occultimatum

2006 Occult Authors Market is Ready!

2006-03-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

After a great deal work, some wonderful feedback and more than a few re-writes, the 2006 Occult Authors Market is finally done.

It's available for download at Lulu.com for $9.95. The feedback I've gotten so far has been great, so I'm very pleased with the end result of several months worth of work.

Starhawk and the Occult Authors Market

2006-02-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that best-selling author and pagan activist Starhawk made time in her busy schedule to have a telephone interview with me today, the transcription of which will be published in this year's Occult Authors Market. We covered a lot of ground, and she has some very interesting things to say about our industry, her hopes for it, and advice for aspiring and established authors.

You can bring yourself up to speed with her activist schedule, as well as her writings, at her web site. She has also collaborated with Canadian film maker Donna Read on the documentary Signs out of Time - about the life of Marija Gimbutas.

March 1st Target Date

2006-02-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

Due to additional work in making this edition as beneficial to users as possible, I've pushed the release date back to March 1, 2006. Sorry for the delay, but I think you'll be very happy with the finished product.

Thank You, Elizabeth Barrett!

2006-02-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Barrett, managing editor of PanGaia and contributing editor to Sage Woman, was kind enough to review the first draft yesterday and I just received her feedback. She had some excellent suggestions, many of which I'll be implementing for the 2006 edition and a few very major changes for the 2007 edition. One of the biggest of which will be a more comprehensive directory for 2007 - including periodicals, paying blogs, calendars, and more.

Elizabeth was also thorough enough to point out a number of things that need fixing; some of which I completely missed! It's a prime example of why extra eyes are so critical in preparing a manuscript. Suffice to say it's now in the hands of a copy editor! Thanks, again, Elizabeth.

We've Got a Cover!

2006-01-30T09:37:00.000-08:00

I've always said the adage "don't judge a book by it's cover" was nonsense. Covers make a huge difference when a potential buyer is browsing the shelves (virtual or real). In fact, a recent study at the University of Carelton showed that people make decisions about the quality of a website in as little as 50 milli-seconds.

Imagine how thrilled I was to see artist Terry Bassett's interpretation of how our cover should look. You can see it for yourself here, and you can see more of Terry's work at Hounds Art, listed in my Recommended section.

Happy Chinese New Year

2006-01-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

At midnight on January 29th, it becomes the Year of the Dog. According to Chinese astrologer Shelly Wu, Tigers and Horses (me) will have a "great" year. Wu predicts a February packed with work (always good), and in March I'll benefit from a "triangle of compatibility" which will lead Horses to the "top of our power".

Ivory, on the other hand, has a "mixed" year ahead. She's an "artistic Goat" and, while January and February will be challenging, March brings radiance and new energies to bear. Well, since we're married, we'll share in the challenges and the rewards - as usual!

The 2006 Occult Authors Market, to be launched next month, will be an Observant Dog. "Steps taken this year will set the stage for the next two years" for Dogs, according to Wu. That makes sense, since I'll probably be looking for a publisher for either the 2007 or 2008 editions during the Summer.

As my Chinese friends say, Gong Xi Fa Cai !

James Frey, Non-Fiction and the New Age

2006-01-26T17:14:00.000-08:00

I received multiple Publishers Weekly announcements in my e-mail today, describing the debacle that was taking place live on Oprah. James Frey with his publisher, Nan Talese, was being confronted for fictionalizing parts of his non-fiction "memoir" by Oprah and a few invited journalists, including one of my favorites - Maureen Dowd.

Let's face it - no one likes being fooled. Oprah, who can turn a book into an instant best seller, was incensed, and rightfully so. I'm sure that publishers around the country, if not the world, are taking notice. The due diligence of fact-checking that should be exacted by every publisher when it comes to a non-fiction work is a non-negotiable requirement.

So what does this mean for New Age publishers and authors? We write non-fiction books. Some write spell books for those who want to find their heart's desire. Others detail the magical traditions of secret societies. A few authors claim to have ancient lineages or other esoteric credentials. Don't each of us have a responsibility to those who read our work, to represent ourselves in truth? Yet so many authors write without regard to that most basic premise. This, to me, is one of occult publishing's dirty little secrets. As an industry, and as individual writers, we should re-commit ourselves to ensuring that our non-fiction work is genuinely non-fiction.

"An astonishing amount of drivel"

2006-01-24T14:44:00.000-08:00

... is the way Rob Meadows depicted the 6 - 7,000 unsolicited manuscripts that Inner Traditions - Bear & Co. receives each year. "Research your topic. Read our guidelines, and your work will stand out", Rob said.

We spent the next 45 minutes talking about what Rob and his colleagues, the Acquisitions Editor and the President of IT-B&C, look for in potential projects, as well as their unique strategy in acquiring successful titles. I'll be compiling my notes on that conversation, along with a follow-up interview, for inclusion in the 2006 Occult Authors Market. I think it'll be an invaluable aid for aspiring authors who want to become published authors.

Nigel Jackson Will Contribute an Essay to the OAM

2006-01-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

I've been an admirer of Nigel's work for many years, and am very pleased that he's agreed to write a short essay for inclusion in the first Occult Authors Market. Like many of us, he has to juggle multiple responsibilities so I know his time is precious. Thank you so much, Nigel.

I Invent a New Word - Fartical!

2006-01-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

This is too funny not to share.

As I was researching some background information on pagan publishing, I stumbled upon a blog entry entitled The Search for a Better Pagan Bookmarket. In it, Jason Pitzl-Waters does a very nice job summarizing recent trends by publishers and expressing what he'd like to see different.

I wrote and invited him to expand on his theme for our OAM book. In my e-mail to Jason, I complimented him on his "farticle".

I didn't realize I inserted that stray "f" until after I sent it, and immediately sent a profuse apology! Jason replied with some questions about the Occult Authors Market and, I have to assume, accepted my goof as a simple typo and not a critique on his writing ability. He didn't actually comment on the error itself. I guess he was trying to be polite. I, on the other hand, was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down my face!! On the one hand, I was embarassed by making such a potentially insulting error on a piece of work that I actually admired. On the other hand, the word itself is so damn funny.

I've told this story to a few writer friends, who also thought it hilarious. One of them, a college professor, encouraged me to create a definition for the word and submit it to a competition. Who knows, maybe it'll make linguistory!

Which Occult Essayists to Include?

2006-01-20T18:32:00.000-08:00

The first edition of the Occult Authors Market is due mid to late February, which is less than a month away. I'm pretty much done with the listings (over 50 of them). Now the challenge is in finding essayists, and it's not as easy as you might think!

Nigel Jackson seems interested. I'm hoping that he has the time to contribute.

Patricia Monaghan has committed to the 2007 edition. She just didn't have enough time to organize an essay for me for this year's book.

Mogg Morgan sent me a marvelously long essay on the history of occult publishing. Unfortunately it's almost 7,000 words so I had to find a section or two within it that I could lift out and use in the book. I think I succeeded, but the final decision is up to Mogg.

Phyllis Curott hasn't replied to my e-mail. I tried two different e-mail addresses - one through her Temple of Ara and the other through Witchvox. No reply from either. I'm hoping that her silence is due to her not having received either e-mail. I hate to think that she'd simply not bother replying. If anyone reading this has a good contact addy for her, please let me know. Phyllis wrote a very informative article on how the publishing industry's current love affair with Christianity and Alternative Christianity titles have hurt her books' sales.

No word from Isaac Bonewits either. I hope it's because he's swamped with paying work. I was very disappointed to read his witchvox essay regarding his long-standing financial difficulties. You'd think an author who has sold as many books as he has would have reaped more of a financial reward. Issac's experience is an unfortunate object lesson for many pagan authors - don't settle for just any publisher, and be sure to hire a literary attorney to review your book contract before signing it!