There is also a transcript of my podcast interview with Rose Mary Salum.
More podcasts and transcripts of same are in-progress-- coming soon, more Marfa Mondays.
> Your COMMENTS are always welcome.
Showing posts with label conversations with other writers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conversations with other writers. Show all posts
Sergio Troncoso on El Paso, Flannery O'Connor, Borges at Harvard, Zyklon-B, and Our Lost Border
There is also a transcript of my podcast interview with Rose Mary Salum.
More podcasts and transcripts of same are in-progress-- coming soon, more Marfa Mondays.
> Your COMMENTS are always welcome.
Transcripts of the "Conversations with Other Writers" Occasional Series of Podcasts
(That said, I love podcasts-- I listen while I'm cooking or driving-- and I'm always running out of them, so if you know of a good one, please zap me your recommendation.)
Here is the first transcript (no worries, it's not a PDF and it's free):
A Conversation with Mexican Writer and Editor Rose Mary Salum:
Making Connections with Literature and Art
Rose Mary Salum is the founding editor of Literal and editor of the visionary Delta de las arenas, cuentos árabes, cuentos judíos, a collection of works by Latin American writers of Arab and Jewish heritage.
>> Follow Rose Mary Salum and Literal on Twitter @literalmagazine
>> To listen in anytime to that podcast, click here.
So far, podcasts in the "Conversations with Other Writers" series include:
Sergio Troncoso
Michael K. Schuessler
Edward Swift
Sara Mansfield Taber
Solveig Eggerz
It may be a while until I can post another in this series, alas, because I am out and about for my latest book, Metaphysical Odyssey into the Mexican Revolution: Francisco I. Madero and His Secret Book, Spiritist Manual [podcasts about that >>here<<] and also working on a new book about Far West Texas, apropos of which I am hosting the Marfa Mondays Podcasting Project (16 podcasts so far of a projected 24). All that said, I aim to be able to post a second transcript later this month.
>> Your COMMENTS are always welcome.
A Conversation with Mexican Writer Rose Mary Salum About Making Connections with Literature and Art
So far the series features conversations with:
Sergio Troncoso on writing his latest novel, From This Wicked Patch of Dust; Chicano literature; the US-Mexico border; on writing for New York; reading; blogging; and 9/11.
Michael K. Schuessler on Mexico's incomparable poet Guadalupe (Pita) Amor; her neice, Mexico's acclaimed novelist and journalist Elena Poniatowska; the baroque literary prodigy Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz; and the great friend of Mexico, the adventurous and passionate journalist Alma Reed, whose autobiography—a work vital to early 20th century Yucatecan history— Schuessler rescued from an abandoned closet.
Edward Swift on his memoir My Grandfather's Finger and recent novel, The Daughter of the Doctor and the Saint, plus his Orphic journey to Texas's Big Thicket, Marguerite Young, Proust, Greenwich Village, and the wonders of Mexico's little-known Sierra Gorda.
Sara Mansfield Taber, author of Born Under an Assumed Name: The Memoir of a Cold War Spy's Daughter, on her father's work in Asia, including his daring rescue of over a thousand Vietnamese after the fall of Vietnam to the Vietcong, and his disenchantment with the agency while working in Germany; Taber's childhood in Taiwan, highschool years in Washington DC during the Vietnam War; her previous books, including Bread of Three Rivers and Dusk on the Campo; other travel writers, reading as a writer; writing practice, and teaching writing.
Solveig Eggerz on her poetic novel Seal Woman, her unusual background (from Iceland to England to Germany to Alexandria, Virginia), Iceland's book culture, fairytales, and advice for writers.
>> Read more about the Conversations with Other Writers occasional podcast series.
I call it an "occasional series" because, well, it's very occasional. Over the past couple of years I have not posted any other conversations because I was writing Metaphsyical Odyssey into the Mexican Revolution (now out in paperback, ebook, and also in Spanish), and I am once again focussing on the Marfa Mondays Podcasts (16 so far of a projected 24). But I so love to do these interviews with my fellow writers, and I hope you will relish and learn from them as much as I have. Gracias, dear Rose Mary. Thank you, all.
So How's the Book Doing? (And how many books have you sold? And what was your print run?)
It reminds me of how gallery owners complain that customers (more often lookyloos) don't know "gallery etiquette." It's the same with writers. People usually mean well when they ask, "So how's the book doing?" Though alas, this is often followed by the more knife-like, "How many books have you sold?" What they don't realize is that (in most instances) this is akin to asking someone who was just turned down for a long overdue promotion, or maybe even fired, "So how much do you make?" because, as Sara Taber so eloquently points out, the book is almost never doing as well as its author had hoped it would and for most literary books, earnings hover well below the level at which one might cobble together a non-food-stamps-worthy living. Furthermore, publishers report sales with such a long lag, one never really knows at any given moment. (True, one could check amazon.com sales reports but I have never done that because it's a self-torture fest and, for anyone focused on writing the next book, a mega time-suck.)
Herewith some of my favorite replies (and if you're an author with a book out, may they serve you):
Notice, the trick is to lob that conversational ball back into their court. Unless you might have something for them, e.g.,
The thing is, I don't think most people really care about one's answer; they're just asking to be polite, as they might ask about your kids (whom they don't know) or your kitchen remodeling project or even just chatting about the weather. And some friends really do care, they do mean well-- they're delighted to know a real-live-published author! They want to bask in your literary glamour and talk books! For those folks, the "I'm getting away with it," or "wonderfully, thanks for asking!" works fine. But then there are those, usually with a toe in the publishing business, or ambitious to write / publish themselves, who persist with the outrageous, "What was your print run?" Well, I say, bless 'em. Because they need blessing. I answer, "You know, I have no idea. I am so busy with my next book... " and when they insist (yikes, some of them do), "What do you mean, you don't know what was the print run?" I put on the Scarlett O'Hara:
When a writer has spent several years working on a book she has more emotion invested in it than the casual reader would guess. So if it's another writer who is asking and your book is doing splendidly, why rub in the salt? Or, more likely, since your book isn't selling anything like Dan Brown's latest, make your neighbor (the divorce lawyer who is going to write a thriller "one day") view you with head-shaking pity?
But I don't find writing a "humiliation banquet," quite the contrary. I am grateful that I have the skill and (most days) focus to write and that, in one way or another, my work finds readers. I'm always happy to see more royalties but I don't measure my success as a writer by numbers alone. A single reader who approaches my work in a spirit of respect and intellectual curiosity, and to whom my book makes a meaningful difference, is worth more to me than 10,000 readers who just want a beachside page-turner.
(Bless you all who write beachside page-turners! May you all live happily ever after on your yachts! But I don't read such books and wouldn't have the wherewithal to write one, and anyway, even if I had a hundred bagilliwillion bucks, I couldn't be bothered with a yacht. To start with, I'd have to insure the darned thing. What a bore!)
So how does one make a living? All I can say is, if you want to make a living writing literary books you'll need to be (a) very lucky (b) very persistent (c) very productive (d) very hard-headed and (e) totally flummoxed by shopping (except for books, of course). And by the way, most literary writers don't make a living from their books but from teaching, freelancing, editing, and/or other work / income.
The "humiliation banquet" comes with the promotion part... and for that, thank goodness for the vast and ever-growing literature on sports psychology!
P.S. Check out my podcast interview with Sara Mansfield Taber about her amazing memoir on "Conversations with Other Writers."
>Comments?
Herewith some of my favorite replies (and if you're an author with a book out, may they serve you):
(With a wink): I'm getting away with it... How about you?
(This is thanks to Paul Graybeal of Marfa's Moonlight Gemstones, by the way.)
(Breathily, Nancy Reaganqesque): Why my dear, that's like asking a woman her age! How have you been?
(Beaming, ready-to-judo): Oh, great! You know, I think everyone should write a book. Do you have a book you'd like to write?
(Shrugging, Jimmy Fallonesque): Well, I haven't moved full-time onto my yacht-- yet. But thanks for asking. How are you?
(Gleaming stare, revealing teeth): Very well... in fact... my doctor has been able to... reduce my meds... (Continue staring silently for three beats...) Just kidding! How are you?
Notice, the trick is to lob that conversational ball back into their court. Unless you might have something for them, e.g.,
Wonderfully! Thanks for asking! Oh, and by the way, I'll be doing an event at the bookstore next Thursday at 6 pm, it would be wonderful if you could come!
It's been such fun! Oh, and by the way, if it works for your book group / workshop / class, I'd be delighted to come talk about the book!
The thing is, I don't think most people really care about one's answer; they're just asking to be polite, as they might ask about your kids (whom they don't know) or your kitchen remodeling project or even just chatting about the weather. And some friends really do care, they do mean well-- they're delighted to know a real-live-published author! They want to bask in your literary glamour and talk books! For those folks, the "I'm getting away with it," or "wonderfully, thanks for asking!" works fine. But then there are those, usually with a toe in the publishing business, or ambitious to write / publish themselves, who persist with the outrageous, "What was your print run?" Well, I say, bless 'em. Because they need blessing. I answer, "You know, I have no idea. I am so busy with my next book... " and when they insist (yikes, some of them do), "What do you mean, you don't know what was the print run?" I put on the Scarlett O'Hara:
"Why, golly gee, figures just go in one ear and out the other."
When a writer has spent several years working on a book she has more emotion invested in it than the casual reader would guess. So if it's another writer who is asking and your book is doing splendidly, why rub in the salt? Or, more likely, since your book isn't selling anything like Dan Brown's latest, make your neighbor (the divorce lawyer who is going to write a thriller "one day") view you with head-shaking pity?
But I don't find writing a "humiliation banquet," quite the contrary. I am grateful that I have the skill and (most days) focus to write and that, in one way or another, my work finds readers. I'm always happy to see more royalties but I don't measure my success as a writer by numbers alone. A single reader who approaches my work in a spirit of respect and intellectual curiosity, and to whom my book makes a meaningful difference, is worth more to me than 10,000 readers who just want a beachside page-turner.
(Bless you all who write beachside page-turners! May you all live happily ever after on your yachts! But I don't read such books and wouldn't have the wherewithal to write one, and anyway, even if I had a hundred bagilliwillion bucks, I couldn't be bothered with a yacht. To start with, I'd have to insure the darned thing. What a bore!)
So how does one make a living? All I can say is, if you want to make a living writing literary books you'll need to be (a) very lucky (b) very persistent (c) very productive (d) very hard-headed and (e) totally flummoxed by shopping (except for books, of course). And by the way, most literary writers don't make a living from their books but from teaching, freelancing, editing, and/or other work / income.
The "humiliation banquet" comes with the promotion part... and for that, thank goodness for the vast and ever-growing literature on sports psychology!
P.S. Check out my podcast interview with Sara Mansfield Taber about her amazing memoir on "Conversations with Other Writers."
>Comments?
Sergio Troncoso's From This Wicked Patch of Earth and Crossing Borders
¡¡Viva!!
Read my review of these two books for Literal Magazine.
Listen in to my conversation with Sergio about these two books on the Conversations with Other Writers podcasting series:
--> LISTEN NOW
May 2012 Newsletter, News on Publish Now and Marfa Mondays Podcasts
I send subscribers the newsletter as an email via mailchimp.com (a great service, by the way, I highly recommend it) that includes the link and passwords for a free ebook with tips on writing. So sign up, whydoncha. I'd be delighted to see you on the list. I send it out a few times a year, and you can unsubscribe or re-subscribe automatically anytime (that's mail chimp.com for you).
A Conversation with Artist and Writer Edward Swift
So why, when, where, and how am I podcasting? Read all about my Conversations with Other Writers podcasting series here.
New podcasts:
Edward Swift, artist and writer based in San Miguel de Allende, on the Orphic journey, Marguerite Young, the Big Thicket, the wonders of the Sierra Gorda, My Grandfather's Finger, The Daughter of the Doctor and the Saint, on being an ABT flower man, his house designed by Jesus Zarate, among a whole bunch of other things! This one hour plus interview with one of my very favorite writers was splendid fun.
>>Listen in right here.
>>Previous conversations with other writers: Sara Mansfield Taber, Solveig Eggerz, and Rosemary Sullivan.
Also new:
Abbreviated podcast-- just Yours Truly talking about my translation of Francisco I. Madero's secret book of 1911-- of the PEN / SOL Literary Magazine Reading Series event, February 22, 2012 in San Miguel de Allende is now on-line.
>> Listen here.
Conversations with Other Writers: Sara Mansfield Taber, Author of Born Under an Assumed Name
Just posted on Conversations with Other Writers:SARA MANSFIELD TABER, AUTHOR OF BORN UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME: THE MEMOIR OF A COLD WAR SPY'S DAUGHTER
-> Listen on podomatic
-> Listen on iTunes
C.M. Mayo talks with Sara Mansfield Taber, author of the memoir Born Under an Assumed Name. For Taber, growing up in Taiwan, Japan, Washington DC, the Netherlands, and Borneo was tough as well as exotic, and she found the experience even more unsettling because, as she learned at fifteen, she was the daughter of a covert CIA agent. The conversation ranges from her father's work in Asia, including his daring rescue of over a thousand Vietnamese after the fall of Vietnam to the Vietcong, and his disenchantment with the agency while working in Germany; Taber's childhood in Taiwan, highschool years in Washington DC during the Vietnam War; her previous books, including Bread of Three Rivers and Dusk on the Campo; other travel writers, reading as a writer; writing practice, and teaching writing. Recorded in December 2011. (Aprox 50 minutes).
Quick links:
-> Watch the trailer for Taber's BORN UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME
-> More about BORN UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME (and how to order)
-> More conversations with other writers, including Solveig Eggerz and Rosemary Sullivan
-> All C.M. Mayo podcasts
Conversation with Other Writers Podcast: Solveig Eggerz on Seal Woman
Just posted, a new podcast of an interview with my amiga, the amazing writer Solveig Eggerz, about her poetic novel, Seal Woman-- and Iceland, writing, publishing, facebook, and more.Listen in on podomatic or, listen in on iTunes.
Here's the official description:
As part of the new series of occasional conversations with other writers, C.M. Mayo talks with Solveig Eggerz, author of the fiercely poetic novel Seal Woman. Inspired by the Icelandic fairytale of the seal woman and the true story of some 300 German war widows brought to Iceland to marry and work on the remote farms, Seal Woman has been widely praised and translated into both Hebrew and Icelandic. The conversation ranges from the author's unusual background (from Iceland to England to Germany to Alexandria, Virginia), Iceland's book culture, fairytales, advice for writers, and more. Visit Solveig Eggerz at www.solveigeggerz.com
P.S. Read Solveig Eggerz's guest-blog, 5 works of historical fiction.
(Next winter I'll be starting up the Marfa Mondays series and some of those podcasts will be cross-listed with "Conversations with Other Writers.")
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)