From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #256 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Tuesday, February 13 2001 Volume 01 : Number 256 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 08:46:24 -0700 From: "Barbara R. Hume" Subject: Re: [AML] Flashbacks >Now _Escape_ is no great filmmaking. But still I was drawn in wondering >what the heck was going on. What the heck _was_ going on turned out to >be pretty cheesy, a reminder that you also need to be sure to make your >payoff satisfying. But the mystery still drew me in. It seems to me that Escape to Witch Mountain must be based on The People, a series of stories by a Mormon SF writer named Zenna Henderson. A mediocre movie with William Shatner was also based on it, appearing fairly soon after classic Trek was cancelled, as I recall. It also had that actress who played Miri in a Trek episode, but her name escapes me. I like Henderson's stories about a peaceful people from another world who must come here because their planet was dying, then had to hide their abilities because you know how we Earthlings treat people who can do stuff we can't. barbara hume - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 18:52:09 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market At 05:02 PM 2/9/01, you wrote: >I hope this is kosher, but I'm still curious about sales figures. Can any of >you who have published with LDS companies offer any numbers to give me a >sense of what is realistic? > >(Margaret--Deseret Book; Linda--Cornerstone; Rachel--Covenant; Marilyn--CFI) > >I know your books are very different, but it would at least give me some >idea of the range. > >Sean Lucero Sean, Since you asked me specifically I'll try to give an answer. Keep in mind, my book has only been out seven months. I know before Christmas I'd sold around 1000 copies; I don't know where I'm at right now. Plus I'm a first-time author and haven't been able to do much personal promotion--yet. That does make a difference. Bestsellers, such as _Standing for Something_ and _Between Husband and Wife,_ I'd heard reported (I believe on this List) selling around 50,000 copies in a few months. _The Work and the Glory_ also sells "like hotcakes" as do Chris Heimerdinger's _Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites_ books, but I don't know the figures. Another LDS author, Kristen Randle, once told me 5,000 total copies sold was great for the LDS market, but (I believe) it's been several years since she's published with an LDS publisher--she's national now. So I don't know if that's still a good estimate, with the fiction market increasing like it has been. I'm guessing the background for your question is that you have something to market, and are wondering whether to try the national or the LDS market. If so, that's good discussion material. There's advantages to each. The main advantage to LDS publishers is, you don't need an agent to have them look at your manuscript. The main disadvantage to LDS publishers is, you don't have an agent. :-) LDS publishers are known for not giving advances and not *liking* agents, even if you do have one. They may not even work with you if you show up with an agent. Yet without an agent to show you the ropes and work on your side, you're left alone in the contract negotiation process. Now, I don't know if the no-advance issue is true for Gerald Lund, Weyland, and the like, but for everybody else it is. All the major LDS publishers can distribute their products through the major LDS channels--Deseret Book, Seagull, etc. They'll get your book to the LDS book-buying customers. For the record, I queried a number of national publishing houses about _Prodigal Journey_ before accepting Cornerstone's offer. Most came back with: "Get an agent or we won't even look." I didn't try hard for an agent. I decided an LDS publisher was the way for me to go, because they wouldn't require me to take out my LDS references, without which the book cannot stand on its own. (The series is about events leading up to the building of New Jerusalem in Missouri.) In the future I hope to market other books nationally, and will work to find a good agent at that point. I'm not ready to make the jump yet. I'm rambling. This is probably more info than you wanted and less info on what you needed. Hope something in here was worth the effort of reading! Linda Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 09:21:15 -0700 From: Margaret Young Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market Realistic numbers: >From my experience, short story collections are lucky if they sell 500 copies--unless it's an anthology including a big name like Jack Weyland or Scott Card. A good, fairly typical run for other Deseret Book stuff would be 5,000-6,000 books sold (shelf life being about three years). I take that figure from Gene England, who has reported that his books sold about that number. Covenant, with its remarkable advertising and its attention to the highly marketable romance novel, has shown that it can far out-do that. I believe someone on the list said that _Pillars of Fire_ (not a romance novel, but something VERY well supported by Covenant) had 25,000 pre-sales. Gerald Lund's books (Deseret) have sold over a million. The sales of Dean Hughes WW2 series are in the 100,000's. A Deseret Book publication which sold only 2,000 (such as my _House Withou Walls_) would be considered a fairly poor performance. That's the range, as far as I can tell. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 22:37:48 -0600 From: Linda Adams Subject: [AML] (Writer's Angle) The Journey of _Prodigal Journey_ [MOD: Long, long ago, before I decided to take over moderating from Ben Parkinson, I put out a call for some guest columns to revive the old "Writer's Angle" column that Ben had occasionally written from time to time. Among other requests I put out was one to Linda Adams, about her experience of writing a book. At the time, she was too busy--but though I have dropped the ball on this, she has not. Thanks, Linda. And if any of the rest of you have particular observations, experiences, etc., that you would like to write up in column format for consideration in this space, please feel free to send them my way.] WRITER'S ANGLE The Journey of Prodigal Journey: my seven-year itch to get into print by Linda P. Adams When people ask how long it took me to write the 500-plus pages of _Prodigal Journey_, I answer, "I'm not sure." It's my second-most frequently asked question. I give this vague answer because the number one question people ask is a desperate, "When's Volume 2 coming out?" (The answer: Summer 2001.) I don't want to scare them by saying, "Oh, Volume One took about seven years." The seven year figure is accurate and inaccurate at once. Yes, from the time I wrote the first chapter in 1993 to the time I held my book in my hands last summer was seven years. The actual writing, however, didn't take up nearly all that time. I'm honestly not sure how long the writing and editing process was. It was put together piecemeal, one tiny bit at a time, writing faster near the end of the process than in the beginning. I stated in the preface to _Prodigal Journey_ that there was a certain chapter that started this whole snowball rolling. It's Chapter 37, "The Stranger," in which my protagonist, Alyssa, is healed of an injury by a man she later discovers is Jesus Christ. I saw the scene as a picture: Alyssa's face looking up, grimy and drawn, as he calls her by name and lifts her up. I wrote it down. After that, I had to find out who Alyssa was, her history, where she was going. Vague, shadowy images formed in my mind about her family and personal relationships. It seemed to me, even that early on, that this scene was a tiny piece of a giant whole; an epic story revolving somehow around the building of the New Jerusalem in Independence. It wasn't written in order at all. First I finished the final chapters of the book, detailing where Alyssa went after her healing, and "met" Peter and his family. More ideas regarding the plot kept coming, and I wrote them down as I had time. At this point in my life, "writing time" was infrequent. Sarah, my third child, was an infant. I'd just had three babies in three years, two still in diapers. Largely because of the actual demands of all the babies, and partly due to a hope of being a "normal" Molly-Mormon style Mommy, I had put all writing completely on hold until I wrote this one fateful chapter. Let me back up a bit. I've always wanted to write. I started writing creative stories in grade school, started writing poetry in high school (horrific verse loaded with teen angst), and took every creative writing class I could manage during my four years at BYU. When the babies started coming (after college), I stopped writing completely. I assumed I couldn't be a Good Mormon Mom and a writer at the same time. This is an issue I still struggle with, though I'm learning how to find balance between the two. I also discovered--with that one chapter--that I couldn't just "stop" writing. It's in my blood; the drive isn't going away, whatever the result. Being published helps. Taking time for writing feels less subversive than it used to. I still feel odd; I don't spend weekends scrapbooking, I'm a terrible housekeeper, and I don't quite fit in any standard LDS cultural mold. Thankfully, I don't mind feeling odd, have grown comfortable with my identity, and never cared for crafts in the first place. But I do talk to my children, all the time, and make sure I'm there for all their crossroads, and do my best at this parenting business. It worked out that the bulk of the manuscript was finished about the same time we got our first real home computer. (Before that, I used spiral notebooks and an ancient 8086 [XT] with a 5" floppy.) We connected to the Internet, and I discovered AML-List. I got up the courage to throw some of what I felt was my better work on a free Geocities site (which I've since moved to Earthlink), including the preface chapters of my book. I still questioned whether to continue spending time on the novel. I questioned my ability to write. Often I thought I should just give up. I spent a good deal of time on my knees and in the temple asking whether this was something I ought to be spending time doing. My answers were clear and refreshing: _keep going_. I don't make this statement to assert I have any extra-special Talent from God. I don't know that. I'm only saying this answer brought me peace, to know He encouraged me to write, that I was on the right path for my life. I also found if I was going to write about the Last Days and the establishment of the New Jerusalem, I had to do a LOT of research. I turned primarily to scripture, which I've searched thoroughly. I also read many books on latter-day prophecy (some spurious, some not), and researched general Mormon folklore on latter-day subjects. I even learned a new word: _eschatology_, the study of the last days before the end of the world as prophesied in scripture. I've also had to learn the myriad of differences between our own, fluid Mormon eschatology, and the more strict interpretation of prophesied events demanded by other Christian faiths. It's been an education. To continue with my publishing history, not long after establishing my web presence, I was contacted by Richard Maher Associates (formerly Richard Maher NE LDS Publishing & Distributing). They were interested in the book. Eric Knight had read the chapters on my website after hearing about it from a post I made on AML-List. It's clear to me that in many direct ways, I have AML-List to thank that this novel is in print today. I also workshopped the first few chapters through an AML-List writer's group offered at that time. With the help of my group, especially critique from List member Scott Parkin, I was able to rewrite the first segments with stronger, more realistic characters and correct some beginner's mistakes. I did sign with Richard Maher, finishing the last missing segments of the manuscript, and going through my first experience of being edited. While working with them eventually didn't work out, it was a helpful experience overall. In January of 1999, they wrote to inform me they would be unable to publish the book for at least two more years due to financial constraints. As this delay was not allowed for in the contract, and since I'd gained enough confidence in my work by this point to feel I could market it elsewhere, I exercised my right to cancel the contract. Although disappointing, by then I was ready to shop the manuscript around. I'd never done this before. It was rejected by over a dozen houses, small and large, including the major LDS Publishers, except for Cornerstone. They showed an interest right away. Still, I deferred accepting their offer until I'd heard from everyone else. They were new, and small, and I'd just been jilted by another small LDS press. I didn't want that to happen again. I explained to Richard Hopkins I was once bitten, twice shy, and he was patient waiting for my answer; he was also patient in explaining he could deliver what he promised. I signed my contract with them by December of 1999. The editing process went well. I felt Richard was able to spot problem areas we had previously overlooked at Richard Maher, and he has a scrupulous eye for fine detail. Finally, after seemingly endless phone calls and e-mails over details--cover design, choosing the series title, last minute edits--in July of 2000 I received the Box: a large package containing author's copies of my 517-page novel. It was a day I thought might never come, the whole publishing process an act of faith for me. This was my witness. I held my own book in my hands. It felt terrific. The scary thing now was, it was _Volume One_. I have to keep producing. I had to outline the next two volumes before we printed the first, to make sure any elements I plan to develop are properly referenced in the first book. I know the story isn't fully told yet, and am as anxious to finish the rest as my readers seem to be to read it. I have days where I feel I've taken on too much, yes. I've had two more children since that first chapter was written, plus two miscarriages. I was pregnant with this fifth child when I opened that box of author's copies; Rebekah was born in September. Large chunks of manuscript have been typed in one-handed while a baby (either Jacob, my fourth, or now Rebekah) nurses in my lap. And behind the scenes, supporting me all the way, has been my loving husband, Steve. He's always been there, waiting to read my rough draft as it spools out of my head, discussing ideas with me, and telling me I'm terrific and that I shouldn't give up. I wrote in the acknowledgements of _Prodigal Journey_ that without him I might stuffed the whole thing through a paper shredder. It's true. In some ways I wonder if I've opened Pandora's box. If maybe I'd be better off if I _had_ chosen the paper-shredder route instead. I wonder if anyone who reads it will notice the attention to detail I strive for, my deeper themes, or how the structure correlates to Jesus' parable of the prodigal son. (This last thing was actually unintentional, something I didn't notice myself until I was nearly finished and searching for the perfect title. I was surprised it was there.) All I usually hear is, "When's the next book coming?" Which is nice, too, of course. I'm working on it. Right after I finish this article. Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 12:25:15 -0700 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market Sean, we print 300 the first time, and keep reprinting as long as it sells. Usually about 2,000. I love this way of printing because if it doesn't sell you aren't left with stacks of remainders. And you can always do more. Most publishing companies print 5,000 and are happy if they sell that many. Marilyn Brown - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 13:08:24 -0700 From: Melissa Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Flashbacks On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 08:46:24 -0700, Barbara R. Hume wrote: >>Now _Escape_ is no great filmmaking. But still I was drawn in wondering >>what the heck was going on. What the heck _was_ going on turned out to >>be pretty cheesy, a reminder that you also need to be sure to make your >>payoff satisfying. But the mystery still drew me in. > >It seems to me that Escape to Witch Mountain must be based on The = People, a >series of stories by a Mormon SF writer named Zenna Henderson. =20 The movie "Escape to Witch Mountain" is based on the novel by the same = name written by Alexander Key. But it's not impossible that Key was = influenced by Henderson, since he was writing several years after her. The book is quite different from the movie. "Escape" was remade in 1998 or 1999, = can't remember which, but I didn't see all of it...it seemed very different = both from the book and from the first movie. >I like Henderson's stories about a peaceful people from another world = who >must come here because their planet was dying, then had to hide their >abilities because you know how we Earthlings treat people who can do = stuff >we can't. So do I. All her stories are good, some better than others. One that stands out for me is about a teacher complaining about three boys and the "mess" they're making with this imaginative game that turns out to be, = well, more important than she imagines.... Melissa Proffitt - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 12:06:53 -0800 (PST) From: Darlene Young Subject: Re: [AML] (Writer's Angle) The Journey of _Prodigal Journey_ Thank you for resurrecting the Writer's Angle column. I especially enjoyed Linda's description of the process of coming to accept the place of writing in her life. I too as a Mormon mother have spent hours on my knees wondering if it is OK to spend the time writing that I want to. (If I spent all the time writing that I do praying, think what I'd have written! Not to presume to compare the importance of those two activities in my life . . . ) Anyway, it's so encouraging to read stories of how others have pulled it all off. Thanks. ===== Darlene Young [MOD: Well... I can't really claim to have "resurrected" it. Rather, I'm making the space available. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to line up columns and such in the way that Ben did...but I will promise to give a look at anything anyone sends my way.] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 13:22:56 -0700 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Flashbacks Barbara R. Hume wrote: >> Now _Escape_ is no great filmmaking. But still I was drawn in wondering >> what the heck was going on. What the heck _was_ going on turned out to >> be pretty cheesy, a reminder that you also need to be sure to make your >> payoff satisfying. But the mystery still drew me in. > > > It seems to me that Escape to Witch Mountain must be based on The People, a > series of stories by a Mormon SF writer named Zenna Henderson. What I found disatisfying about Escape was its (to me) inappropriate mixing of genres. What started off as a typical ghost story turned out, in fact, to be a science fiction story. I'm not suggesting that those genres shouldn't be mixed, but Escape did in a _deus ex machina_ way, so that the sf ending seemd tacked on as the easiest way to explain what had been going on. I would have like to have seen more foreshadowing of the real ending, while still making it appear to be a ghost story, so that when the real endings comes, I'm going back over events in the movie and saying to mylelf, "Now, that makes sense." Thom - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 15:48:45 -0700 From: Gerald G Enos Subject: Re: [AML] Flashbacks I remember a movie called 'The People' and yes it is simular to 'Escape to Witch Mountain'. I have always thought that the two stories came from the same source. I, however, had no idea that that source could have been a member of the church. Of course, when I saw them I wasn't a member and that sort of thing would not have caught my attention. Konnie Enos ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 15:49:27 -0800 (PST) From: Sean Lucero Subject: [AML] Re: Sales Figures in Mormon Market Thank you all for the information. That's helpful. Sean Lucero _______________________________________________________ Send a cool gift with your E-Card http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 17:14:38 -0700 From: "Eric D. Snider" Subject: Re: [AML] Flashbacks > >Now _Escape_ is no great filmmaking. But still I was drawn in wondering >>what the heck was going on. What the heck _was_ going on turned out to >>be pretty cheesy, a reminder that you also need to be sure to make your >>payoff satisfying. But the mystery still drew me in. > >It seems to me that Escape to Witch Mountain must be based on The People, a >series of stories by a Mormon SF writer named Zenna Henderson. A mediocre >movie with William Shatner was also based on it, appearing fairly soon >after classic Trek was cancelled, as I recall. It also had that actress who >played Miri in a Trek episode, but her name escapes me. "Escape to Witch Mountain" was, as mentioned earlier, based on an Alexander Key novel (though it is possible he was influenced by Zenna Henderson, which was also mentioned). A made-for-TV movie of Henderson's "The People" was made in 1972, starring William Shatner and directed by John Korty (who also directed, the same year, "Go Ask Alice," which was based on a book by Beatrice Sparks, known in Utah County for also writing "Jay's Journal," which was based far-too-loosely on the life and death of a Pleasant Grove teen) (whew!). Kim Darby (who did play Miri in the "Star Trek" episode called "Miri") co-starred with Shatner. "Escape to Witch Mountain" (1975) and "Return from Witch Mountain" (1978) were both Disney films; Disney also did a third part, "Beyond Witch Mountain" (1982) as a made-for-TV feature, as well as a 1995 remake of "Escape to Witch Mountain." All of this information and more is free for the taking at the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com). It's fun! Eric D. Snider - -- *************************************************** Eric D. Snider www.ericdsnider.com "Filling all your Eric D. Snider needs since 1974." - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 17:37:17 -0700 From: "Barbara R. Hume" Subject: Re: [AML] Flashbacks >What I found disatisfying about Escape was its (to me) inappropriate >mixing of genres. What started off as a typical ghost story turned out, >in fact, to be a science fiction story. I'm not suggesting that those >genres shouldn't be mixed, but Escape did in a _deus ex machina_ way, so >that the sf ending seemd tacked on as the easiest way to explain what >had been going on. I would have like to have seen more foreshadowing of >the real ending, while still making it appear to be a ghost story, so >that when the real endings comes, I'm going back over events in the >movie and saying to mylelf, "Now, that makes sense." H'mmmm. I never assumed it was going to turn out to be a ghost story. Maybe that's simply something you brought to the movie, Thomk. barbara hume - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 15:54:59 -0800 (PST) From: William Morris Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market Since the responses to this query so far have been mainly based on anecdotal evidence (Margaret Young citing England's numbers; Linda Adams letting us know her own), I take it that there hasn't been a 'scholarly' study of the development of the Mormon publishing market. Or has there and nobody on the list has brought it up yet? The reason I ask is that in my field (comparative literature) the study of secondary sources--sales figures, reviews, anthologies, correspondence between editors and authors, etc.--is rather hot right now. Part of the return to 'context' I guess. But also a way for 'minor' literatures to show how European (i.e. English, French, and German) theoretical structures for analzying literature (including genre classifications) come up short when applied to 'minor' literatures because they were conceived within a different market history i.e. publishing conditions, critical reception, modes of dissemination and pedagogy, and reading publics all influence the theories of literature that are produced in the academy. Therefore, any legitimate criticism must take into account the peculiar history of a particular literature (while recognizing that the dominant theories, histories and practices of literary production do often influence the minor literatures as well). Considering that a only a few publishing houses and journals have constituted most of the market for Mormon fiction, it seems like such a study would be manageable at this point in time and that it would be a great resource for authors interested in the Mormon market and to scholars who are interested in weaving those sources into the history of Mormon literature. Since the study of Mormon literature remains a marginal activity (I guess it's up to England and UVSC right now), I'm not surprised that nothing has been done in this field. While I'm too lazy to do it myself, I just wanted to say that I would love to have access to sales figures (say, 2000 all the way back to 1970 or so) for the major fiction titles put out by the various Mormon publishers. ~~William Morris __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35 a year! http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 17:59:56 -0700 From: "Marie Knowlton" Subject: [AML] VIP Arts Playwriting Contest The VIP Arts Playwriting Contest 2001 is now underway! The contest is open to anyone, and there is no entry fee. There are no limits on individual entries. Plays must be two hours or less in running length, including intermission. Pages should be numbered. The author's name should appear only on a cover sheet in a separate envelope. Each entry should be mailed separately. Include SASE if you wish your script returned. Plays must be suitable for family audiences. Winners will be given a staged reading and considered for production. Entries must be postmarked no later than midnight, June 30, 2001. Send entries to: Bill or Marilyn Brown, or Marie Knowlton 254 S. Main St., Springville, UT 84663 _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 19:48:58 -0700 From: "Bill Willson" Subject: Re: [AML] MN "Standing For Something" Due in Paperback Next Month: Kent Larsen All I can say to this sad commentary, is I feel sorry for the spiritually bereft souls who bought this book, only to give it to someone else as a $17.95 Christmas Gift with no intentions of reading it themselves. This is their loss. Personally I feel this book has a vital message, from the living prophet, for the general population of the world. It wouldn't hurt any of the "Know It All " members to read it either. Who knows, someone might get a clue. Regards, Bill Willson - ----- Original Message ----- > I'm going to suggest that the publishers will be disappointed. My guess is > that they'll discover that most of the hard-backed copies of this book were > bought as something to give rather than as something to read. A hardcover > book is a better gift than a paperback. Let's see. This would be a good > test case. I'll be delighted if I'm wrong. > > Marvin Payne - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 22:01:17 -0700 From: "Morgan Adair" Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market >>> rareyellow@yahoo.com 02/12/01 04:54PM >>> > >Since the responses to this query so far have been >mainly based on anecdotal evidence (Margaret Young >citing England's numbers; Linda Adams letting us know >her own), I take it that there hasn't been a >'scholarly' study of the development of the Mormon >publishing market. Or has there and nobody on the >list has brought it up yet? =20 Probably the closest thing to what you describe is: _The Mormon media market_, by Al R. Young, Roger Reynolds, Kenneth A. = Haubrock. =20 Orem, Utah : Cumorah Publishing Company, 1981. =20 It was a _Writer's Guide_ type book, an annotated guide to LDS book, = periodical, and music publishers. It didn't give sales figures, and is, of = course, completely outdated. MBA - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 22:35:24 -0700 From: "Brent J. Rowley" Subject: Re: [AML] Sales Figures in Mormon Market Writing a series seems to be the way to go in the LDS market. In fact that was just about the first question Covenant asked me when I submitted my first book. "Will there be more?" Covenant has done extremely well with just about every series they've published: romance, adventure, youth, adult. Although I'm not with them anymore, my series is still doing okay. (I don't mind sharing statistics with the list.) My total sales at this point (including Covenant and Self Published - 1997 to the present) are approximately 7,000+ of book one, 4000+ of book two, and nearly 2,000 of book three. Not fantastic -- but okay, especially since I was off the shelf for nearly two years and have only been back since June 2000. I'm hoping sales will continue to grow as I re-capture my audience. It appears that each time another volume is added to the series, it helps sell the earlier ones and keeps all the books on the shelf for a much longer period of time. - -BJ Rowley - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 01:08:54 -0700 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] (Writer's Angle) The Journey of _Prodigal Journey_ Linda Adams wrote: > I assumed I couldn't be a Good Mormon Mom and a writer at the > same time. This is an issue I still struggle with, though I'm learning how > to find balance between the two. I hope you mean you still struggle with finding the balance, and not that you still struggle with whether you should write or not. My elders quorum president, who has been unemployed for a few months, regaled us with an epiphany after running the entire household for a month: "Housework really sucks," he said. "I mean it really sucks! I remember a bishop telling me once that housework is not a career, and shouldn't have to be for women. Housework is just stuff that needs to get done, and everyone should be pitching in to do it. The woman has as much right to develop herself as a person and not be tied down to all that housework as the man." [Horribly paraphrased, of course.] He said he understood now what his bishop was talking about. No one should have to do that stuff full time. Does that not say it all? > I still feel odd; I > don't spend weekends scrapbooking, Whoop-de-doo. > I'm a terrible housekeeper, You know how many non-writers are also terrible housekeepers? > and I don't quite fit in any standard LDS cultural mold. Good! That's a positive. > But I do talk to my children, all the time, and > make sure I'm there for all their crossroads, and do my best at this > parenting business. That's the only important part anyway. The rest is just "stuff." > Large chunks of manuscript have been typed > in one-handed while a baby (either Jacob, my fourth, or now Rebekah) nurses > in my lap. Now doesn't that evoke an interesting image? > In some ways I wonder if I've opened Pandora's box. You mean like when Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt? When Jesus came and preached the Gospel? When Abinadi called King Noah to repentance? When Joseph Smith gave the world a new book of scripture? Or how about when John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, etc., declared independence from Great Britain? When Mohandas Gandhi walked to the sea and made salt in defiance of the law? When Martin Luther King told the nation about a dream he had? When Ronald Reagan told Gorbachev to "tear down this wall"? The only way to avoid opening Pandora's boxes is to accomplish nothing. > I wonder if anyone > who reads it will notice the attention to detail I strive for, my deeper > themes, or how the structure correlates to Jesus' parable of the prodigal > son. I'll notice (he he he)--you can bet I'll notice! - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 01:43:34 +0900 From: "Andrew Hall" Subject: [AML] Mormon Films There is an article by Kieth Merrill in Meridan about his dream of seeing a great, Hollywood-style Mormon movie someday. http://www.meridianmagazine.com/arts/010213film.html Praticularly interesting is his discussion of the Church's abandoned efforts to make a splashy movie about Joseph Smith at one time, and the current independent production of a movie called Eye of the Storm, based on Elder John H. Groberg's book In the Eye of the Storm (Deseret), about his mission in Tonga, which is being "made by Mormons" and is in post- production. I looked it up on IDMB, and learned it is written and directed by Mitch Davis, whose only previous credit is the writer of a 1995 film called "Windrunner", about a troubled kid who recieves football coaching from the ghost of Jim Thorpe. Andrew Hall _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #256 ******************************