I just read something that Medievalist wrote, which was in response to a question that someone posted in a thread. The question was- why one should start a chapter so far down on the page.
Medievalist's answer was:
It makes very very easy for someone--an editor, or even more likely, the typesetter, to spot where new chapters start, and, also, how many chapters there are, in terms of estimating the costs of the final book wrt to printing once it's been accepted.
Keep in mind that when you sign a contract with a final completion date, the publisher pretty much right away has to "book" a slot in the queue for being printed. It's one of the reasons it's Really Not Good to miss a ms. deadline.
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Bolded was mine.
This answer got me to thinking about the HBO show 'Californication' in which Hank Moody the author is shown as the bad boy writer who sleeps with hundreds of women etc etc, and like almost EVERY writer/author portrayed in movies/TV shows. . .constantly is being harrassed by his agent/publisher to turn in his/her latest writing. The same situation occurs in my favorite 'author/writer movie 'Wonder Boys'.
So, my question is this: Does this truly represent how authors/agents/publishers interact?
I have a feeling that this scenario is just a tired old Hollywood fiction, and that real authors would never act this way. But then, once you're publsihed and hit the big time, I'm sure you'd get a little more leeway, what with the agents/publishers being unwilling to kill the goose that's laying those golden eggs.
ETA - the 'bad behavior' that I'm referring to is the constant missing of deadlines, not screwing hundreds of women a la Hank Moody. (although, this IS the perk I'm looking forward to once I get published. LOL)
Medievalist's answer was:
It makes very very easy for someone--an editor, or even more likely, the typesetter, to spot where new chapters start, and, also, how many chapters there are, in terms of estimating the costs of the final book wrt to printing once it's been accepted.
Keep in mind that when you sign a contract with a final completion date, the publisher pretty much right away has to "book" a slot in the queue for being printed. It's one of the reasons it's Really Not Good to miss a ms. deadline.
#
Bolded was mine.
This answer got me to thinking about the HBO show 'Californication' in which Hank Moody the author is shown as the bad boy writer who sleeps with hundreds of women etc etc, and like almost EVERY writer/author portrayed in movies/TV shows. . .constantly is being harrassed by his agent/publisher to turn in his/her latest writing. The same situation occurs in my favorite 'author/writer movie 'Wonder Boys'.
So, my question is this: Does this truly represent how authors/agents/publishers interact?
I have a feeling that this scenario is just a tired old Hollywood fiction, and that real authors would never act this way. But then, once you're publsihed and hit the big time, I'm sure you'd get a little more leeway, what with the agents/publishers being unwilling to kill the goose that's laying those golden eggs.
ETA - the 'bad behavior' that I'm referring to is the constant missing of deadlines, not screwing hundreds of women a la Hank Moody. (although, this IS the perk I'm looking forward to once I get published. LOL)
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You strumpet!
