I frequently get lost.
Oh.
NOW I remember why I started off on yesterday's post about writing after a pitch, as opposed to pitching after a write.
Because series writers have to do that.
It was not too long ago when I was finally able to talk about Passenger, which is my forthcoming novel, a sequel to The Marbury Lens.
When I made the announcement, my friend, the affable Michael Grant, said something like this:
Welcome to series hell, buddy.
Um.
No.
This is it.
Isn't it?
I absolutely never intended to write another book about Jack, Conner, and Marbury. It just happened.
Like poop or something.
I could not help it.
There will be nothing more on the subject of Marbury and Jack and Conner and the rest of them after this.
At least, I think so.
But then again, being a middle child, I have very poor impulse control.
I have a spastic impulse sphincter.
Anyway, the reason that I was thinking about series books is something that is purely personal and anecdotal on my part, so it may very likely be as wrong as discussing poop on a blog for two consecutive days, but it is this:
It seems that more and more young readers (and I am talking primarily about older teens), and YA librarians are looking for new reads which are not part of series.
I don't know. Maybe it's just the kids I hang around with.
That sounds creepy, doesn't it?
So, yesterday, I stumbled onto this website -- a nice looking website, by the way -- run by a business that produces generic-type covers for self-pubbed/indie/e-books. I'd really like to share the site, but I would probably get a bag of flaming poop on my doorstep.
The covers are very well-done.
In fact, they look like just about every cover out there nowadays.
You know what I mean.
I hope.
In fact, I started to laugh until I cried thinking up titles to their "Paranormal" collection.
Do this:
Look at the latest Paranormal/Romance/YA book cover.
Pick any one you'd like, and open it in another tab, right alongside this post.
Do it.
Go ahead, I'll wait.
Okay.
Are you looking at the cover?
Good, my friends.
Good.
Now say aloud the following:
I just took an upper-decker in your toilet.
Sorry.
I am a bad person.
You might have to look upper-decker up in the urban dictionary, or something.
A two-day streak of nonstop poop references.
Why do YA Dysto/Para/Rom covers have to be so lame and generic?
Whatever happened to the days when publishers made covers like this:
Seriously.
Now here is an author who probably started with a title.
And a cover.
"Stand back! I've got a clarinet, and I'm not afraid to use it!"
Seriously.
And... Satan? Who knew Satan played tambourine?
Grimacing.
And I'm not sure, but maybe "lesbian" meant something different in the 1950s than "lesbian" means today.
I also like this cover:
Um.
Uh.
On second thought, "It hurts when I poop!" is also a very funny thing to say aloud when you look at the current slew of covers for Dysto/Para/Rom YA, too.
I believe I am now finished talking about poop.
Who knows?
