2. The new Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) at RMIT
3. Guardian blog: What's the point of literary agents?
4. Australia is nowhere on this list of Top 10 literary destinations, which would have to surprise those who participated in Melbourne's bid for Unesco City of Lit. Zoe and I were interviewed about it for Stateline recently. Fingers crossed.
5 comments:
As back-scratching, incestuous and contrived as they might be, I think blurbs are useful. If anything, they're a telling mark of pretence - they show what semblance the book aspires to.
As for agents, I'm happily, ignorantly undecided. I suspect they're as homogeneous as authors - and their uselessness is equally variable.
There are some amazing agents out there - if an author loves their agent, i take that as a good sign. Who blurbed you, Damon? Do you have a rule on blurbing - do you do them or does it depend on who/what?
John Armstrong gave me a very generous, accurate blurb - really spot on.
As for blurbing others, I'm not important enough to be asked! But, yes, you're right: it'd depend on who and what - as much for the author's sake as my own. I don't think a lacklustre, lukewarm blurb is helpful.
Whenever I think of blurbs and prefaces, I think of Henry James' 'The Velvet Glove'. Do you know it?
http://www.henryjames.org.uk/velvet/home.htm
lunchtime reading will James be: thanks Damon.
I'm keen to hear your impressions of the story. I thought it was lovely (and, as a writer, familiar and a little worrying).
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