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mrissaI am told that the magical part of a book is in the glue, because you can have the whole text in its finished form, but it doesn't really feel like a book until it's all glued and together and all that. (I think it was DDB who said this to me, but I don't remember if he said it in the form of "I believe" or "______ tells me" or "we decided," so there's that.)
Anyway, I have glue now: The Changing Face of America: Chinese Immigration Since 1965 arrived about half an hour ago.
The first two came with the weight of being the first books I'd published, and that was exciting but also disappointing. This one...well. They did a better job of matching pictures to text. That was a plus. Ted Kennedy wrote the forward, so my grandmother will love that.
I don't know. It's different with novels, I think. (I'll let you know.) With contract-work children's textbooks, I'm supremely unconsulted unless they want to cut an entire chapter or something like that. Which they haven't. They've cut bits and pieces for formatting, as far as I've been able to tell. It's occasionally been awkward, but I don't feel a particular lot of ownership of these books.
(In an emotional sense. It's also literally true: I don't own the copyrights on them. People tell you never to do that, and with a novel I never would, but with these the choice was to sell the copyright or to get money from a temp job or something like that. And really, who else is going to want to publish these to their series specifications?)
I had lower expectations this time, and getting the glued-up, shiny, picture-containing version in the mail was...nice. Not thrilling, but nice.
I don't think this makes me jaded. I think it just means that I've moved on a bit from this particular book. I expect further leapings and dancings with other books. Especially if I'm not still ----ing sick then. Stupid virus. And silly Terry Pratchett for getting us started saying "----ing."
(Heh. "I don't think this makes me jaded." I may be the least jaded person I know who's managed to attain legal majority. I am still just thrilled to death with, like, everything. You could give me an ice cream cone right now, and I would be so happy. In fact, would you? That would feel really good on my throat....)
Anyway, I have glue now: The Changing Face of America: Chinese Immigration Since 1965 arrived about half an hour ago.
The first two came with the weight of being the first books I'd published, and that was exciting but also disappointing. This one...well. They did a better job of matching pictures to text. That was a plus. Ted Kennedy wrote the forward, so my grandmother will love that.
I don't know. It's different with novels, I think. (I'll let you know.) With contract-work children's textbooks, I'm supremely unconsulted unless they want to cut an entire chapter or something like that. Which they haven't. They've cut bits and pieces for formatting, as far as I've been able to tell. It's occasionally been awkward, but I don't feel a particular lot of ownership of these books.
(In an emotional sense. It's also literally true: I don't own the copyrights on them. People tell you never to do that, and with a novel I never would, but with these the choice was to sell the copyright or to get money from a temp job or something like that. And really, who else is going to want to publish these to their series specifications?)
I had lower expectations this time, and getting the glued-up, shiny, picture-containing version in the mail was...nice. Not thrilling, but nice.
I don't think this makes me jaded. I think it just means that I've moved on a bit from this particular book. I expect further leapings and dancings with other books. Especially if I'm not still ----ing sick then. Stupid virus. And silly Terry Pratchett for getting us started saying "----ing."
(Heh. "I don't think this makes me jaded." I may be the least jaded person I know who's managed to attain legal majority. I am still just thrilled to death with, like, everything. You could give me an ice cream cone right now, and I would be so happy. In fact, would you? That would feel really good on my throat....)
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-03 01:53 pm (UTC)There's nothing wrong with work for hire. You just have to know that's what it is. Selling the copyright will not prevent some sprightly forty-year-old's coming up to you when you are starting to think about doddering, and saying, Hey, my teacher used your book about Chinese emigration and it changed my life, here's how.
I'm sorry about the virus.
Pamela
Ice cream
Date: 2004-05-03 05:57 pm (UTC)Karina
Re: Ice cream
Date: 2004-05-03 06:11 pm (UTC)Mark scooped me vanilla ice cream, and it felt lovely on my throat. So I am well taken care of. If too tired to make it up the stairs all in one go.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-03 06:18 pm (UTC)I don't remember for sure where it's from; SKZB is entirely possible.