Dear writer, I watched an interview in which Jimmy Carr was asked about Sean Lock, a fellow comic and TV panelist who died in 2021; Carr mentioned a quote he likes, something he attributed to "they" (they say). So I went in search of it. Now, if Hemingway wrote and said all the things we claim he wrote and said, he wouldn't have had time to write books. But among the quotes attributed to him is the one Carr was referencing: Every man has two deaths; when he is buried and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal. By this dictum, because of his books and all of these things he said or didn't say, Hemingway is still alive. (Convenient, hey?) I'm not terribly concerned about posterity. I suppose I align more with Irvin Yalom, who writes, "Some day soon, perhaps in forty years, there will be no one alive who has ever known me. That's when I will be truly dead -- when I exist in no one's memory." (Full quote here.) But I do like the spirit behind the Hemingway version, which to me
essentially means "Leave your mark." And one way a person can leave a mark is to publish a book that's read long after his/her death. I dunno. Something to think about. In this week's newsletter: - New books & bylines from WriteByNighters
- Your book vs. the worst book ever published
- Coupon: Free query letter review
- My 10 favorite novels from 2014-2024
- Yak Babies
- What am I reading; what am I writing?
If you've got writer friends who might like our newsletter, feel free to
pass it along. Every writer (including you!) who signs up is eligible for a free consultation to talk about your writing goals and obstacles. Writers Leaving Their Mark The past few weeks have seen many of your fellow WriterByNighters achieve literary goals, including some who have put in decades' worth of work. Let's take a
minute to celebrate them! Joyce Slochower's Psychoanalysis and the
Unspoken is fresh off the Routledge presses. It's labeled "essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists." As its proofreader I can tell you it's interesting and accessible even to the layperson. 83 Odyssey, Charles Roamer's memoir about a road trip down "the spine of America" from North Dakota to Brownsville, Texas, is fresh to my bookshelf. It's a hefty and
aesthetically pleasing book and I'm eager to dive in. Charles found his dream publisher via our partnership with Atmosphere Press. Rebecca Loomis's YA romantic fantasy, Touch of Kindness, is new from 5310 Publishing! When Dori Livingston is kidnapped and taken from her small Texas town to the Otherworld, "a place full of magic and fantastical creatures,"
her only mission is to get back home. Rebecca worked on her query letter with our staff agent, John Sibley Williams. Congrats, Rebecca! Dane Gebauer has been publishing short fiction left and right, including "Dad" at Sinking City and "Destroyed on the Ground" in Pinch. This makes his (and my) writing coach, Tom Andes, very happy. Another veteran of one-on-one work with John is Kanise
Marshall, who has released Book 2 of her The Willow's Song Saga. This one is titled The Calling of Kings. Check it out. Excellent work, writers! We're happy and proud to have had a hand in your success. Your Book vs. The Worst Book Ever When it comes to tradional publication vs. the self- or hybrid route, we talk so often about the difficulty of landing an agent. You all know the stats, which usually land somewhere around a 1-in-6,000 chance of being signed by any given agent you query. But something a writer said to me last year has really stuck. He was talking about this uphill climb and whether he thought his book was even good enough to spend the time and effort. Here's what he said next: "I know my book is at least as good
as the worst book published." When it comes time to make the decision for yourself, keep that in mind. Your book is at least as good as the worst book published traditionally. And most likely it's better than hundreds of the worst books published
traditionally. Look up and down the catalogs of the so-called Big Five. All of the books that look like such trash? Almost every single one of them came to the publisher through an agent. Coupon: Your Query Letter I'm looking for a project to get behind. To root for, to cheerlead. And I always want to provide value to subscribers. So the first 10
writers who email me and mention the coupon code below will receive a free query letter assessment! I'll offer written feedback that may touch on, among other matters, length and conventions (and how/why to break them), along with suggestions for revision. And then I'll choose one of those ten writers to receive our full critique, with detailed margin notes and either in-depth editorial work
or a Zoom/phone discussion. (Hint: I appreciate novels that have something to say about class, race, gender, labor, and so on.)
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Free Query Letter Feedback!
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Code: QRYLTRCQ
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First 10 writers only, so act fast Email david@writebynight.net and copy/paste the coupon code above
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My 10 Favorite Novels Since 2014 For the first time, here's the full list of my favorite novels since 2014! (With a little bit of cheating on nos. 11, and only one rule: no WriteByNight staff or clients, and no friends.) 1. Beatlebone, Kevin Barry 2. All This Could Be Different, Sarah Thankam Mathews 3. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 4. Severance, Ling Ma 5. Swing Time, Zadie
Smith 6. The Idiot, Elif Batuman 7. Ohio/The Deluge, Stephen Markley 8. Fever Dream, Samantha Schweblin 9. The Warehouse, Rob Hart 10. Women Talking, Miriam Toews 11 (tie). Growing Up Dead in Texas, Stephen Graham Jones 11 (tie). The Yellow House, Sarah Broom (not fiction!) Are you a fellow fan of any of these books? Reply to this email and let's gush over them together. What Am I Reading? Am I Writing? For fiction, I haven't decided what's next. My fellow Yak Baby Aaron and I are talking about a project inspired by our shared love of Stuart Dybek, so I imagine I'll revisit some of my
favorite stories and poems. I am writing! I am writing! Last week I finished a draft of a new extended scene from early in my novel, which has led to changes in the following scene. Don't look now, but I may be picking up some fresh momentum. What are you writing? What are you reading? Writerly Quote of the Week “I can't control whether the muse will visit or not. Neither can you. Your goal isn't to attain some mystical state. It's simply to show up, as best you can, to put yourself in a position to make decisions at the keyboard." -- Steve Almond, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow I hope you like these Almond quotes, because there are many, many more to come. Check that book out. And happy writing! David Duhr
Co-founder, WriteByNight
P.S. If you know someone who might benefit from today's message, please feel free to forward this email along. Go on, help a writer out. Resources Find a home for your creative work Carve out writing time from your busy schedule |
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