[personal] Some Answers to the Questions Thread

[jaylake]

The questions thread is still active, if you want to drop in and ask me something. First batch of answers here:

jeffsoesbe asks: "the day job"? I thought writing was the day job for Jay Lake, Gentleman Adventurer.No, actually, I have a full time job working for a very nice telecommunications company based in Omaha, Nebraska. Hence my 10-12 trips a year

Comments

[desperance]

I am thinking of a modern version of the old Ace Doubles.

When Ace picked up my Outremer sequence a few years back, they divided each of the three UK volumes (yes, I confess, a fantasy trilogy - but it wasn't meant to be, honest...) into two separate books.

Oh cool, I said: Ace Halves!

helping to answer a question...

[suricattus]

Will publishing houses hire neophytes or do they genrally stick to published authors, people with lit degrees, and so forth?

Speaking from some (book publishing) experience: The job of editor requires a distinct and different skill-set from that of writer, and most if not all publishing houses are looking to hire editors (or editors-in-training, at a low enough level). Most editors have no desire to write, and are all the healthier and happier for it....

A lit degree isn't the straight path to editorial, either. A broad base of knowledge is often considered more valuable. You get into editorial, as a rule, through whatever door is open. That means you might end up working on non-fiction, or celebrity bios, or westerns, or whatever else the publisher sticks you with. Being too specialized will hurt you, then.

Magazine work is a whole different kettle of chips.

[coolmajaka]

lt260, I'm a slushmonkey over at the thetowndrunk, and we too have a distributed workforce (from the US to Australia). We started up about 18 months ago, and the first few folks involved were friends with the editor. She advertised for slushers on Online Writing Workshop for SF, F, and H mailing list, looking for volunteers. Bada bing bada boom, next thing I know I'm slushing.

And I can attest, it is an eye opening experience, and something every writer should do if they get a chance.

It's also hard work, so be forewarned.

Mostly OT

[cathellisen]

Just gotta say: that shirt you were wearing at the Scalzi reading? For the freaking win.

More men should wear technicolour bioluminesence.

[sensawunder]

No, actually, I have a full time job working for a very nice telecommunications company based in Omaha, Nebraska. Hence my 10-12 trips a year to Omaha. I work from home, but every three or four weeks spend a week at the office. I am also co-parenting the_child, so my writing career is compressed into a fairly narrow band of hours out of my waking life.

Cripes. There go all my excuses . . . :)