Changes

Change is the only constant is an old saying, but one that seems to be a fixture in my life. BiblioBuffet is no different. A few months ago Lindsay Champion who wrote the column Memoirama, asked to leave because she wanted to concentrate on her novel and also had the opportunity to return to beloved New York and join the staff on a magazine devoted to another love, theatre. It hurt to lose her. Nicki and I worked with Lindsay for two years, and during that space of time we saw a naturally gifted writer grow into an experienced veteran of the written word.

Then last week, Pete Croatto, whose writing has been getting noticed in more publications, including the Christian Science Monitor, has asked to cut back to a monthly column. Of course I agreed even though I felt, as I did when Lindsay asked to move on, hurt. As his editor, I could do nothing less. I value BiblioBuffet’s columnists as much as I value my role in their careers. It is up to me to encourage the writers to become the best they can be. That also means I must face up to the fact that at some point I will gain some and lose some. And I cannot allow my personal feelings to intrude onto my professional responsibilities. Both the pride of nurturing gifted writers and the wounds in losing them to other gigs is part of being an editor. And so as Pete moves forward so do I. It is a learning process on both sides, and one I must value as much as I do the writers.

Thank you, Lindsay and Pete and all our previous contributors. You are the heart and soul of BiblioBuffet, and I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Content or Discontent?

Were Shakespeare alive today he might well have written the famous question this way because it seems as if many blogs and websites prefer “content” to thoughtful, well-written articles and essays.

BiblioBuffet’s editors see this in queries much too often. The worst ones even offer us “content” even though our guidelines are clear about our desire for writing that possesses not only quality but individualism and personality.

We are not looking for journalistic type of pieces that are “here today, gone tomorrow.” Because we are a weekly publication, we cannot and do not compete in breaking stories. Rather, we specialize in presenting thoughtful pieces that use personal perspectives and individualistic approaches to explore anything that catches our contributors’ interests.

[W]e believe that BiblioBuffet’s strength lies in the personalities of its writers. So what we are looking for are those who are interested in writing about books, reading, and related issues with voice, passion, and individualism. The standard book review of “here is the plot and this is what I think” is not for us. If you are writing a review, we want to know about the book through you. Our writers, past and present, have been selected not only because they have excellent writing skills but because they have a intriguing point of view or a unique personality from which they write. It is that style that is BiblioBuffet’s strength.

The reason, we think, that more writers are writing with an eye to content is that more websites are demanding it. Quantity over quality. More. Faster. Cheaper. There are blogs I no longer read and websites I no longer to go for this very reason. One popular bookish blog in particular has no fewer than one link in every sentence. It’s impossible for me to read because she demands that the reader go off, come back, go off, come back, ad infinitum. And websites and online publications are heading in that direction.

Lindsay Champion, one of BiblioBuffet’s contributors, recently submitted a knock-your-socks-off review. It was obvious she had been not only working very closely with Nicki but had taken her editorial suggestions under her wing and been working hard on her beginnings and endings (formerly weak areas). Her response to my congratulatory e-mail was touching:

Wow, I am completely bowled over by your kind words. Thank you so much; it comes at a time when I’m feeling particularly discouraged. I think this is one of those emails I’m going to have to print out and save forever. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to learn so much while I’ve been writing for Bibliobuffet. I’ve had so much fun!

Don’t be discouraged, I told her in response.

Easy to say, I know. I’ve been there from a writer’s perspective, and I find myself there from an editor’s. Rejecting submissions is my least favorite part of being part of the editorial team. But it’s a necessary part if we are to keep our standards to the level we’ve set.

But for her and for other writers, however, the search continues for places to publish.

I’m sure most writers and editors are all feeling the recession right now, combined with the influx of content mills and that more and more employers have decided they’d prefer bad-quality writing in exchange for lower rates. When I first started submitting my writing, everything was going like clockwork—probably because the economy was good! I remember the editor of the Village Voice having a long email discussion with me about how to get my idea to work in the paper, even though I had just started and had no idea what I was doing. It seemed like everyone was interested in hiring new writers. Now, it’s the complete opposite. It feels like I’m in the Twilight Zone. I’m so glad to have supportive and nurturing editors like you and Nicki to keep me on track through the rough patches.

She’s right. The quality of writing in far too many places is low. Some writers accept that. But Lindsay hasn’t, and I am proud of her for that. Even though she was a good enough writer to capture our attention when she first came aboard, she has dramatically improved. I told her I expect to see her name in some major publications in the future, and I do. It’s why, regardless of how discouraging her search might be right now, I am insisting she and our other columnists maintain their pursuit of places seeking excellent writing rather than sites and publications that prefer content. Then the question of “content or discontent” will remain, as it should, a moot one.

How They Write: Lindsay Champion

One of the joys of being in an editorial seat is watching an article come together. That means reading what the writer initially sends and then going through the revision process with Nicki Leone, Managing Editor. Some pieces take only one pass, others have taken several turns.

Since I am rarely involved in the editorial process until the end I have the opportunity to watch the collaborative development of the pieces. It’s a fabulous learning experience. Nicki tends to, as Lindsay notes below, ask a lot of questions and those questions are invariably insightful. They push the writers to explore areas where a reviewer needs to go or to dig deeper into their own insights to find out why they have written what they have. The process of creating a BiblioBuffet book review is different for each reviewer, but what they have in common is that they have been encouraged to think about the book in ways that stretch their minds and their critical faculties.

I read every book for review with a notebook and pen beside me. I dog-ear any quotations or passages that really inspire me and jot down page numbers of any passages that confuse me. Sometimes, when I go back to these pages, they will make more sense after having finished the book. If they don’t, I will usually mention these issues in my review. If possible, I’ll try to finish the book a day or two before I write the review so I have a chance to reflect on my reading.

Armed with a list of powerful quotations and passages, I sit down at my laptop and write the review. I type very quickly and have a stream-of-consciousness writing style, so I let my fingers fly and try not to think too much during the first draft. Generally, I can write the first draft in one sitting, but if I get stuck I’ll take a break for a few minutes and come back to it. Often, if I can’t think of a specific word I’d like to use, I’ll enter in a few question marks and come back to it in the second draft. I let the first draft sit for a few hours, then I reread it. During my first set of edits, I may rearrange a few paragraphs and mark any clumsy or confusing sentences. Then I’ll read the entire review aloud to my boyfriend, who is a fantastic editor and does a great job pointing out confusing statements and finding simpler ways to write them. Finally, I read the review one last time to check for any typos I may have missed, and pass the article along to Nicki.

Nicki does an excellent job asking questions about the review. It’s great to hear what someone who has not read the book would wonder when reading the review. She also does a wonderful job of tightening up my introductions and conclusions. When I can’t think of a solid button to use for the last sentence, Nicki usually has the perfect idea.

Sometimes I’ll send the article to Nicki in a frenzy, completely stuck and hating what I’ve written. She’s a great sounding board when I’m so frustrated I can’t look at the review anymore. She suggests spot-on solutions for the problem, even if I can only vaguely identify the article as “seeming off.” Usually we’re able to get the review completed with another edit or two, and when we both feel good about it, it’s ready to go up on the website.

Honoring a Champion

Lindsay Champion who writes “Memoirama” showed us her true colors this week—and they are glorious.

She came to BiblioBuffet in June of 2009 with a proposal for a column on memoirs. We tested her out, and found her writing strong, her voice robust, and her passion for writing about “people” books solid. We took her on almost immediately, and our personal bookshelves have begun to fill with her recommendations.

Lindsay came from New York and ended up settling with her boyfriend, who is connected to Hollywood, not far from my parents’ home. We have yet to meet, but I feel I know her well. She’s stunningly pretty, always upbeat, a delightful correspondent, and committed to her writing. She’s also a highly ethical individual.

A while back, she was contacted by an author who had read her previous reviews and liked them. He asked if she would consider his book. She informed him she would contact his publisher and ask for a copy but also let him know that a review was not guaranteed. Soon thereafter it arrived. “I received the book today,” she wrote him. “I’ll be in touch if I do decide to write a review.”

That review appeared this week, and the author (and publisher) are happy with it. That’s good, but what is important is that Lindsay acted with the utmost professionalism. I’ve discussed the ethics behind BiblioBuffet before. Nicki and I are adamant about maintaining high standards of behavior toward everyone with whom we interact but especially so our readers. They must be confident that we operate with integrity, that our opinions are genuinely ours and not tainted with any hidden relationships or agendas. Honesty underlies our words.

The correspondence that took place between Lindsay and the author had no bearing on her review. It is her honest opinion. While the publisher is pleased with it I am proud  to be associated with Lindsay, an upstanding and outstanding contributor to and representative of BiblioBuffet.