1.12.2009
33 1/3 receives 597 proposals during open call
That image there is just wishful thinking, but I have a 1 in 597 shot of seeing something like it on bookshelves one day. I filed a proposal during the latest open call for 33 1/3 submissions from Continuum Books in December, punching up and significantly expanding my plan for a book about The Police's Synchronicity.I felt good about the proposal last time out, but feel exponentially better about this one. Again, if chosen I plan to explore the animosity in the band as it reached its end, but I've come to realize that this is not only a tired angle, but one that misses the mark. Seeing the band on its reunion tour and hearing subsequent live recordings, I'm struck by how simpatico these three musicians are and how what each brings to the table meshes with that offered by the others to create something unreplicated in pop.
I'm glad my proposal improved, for the competition is even more fierce. Last time, there were 449 proposals for 380 different albums.This time? The just-published longlist includes 597 proposals for 490 albums! I'm happy to report mine is the only Police submission, so there's no competition there, but based on the fact that I'd love to read books about many of these proposed albums, I know decisions facing series editor David Barker are tough. As usual, the proposals range from the head-scratching (Dag Nasty?) to the obvious (Liz Phair, Radiohead, etc.). One surprise: seven proposals for Slint's Spiderland.
Barker says 20 to 25 books are likely to be contracted from this batch, so the odds are about as tough as getting into the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop down the road from me here.
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Best of luck with Synchronicity!
Two years ago, I submitted a proposal for a novella on Morphine's The Night, which I hadn't even begun writing. This November I finally started writing it, hoping to have enough finished by 12/31 to give me the courage to submit a 33 1/3 proposal. But I soon realized that it would probably be a much "bigger" book than the compact 33 1/3 volumes are, so I never sent my proposal. I did notice, however, that there were no Morphine proposals this year, so maybe a shorter version of my book will make the cut someday.
Two years ago, I submitted a proposal for a novella on Morphine's The Night, which I hadn't even begun writing. This November I finally started writing it, hoping to have enough finished by 12/31 to give me the courage to submit a 33 1/3 proposal. But I soon realized that it would probably be a much "bigger" book than the compact 33 1/3 volumes are, so I never sent my proposal. I did notice, however, that there were no Morphine proposals this year, so maybe a shorter version of my book will make the cut someday.
Thanks. I remember you mentioning that at the time. I found that having an additional year to think about it and polish it up made my proposal remarkably better. Good enough? Who knows? It's my third stab (tried the Jayhawks Hollywood Town Hall the first time) and each time, despite being passed over, it was still rewarding.
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