and I am new to publishing in general, having come from a bookselling background. Here are a few of things I’ve come to learn over the last six or so weeks that we’ve been operational. This post is especially good for those looking to get into publishing.

1. You need a healthy family member who can donate a liver. 

For people in publishing the phrase ‘I’ll never drink again’ is usually followed by a night of heavy drinking.

2. 9.30am is 9.00am and 5.00pm is 5.30pm

Authors generally aren’t out of bed before 10am anyway.

3. If you don’t have a meeting on, don’t wear a collared shirt to work.

Or shoes.

4. Either force someone else to get coffee for you on your first day, or wind up as the ‘coffee jester.’

Not only do I have to get coffee for my colleagues, I also have to dance for them.

5. Don’t make fun of the interns.

…anywhere that’s not on Twitter.

Class dismissed. I hope this has been educational for you all.