Deb, how exciting! And I love the synopsis for the next one in the Haunted Ballard series, it gave me chills just reading it. And I know we're all going to adore Rebecca.

sj, that kicks ass. I just hope the blonde said it loud enough for the crowd of little wannabitchbe's to hear.

Sail, no one is going to get to love Becca unless SMP offers me money. I'm not writing word one on spec, not this time. No more Deb-abuse from the grinding mill wheels of the bigass publishing house. And they know it, too.

Finding the time to work up a screenplay is going to be interesting. I still need to find out whether it might not make more sense to have BBLA's screen rights agent person just include a casual "...oh, and she's working on the screenplay, it would be ready (insert), meanwhile here's a copy of the (insert number of) book..."

Oh how very exciting, Deb! I have every confidence that you can produce a smashing screenplay.

My understanding is that High Concept just means the conceptual twist (ghosts that are linked to songs) is important. You've got that.

I love the proposal for the new one. I would totally buy that book if I cam across it browsing.

According to Laura Anne Gilman and Marlene, it's (edit: duh, Deb, reference, please: the High Concept) a hooky one-line pop culture comparison. Laura Anne suggested "Hart to Hart meets Medium", but she admits she wasn't at the top of her game yesterday; she'd had a car accident and was sucking down as much wine as she could.

Maybe "The Singing Detective crossed with The Ghost Whisperer"?

edit: Why do I suddenly feel like an extra from The Player?

I'm not writing word one on spec, not this time.

I have to say, it amazes me that they've made you do it as long as they have. Are they very by-the-books corportate about stuff? I mean, they know your voice and your style and your level of professionalism with regard to deadlines, etc. There's no earthly reason they need more than an idea to buy, and frankly, they should be signing you up for more than one at a time, too.

Nice drabble, sj!

I have to say, it amazes me that they've made you do it as long as they have. Are they very by-the-books corportate about stuff? I mean, they know your voice and your style and your level of professionalism with regard to deadlines, etc. There's no earthly reason they need more than an idea to buy, and frankly, they should be signing you up for more than one at a time, too.

They haven't made me do it - I've been doing it in self-defense. The problem is that the way they work, my worry is that they're going to pull a Cruel Sister and get back to me three months before they want the book and say, so is it ready? without ever bothering to offer on it.

I think they knew they could push Jenn around. They try that with my current representation...oh, man. Brains will leak out. NO one pushes BB around - the entire industry's been terrified of her for forty years.

If I keep doing these for them, things will change. They've already been put on notice. While my two reps were tagteaming my editor, they managed to frustrate her to the point of saying "Do you honestly think I can bring out every author on my list in paperback?"

And Marlene came right back "Do you honestly think I care about any other author on your list? I care about this one."

"Do you honestly think I can bring out every author on my list in paperback?"

And Marlene came right back "Do you honestly think I care about any other author on your list? I care about this one."

Heh. Good for her. That's exactly the attitude any good agent is supposed to have.

The problem is that the way they work, my worry is that they're going to pull a Cruel Sister and get back to me three months before they want the book and say, so is it ready? without ever bothering to offer on it.

That's just wrong. I hate when they know an author wants work, and will operate in self-defense, but the truth is no one with a track record should be writing anything more than a precis without an offer and a contract.

Oh, if I only ran the world of publishing...

I hate when they know an author wants work, and will operate in self-defense, but the truth is no one with a track record should be writing anything more than a precis without an offer and a contract

On this one, I screwed myself being such a good little Not!diva. Ruth knows exactly how fast I work - she once yelped at me "You write too fast! I can't get to it for another month!"

They know I don't miss deadlines. That's probably why I keep getting hit with impossible ones.

I'm thinking NSK would be a fun book to write. If they don't bite, I may do that one as a screenplay (oh God, do I even remember how to do it after FADE IN...?) but we shall see.

If it's a movie pitch, Deb, I would suggest not don't using a TV reference. I also think the "X meets Y" format is a little played out. Two of the most famous high concept pitches were "MTV Cops" which was the pitch for the original Miami Vice, and "Die Hard on a Bus," which was the pitch for Speed.

Yours don't have to be that short--but look for something immediately arresting, pithy and pop-culturally connected. It sucks to write one of these things when you want to say "Just read the material already, moron" but they're a selling tool.

Robin, that second paragraph? You essentially quoted my agent.

She came up with Lovejoy as a nice cultural reference: basically, an expert in an esoteric field, doing his thing and knowing where and how to research.

And yep, appears as if they may actually want me to do one of these in screenplay form, or at least be willing to do one in screenplay form; their guys seem to want that to approach Ewan McGregor's reps with.

I am happy. Just got off the phone with Ayelet Waldman who said, hell yeah, tell anyone looking at the Kinkaids I'll blurb. I love my friends. That blurb, from her, is a big damned piece of bait.