Around the Word

Ready, Set, Read. Only have five minutes while you wait for the next train to come? Ten minutes as you wait for your significant other to finish getting ready? A trio of Dutch publishers have released the Delay App, which lets readers enter how much time they have and then spits out a selection of stories and novel excerpts that can be read in said timeframe. The selections are a mix between classic and modern, and the app has become extremely popular, introducing readers to a variety of writing they might not have seen otherwise.

To My Speechwriter, With Love. Over at Vital Speeches of the Day, David Murray has a moving piece about JFK's speechwriter Ted Sorenson, and the incredibly strong bond he had with the president. The same love is being shown for “Chelsea punk” turned political speechwriter Joe Resnek, who went from stealing candy to writing speeches for White House chiefs of staff, thanks to his dedication and headstrong attitude. He’s even become a regular at the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue basketball court.

The eBible. Starting July 16, the Hotel Indigo in Newcastle, England, will replace all 148 nightstand copies of the Bible with a Kindle—one that has the good book already downloaded. Any other religious book can be downloaded on the house, but commercial novels will be charged to the guest’s bill. You’ll have to read fast, because the books you download will stay with the Kindle when you check out.

A Desk With a View. Janet Groth, who worked as a receptionist on the eighteenth floor of The New Yorker for twenty-one years, has published a memoir: The Receptionist: An Education at The New Yorker. The tell-all details all her years spent with a bird’s-eye view of the office, a few sordid affairs with some of the magazine’s contributors, and why she never made the jump from secretary to writer. Although at times she certainly felt mistreated, the perks definitely made up for it. As Groth says, “It is not clear to me who was exploiting whom.”

Gotham Featured on Contently's "Freelance Strategist"

Gotham was recently featured on publishing and media site Contently, in an article entitled "Diversify and Increase Your Income with Ghostwriting." Reinforcing a point we often like to make, the article, which was written for their "Freelance Strategist" blog, illuminates the idea that ghostwriting is no longer the domain of celebrity vanity, but has evolved into an increasingly key piece of many corporate communications and thought-leadership strategies—making it a great opportunity for freelancer writers. From speechwriting to white papers, from big-think pieces to smart blog posts, many businesses are realizing that hiring freelancers is a time-saving and cost-effective way to improve brand positioning and awareness. Says GG President Dan Gerstein in the piece, "On one hand, there are shrinking opportunities in the journalism field, but the flip side is that there are growing opportunities to get paid for what are increasingly in-demand skills... Ghostwriting collectives are a way to diversify your business and get access to opportunities you wouldn’t have otherwise."

Around The Word

The accidental ghostwriter. It has been revealed that an anonymous article posted in one of the journals edited by Charles Dickens about the rights of the working class was written by the man himself. The article, published in 1863 in the weekly magazine All the Year Round, was analyzed by Dickens Journals Online, which is working on digitizing all of the critic’s works. They were given the mystery article and a list of six writers, ultimately deciding that the writing was most similar to Dickens’ himself.

It’s the end of libraries as we know it, but the computers feel fine. Along with the whole of Dickens’ work being digitized, there are many other initiatives to digitize literary archives, for preservation’s sake. Stalin’s personal collection has started to be scanned by the Yale University Press, and the University of Texas began a collaboration years ago to preserve documents and testimonies from the Rwandan genocide, along with various other historical moments. Insert clichéd "those who do not remember history" quote here.

The words behind the man. From June 8 until September 23, the Morgan Library and Museum will host “Churchill: The Power of Words,” an exhibit devoted to words, letters, and speeches from the wartime leader. Over sixty documents, including doctors' notes, postcards, and family letters, will show insight into Churchill’s thought process. The exhibit even includes an old report card, describing Churchill as “a constant trouble to everybody.” 


All Mom left me was her diamond tennis bracelet and her 50 Shades of Grey e-book. Over at NPR, Amanda Katz asks the question, “Will your children inherit your e-books?” With the entire industry converting for the digital age, what will happen to the dear tradition of classic books being passed from generation to generation? Will we soon bequeath only our Amazon account password to our grandkids? And will the change make priceless physical books even more priceless? Let us know in the comments what you think will happen with your generational bookshelf.

Around the Word

Gravity's Rainbow Gets a Digital Facelift. Penguin is getting set to release Thomas Pynchon's complete works as ebooks. It seems the author, who has resisted going digital up to this point, was shown the writing on the wall (or the posts on his FB page). Editor-in-Chief Ann Godoff points out that it boils down to business: ''I think he wants to have more readers... Every writer wants to have as many readers as they can possibly get. But I don’t think this will change his public profile." Pynchon himself may be as "analog" as ever, but his catalog is definitely getting a sexy new-media marketing makeover.

Freelancing on Film. UK film-goers are about to get a glimpse into the lives of its estimated 1.6 million freelancers. This year the "7 Days in June" film project, which brings together teams of filmmakers who shoot short films over the course of one week, will open a window into the all-too-solitary world of freelancing. The films will focus on themes like the role of freelancing in shaping the economy and what it's like to be a freelancer. The films will be released one by one, leading up to the UK's National Freelancer's Day on November 23rd.

If You Love It, Let It Go. We all have them, those go-to, buzzy modifiers that we rely on a little too heavily, often without even realizing it. Last week the"After Deadline" blog posted a piece about how we let those words worm their way into our writing in a sort of collective unconsciousness. It points out that a count from the previous week revealed dozens of uses of the word "signature" as a qualifier, i.e. "Mark Zuckerberg's 'signature' hoodie." Redundancy is one of the greatest enemies of good writing, and being conscious of our linguistic crutches is a great way to fight (and win) the battle. Cliche but true, the best advice is "if you love something, let it go." What are the words you need to set free?

Confronting the "r" word in Children's lit. For better or worse, some perennial favorites in the cannon of children's lit, like Babar and the Pippi Longstocking series, are downright cringe-worthy when it comes to race. In a recent article, author Stephen Marche explores the minefield of introducing his six-year-old son to classics, as well as more modern tails, that are full of questionable stereotypes. How do you confront the "n" word while reading Huckleberry Finn with your kid? Take a cue Michael Chabon and turn it into a "teachable moment"? Stick to the "sanitized" rewrites? Avoid the tough stuff all together? It's a question that's definitely worth exploring. 




 

Writer Poll: "Write or Die" App Is Better Off Dead

Last week we learned about a provocative new app for writers called Write or Die, which claims to "put the 'prod' in productivity" by not only alerting, but punishing when it senses your output waning. According to the LA Times "Jacket Copy" blog, the app's "accountability mechanisms" range from low-key popup reminders to "kamikaze" mode, a full-on assault that will actually begin deleting your words if you stop typing for too long.

We were amazed by this downright draconian means of behavior modification, so we decided to poll our writers to see whether they thought negative reinforcement was really the best way to combat writer's block. Responses ranged from amusement to "WTF?!" to bemoaning the rise of "Nazi technology." Many pointed out that frustration and taking time-outs are part of the creative process. Most suggested their own alternatives for coping when the juices cease to flow. The most common suggestions to jump-start creativity: take a break, go for a walk, wander around your apartment, and concentrate on something other than the fact that you can't concentrate.

Here are some other ideas from our freelances to help re-motivate when you're feeling like you've hit that proverbial wall:

• Time really is money. "I don't need an app to be reminded to write. I keep my household bills in a stand-up file right next to my monitor. One glance over there and I get right back to work" —Tim Gower
• Catch those z's.  "I don't think writers are blocked; I think they're tired. I would suggest ambien. After a good night's sleep, it's much easier to write." —Kate Rounds
• Deadlines drive. "I find it helps if someone gives me a deadline, even an artificial one. Book writing is a lengthy process, and 'deliver a manuscript a year from now' doesn't help me produce at a daily clip. So for my second book, I contracted a friend to demand chapters by set dates. I felt sufficiently pressured by her to deliver on time!" —Judith Matloff 
• Let  you mind wander. "I try to have fun, usually by thinking up fanciful names for singing groups, racehorses, characters for novels (à la Dickens) or movies, and, most enjoyably, British pubs that don't or should exist." —Steven Flax

App developers seem to have recognized that tapping into that fear-as-motivator instinct can be lucrative. Other examples include Aherk, a "self-blackmail" service, which has you submit embarrassing photos of yourself that will be posted to your Facebook page if you don't meet your deadlines, and stikK, developed by a Yale econ professor, which will donate your money to a group you hate if you don't accomplish your goals.

But who needs a sadistic app when you have Gotham Ghostwriter polls to inspire? This one spurred some productivity of its own: check out this blog post by journalist and author Claudia Gryvatz Copquin.

Around the Word

All Apologies. Speechwriters know that the mea culpa is probably one of the most difficult to write well. The sweet spot at the axis of sincerity and self-preservation can be an elusive target, especially now that everyone can be a critic, and a public one at that. Who isn't sick of the canned "saying sorry without actually apologizing" celeb atonement? That's why actor Jason Alexander's amends for offensive remarks he made on Craig Ferguson's talk show (referring to cricket as a "gay" sport) was the talk of the Internet last week. Bedsides that fact that Alexander (or his PR flack) made the effort to write more than 140 characters, what was most refreshing was the fact that his apology is an actual piece of meaningful and honest self-reflection. 

Face or Kneecaps? You got the job, you've done the work, and now it's time to get paid... or not. Freelancers know that getting that check in hand can be almost as much work as the gig itself. How many times have you finished a project only to have the client decide that it's a good time re-neg, stop returning phone calls, or just plain disappear? How do you deal with a deadbeat when you don't have a goon squad, or any real recourse besides Small Claims Court? Check out this interview with Sarah Horowitz, president of the Freelancer's Union, in which she discusses the Union's new advocacy campaign for freelancer's rights, strategies to deal with the shirkers, and The World's Longest Invoice.

Fail: a Win in Disguise. Last week intern Abi attended a reading and conversation with Joyce Carol Oates and Robert Ford (part of a great series put on by CUNY's Center for Fiction). She found the most instructive part of the evening to be when the authors discussed the role of failure, an all-too-common theme in the writing life, in bringing about some of the most beloved literary treasures. Oates suggested that she wished she'd had a "phoenix experience," a great moment of failure to overcome and rise above. She reminded the audience that if Faulkner had succeed as a poet or Aldous Huxley impersonator, he never would experienced the emotional turmoil that spawned The Sound and the Fury. Best to embody the immortal words of Beckett: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."

GG President Dan Gerstein Featured in Johnnie Walker Blue Label Promotion

Great scotch and great writers go together like the Old Man and the Sea (sorry, we couldn’t resist the obligatory Hemingway reference). So when one of the world’s premier scotch brands, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, was looking for a ghostwriting expert to help Father’s Day gift buyers come up with memorable personalized inscriptions on the their bottles this month, it was only natural that they would turn to New York’s premier full-service writing firm, Gotham Ghostwriters.

Johnnie Walker has been offering free engraving on Blue Label bottles for several years through their website, and to help promote this perk, they have set up a dedicated engraving kiosk in Grand Central Terminal for commuters to get their inscriptions done in person and in a hurry.

This year, as an added attraction, the folks at Johnnie Walker asked GG President Dan Gerstein to serve as their in-house inscription expert. As part of his wordsmithing duties, Dan will be hosting office hours at the Grand Central engraving kiosk on Thursday, June 14, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. He will also be available to do phone consultations, which can be arranged by emailing fathersday@hunterpr.com.

For those who can’t make it to Grand Central, Dan developed a handy set of tips and tricks to help sons and daughters of all persuasions deliver a gift their dad will never forget.

1) Keep it tight. Remember, you only have 45 characters to say something memorable. So think of your words as being precious as the gift you are giving—to be poured with care. Don't worry about signing your name; write the right thing, and he'll know who the gift is from. Focus on maximizing your message.

2) Make it personal. A special gift like Johnnie Walker Blue Label deserves a special inscription. So leave the generic Father's Day wishes to the greeting card people and show your dad you're thinking of him. It doesn't matter whether you're serious, goofy, cryptic, or simple—just try to be original and personal. Share some inside insight, like referencing his favorite team or the golf trip you took to Scotland together. The surest way to connect with him is to connect the message to you.

3) Know your audience. Most dads love Blue Label. But their other tastes can vary widely, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. What sounds like corn pone to one man can sing like a tone poem to another. So don't feel the need to meet somebody else's expectations. If your dad appreciates wordplay, have some pun. If he's more sentimental, play those heartstrings. Either way, speak his language.

4) Show yourself. Since you are striving to send a special message, it's great to aim high. Should you be inspired to say something profound or witty, go for it. But it's more important for your engraving to ring true as you. So while you're speaking dad's language, make sure it's with your accent. Use words and phrasing that come naturally and sound familiar. There's a straight line from authentic to "Awwwww. . . ."

5) Stay classy. Your inscription should be special to you and your dad. But bear in mind that he may want to share his Blue Label—along with your message—by putting it on display in the den or at the office for all comers to see. It's fine to have some fun. Just be sure, as you have done your whole life, to make him proud.

You can find out more details about the Blue Label Father’s Day campaign here.