Comments on: Jeffrey Lependorf http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/ where writers come to play Sun, 31 Jan 2010 05:01:52 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 hourly 1 By: litpark » Kevin Sampsell http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-19475 litpark » Kevin Sampsell Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:02:35 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-19475 [...] CLMP director, Jeff Lependorf, was on LitPark, he spoke about the difference between printing and publishing a book. He said a [...] [...] CLMP director, Jeff Lependorf, was on LitPark, he spoke about the difference between printing and publishing a book. He said a [...]

]]> By: Mary Akers http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8920 Mary Akers Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:56:42 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8920 So sorry for your loss, Lance. My heart goes out to you. So sorry for your loss, Lance. My heart goes out to you.

]]> By: Betsy http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8918 Betsy Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:33:30 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8918 Golly, thanks, Sue! Golly, thanks, Sue!

]]> By: Susan Henderson http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8888 Susan Henderson Mon, 26 Feb 2007 00:14:29 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8888 Juliet - I hope you get a chance to talk with Jeff. He's not back in town until tomorrow, so maybe he'll stop by. Myf - Thanks. Isn't he the best? Carolyn - It's hard for non-writers/non-artists to ever get it. Our business is truly insane. Kesey - Yay for you for getting into the Best American Short Stories of 2007!!!!!!! And kisses to Stephen King for picking you! Lance - We're right there with you. And I'm totally cool with you getting snot on my shoulder. Anneliese - Isn't he wonderful how he can be realistic and hopeful all at once? n.l. and Matildakay - Noveltown rocks! Betsy - Thank you so much for your story of moving from big press to small press and why you'd take a smaller advance. I admire you! And my heart has always sided with indie presses because of these stories of writers losing their artistic freedom and stories of crappy stock photo covers and stories of good books being neglected in favor of big money makers. I will plug your book here like mad to support your decision. Juliet – I hope you get a chance to talk with Jeff. He’s not back in town until tomorrow, so maybe he’ll stop by.

Myf – Thanks. Isn’t he the best?

Carolyn – It’s hard for non-writers/non-artists to ever get it. Our business is truly insane.

Kesey – Yay for you for getting into the Best American Short Stories of 2007!!!!!!! And kisses to Stephen King for picking you!

Lance – We’re right there with you. And I’m totally cool with you getting snot on my shoulder.

Anneliese – Isn’t he wonderful how he can be realistic and hopeful all at once?

n.l. and Matildakay – Noveltown rocks!

Betsy – Thank you so much for your story of moving from big press to small press and why you’d take a smaller advance. I admire you! And my heart has always sided with indie presses because of these stories of writers losing their artistic freedom and stories of crappy stock photo covers and stories of good books being neglected in favor of big money makers. I will plug your book here like mad to support your decision.

]]> By: n.l. belardes http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8623 n.l. belardes Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:14:52 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8623 Betsy, you rock... I want to pick your brain... pick pick pick... Betsy, you rock… I want to pick your brain… pick pick pick…

]]> By: Betsy http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8619 Betsy Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:44:29 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8619 So... mid-last year I finished my third book of stories, which I kind of love, if I may say so, and my new best editrix friend Anne Elizabeth Moore at PP was still mentioning how much they'd love to have a book from me, any book, and I was very, very interested all along but also wanted to be sure I made the best choice in all ways - I'd had relatively fat advances for the first two books, as far as collections go, and that's hard to turn away from for obvious reasons. Looking at the bigger picture, what I really want is for people to read my books - and a smaller press was looking really, really good. I talked to a lot of writer friends about the possibility of switching houses, what their experiences were, I got some good advice, and in the end - my former publisher made the decision for me, basically it was the old 'short stories don't sell' issue (which - don't get me started on this - I believe in my heart that they COULD) - it's all about the bottom line (forget the fact that the actual marketing of the book seems like the reason you'd go with a big house - they have all kinds of people who are supposed to be there to do just that, and it's only being in the publishing arena for a while now that I've learned anything about how to self-promote, and that that is going to be a big part of the deal from here on out) since they seemed to agree that it was my best work yet. Complicating things a bit more was that my agent, who I also love, was less ready to let me make the jump without approaching other big houses first - several of whom rejected the book with similar comments. It's great it's great it's great we want novels. At which point I was like, listen, my gut feeling from the beginning - usually pretty keyed in - was to go with Punk Planet. It's essentially impossible for anyone to lose this way. Low advance, small print run, if you sell a couple thousand copies you make your money back and sell a couple thousand more you make a profit. By way of example, I've already gotten royalties from the French edition of my first book, but will probably never see any from my first two books unless I suddenly become a superstar. (Although - suddenly has already come and gone so I guess even if my future superstardom arrives tomorrow it won't have been sudden.) It kind of amazes me that this went down as it did in spite of the fact that the reviews for my first book were great, sales positive enough for them to give me a second deal - and the reviews on the second book - the ones I did get - were also all positive. This, believe it or not, really is the short version. So… mid-last year I finished my third book of stories, which I kind of love, if I may say so, and my new best editrix friend Anne Elizabeth Moore at PP was still mentioning how much they’d love to have a book from me, any book, and I was very, very interested all along but also wanted to be sure I made the best choice in all ways – I’d had relatively fat advances for the first two books, as far as collections go, and that’s hard to turn away from for obvious reasons. Looking at the bigger picture, what I really want is for people to read my books – and a smaller press was looking really, really good. I talked to a lot of writer friends about the possibility of switching houses, what their experiences were, I got some good advice, and in the end – my former publisher made the decision for me, basically it was the old ’short stories don’t sell’ issue (which – don’t get me started on this – I believe in my heart that they COULD) – it’s all about the bottom line (forget the fact that the actual marketing of the book seems like the reason you’d go with a big house – they have all kinds of people who are supposed to be there to do just that, and it’s only being in the publishing arena for a while now that I’ve learned anything about how to self-promote, and that that is going to be a big part of the deal from here on out) since they seemed to agree that it was my best work yet. Complicating things a bit more was that my agent, who I also love, was less ready to let me make the jump without approaching other big houses first – several of whom rejected the book with similar comments. It’s great it’s great it’s great we want novels. At which point I was like, listen, my gut feeling from the beginning – usually pretty keyed in – was to go with Punk Planet. It’s essentially impossible for anyone to lose this way. Low advance, small print run, if you sell a couple thousand copies you make your money back and sell a couple thousand more you make a profit. By way of example, I’ve already gotten royalties from the French edition of my first book, but will probably never see any from my first two books unless I suddenly become a superstar. (Although – suddenly has already come and gone so I guess even if my future superstardom arrives tomorrow it won’t have been sudden.) It kind of amazes me that this went down as it did in spite of the fact that the reviews for my first book were great, sales positive enough for them to give me a second deal – and the reviews on the second book – the ones I did get – were also all positive.
This, believe it or not, really is the short version.

]]> By: Betsy http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8613 Betsy Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:45:13 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8613 Ah, the grisly details. The problem with telling this story in a public forum, is that I think it's sort of important (not Iraq important, but certainly writers who want to or are trying to publish important) and that I don't want to come across as bitter because I've been SO freaking lucky from the get-go in many ways. That said, due to a complex web of errors at my former publishers, my second book did not get nearly the amount of press that my first book did. They had made it clear that they wanted a novel, and although GLORY was as close as I may ever come and could have conceivably been marketed along the lines of The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing insofar as it was a collection about one character and in some ways functioned as a novel - it didn't really get marketed much at all. One problem was that the publicist who'd worked very hard on my first book, kind of fell off the planet at the exact wrong time for the sake of my second book (and apparently a couple other authors with imminent books as well), and in spite of numerous phone calls on my part, I could not get them to get much going in terms of press or advertising until it was pretty much too late. Their concession to me was to put a new, more eye-catching cover on when the paperback came out. (For more on how much I don't love this cover - check my myspace blog for a big rant.) I have to say, in spite of this, almost 2 years after its initial release, the book is amazingly still chugging along and a lot of great things have been happening I guess by word of mouth, bits of press very late in the game that did not come from the publishers efforts. (And again, I have to say, my editor, Reagan Arthur, is exempt from any blame, she rocks and has nothing to do with any of this.) Anyway, fast forward to last year around this time, my new editor from PP approached me and planted a seed, and I'd known about Joe Meno's success with HAIRSTYLES OF THE DAMNED and she spent some time telling me about their business model which makes so much more sense - much like Jeffrey detailed. Ok, I'm needed elsewhere - part 2 soon. Ah, the grisly details. The problem with telling this story in a public forum, is that I think it’s sort of important (not Iraq important, but certainly writers who want to or are trying to publish important) and that I don’t want to come across as bitter because I’ve been SO freaking lucky from the get-go in many ways. That said, due to a complex web of errors at my former publishers, my second book did not get nearly the amount of press that my first book did. They had made it clear that they wanted a novel, and although GLORY was as close as I may ever come and could have conceivably been marketed along the lines of The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing insofar as it was a collection about one character and in some ways functioned as a novel – it didn’t really get marketed much at all. One problem was that the publicist who’d worked very hard on my first book, kind of fell off the planet at the exact wrong time for the sake of my second book (and apparently a couple other authors with imminent books as well), and in spite of numerous phone calls on my part, I could not get them to get much going in terms of press or advertising until it was pretty much too late. Their concession to me was to put a new, more eye-catching cover on when the paperback came out. (For more on how much I don’t love this cover – check my myspace blog for a big rant.) I have to say, in spite of this, almost 2 years after its initial release, the book is amazingly still chugging along and a lot of great things have been happening I guess by word of mouth, bits of press very late in the game that did not come from the publishers efforts. (And again, I have to say, my editor, Reagan Arthur, is exempt from any blame, she rocks and has nothing to do with any of this.) Anyway, fast forward to last year around this time, my new editor from PP approached me and planted a seed, and I’d known about Joe Meno’s success with HAIRSTYLES OF THE DAMNED and she spent some time telling me about their business model which makes so much more sense – much like Jeffrey detailed.
Ok, I’m needed elsewhere – part 2 soon.

]]> By: Matildakay http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8380 Matildakay Fri, 23 Feb 2007 00:05:59 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8380 I really enjoyed this article! Jeffrey Lependorf seems like the man to know in the indie literary press world! Noveltown will benefit and grow because of the type of advice and services Jeff Lependorf and others like him provide. I too, after reading this article, wanted to attend the AWP conference, hopefully in the future Noveltown will be able to. My thoughts and prayers go out to Lance during his time of loss. I really enjoyed this article! Jeffrey Lependorf seems like the man to know in the indie literary press world! Noveltown will benefit and grow because of the type of advice and services Jeff Lependorf and others like him provide. I too, after reading this article, wanted to attend the AWP conference, hopefully in the future Noveltown will be able to.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Lance during his time of loss.

]]> By: n.l. belardes http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8370 n.l. belardes Thu, 22 Feb 2007 17:13:51 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8370 <a href='http://noveltown.net/blog' rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">Noveltown</a> as an Indie Publisher has a long way to grow. It's all about upward mobility! We're definitely going to scrape our pockets to attend a future AWP conference. It's a must. But we have to get a few more titles under our belt to convince the literary world we're legit. And we're working on that too because we are mission driven... It takes time. It takes working with the right people... It also takes networking and learning through great articles like this one. Jeff and CLMP really look like a saviour for a lot of the people/businesses in the world with literary visions. And by saviour I mean, they're the ones bringing the love and community together, this sort of shared fanatical religion of creative intellectual properties... As for Lance. That's a tough road. We all go through it and get torn up inside. And then we go and act strong for the people around us when we're really just big babies ourselves who need hugs. I get sad just hearing about him being sad. I'm only in my 30s and my parents have been gone for years. It sucks. I just try to be close to my kids. We trudge through the muck of life and death and try to laugh as much as possible... We imitate Jim Carey a lot. Now, all of you go and buy Noveltown's book, <a href='http://noveltown.net/lords' rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow">Lords</a>! Hey, we had to start somewhere! We're only publishing other authors from here on out, and I hear we might be in secret negotiations... shhh... Noveltown as an Indie Publisher has a long way to grow. It’s all about upward mobility! We’re definitely going to scrape our pockets to attend a future AWP conference. It’s a must. But we have to get a few more titles under our belt to convince the literary world we’re legit. And we’re working on that too because we are mission driven…

It takes time. It takes working with the right people…

It also takes networking and learning through great articles like this one. Jeff and CLMP really look like a saviour for a lot of the people/businesses in the world with literary visions. And by saviour I mean, they’re the ones bringing the love and community together, this sort of shared fanatical religion of creative intellectual properties…

As for Lance. That’s a tough road. We all go through it and get torn up inside. And then we go and act strong for the people around us when we’re really just big babies ourselves who need hugs. I get sad just hearing about him being sad. I’m only in my 30s and my parents have been gone for years. It sucks. I just try to be close to my kids. We trudge through the muck of life and death and try to laugh as much as possible…

We imitate Jim Carey a lot.

Now, all of you go and buy Noveltown’s book, Lords! Hey, we had to start somewhere! We’re only publishing other authors from here on out, and I hear we might be in secret negotiations… shhh…

]]> By: Anneliese http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/comment-page-1/#comment-8365 Anneliese Thu, 22 Feb 2007 14:33:27 +0000 http://litpark.com/2007/02/21/jeff-lependorf/#comment-8365 Thank you for this interview for its direction and hope. A road map to the market instead of the despair over the state of the market. =] Thank you for this interview for its direction and hope. A road map to the market instead of the despair over the state of the market.
=]

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