#don't want to hunger games post too much until i've finished the series

[marigoidz]

Katniss and Madge are so yurious

#don't want to hunger games post too much until i've finished the series #but this needed to be said

[fallen-darkness]

☯ How many books have you read so far this year? And if you have any recommendations?

So far it was just one book. Unless I'm super focused on a book I'm a pretty slow reader. In fact this book I started reading in November and only finished recently because I decided to set a deadline.

The book in question is called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I thought it was a pretty good book.

For ones I would recommend, I do have a few.

Cinder: A cyberpunk retelling of Cinderella. There is a whole series with other fairy tails. But this is the first in the series. And so far the only one I've read.

Beastly: A modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast from the perceptive of the beast. Funny note is that I bought the book without much thinking. Probably to get free shipping on another book I wanted and just picked something that sounded good. Then it was just sitting aside until I realized there would be a movie on it. [The movie isn't good. I didn't see it and what I was able to see from it wasn't good. The book is good though.]

The Hunger Games: I probably don't need to go over this plot, but I do enjoy the story. Never really got into the movies. Thinking of reading the series soon. [So far I've only listened to the audiobooks.]

Some others I enjoyed include Inkheart, Eragon, and Dorthy Must Die. [Didn't want to take the post too long.] There was also a novelization of the Resident Evil games that were pretty good. [Only goes up to Code Veronica.] There are ones for Metal Gear Solid I liked as well.

[vaveyard]

In an old post you said you told your agent that you wanted to write the next big YA series

So not only you got introduced to one of the best YA agents out there thanks to luck and connections, without even writing a book... You also have no interest in storytelling and readers and only want money and popularity

RQ was basically a manufactured product, without an ounce of creativity or passion, marketed and hyped just to make money.

No wonder you're struggling so much you write a pilot and the talks of movies vanished like smoke

In the old post about my journey to publication, I told a management company that I wanted to write the next big YA series. I'm happy to explain the context, as I gather you aren't really aware of how the entertainment industry works. This was a general meeting, which is basically just an introduction with no guarantees of anything beyond the 45 minutes. It was also the only general with potential representation that I landed following my very recent graduation from film school in 2012. Namely, I was scared, desperate, and very eager to get signed and pursue the career I wanted my entire life. I pitched a handful of projects, both feature and television, both finished and potential ideas. The last one was the glimmer of Red Queen, and yes, I absolutely said, I want this to be the next big YA series. I want this to be Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, etc.

Let's break that down. I'm not going to go too deeply into the difference between entertainment and publishing, but please understand I am very much selling myself, my talent, and my dream. That's how those meetings go. You swing for the damn fences. And you translate. You give tonal references. You talk about a property they know (i.e. The Hunger Games) and say you're next. I did this with my other projects as well (the one that got me in the door was a pilot I pitched as Gossip Girl in the Gilded Age).

One thing I don't understand here is the idea that wanting to be the next big thing, wanting success, wanting your story to be experienced by as many people as possible - somehow, wanting is a bad thing? Or a dirty secret? I guarantee you, we all want our work to blow up. We all want wonderful, passionate readers in the millions and billions. That's totally natural. It's okay to be an artist and want success for your art! I don't subscribe to the idea that we must hide our wants or our dreams.

I will also say in regards to your accusation that my books are "hyped and marketed to make money"....um yeah? Publishing is a business. My publishing house publishes books to make money. They have far more complex business practices than I understand, and hundreds of people dedicated to leveraging books in exactly the right way so this industry can continue to operate on razor thin margins.

And writing is my full time job. Again, it seems to be some dirty secret that writers have to get paid if they want to keep working, or else have another avenue of income. I certainly didn't get into writing, either screen or prose, to make money. I pursued this because it is my true passion, and I deeply feel this is my purpose in life. It also happens to be how I make money now, and I'm extremely lucky to be in this position.

In regards to meeting my agent through good luck - yes, absolutely, and I've never said anything otherwise. In hindsight I know exactly how many bullets I dodged when my industry contact sent the completed manuscript* of Red Queen to New Leaf. And Suzie ended up reading it in a weekend.

*Yes, completed manuscript. A book was written. I was never signed with anyone until RQ was a finished draft. In fact, Suzie didn't sign me until after we did a revision together.

And yes, the talk of a RQ movie "vanished like smoke" because we decided to pursue adapting the show as a television/streaming series. You can't try to make one property into two mediums. I'm very happy with our pilot process (the story is so much better suited to a series) and again, I've been so, so lucky in the team we have. Beth Schwartz is my showrunner and she has been a truly excellent partner so far!

You can believe whatever you like about me, or my intentions as a creator. I really don't mind. I know exactly how much passion, drive, desperation, fear, and luck goes into my work. I'm not sure what your intention is with this message, but thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify what was confusing to you. Be well. I hope you look more kindly on other creators than you do on me.

#ask #red queen