Book Authors

[Rod]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. Are most of you feelancers, book authors, or both?
Most humor writers with whom I associate on the internet write short peices for newspaper colums or magaizines, however, launching into book form seems to be uncharted territory for us. I've been told compilations don't sell. (unless your Dave Berry) Has that been your experience? One publisher told me, write something with a biginning, middle, and an end. (as in, non-fiction, with a theme) In other words, no compilations. Has this been your experience? Have any of you compiled your humorus essays into book form, compilations, anthologies?

[Brainerd T.]

Maybe I'm different, but I think humore should almost always move fast. Not too fast however. I think Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck both moved too slow. Humorosity should be thick, viscuous, and engaging, not long, drawn out and boring.

It is possible to write a good sitcom and not have it bore you to tears.

I could write a column. I think it wood be more fun to write a book. I'm so disjointed, I don't even have any connections. I gotta hurry. It's almost time to retire.

Next contestant please.

[aka eraser]

Hi Rod. I can't speak for "most of us" but I can for me. :)

I freelance and have one book under my belt and am working on a couple of others. I also send out a free, weekly, emailed column that usually has a humourous bent. I think compilations probably are a tough sell unless you have a fairly large following in other media. But that's not going to stop me from trying to flog one down the road a bit.

Good luck with your own stuff and welcome to the Cooler. Hope to see more of you.

[batyler65]

I'm still in the writing the columns and other humorous shorts, but I've been encouraged to try a compilation. That, of course, does not mean it will sell. But then, in this business, lots of things are tough sells. My motto tends to be, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Barb

[Rod]

Frank - I went to your site and saw your book. It would be interesting to know what you went through to get it published. You have a good style and I would think this would be a popular book. I also write about outdoors, that and humorus cowboy stuff and humorus family stuff. Pat McMannus and John Gierach are a couple of favorites, guys who did magazine stuff and compiled them into books - so they had a decent following for their books.

Anyway I like the looks of you're book and the fact that Barb is not discouraged about putting one out gives me hope - I agree, nothing ventured nothing gained thanks for answering the post

Rod

[Humourwriter]

Maybe I'm different, but I think humore should almost always move fast. Not too fast however. I think Dave Barry and Erma Bombeck both moved too slow. Humorosity should be thick, viscuous, and engaging, not long, drawn out and boring.

I think the 'speed' humour runs at (and how would you measure that -- 17.6 words per 'ha'?) depends on the format and the audience.

I didn't think Dave went slowly at all. Erma was a little slow for my liking. But you have to remember she was writing for a different audience. In the book How to Write Funny there's a great article by Jennifer Crusie on why women's humour is different to men's humour, and how "most women think in patterns, using details and context, while most men think in straight lines, using cause and effect".

And while I don't have any trouble with people going flat out in a humour column, I think it's different when you're writing a book. You need to give the reader a little break now and then, not just to breathe, but to think about what you're saying. Of course, the only book I've been involved with so far (Jenna's Outwitting Writer's Block), I just crowbared as many jokes in as I could, and let Jenna sort out the pacing. (And by comparing my joke-filled chapters with what was eventually published, I learned a lot about pacing -- thanks Jenna!)

Bill.

[Liam Jackson]

Hi. I'm new to the forum. Are most of you feelancers, book authors, or both?
I'm a horror hack. I just hang out in here because you guys are so funny.

[aka eraser]

Thanks for the kind words Rod. If you want to send me a private message with your contact info, or drop me a line at my website addy, I can bore you with my publishing story. (These guys have already heard it and their eye-rolling is really annoying.) ;)

[batyler65]

*rolling eyes to annoy Frank*

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/smilies/emoticonwag.gif

[aka eraser]

Why I oughtta.....


;)

[Birol]

*not mentioning the photos not mentioning the photos not mentioning the photos 'cause that was decidedly un-funny*

[Rod]

Photos?
Of Frank?
Rolling his eyes?
What? WHAT!

[Yeshanu]

Rod,

Welcome to the nut house.

You'll find most of us write humour mostly on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, which is not coincidentally when our weekend report is due in for Barb.

As for me, I do most of my humour writing on Sunday mornings just before church, and while my parisioners do appreciate the humour, they also like it short. So I agree with you there, though I do enjoy Erma Bombeck.

BTW, Red Green has a book out, called Duct Tape is Not Enough, which seems to be more what you might be looking for -- not long drawn-out stories, but short, punchy comments on reality. I highly recommend it.