Agents, Money, Indiana, and The Bottom Line

I haven't been writing very much in here because I have been preoccupied with revising and polishing BEEZUP.  I managed to tighten it by three or four thousand words and am quite pleased with the result.  Anyway, I'm taking a brief break from all that because there are all these ISSUES that have been building up and I need an outlet.  Of course, my renewed quest to get BEEZUP published is the perfect place to start.

Money!  I try never to worry about money or fairness.  People roll their eyes when I say that, but it's really true; therefore, the money driven questions surrounding the attempt to get an agent, or find a publisher, infuriate me.  I know.  I know.  I'm living in this romantic dream I've grown up with.  I'm wanting life to be like Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" where Owen Wilson's character brings his finished manuscript to Gertrude Stein for her comments and she passes it on to Hemingway who alerts Max Perkins and the next thing I know I'm drinking champagne cocktails with Scott and Zelda at The Plaza.

It hasn't  been like that.  If you look at publishing sites and the like, you will eventually (immediately) encounter advice on how to snag an agent.  You will learn about Query Letters and each site will offer pretty much the same formula:  first sentence sums up the book/project and grabs attention, one paragraph points out the highlights of the book/project, short bio, number of words, genre (Romance, Mystery, Young Adult, Erotica, etc.), intended (niche) audience.  All of this advice is intended to help you SELL your book/project.  All this info you are supposed to cram into one page is designed to show the prospective agent/publisher that your book will make a profit.  I came across two potential agents who needed me to include a marketing plan!  A marketing plan?  I just spent the last two years writing and rewriting a fucking book.  I never once considered a marketing plan.  Audience?  How about people with eyes?  Niche audience?   People with eyes who can also read.

Enough whining.

Conventional wisdom says that my reaction to the verities of the market and that pesky invisible hand that keeps inserting itself in the most uncomfortable places is naive.   I disagree.  Why is it that the first question we have to ask about something new is how much will it cost?  How will it raise taxes?  Will my insurance premium rise? Will it hurt the job creators?  Will it add to the deficit?  The debt?  Entitlements?

It seems that conservatives have been clever enough or powerful enough or well-funded enough to have set the agenda, establish the definitions.  For instance, Obamacare.  When the interminable debate over the ACA was going on, I read everything available.  You know, I don't remember a single argument from morality.  No one seemed willing to simply assert that it is Good with a capital G for everyone to have access to health care.  Instead, everyone argued about money and socialism.  Even if Obamacare wasn't working and health care costs weren't rising at the slowest level in my lifetime and millions more weren't insured and the economy wasn't recovering, wouldn't it still be a Good idea?

The event that brought all this to mind was the recent anti-gay legislation masquerading as religious freedom in Indiana.  The immediate backlash was wonderful wasn't it?  One major corporation after another is pulling out.  Good luck recruiting college students and athletes next year.  The governor, apparently moved by the economic impact of his homophobia, expressed his outrage at the intolerant reaction to the legislation.  Unless he gets an influx of cash from the Kochs, you can bet he and the state house will renege.  Business people don't like this mean spirited legislation.

At first glance, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy toward businesses and their well known sense of civic responsibility.  The CEO of Apple lambasted the anti-gay legislation in Texas that makes Indiana look a little like Boulder.  He encouraged other corporations to join Apple in the fight against exclusionary laws.  The reason?  It's good business.  Profits grow.

I'm glad Apple is fighting the "good" fight.  It makes me happy every time I drive by Hobby Lobby and the parking lot is nearly empty.  I hope Indiana goes bankrupt.  Texas too.  It'll serve 'em right for not paying enough attention to the bottom line.