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DIANE HAEGER #2

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10/23/00 07:01:11 PM    Opening "Chat Log Den 10/23/00"

FRR Mallory WRTR:   Hello everyone - we will be starting in just a few minutes
Deluge13:   Even a well researched book could have mistakes, or points that
are debatble.
Sryope2:    Hi all
Sryope2:    Whose the guest tonight?
Kathi Smith 116:    DLHaeger is the guest, I believe
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Our guest tonight will be Diane Haeger
DLHaeger:   I believe that would be me, Sryope <g>
DLHaeger:   A pleasure to meet you.
Sryope2:    Gena, I can't believe they're still arguing about you're nude
woman scene. LOL
Kathi Smith 116:    Hi Diane, welcome
FRR Mallory WRTR:   She is the author of Historical Novels
Sryope2:    Hi Diane
Sryope2:    nice to meet you too
DLHaeger:   Thanks Kathi
Sryope2:    welcome
FRR Mallory WRTR:   and my spy tells me nicely reviewed Historical Romances
Kathi Smith 116:    lol
JsmnStrm:   Hi Diane
DLHaeger:   Evening everyone. Lovely to be here.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   We can start now if you like . . .
Sryope2:    Is Paul making another delivery?
DLHaeger:   Hmm... only one historical romance. The others were historical
novels and 2 contemps
DLHaeger:   actually.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   He is not on yet
Kathi Smith 116:    Should we give it a few minutes for late-comers to wander
in?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   I think we can manage open chat for a few <grins>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   feel free to uhmmm plunder our guest
DLHaeger:   This is fun just being informal. I'm ok with this.
JsmnStrm:   How long you been writing, Diane?
Mod Gonne
DLHaeger:   Plunder away! <g>
Sryope2:    Diane, will you give us your titles and publishers?
DLHaeger:   Jsmn, it feels like a century!
Kathi Smith 116:    Oh goodie! We can pillage and plunder someone
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Her current title is The Secret Wife of King George IV
The13thDoctor:  hi everyone
DLHaeger:   Actually, I sold my first book in 1993, and had taken 4 yrs to
write that.
JsmnStrm:   Hi Doc..
HOST WRTR Dee
Sryope2:    Is that about his morganic marriage?
DLHaeger:   Sryope, if you don't mind a list!
HOST WRTR Dee:  Hi all
FRR Mallory WRTR:   (our fave Donna in new gear)
Sryope2:    Please,
Sryope2:    list
FRR Mallory WRTR:   congrats
DLHaeger:   I've been with Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and now St.
Martin's Press
HOST WRTR Dee:  new hat, new hairdo
Sryope2:    Wow sounds good to me
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Diane - what are the biggest differences between your
FRR Mallory WRTR:   publishing experiences
DLHaeger:   Sryope, it is about his marriage to the Catholic widow Maria
Fitzherbert.
Sryope2:    Why different publishers.  Did you have a problem?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   with the big houses?
Sryope2:    Yes, I thought so
Kathi Smith 116:    (What's a morganic marriage?)
DLHaeger:   Hmm... have you got about a week?? <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
FRR Mallory WRTR:   just the short version
DLHaeger:   Each of them have been so different. I think mainly the
difference has been
Mod Gonne:  (thanks for asking that, Kath)
Sryope2:    A marriage that isn't recognized by the government so that
Sryope2:    any heirs won't be recognized
DLHaeger:   in terms of publishing philosophy. S&S was very geered toward
romance
Kathi Smith 116:    lol Mod
Sryope2:    and the spouse won't get a title
Deluge13
DLHaeger:   and that really changed the focus of my career in a direction I
was not prepared to go...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   ahh
DLHaeger:   HC is more, or at least for me, a contemporary house with that
mind set.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   you did mention that you only have one romance out
FRR Mallory WRTR:   is it your preference to write less specifically toward a
genre?
The13thDoctor:  How hard is it for a new writer to get published with a big
house?
Kathi Smith 116:    So you're more of a mainstream writer than genre?
ChrisSarge
DLHaeger:   Many authors end up changing houses if the direction each sees
for the writer is a different
DLHaeger:   one. That has been the case for me. My only real romance was
HOST WRTR Dee:  hi Chris
ChrisSarge: Hello
DLHaeger:   a contractual obligation for S&S
Kathi Smith 116:    (Thanks for the definition, Sryope)
Deluge13
DLHaeger:   FRR, not particularly but I have discovered that straight romance
has not been
Sryope2:    (Youre welcome)
DLHaeger:   of great interest to me, and I don't think I am particularly good
at it.
DLHaeger:   There are wonderful authors, however, who are.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   what do you LIKE to write?
DLHaeger:   Kathi, I think so, yes.
DLHaeger:   I write mainly historicals now, based on true stories from
history but in a mainstream style
Sryope2:    OOps You're
DLHaeger:   I actually liked the 2 contemporary novels I wrote.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   are they fiction or a blending ?
DLHaeger:   They were both set in Scotland as HarperCollins rather fancied
the direction of authors like
DLHaeger:   Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher
Dcudlbug
JsmnStrm:   How much research goes into one of your books Diane?
DLHaeger:   and were trying, at the time, to steer me in that direction.
DLHaeger:   Jsmn... ugh! Too much sometimes!!!  lol
DLHaeger:   Seriously though, it just feels like that. I try very hard to get
it right.
JsmnStrm:   Hate to hear that!
Mod Gonne:  oh, but reasearch is good...
DLHaeger:   To research every element I can....
SPultz: Hi all
Mod Gonne:  and so is spelling.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   what are you working on right now Diane?
DLHaeger:   so that I bring to life not only the story of the characters but
the times in which they
DLHaeger:   lived.
Kathi Smith 116:    Once you're in with a publishing house, do they try to
call the shots on what you write?
DLHaeger:   FRR, I feel a bit like a literary nomad these days, actually.
DLHaeger:   I am now contracted to write another historical based on a story
set during the Civil War.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   <--- thinks Diane is writing a closet Science Fiction <eg>
Gena HS
DLHaeger:   Kathi, that has been my experience, most definitely.
CharMaclay
Sryope2:    (Has someone started the log?)
The13thDoctor:  <--- concurring with Mallory
DLHaeger:   But I know many authors for whom that is not reality.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   yes Sry - we have it
Kathi Smith 116:    Do you have the freedom to say no, and stay with them?
DLHaeger:   I think it depends on the sort of book you write and the strength
of those novels
DLHaeger:   at the time in the marketplace.
Coco0609
DLHaeger:   Kathi.... that's tough.
Coco0609:   good evening all
DLHaeger:   I think if I did that I would have to have a darned good idea of
my own to sell them on.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Our guest tonight is Historical Novel author Diane Haeger
DLHaeger:   It's a very difficult market right now and numbers are very
important to editors and sales
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we are not observing protocol at the moment
Racingsong
DLHaeger:   forces.
DLHaeger:   It has changed dramatically since I was first published.
Kathi Smith 116:    What category was your first book in?
Sryope2:    It's hard to realize that after you sell the first, you still
have to keep selling
DLHaeger:   Courtesan, my first novel, was one that sold in spite of itself
basically.
DLHaeger:   But publishers were much more willing back then to take risks, or
so I am
DLHaeger:   regularly reminded! <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   why do you think the market is tighter now?
DLHaeger:   Kathi, my first was an historical based on a true story but S&S
marketed it as romance
DLHaeger:   as that was the strongest market to garner new readers at the
time.
Mod Gonne:  ...what is the fascination with Celtic cultures?
DLHaeger:   It was quite a disappointment to me.
DLHaeger:   Irving Stone had been something of a mentor to me and someone who
I had
DLHaeger:   hoped to one day be compared with.
DLHaeger:   FRR, ooh tough question...
Kathi Smith 116:    I think publishing is like all other businesses, there
are cycles that go back and forth
DLHaeger:   Many factors actually...
DLHaeger:   People read less...
DLHaeger:   They want shorter reads...
DLHaeger:   Easier....
Sryope2:    please list all your titles
DLHaeger:   Courtesan, The Return, Angel Bride, Pieces of April, Beyond The
Glen...
DLHaeger:   The Secret Wife of King George IV.
Kathi Smith 116:    Are those actual factors, or just publishers
interpretations? I don't agree with people
DLHaeger:   Kathi, I agree...
Kathi Smith 116:    reading less now
DLHaeger:   and it's very hard for us creative types to accept it as a
business.
Kathi Smith 116:    or having less attention spans
DLHaeger:   At least it has been for me.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   I am reading more now
SPultz: Physic novels seem to be selling now
DLHaeger:   Hooray for you!!! <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   and I have noted that at least SF books are thicker
JeanM1926
FRR Mallory WRTR:   than they were just a few years ago
The13thDoctor:  i read more in the last year than i did from age 1 to age 20
Jackatbrun
DLHaeger:   SP, there are definite genres that are very hot, that's
absolutely true...
CharMaclay
HOST WRTR Dee:  Diane, how do you keep your ooommph going in your writing in
the middle of the book?
JeanM1926:  Hi all!
DLHaeger:   suspense... slasher books.... mysteries... legal thrillers...
Kathi Smith 116:    oooh, good question, Dee!
DLHaeger:   Dee, actually the middle is not as tough for me as the beginning.
DLHaeger:   I think the mountain looks much larger to me when I am facing it
than when I am in the
DLHaeger:   middle of the climb.
DLHaeger:   Usually, by the middle of a book...
DLHaeger:   I am so into my characters and their story...
DLHaeger:   that they propel me toward the finish.
JsmnStrm:   Do you write more than one story at a time?
HOST WRTR Dee:  nice..
DLHaeger:   But now, for example, when I am in the early days of research and
I...
DLHaeger:   don't "know" the characters as well as I will, I do feel a
detachment from
SPultz: a fiction story based on true life,,where is the best place to begin?
DLHaeger:   the entire process, and having 2 small kids, it can definitely
tough to
DLHaeger:   motivate myself some days!!!
SPultz: it is mostly about the 90's
DLHaeger:   Jsmn... not these days, no. Being a mom, and all that entails and
trying to do the
DLHaeger:   research for historicals based on true love affairs...
Jackatbrun: DL, how much time do you spend revising/rewriting?
DLHaeger:   from history is pretty much a full time job.
JsmnStrm:   I don't doubt it.
DLHaeger:   Jack, lol, a lot!
HOST WRTR Dee:  another good question.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   SP's question is next
Deluge13:   How do you do most of your research?
Gena HS
DLHaeger:   I read a great quote once "The object of the first draft is not
to get it right...
DLHaeger:   but to get it written."
HOST WRTR Paul
Kathi Smith 116:    Where do you get your initial information that leads you
to the incidents you write about?
Jackatbrun: LOL... and ugh.
DLHaeger:   and I pretty much stick to that. I do a lot of rewriting.
Jackatbrun: ?
DLHaeger:   Pretty much right up until the time it goes to print actually.
The13thDoctor:  Kathi, the best place is the local news
Sryope2:    How do you decide how much to makeup about a real person
DLHaeger:   Deluge, that has changed, for sure. I can do a lot more on the
internet now...
BobbiAVEC
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Welcome to eWorld - our guest tonight is noted author
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Diane Haegar - Historial Novels
DLHaeger:   But there is still no substitute for actually going to the
country or state and
DLHaeger:   being there for a while.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we are not on formal protocol but please wait for answers
DLHaeger:   That was one thing I learned from the late Irving Stone.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   before asking new questions
DLHaeger:   He was a master of making the reader "live" with his characters.
Racingsong
DLHaeger:   Sry, that can be tough. That has changed for me also...
DLHaeger:   For example in Courtesan, my labor of love as I call it, I made
up very little.
DLHaeger:   It took me 4 yrs to write and I was pretty much obsessed with
getting it right.
Jackatbrun: What does most of the revising entail? Story/plot lines or
characterization to fit
DLHaeger:   But some stories are easier than others...
DLHaeger:   Jack, mostly the details. I have been known to take out huge
chunks and move them....
DLHaeger:   or take them all together, but as a rule I don't change plot
lines drastically once they are
DLHaeger:   written. I am more of a "tinkerer", I think.
Kathi Smith 116:    What leads you to the historical incident? I didn't know
George IV had a secret marriage...
Sryope2:    So when and if do you make things up?
DLHaeger:   Kathi, to answer yourquestion about how much to make up, I think
that really comes from wher
DLHaeger:   e the holes in the true story lie...
DLHaeger:   If I don't have a motivation for something I need to create
that...
DLHaeger:   Jack, how so?
Jackatbrun: Aha!
DLHaeger:   Kathi, now that's a good question!! It can be the bane of my
existence at times, finding a
DLHaeger:   true story that will fit a fiction format!
DLHaeger:   One that an editor will buy anyway!
The13thDoctor:  Especially one that hasnt been overused
DLHaeger:   True too!
FRR Mallory WRTR:   or is well known
DLHaeger:   I do look very hard for stories that have not been 'over' told.
SPultz: to start a fiction based on true life ,,,is it better to start from
present and work back?
DLHaeger:   And that can be tough.
DLHaeger:   Plus, it's rather important that if it doesn't have a happy
ending that at least it has a ..
The13thDoctor:  An Example:  the Arthurian Legend
DLHaeger:   poignant conclusion, one that will satisfy readers and make
them...
DLHaeger:   want to read more of your books. <g>
Jackatbrun: Ah, when the blood spurting from a chopped head writes a sonnet,
eh?
DLHaeger:   So far I have been fairly fortunate finding subjects not terribly
well known in the U.S.
DLHaeger:   Something like that <g>
DLHaeger:   Doctor, I usually am drawn away from legend stories and more
toward ones with...
HOST WRTR Dee:  do you think first of your plot, or start with characters
when you start a book?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Diane - how do you know where to begin a story?
DLHaeger:   enough concrete detail to help me write 'their' story.
The13thDoctor:  cool
DLHaeger:   Dee, well, with the historicals, since they are based in fact, I
find the
DLHaeger:   characters...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   particularly one based in real life
DLHaeger:   ones with fascinating stories...
JsmnStrm:   Have you considered writing about ancient civilizations?  Such as
egypt, etc?
DLHaeger:   then I work the plot around that deciding how much or how little
of their...
DLHaeger:   lives to use to help it fit a fiction format. Does that answer
that? I'm not sure.
HOST WRTR Dee:  it sounds quite complex...do you do charts, outlines, etc.?
DLHaeger:   Jsmn... you know, there are so many fascinating places and times
but editors ...
Clayiseditor
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Hello Clay
DLHaeger:   can be incredibly particular. My 1st novel, Courtesan, was French
Renaissance and I was told
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Welcome to eWorld - Tonights guest is notable author
DLHaeger:   ALL wrong for publishing.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Diane Haeger - Historical Novels
DLHaeger:   I had a great Italian story and they wouldn't even read it.
DLHaeger:   C'est la vie. <g>
Clayiseditor
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we are using courtesy in the room tonight
HOST WRTR Dee:  go figure, huh?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   please wait for answers before asking new questions
DLHaeger:   Charts and outlines a-plenty! You should see my office! Maps...
SPultz: are short stories in vogue?
DLHaeger:   drawings or paintings of the characters...
DLHaeger:   anything and everything to keep me on course!
DLHaeger:   SP, I don't know about that. I haven't seen many for a while now.
But shorter formats are
DLHaeger:   definitely preferred.
Kathi Smith 116:    So you had more artistic freedom before signing on with
the big houses? Bummer
Sryope2:    How short is short?
DLHaeger:   My 1st book was 700 pages, I think. My last one was 425, by
request.
DLHaeger:   Kathi, only in the sense that I wrote what I wanted for "me" not
to get it published.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   is 425 about 125,000 words?
Sryope2:    Too bad a good long book is a treat
DLHaeger:   Now that I'm under contract it is more of a...shall I say, team
effort?
Jackatbrun: Did you return to the 700 page opus for another story?
DLHaeger:   Hmm... FRR, you know I don't know the break-down specifically.
They just keep me to pages.
HOST WRTR Dee:  GR8ice...I can't IM you on tonight's guest.
DLHaeger:   Sry, I couldn't agree more! Plus if done correctly it gives the
author so much more...
ChrisSarge: ?
DLHaeger:   of an opportunity to develop characters and relationships.
Gr8iceSk8s: one moment dee  i will adjust that
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Chris - go ahead
HOST WRTR Dee:  thanks :-)
DLHaeger:   My first book spanned 25 years and I heard people really felt
they knew the characters as ..
DLHaeger:   grew and changed.
DLHaeger:   Jack, do you mean did I write a sequel?
Gr8iceSk8s: : )   no  problem
DLHaeger:   Or did I use the remainder of it for a part II?
HOST WRTR Dee:  you must have a very detailed mind, Diane!
Jackatbrun: No, if the larger work didn't get pubbed, did you find a way to
use the material anyway?
DLHaeger:   If so, no. I cut 400 pages from Courtesan but it was still around
600pgs I think.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   wow
HOST WRTR Dee:  ditto
ChrisSarge: ?
DLHaeger:   Dee, that's a nice way of putting it! lol  Thanks!
The13thDoctor:  yikes
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Chris - please go ahead and ask your question
BobbiAVEC:  Diane, you are obviously a very meticulous writer.
DLHaeger:   Jack, oh. No, the 400pgs I cut are gone. They wouldn't fit
elsewhere, sadly.
ChrisSarge: How long does it take you to 1) Write a book
ChrisSarge: 2) rewrite it
DLHaeger:   And that is painful to do, for sure. It was very hard as that
book really was,
ChrisSarge: ga
DLHaeger:   as I said earlier, my labor or love.
DLHaeger:   Bobbi, I try very hard to be that. It's important to me that
readers feel they have learned
Jackatbrun
Gr8iceSk8s: was that your favorite one to write diane/
DLHaeger:   about a time and place, and about real people, and that they
trust it is pretty
DLHaeger:   darned close to the truth.
DLHaeger:   GR8 absolutely. I wish I could have written 5 sequels! The
characters
DLHaeger:   just really touched me. Their story was very special, I think.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   How long did writing Courtesan take you Diane?
Kathi Smith 116:    Half the history I learned was from writers like Anya
Seton <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   (that is Chris Sarge's question)
DLHaeger:   Chris, it used to take 4 years, now I'm under contract for about
12 months.
ChrisSarge: Full time I presume.
BobbiAVEC:  Does that put unwanted pressure on you Diane?
DLHaeger:   Kathi, wonderful stories, I agree. I was honored that a reviewer
compared Courtesan to her
DLHaeger:   style of writing.
HOST WRTR Dee:  write and rewrite: how much time for initial draft and how
many re-writes?
DLHaeger:   Chris, pretty darned much.
DLHaeger:   Or as close to it as I can with 2 kids.
DLHaeger:   Sometimes it's a real challenge, I'll tell you!
DLHaeger:   Bobbi, at times, absolutely!
SPultz: do you write the entire book before you start to rewrite?
DLHaeger:   But it keeps me in the game. Publishing is VERY competitive these
days
DLHaeger:   and I need to keep up with it.
DLHaeger:   Dee... hmm.. wow... about 4 months original, give or take, then
about 8 months...
DLHaeger:   fill in details and revisions.
Gr8iceSk8s: do you write your drafts or do you do them soley on the computer?
HOST WRTR Dee:  I think you are my hero...lol
DLHaeger:   SP, pretty much, yes. As I said, I like to tinker with it, and if
I
DLHaeger:   allow myself to go back too much I don't think I'd ever finish!
<g>
DLHaeger:   Gr8 depends, actually. Courtesan was entirely long hand.. the
contemps for some...
SPultz: to write fiction based on true life is it better to start from
present and work back?
DLHaeger:   reason were easier to do on the computer. George was a
combination.
DLHaeger:   If I get to a creative sticking point with my keyboard I have
found that
BobbiAVEC:  Do you pace yourself to have so much completed each month?
Gr8iceSk8s: that is really  interesting
DLHaeger:   the paper and pen usually can help me focus again...
DLHaeger:   I have no idea why that is but it seems to be the case for
several writers I know.
DLHaeger:   Tough on the wrists though! <g>
Gr8iceSk8s: i tend to find distractions when doing my writing on the computer
The13thDoctor:  LOL
DLHaeger:   Gr8, how is that?
Gr8iceSk8s:  (such as the fact that i am in here now )
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Diane - what do you think your writing weakness is?
SPultz: I also do most of my writing long hand and then use the computer
FRR Mallory WRTR:   (we are not a distraction)
HOST WRTR Dee:  lol Gr8ice
DLHaeger:   LOL  Oh, I totally understand that!!!!
Gr8iceSk8s: need computer with no  I  access : )
FRR Mallory WRTR:   :::twinkles:::
The13thDoctor:  Gr8, i found i had to get another puter JUST for writing
DLHaeger:   FRR... wow, good question!
DLHaeger:   One might be that I am drawn continually to stories that are less
than vastly
DLHaeger:   marketable...
The13thDoctor:  that wouldnt be a weakness IMO
DLHaeger:   <g>
DLHaeger:   Ok, I'm thinking!
DLHaeger:   Perhaps the desire to be overly wordy.
DLHaeger:   Yes, I think my editors would agree with that!
Sryope2:    Do you have an agent?  Are you pro or con agents?
DLHaeger:   It's a constant work in progress to keep focused, concise...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   what have you done to adjust your verbosity???
DLHaeger:   and not include an over abundance of details.
DLHaeger:   Sry, I have always had an agent and I don't know what I'd do
without her!
DLHaeger:   It's difficult to surrender 10-15% of your sale but ...
DLHaeger:   it has been my experience that the type of sale and the interest
at the
JsmnStrm:   Was it hard to get an agent?
DLHaeger:   publisher has been far greater
Gr8iceSk8s: details are wonderful
DLHaeger:   with an agent than without.
DLHaeger:   FRR... <g>....
DLHaeger:   Edit myself daily!
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
DLHaeger:   Constantly... ruthlessly!
SPultz: How does one get an agent interested?
Sryope2:    Who is your agent?
DLHaeger:   Jsmn... I think so, yes. But there are so many out there...
BobbiAVEC:  Good question SP.
DLHaeger:   As I recall, I multiply submitted and got a few rejections and a
few interested letters back
HOST WRTR Paul: By the way, Gr8, I just emailed you.
DLHaeger:   so it balanced out. I actually got to choose which was nice!
Jackatbrun
Gr8iceSk8s: ok  paul
HOST WRTR Paul: Can't IM you so tried that way.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   how did you make the choice Diane?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   or based on what?
DLHaeger:   I am with the Irene Goodman Agency in New York.
SPultz: where does one find a list of agents?
Gr8iceSk8s: sorry !  i tend to fix ims on an asking basis LOL
DLHaeger:   One gets an agent, I think, by going through Writer's Market,
looking for
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Shirley - try looking for a book called the Writers
Market
FRR Mallory WRTR:   or Literary Agents
DLHaeger:   agents who are taking on new clients and then keying in on the
ones who
DLHaeger:   like representing the sort of book you have written. Most have
specialties.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   the Lit Agent book has more agents listed
JsmnStrm:   Writer's guide to editors, publishers and agents
FRR Mallory WRTR:   about 25 bucks at the bookstore
Jackatbrun: WRTR, which book is that?
JsmnStrm:   Has a good listing..
DLHaeger:   FRR, that may be true. It has been a while since I've looked.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Writers Guide to Book editors, publishers and Literary
Agents
DLHaeger:   FRR, libraries have them too though, I think.
Jackatbrun: Jeff Herman
FRR Mallory WRTR:   there are really two of them - one just for Literary
Agents
HOST WRTR Paul: Yes, any big Library--in the Reference section.
DLHaeger:   FRR, how I picked my 1st agent had to do with the details I
mentioned, and then
FRR Mallory WRTR:   I suggest one current
DLHaeger:   I really wanted one based in NY.
HOST WRTR Paul: Loom in any big Library, in their Reference section.
HOST WRTR Paul: (look, too!)
HOST WRTR Dee:  Is that important?  Having an agent based in N.Y.?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   DL - did you check their reputation in any way?
DLHaeger:   FRR, I knew of several of their clients and thought if they would
have me, I'd be grateful..
DLHaeger:   actually! <g>
DLHaeger:   Dee, not to everyone...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   what if you hadn't immediately recognized their name?
DLHaeger:   My experience however has been that it is a bit easier for them
DLHaeger:   to have relationships with editors, due to proximity, that can
get my stuff read
DLHaeger:   faster and maybe more seriously.
SPultz: nite all,thank you DLHaeger for your visit
DLHaeger:   but I'm sure there are great agents everywhere.
Gr8iceSk8s: Paul .... i sent a reply
FRR Mallory WRTR:   how long did it take you to sell your first novel once
the agent had it?
HOST WRTR Dee:  so, it is an edge...
DLHaeger:   FRR... my you ARE full of great questions! <hehehe>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   <grins>
DLHaeger:   I don't know, to be honest...
HOST WRTR Dee:  bye SHirley
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Nighters Shirley***
DLHaeger:   I think I would have been a bit more particular but as I recall,
they
Gr8iceSk8s: goodnight sp
DLHaeger:   were very gung ho for Courtesan and had a real vision for selling
it.
SPultz
DLHaeger:   That was certainly important to me.
JeanM1926:  Bye, Shirley!
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we have about 10 minutes left in chat <smiles>
DLHaeger:   FRR, ah! If only they were all that easy!! My first one sold to
the first editor who read it
DLHaeger:   acouple of weeks I think...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
The13thDoctor:  first novels usually are the most important to a writer
BobbiAVEC:  Diane, my husband wanted to know if you have ever done short
stories or poetry?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   <---- has decided I hate you now <grins>
DLHaeger:   But as I say, the rest of my career should be so smooth!!!
Sryope2:    How many copies have you sold of each title?
DLHaeger:   13th, true, as the story of our hearts is usually the one that
gives us the
Gr8iceSk8s: wow hubby came up with a good question bobbi : ))
DLHaeger:   strength to pursue the career.
DLHaeger:   Sry... ugh! Couldn't tell you if my life depended on it! All my
books...
DLHaeger:   have sold internationally, and I've gone into hardcover now so I
DLHaeger:   am 'hoping' they're happy with my increase! <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
Jackatbrun: DL, who is YOUR favorite author?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we are all JEALOUS
HOST WRTR Dee:  can I sit at your feet each day?  lol
DLHaeger:   Jack, tough!!! As I said earlier, Irving Stone was very special
to me... Anya Seton...
DLHaeger:   but I love Maeve Binchy... Rosamunde Pilcher...
Jackatbrun: Dee, take your own word processor. Hers'll be busy.
Kathi Smith 116:    <--not jealous, glad to hear success stories, gives me
hope
DLHaeger:   Eileen Gouge...I'm kind of all over the map with that.
HOST WRTR Dee:  I'll use my palm
BobbiAVEC:  Kathi, you have that right.
HOST WRTR Dee:  pilot
DLHaeger:   Kathi, most days it doesn't feel like a success story, believe
me!!
DLHaeger:   I'm still in there struggling, even after 7 sold books, I'm still
not anywhere near...
Jackatbrun: DL, none of us need to know that.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Diane - did your advances increase with each book?
DLHaeger:   a household name.
Gr8iceSk8s: palm pilots are great
DLHaeger:   Or the NYTimes! <g>
DLHaeger:   But goals are good!!
DLHaeger:   Jack, LOL   Sorry.
Coco0609
BobbiAVEC:  Diane, with your determination, you can't help but get to your
goal.
DLHaeger:   FRR... we should hope, right?  <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   well yes <grins>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   <---- has plans on being a hack writer
Jackatbrun: DL, but it drives to a personal point: why does anyone write?
Money is low on the list.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   all bucks and fluff
DLHaeger:   Bobbi, well thank you very, very much! Hopefully historicals have
a new...
DLHaeger:   life ahead of them yet!
The13thDoctor:  Mallory, you AREnt a hack
DLHaeger:   Fluff???
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
FRR Mallory WRTR:   shhhhh
Kathi Smith 116:    Do you make enough (not to be nosy...really!) to live on
from writing?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   yes, we are NOSY about money
Gr8iceSk8s: dl.... bobbi's husband asked earlier if you had written any poems
or short stories.....
Gr8iceSk8s:  i am curious as well to know the answer
DLHaeger:   Jack, true, in the scheme of things I suppose.... Because we feel
we
DLHaeger:   have a story to tell that no one else can perhaps.
ChrisSarge: I like Kathy's question.
JsmnStrm:   Good night ALL, Thanks Diane for your time, Later all!
Jackatbrun: Kathi, probably not in NY, but in Podunk...maybe. <g>
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Nighters Jasmine***
JsmnStrm
DLHaeger:   Sk8, ooh sorry. Poems, yes. I wrote a couple that became part of
Pieces of April actually.
DLHaeger:   One of the characters was a poet and the editor used them.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   cool
FRR Mallory WRTR:   my poetry is really sorry
DLHaeger:   FRR, so is mine usually, to be honest. That was more of a case, I
think of
DLHaeger:   the character taking over enough to help me write it, if you know
what I mean...
DLHaeger:   or is that too wierd sounding here?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   :::nods:::
Kathi Smith 116:    Not to us writers....lol
FRR Mallory WRTR:   naw -  we are used to our characters shoving us around
BobbiAVEC:  That isn't weird.
DLHaeger:   I always wonder about that whole notion but most writers I know
experience that sort
Gr8iceSk8s: not at all
HOST WRTR Dee:  I have the bruises to prove it.
DLHaeger:   of character take-over at some point.
Jackatbrun: Obstreperous $%%&# characters.
DLHaeger:   It's the fun part for me, actually, when they start telling me
what to do with them!
Gr8iceSk8s: LOL jack
BobbiAVEC:  Isn't that the point though  To have characters that can be
believed?
DLHaeger:   lol   You guys are great!
FRR Mallory WRTR:   see - we are ALL insane
Kathi Smith 116:    That's when you know they're coming alive
FRR Mallory WRTR:   hearing voices <grins>
Sryope2:    Even Steven King talks about it in his new book On Writing
DLHaeger:   FRR, true!!!
DLHaeger:   Kathi, absolutely!
HOST WRTR Dee:  that is the best part of writing, get outside your own skin,
and into a character's soul
Sryope2:    Good book by the way
Gr8iceSk8s: well now FRR  im a lefty so  i am technically in my right mind
Jackatbrun: FRR, I am NOT insane. It jus appears so.
DLHaeger:   And if they don't live for you, you can't expect them to live for
the reader, so I've
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
DLHaeger:   made my peace with the wierdity of how that sounds!
Sryope2:    lol Gr8
FRR Mallory WRTR:   well Diane Haeger - you have been a fabulous guest
FRR Mallory WRTR:   technically we are nearing the end of our chat
The13thDoctor:  I'm not insane.  I'm just along for the ride
Sryope2:    Thank you for comming
FRR Mallory WRTR:   and you have survived the gauntlet of our chatroom
DLHaeger:   Thank you all so much for having me. I've had a great time!
Sryope2:    and speaking with us plebs
FRR Mallory WRTR:   :::twinkles:::
HOST WRTR Dee:  ::::::clapping enthusiastically::::::::
Kathi Smith 116:    Great talk, Diane, thanks so much! I really enjoyed it
FRR Mallory WRTR:   :::passes Diane the 'I SURVIVED eWORLD PIN'
BobbiAVEC:  Bravo, Diane.
DLHaeger:   FRR, not at all. You made me think, which is a good thing at this
hour of the night!
Jackatbrun: Thank YOU for your time.
The13thDoctor:  ^5 Diane
HOST WRTR Paul: Yeah Diane!
DLHaeger:   FRR, I will wear it proudly! <g>
Sryope2:    Come back soon
HOST WRTR Paul: Wish I'd made it home sooner.
HOST WRTR Dee:  thanks Diane...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we have truly appreciated your presence here tonight
HOST WRTR Paul: (will study the Log intensively.)
Dcudlbug:   Brava!  Brava!!
FRR Mallory WRTR:   and would love to invite you back to join our little
Sryope2:    Another truck break down Paul?
FRR Mallory WRTR:   group again <smiles>
DLHaeger:   Sry, I would love it. Thanks again everyone! Good night! <Please
do!>
Gr8iceSk8s: ::::::::: applauding :::::::::::
HOST WRTR Paul: Nah, just a wild goose chase 30 miles away.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   we are now offcially on open chat
Jackatbrun
DLHaeger
BobbiAVEC:  Diane, good seeing you again.
Sryope2:    Goodnight all
HOST WRTR Dee:  anytime you want to stop bye to chew the fat...do so...
Kathi Smith 116:    I have some news
HOST WRTR Dee:  Kathi...good news, I hope.
HOST WRTR Paul: Diane has left the building.
Kathi Smith 116:    The short story I entered in the contest is going to be
published
HOST WRTR Paul: News, Kathi?
Sryope2:    Waiting with baited breath
HOST WRTR Dee:  FANTASTIC
Gr8iceSk8s: wow congrats!!!!!
HOST WRTR Paul: WOW!
Sryope2:    Congratualations
The13thDoctor:  ^5 Kathi
Gena HS:    Good for you Kathi
Dcudlbug:   You go, Girl!
GoldZilla
Sryope2:    OOps congratulations
HOST WRTR Dee:  :::::hugs and pecks on the cheek:::::::both cheeks
Kathi Smith 116:    In a little quarterly no one's ever heard of, with a
circulation of about 2...but still
FRR Mallory WRTR:   whooo oooo Kathi
Sryope2:    What story, what mag
HOST WRTR Dee:  you must be walking on air.
HOST WRTR Paul: Sry, you missed the 15th Contest.
Kathi Smith 116:    I can officially call myself a published writer...as soon
as I lop off 300 words...ugh!
Gr8iceSk8s: i should be getting to sleep soon.... thanks so much !
HOST WRTR Dee:  Is this group magic or what!!!!
HOST WRTR Paul: Just remove all the "e's"    ;-)
Gr8iceSk8s:  i shall return sometime soon
Sryope2:    Night again
Kathi Smith 116:    lol Paul
HOST WRTR Dee:  remove anything that ends in LY
The13thDoctor:  whens the 16th contest?
HOST WRTR Dee:  bye Gr8ice
HOST WRTR Dee:  those contests have been good luck for us
BobbiAVEC:  Dee, Paul, very nice job with your interview of Diane.
Sryope2
HOST WRTR Paul: I'm thinking of scheduling it in January.
HOST WRTR Paul: That way we'll have the entire Holiday 2-week break to putter
around with our Entries.
HOST WRTR Dee:  get, thanks, Bobbi....Mallory did the grunt work...
The13thDoctor:  okay
CherishedMyths
HOST WRTR Paul: Ben Bova will be here in December. In between his deluge of
relatives! (He lives in Florida)
HOST WRTR Dee:  Steel...nice job on the hosting...
FRR Mallory WRTR:   thank you Donna <smiles>
Kathi Smith 116:    Night all, thanks for the encouragement!
HOST WRTR Dee:  Kathi...published writer!!!!
HOST WRTR Dee:  sounds right to me.
Kathi Smith 116:    Whoohoo
HOST WRTR Dee:  night
Kathi Smith 116
The13thDoctor:  nite everyone
The13thDoctor
HOST WRTR Dee:  night Doc
CherishedMyths
Dcudlbug:   Nite, All.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   Nighters everyone***
Dcudlbug
HOST WRTR Dee:  guess, I'll be taking off too...who is up next, Paul?
JeanM1926
HOST WRTR Paul: Thanks, new HOST Donna.
HOST WRTR Paul: And Mallory Moderator.  :-)
HOST WRTR Dee:  ooohhhh...me with new curls.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol - well more like room mom tonight
FRR Mallory WRTR:   our guest prefered it casual
FRR Mallory WRTR:   which did make it interesting and fast
HOST WRTR Paul: No whips and chairs needed.
FRR Mallory WRTR:   lol
FRR Mallory WRTR
HOST WRTR Dee:  no, it went well, I thought
Deluge13
HOST WRTR Paul: Dale, did you gain a digit?
HOST WRTR Paul: Whoops, just missed him.
HOST WRTR Dee:  I think he left...as will I...take care
HOST WRTR Dee
HOST WRTR Paul: See you alll.   :-)
Mod Gonne

10/23/00 8:13:33 PM Closing "Chat Log 10/23/00"