174 posts tagged with author.
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what helped you grieve?
What book or piece of writing helped you to grieve? I wish to gift a book to a distant friend who is about to lose their mother after a swift illness. Here's some characteristics i'm looking for, but please don't let it limit your sharing of ideas:
- written by a woman/NB/queer person/people
- feminist approach
- philosophical or sociological e.g. not a self-help book, or a 'science of grieving book'... more like an Audre Lorde or bell hooks style.
- poetry or prose or graphic novel
- could be old or contemporary
Vacation in the Plague Era
I want to travel from the US to Prague in October 2021. Is this a pipe dream? [more inside]
What's the correct term?
Is there a correct term for an author who identifies themselves with a description of their status alone? [more inside]
Authors "who fall somewhere between Umberto Eco and Dan Brown"?
A close relative is looking for novels to read, and asked me to ask Metafilter if anyone knows of any authors who fall "somewhere between Umberto Eco and Dan Brown." He suggested that people would know what he meant by that, but I am available to pass any clarifying questions along as needed.
What did you do with your MFA in creative writing?
Prompted by the recent English major thread... if you earned an MFA in creative writing, would you mind sharing a bit about your subsequent employment or publication pattern? If you paid anything for it, do you feel you recouped the value? To the extent you expected when you entered the program?
Not quite a pen name...
Plenty of famous writers have dropped their first name and gone by their middle name (e.g. Adeline Virginia Woolf). Have any famous writers dropped their surname and just gone by some combo of their given names? [more inside]
Making Money by Writing
I love to write essays, articles and perfectly worded letters and correspondence. I have no formal education beyond high school and a few years of college. But, I have been told countless times that my writing is beautiful, powerful and well-written. [more inside]
Source of this quote?
Looking for the author or source of this! [more inside]
Fantasy novel with female protagonist, British university setting?
Themes of alchemy, time travel by body-hopping, eventually going all the way to the beginning of time, the paperback had black edges, which was what made me buy it in the airport bookshop... but I don't remember the title or the author, can you help? Bought in the last 10 years or so.
Another book or author name question
Help me find these laid back books please [more inside]
Evaluating Book Publishing Routes
The process of selecting a self-publisher is daunting. Lots of self-publishers evaluate themselves against their competition. And surprise, they always seem a so much better deal than their competitors. On the other side, finding a traditional publisher often requires first, finding an agent. And I've heard agents are focused on repeat performers, not untested first timers. [more inside]
How do I find a CPA who specializes in dealing with authors?
My wife and I both expect to be in the writing biz in a few years, which means dealing with the publishing industry (and therefore variable income) as well as freelance projects as they come along. We would like an account who will make the most of the good, the bad, and the ugly of this situation. How do we go about finding a CPA with that specialty? We're in the Pioneer Valley, western Massachusetts.
name this short story, it's keeping me up at night
help me find the name/author of this short story. [more inside]
A question for the Liberian Cabal
I've been making it my goal to only read books by non-cishetwhitedudes this year. Yay for me!
But I'm wondering, since I get most of my reading material from the library, is there any tangible impact on society? Besides adding my +1 to the amount of times these books are checked out, is there any greater significance? Do the authors get any benefits?
Librarians, please let me know if checking out and reading books by women, people of colors, LGBTQ, etc is nothing more than screaming into the library void.
Who is the John Muir of New Hampshire's White Mountains?
I've recently started reading John Muir's My First summer in the Sierra and it is riveting stuff, a love-letter to an entire landscape that resonates with the bedrock of my soul. However, right now my heart belongs to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, rather than the Sierra Nevada of California. What writings, by what authors, are the closest equivalent to John Muir's work, but set in the Whites?
How do you credit a technical consultant for a novel
OK, so I have fiction project. To do it properly, it's going to need factual, reality-based insights into a field I'm not an expert in. My buddy is, however, and he's going to consult to get the non-fictiony bits right. Cool! But this isn't like a retired detective doing some fact-checking and correcting process-based details. It's consultation on some core thematic & big idea stuff. Like imagine Orwell tried to write Animal Farm but only had a Wikipedia-level grasp of the USSR. How do I credit that?
Celebrity turned author, how much writing do they actually do?
I love reading books about makeup, fashion, celebrity lifestyle etc. I have a number of books in my collection written by celebrities or people that are not from writing backgrounds (a costume designer for example). I am really curious to know how much actual writing they do and how the relationship with the 'written with...' person works. Examples after the jump. [more inside]
How much promotion does a co-author have to do for a book?
A memoir I've been working on for years with a musician is coming out in March. I'm the co-author, not the person whose name is in big letters on the cover -- my name comes after the "with." I've got a "not sure how much I owe these people" question. [more inside]
Composing in one's head
I'm interested in examples of people who have composed lengthy pieces of prose in their own heads. [more inside]
Books by Irish authors set in the Nordic region
Please help me come up with some books that are set (even partially) in Sweden but are written by Irish (including Northern Irish) authors. I am also interested in the other nordic areas, but my main focus is Sweden.
How close can I get to Borges on Project Gutenberg?
I like what I've read of Borges so far. I was browsing Project Gutenberg and wondering if there are any authors of a similar cant who can be found there. I like reading old books. Thanks.
Who wrote this white paper?
How do I find out the actual author(s) behind the White House white paper: Housing Development Tool Kit September 2016.
Her name is on the tip of my tongue
A few years ago at the bookstore, I came across one by a woman from New York City. I believe it is a memoir. The author is featured on the cover lounging on a couch wearing a white bodysuit. See more details inside. [more inside]
Should I attend a Writer's Digest conference, or something else?
I just retired from teaching and am resuming writing. I had an agent and had two books published (F/SF, mainstream publisher) twenty years ago, but my agent died and I'm basically starting from scratch. The Writer's Digest conference in August in NYC looks okay. Is it worth going? Or should I do something else first? [more inside]
Norm for conference presentations -- authors only?
I'm an academic. I'm new to supervising subordinates on my research and I'm unsure of the norms. Should a subordinate present at conferences on a project only if they would be a co-author on the article? [more inside]
A well known author said something like: within the detail is the world?
Hello MetaFilter.
I recently came across a succinct (single sentence) quote by , I think, a famous author (perhaps began with a J? Joyce?).
It beautifully expressed the idea that:
"within the single detail is the world"
or
"everything is contained within a tiny detail"
I can't find it via Google. Please could you help me to find the correct quotation?
I think it should be fairly well known.
Many thanks.
How do I have the best book reading ever?
My novel has been out since August, and on Wednesday I am doing my first book reading / signing (!!!). It's for a local book club, not at a bookstore, so I will have to handle any sales myself. The person running the program was incredibly casual about everything - enough to make me suspect that if I want this to go well, it's all on me. What should I be ready for? [more inside]
How do I JordanCon?
I am travelling to meet my favorite science fiction author at a convention, but I haven't done this before. What do? [more inside]
How do I co-author a book?
How do I co-author a book? How do I make a contract with the other author? [more inside]
What is this YA book (or books?) I read in the 90s?
When I was in grade six (around 1995) we had a teacher that read us a couple of YA books that I think were by the same author. One was about firefighters trying to battle a forest fire. The other one was about being lost in a desert or a sandstorm or something? [more inside]
Help me find this shy 20th-century British male writer
Two or so years ago, I read the beginning of a biography of a writer, probably a poet. I know he was a young man in England during World War I who was not able to serve in the war due to a medical condition. But that is all I am certain about -- I have vague memories of a few further details that I could easily be confusing with stories from other people's lives, or even from novels. [more inside]
Help me remember the name of a book...
Novel. Recent (5-10 years max). Female protagonist dealing with brother suffering from a brain injury. A very Oliver Sacks (RIP) character helps her. Possibly "water" or "rain" in the title.
Google failed me.
Help me find the title or author of my favorite lost half-read book!
I was so enthralled with it that I mentioned how wonderful it was to a visiting friend. He asked to borrow it, and then disappeared with it into the wild east of Estonia or maybe Moscow and I've never heard from him again. He also owes me two dollars. [more inside]
Quoting a mixed review as positive publicity?
My first novel is coming out in a few months, and as it's a small press, I'll mostly be doing my own P.R. for it. I got a mixed review from Kirkus, and I'd love to quote one of the positive bits in promotional materials, but is that dishonest when their overall takeaway wasn't completely positive? [more inside]
How do authors obtain permission and hi-res images of illustrations?
My dad and I are submitting a manuscript for a book on Old West history. We need not just to obtain permission to use 25 historical images but to obtain versions of the pictures that are high enough quality for print. Can any publishing experts or authors share tips on how best to undertake this task? [more inside]
How to deal with a diva? This is really freaking me out...
A few years ago I interviewed a locally-based but internationally-known folk musician about her life and work. Her stories were great and I thought she should write a memoir, but she said he didn't have the time. So I volunteered to help. [more inside]
Tracking down a sci fi author
Awhile ago, I read about a science fiction author on Wikipedia. The series was not concluded when the author's notebook fell into a body of water. When he fished it out and saw that his notes for the stories and how they all interlinked had been obliterated, he lost the will to continue on with his stories as he didn't have the patience to try to reconstruct the contents of his notebook. Please help me ID this author as I intended to track his works down, but never got around to it. [more inside]
What other authors might I like?
I like Patricia Cornwell. I like Robin Cook. Who else might I like? [more inside]
The "Star Wars" of books, you might say
Are there any prominent examples of authors who wrote the middle book (or even the last book) in a trilogy first? Non-fiction preferred, but will take fiction examples, too.
Article about news reflecting/pandering to audience, not owners
I could swear that in the last week or two there was a study that came out (by an economist I think, and it had won a prize - Nobel maybe or Pulitzer or something) about how the news is influenced by its audience more than by its owners. But I cannot find this article anywhere or remember the name of the study's author. Any ideas?
Can you complete this poem?
When I was a kid I had a book in which there was a poem that started 'A slug-a-bed snuggled in somnolent sloom / When a sobersides slithered right into the room'. I've searched the web for the rest of the poem and while I can find some of the verses I can't locate the whole thing. There was a substance called 'slibber sauce' involved, I remember that, but because none of the online versions mention it I know they can't be the poem in its entirety. Can anyone help? And who was the poem written by?
Does buying the Kindle Edition count towards bestseller lists?
An old friend put out her first book, and I want to pre-order it, but I also want to help it "pop." If I buy the Kindle Edition instead of the hardcover, will it still maximally count for the popularity trackers like NYTimes bestsellers and Amazon Best Of, or whatever? Or is that too "new media"?
Gift for an aspiring children's author
I want to get my friend a gift who would like to write books for children. But I don't know what would be a cool gift. What would you get an aspiring author? [more inside]
I need help identifying a Japanese author/filmmaker!
I need help recall the name of a Japanese author and/or filmmaker. The one detail I remember is that during WWII he was a boy working in a factory that was firebombed. In order to survive, he and the other boys fought to get under one another as the building came down around them in flames. Does anyone know who this might be? I'm stumped and so is Google . . .
To Self-publish, or (try) to Publish... and I'm a snowflake
I am writing a guidebook for my industry and while I want to catch some of the increase in reputation that comes from going through a real publisher, I also pretty much want to give it away (electronically but also in hard copy as gifts for clients etc) to as many people as possible. Is there a way to achieve both of those goals? Published by an independent, real publisher, printed for those that want to pay, and those I am willing to pay for, and free for me to distribute as much as I want?
Please help me remember the title of this book
I read a book in 2006 or 2007. I believe it had just come out. It was a compilation of chapters by accomplished female authors; I think largely chick-lit authors. It was sort of quarter-life crisis type of book. I specifically remember one chapter by a woman who broke up with her boyfriend repeatedly, and then he died. Her friends remarked that if she had married him line he wanted, she'd be a widow and she said she would rather have been his widow than be his nothing.
Is there anyone else on earth, or on AskMe who's read this book and can help me out with a title, author, or editor?
Depictions of Children's Street Culture in Fiction and Nonfiction
Please recommend fiction and nonfiction novels which depict folklore and mythology created by children who are free of adult supervision and authority. [more inside]
Website for murder methods?
I remember years ago hearing about a book which explained different methods of murder and poisoning. It listed methods of killing people, and methods of maiming or poisoning people, along with symptoms. It was aimed, of course, at authors who write murder mysteries. [more inside]
Trying to find a short story about an alien and bacterial mind control.
I recall reading a short story featuring a eco friendly alien or superhero driving a car or spaceship covered in plants and fueled by water. [more inside]
The perils of listening to your readers
A while ago I read an essay/article/rant online re a fantasy author / series and I'd like to read it again but google is failing me because I can't remember any specifics. [more inside]