http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog The fine art of Literary Prospecting Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:34:11 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en April 21, 2010, ushers in the 100th anniversary of the death of America's greatest humorist, Mark Twain. Born in Florida, Missouri, November 30, 1835, Samuel Langhorne Clemens--Twain's real name--saw the arrival of Hailey's Comet as a harbinger of his demise. He noted that he had come into this world when ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=20 All publishers operate differently depending on their personnel, although they all have at least one goal that is the same: to make enough money to keep on going. I first worked with Thomas Nelson back in the 1980s and ended up being managing editor there through the administrations of Larry Stone, ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=19 Simply put: Platforms are the marketing device with which today's large publishers are obessed--and the situation is not much different for small publishers either. But what is a platform? Well, it can be several things, but in the main it turns out to be the primary reason why anyone should want to ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=18 The following limerick is in the copyrighted Hills & Hamlets magazine which circulates throughout the Williamson County, Tennessee, area, and particularly in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee, a fabulously attractive village full of arts and crafts folk. My poems took second place, but then I write second-place type poetry. There once was a Knight ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=17 A recent blog of Mike Hyatt's, CEO at Thomas Nelson Publishers, led me to formulate some of my own thoughts about trade publishing in general and about platforms from which to publish in particular. Mike stressed that, though it was difficult, it was possible to build a following through such ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=16 Years ago when I was searching for material on Laura Ingalls Wilder, I found a reference in a very old copy of the De Smet, South Dakota, newspaper about a local resident who had a surefire remedy for baldness. I am going bald. I admit I was curious. There it ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=15 In these days when extra income does have its appeal, one might do well to turn to popular writers who started their careers in uncopyrighted newspapers. Ring Lardner and Erma Bombeck are just two examples of people who went on to be popular columnists who at one time toiled under ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=14 On July 1, 1922, The Missouri Ruralist ran the following item: "Mrs. A.J. Wilder [Laura Ingalls Wilder, author] of Rocky Ridge Farm, Mansfield, Mo. is the oldest member of The Missouri Ruralist editorial staff. She began work as a contributor to the Star Farmer some 15 years ago. Mrs. Wilder is ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=13 Well, love may be a strong word for it. Lewis kept a discrete distance from women, at least until he married his wife Joy Davidman. But he is said to have remarked to a friend--before meeting Joy--that if he were the marrying kind, Ruth Pitter would have been a good ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=12 Ah, Bloggites, this is a copyrighted story from 1981, but if I am ever going to turn it into the comic novel I have always wanted it to be, I would like  to find a writing partner with a wacko sense of humor who will work with me and will ... http://www.literaryprospector.com/lpblog/?p=11