Publishing Pulse, March 25th, 2011

New at QueryTracker.net:


Congratulations to our newest success story, Beth Cato!


Also, four agent profiles have been updated this week. Most notably, Deborah Grosvenor has started her own agency, and Wendy Schirmer is no longer working as an agent. We wish the best of luck to both of them in their new endeavors.


Publishing News


Simon and Schuster has started a new online, interactive book club for tweens through Everloop. 


A federal judge rejected the Google Book settlement, stipulating that in order to be fair it has to be an opt-in rather than opt-out process. 


No one wants to buy Barnes & Noble, and they may call off the search for a buyer. No word on whether you could get 10% off the entire company if you have a B&N preferred membership card.


Self-published author Amanda Hocking, who has sold a million books on her own, has signed a four-book deal with St. Martin's Press. 


Around The Blogosphere:


What to do when your agent doesn't want to represent your next book.


Want to boost your writing prowess? Maybe the way you're sitting can affect the way you're writing. (And here's the nice thing: if it doesn't, there were no negative side-effects to trying.)

Author Gina Holmes talks about why the best novels don't always sell well   

An author writes an open letter to his French publisher about why their cover will ensure his good novel doesn't sell well. 

Literary Quote Of The Week:

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.  ~E.L. Doctorow

Until next week, then, keep those words flying.

---

Jane Lebak is the author of The Guardian (Thomas Nelson, 1994), Seven Archangels: Annihilation (Double-Edged Publishing, 2008) and The Boys Upstairs (MuseItUp, 2010). At Seven Angels, Four Kids, One Family, she blogs about what happens when a distracted daydreamer and a gamer geek attempt to raise four children. She is represented by the unrivaled Roseanne Wells of the Marianne Strong Literary Agency.