Elmore Leonard's Recipe for Royalties

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8543116121986858859.post-1026213498541306192008-02-18T10:57:00.001-08:002008-02-18T11:10:42.630-08:00Elmore Leonard's Recipe for Royalties<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_tl_5k_GnTX4/R7nX6Ylm1sI/AAAAAAAAAMI/hEpJDoJrTws/s1600-h/KBOOKBITS15_P1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_tl_5k_GnTX4/R7nX6Ylm1sI/AAAAAAAAAMI/hEpJDoJrTws/s200/KBOOKBITS15_P1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168399445416924866" border="0" /></a> 1 New York Times Article 10 Rules of Writing add 90 pages cardstock Season with illustrations Bind as a 1" thick hardcover Sell as new *** While the rules contained in Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing, are helpful they are also concise. They are so concise that at about five minutes in (or as I like to call it - the half way point) the reader must ask oneself, "Why have these few words been published in this massive tome?" The answers are themselves questions: Does someone hate trees? Does someone want to combat the ways of the sedentary writer with an unexpected opportunity to excercise their upper body? Is there some mystical message hidden in the white space of the pages? It is impossible to know precisely why. But I suspect a money grab. Because the book has the substance of a wikipedia article, which can be helpful and concise. Second reason I think it's a money grab is, you know the blurb of copyright info that is usually right at the beginning of the book that tells you who published it where and when? That's not at the beginning of the book. It's hidden on one of the last pages. It hides the fact that this "book" was originally published as a single newspaper article. The title of the book is different than the title of the article and there's no mention on the covers of the book, or in the front of the book to let you know you might have already read it, or bought it for the price of a paper. But, you might say, "Even if I already bought and read the newspaper article, that's not equal to buying a nice, hefty book that I can hold in my hands. "In fact, look here," you might say, as you point at the back cover of the book. "This is "THE INDISPENSIBLE GUIDE (AND GIFT) FOR EVERY READER AND WRITER". And who doesn't read and write?" you might conclude as you place the attractive tome where it can catch the eye of house guests. To each his own, I say. Elmore Leonard writes with snap. His rules themselves are helpful and concise. If you are a reader or writer with an indispensible guide (or gift) shaped hole in your life, you may want to read the July 16, 2001 New York Times article <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940CE3DD103BF935A25754C0A9679C8B63">available online here</a>. Or, if you have $20 dollars and half as many minutes, you might want to read the book.Andrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16626782654130983699noreply@blogger.com