Friday Update, 10/9

Yikes. I'm really behind in my blogging, and owe a post to the wonderful Marilyn Brant, which I promise to do next week, if not sooner. Meanwhile, if you're in a bookstore this weekend, please keep an eye out for her glorious and sizzling hot debut, ACCORDING TO JANE.

This week was mostly about work for me, and I'm very close to having my new proposal completed. I got within spitting distance of the finish line today when I realized I just needed a little bit of mental space to figure out how to finesse the ending. So I'm letting the girls in the attic (or the boys in the basement, as Stephen King would say) do their thing. In other words, I'm walking away long enough for my subconscious to work on it without me. My hope is that the next time I sit down to type the answers will be obvious.

One surreal bit of irritation this week. The Federal Trade Commission announced that bloggers who review books must make it clear if they received a review copy for free. Apparently, the FTC considers a free book "compensation," and think there's an implicit compact between publisher and reviewer. That's right. They think publishers are "buying" good reviews by sending out free copies, and consumers need to know this. It's completely absurd, especially since they only make this requirement of bloggers and not reviewers in other media. Click here to read more about it.

Can you believe this horseshit? As if the publishing industry wasn't beleaguered enough. I am livid.

Meanwhile, the dimwits at the FTC can sleep soundly at night knowing that Janet in Portland will be protected from buying a copy of the new Dan Brown book her sister-in-law recommended on her blog.

To protest this lunacy, call Richard T. Cleland at the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection at 202-326-3088.

Lastly, if you work at Kensington, I have a special plea: DO NOT, under any circumstances, send me a copy of According to Jane. Just the mention I made above could get me fined.