Read my story "Sunset Hill," in Lamoille Lamentations

Hey all. Check out my story Sunset Hill, currently in the May edition of Lamoille Lamentations. Read the whole issue! There are a lot of good writers inside, and I'm glad to be a part of it! And don't forget to vote for your favorite story.

Hey, Little, Brown & Company!

So it turns out your wonder girl teen author is a plagiarist. Kaavya Viswanathan, “author” of
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life was accused by Random House of plagiarizing the work of their YA novelist Megan McCafferty. I read the 27-page report written by RH that highlights 45 similar passages between McCafferty’s books and Viswanathan’s debut novel. It’s hard to believe this was a case of “unconscious” plagiarism as Viswanathan claims.

Little, Brown gave Viswanathan a two book deal worth $500,000. That's half a million, folks! Incredible. There are SO many talented writers hawking novels right now, trying to get agents, trying to get published (myself included; if you need other names, I can give you plenty). But LB couldn’t resist the marketing angle of a 17-year old writer! And female at that, in this trendy world of popular chick-lit. It was a can’t miss deal. But it’s gone oh, so wrong. Now the movie rights, which were sold to DreamWorks, are up in the air. Just give the film money to McCafferty. Make a film of her novel. Cut Kaavya Viswanathan out of the deal totally. She shouldn’t profit anymore from her plagiarism.

I have an offer for you, Little, Brown & Company. I have a very funny comedic novel titled Into the Sunset that I promise is all original, and not cribbed from another writer. I will give it to you for half of what you paid your teen sensation. $250,000. Call me.

Kudos For Kudrow!

Ellen Meister's soon-to-be-published, soon-to-be-bestseller Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA has scored the perfect reader for the audio book version: Lisa Kudrow! Good going, Ellen! Pub date on the novel is August 1.



Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA is a novel about three women who come together when Hollywood announces plans to shoot a movie in their children's schoolyard. Maddie Schein is an emotionally-needy ex-lawyer whose marriage is on the rocks. Brash Ruth Moss has it all except for one thing: her husband was left brain-damaged and sexually uninhibited from a stroke. Timid Lisa Slotnick wants nothing more than to fade into the scenery, but is thrust before the spotlight by her alcoholic mother, a singer whose career has failed.

"Serious literary fiction with a pop edge."

I guess I received a sort of backhanded compliment for my novel Into the Sunset. This is a rejection I received today from the small press Impetus:

Dear Me.(sic) Capone,

While your novel sounds interesting, Impetus doesn't publish mainstream
fiction--only serious literary fiction with a pop edge, that falls
in-between the mainstream and commercial presses.

All best,

Jennifer Banash

Publisher
Impetus Press

So, my work isn't "serious" or "literary," but it is mainstream. Woo-hoo! That's what I've been trying to tell everyone else who rejected it!

Rob Saunders just wants to feel safe, but the world is a dangerous place...

The Macmillan New Writing (MNW) project mentioned in my previous post launches their first wave of books by new writers on April 7th. Fellow Zoetroper Roger Morris is one of those first authors, with his novel "Taking Comfort." Click on the photo below to visit his website, or click on the link for his blog on my links list to find out more about this exciting publishing venture. Personally, I can't wait to read it!



Rob Saunders just wants to feel safe, but the world is a dangerous place.

What can you do to feel safe in a dangerous world? When Rob Saunders witnesses a young Japanese student commit suicide, he impulsively takes the folder she dropped as she threw herself under a tube train. He finds himself taking souvenirs from a series of tragic or threatening events, at the same time initiating an edgy affair with a work colleague. His behaviour becomes increasingly obsessive. The lines blur between witnessing, seeking out, and initiating tragedy. Things spiral out of control when he discovers a dead body while he's jogging in the woods. Stylistically bold, technically accomplished, this fast-paced pageturner explores the anxieties and survival strategies of a post-9/11 world.

Contemporary Press

I’ll be spotlighting small presses in the days/weeks to come (since nothing much news-wise is going on with my writing). I feel the small presses are the future of publishing, a compromise between POD and the large houses, who are just looking for the next Potter or DaVinci Code, or riding out whatever the current trend happens to be (currently memoir & chick lit). I’m not bashing the large houses; I understand that they are in the business to make money. If you owned a donut shop, you’d stock up on jelly donuts and glazed crullers, and keep away from the zucchini-filled ones.

But still.

There has to be a compromise, an alternative. Some men still do read. According to SmallPress.org it is estimated “that 7,000-plus new publishers come into being every year. A conservative estimate of the small independents across the country: 50,000.” And “Barnes and Noble notes that purchases from the top 10 publishers declined to 46% from the 74% figure it had been three years back. The shift has been to independents, small publishers and university presses.” So if you’re a writer you can get your work out there, then work hard to promote it and sell it. Unless you’re looking for a 6-figure deal and a chance of ditching your day job, the small presses are the way to go. Or, better yet, why not start your own?

The large houses seem to lack daring and leadership. The only one who seems to have a daring bone in their body is Macmillan New Writing, who are set to launch the first wave of titles by new authors this April. I wish them luck.

The first small press I want to spotlight is called Contemporary Press. They are based in Brooklyn, NY, and sport the catchy phrase “Fuck Literature!” on their website. From their site:

“Contemporary Press is many things. It's modern, yet classic. It's world-weary, yet particularly American in its outlook. Most of all, it's an attempt to bring books back to a point where you'd want to read them. And you know who you are.

“When did it become so damn difficult to find a book with a plot that isn't a memoir, isn't written from the perspective of an 18th-century waif and isn't festooned with footnotes that denote nothing but the post-modern cleverness of the author?”

Check them out, buy their books, and submit your work.

Total Quality Reading

The Winter issue of TQR - Total Quality Reading is now up live!

Go check it out and submit a story for their Spring issue. As a writer, you can follow the journey of your story from submission to either acceptance or rejection. Not for the thin-of-skin, because there is a messageboard where the editors hash it out. They argue the merits of the story, decide whether it is good enough to be sent up the ladder to the next editor, with eventual publication and a $50 pay day at stake.

Can you touch the Monkey?

Note: my story "In Bloom" went through the TQR gauntlet, got spanked, and eventually crapped out at the end. But I lived to submit another day.

Trattoria has been nominated!

My buddy Susan DiPlacido is on fire. Not only does she have a new novel on the bookshelves (Mutual Holdings), but her novel Trattoria has been nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award in the category of Best Small Press Romance! Good luck Susan!

Rejected By An Intern

"I've attached a short reader's report written by one of my interns."

I can take rejection, I really can. I can take criticism; in fact I want criticism. That is how your writing improves. My novel Into the Sunset has not only been read by people whose opinion I trust, but it has also been read by my former writing teacher, who gave me extensive notes on an early draft of the novel. I took this info and polished the book into a solid piece. I’ve worked damn hard to whip this thing into shape. Is it For Whom the Bell Tolls? Of course not. It is a comic novel with lots of sex (sex sells, don’t forget), toilet humor, and a unique, fun plot. It is a fast read. I always keep in mind one of Elmore Leonard’s ten rules—cut out the parts that readers tend to skip. I think it’s a page turner.

So it was disappointing when the latest agent—who requested a full manuscript—passed it off to an intern to read and comment on. Did the agent herself read it? I don’t know, but I did get the review of an intern probably fresh out of school who has probably never written or had a story published in his/her life. Some of the highlights: “...the author decided to add a few disturbing sexual encounters that I couldn’t quite accept.” Well, if you consider a thirty year-old man having sex with a sixty year-old woman disturbing, then yeah it was disturbing. Otherwise everything else was just normal sex, nothing freaky going on.

Here is another one: “The relationships he created in the story fall apart just as quickly as they were begun, and no one really learned anything.” This one made me laugh out loud. It is a comment straight out of a creative writing classroom. You know, the characters must learn something and be redeemed at the end. Tell it to Hannibal Lecter. Anyway, my characters do learn something about themselves at the end. So there.

Next stop on the Into the Sunset express? The Small Presses. See you in the bookstores.

This & That

The full manuscript for my novel Into the Sunset is still in the hands of an agent. Hopefully she’ll want to represent it, and my search will be over (I’ll post news as soon as I get it). Meanwhile, I submitted a short story of mine entitled In Bloom to an exciting and relatively new zine called TQR - Total Quality Reading. The concept of the website is that you can follow the journey of your story from submission to either acceptance or rejection. There is a messageboard where the editors hash it out, argue the merits of the story, decide whether it is good enough to be sent up to the editor at the next level, eventual publication, and a $50 pay day.

In Bloom caused a bit of a controversy, with one editor (LaFloor) showing strong support, and another (Guevara) thinking it was somewhat lacking, and should not proceed up the ladder. The gauntlet was thrown down, with a game of chess between the two to determine the fate of my story. The result? From TQR’s news page: “LaFloor won Dec 16th chess match due to Guevara's disqualification, meaning Don Capone's venture In Bloom continues its Cinderella run through the vetting hierarchy of TQR.” I’ll keep you updated as to its progress.

Lennon Lives!

Fuck MDC.

Susan DiPlacido's Mutual Holdings

My buddy Susan DiPlacido has yet another novel hitting the bookshelves this week. This one is called Mutual Holdings and it is another sexy, funny, romantic blast! I had the pleasure of reading a near-final draft and I have to say, now that Susan is a big successful author, living the high life and dating celebrities, drinking expensive wine and driving fancy cars (occasionally at the same time) she still hasn’t lost her edge. She might even be getting edgier! Get on board the DiPlacido wagon before the inevitable burnout and self-imposed seclusion. Here is the synopsis for Mutual Holdings:

A successful New York accountant, Lisa Russo is happily single. At thirty she has a growing career, a nice home, and her nights are rarely lonely. It doesn't hurt that her business partner and ex-flame, Tony Mancuso, is always nearby to offer advice, and more, whenever she desires it.

But Lisa's pleasantly structured life gets thrown into chaos when handsome and sophisticated businessman Gianni Loren hires her to reconcile some of his foreign holdings. Gianni, however, is quickly smitten with much more than just Lisa's business sense. As the vibes between them progress from savvy to sultry, he asks her to join him back in Italy as a permanent member of his company, and his life.

But Lisa is not sure she's willing to give up her thriving career at home to risk it all on this one enigmatic foreigner, especially now that Tony, suddenly faced with the possibility of a life without her, is turning up the heat to keep her in the business, and with him.

Order it now!
I should add, this is published by Magic Carpet Books, an imprint of B&N. So go to Barnes & Noble or their website to purchase Mutual Holdings!

Fingers Crossed Again

An agent asked for the FULL manuscript of my novel Into the Sunset. I mailed it out on Thurdsday. I'm allowing myself to be excited now for two reasons: 1) I met this agent in person (and she still asked for the MS!) and 2) I subbed the first chapter and a synopsis when I queried her, and she liked the writing enough to ask for more. (This is opposed to the prior agent who claimed to not like the writing.)

More soon...

Finding an agent is like...

...getting a new job. It’s all in who you know. I got my current job because someone I knew got me in. Then a year later I got another one of my friends into the company. That’s how it works. Sending a resume out to a job posting or classified ad will get you nowhere except into a big pile with other job seekers that have no chance because they don’t know anyone on the inside.

Same with finding an agent.

I mean, I’m not sending query letters out to every agent in the book. I’m actually still doing my research, trying to find the agents that would be a good fit for the novel I’m shopping. I spend a lot of time researching, finding out who the agents represent, what books they’ve sold, etc.

It’s getting me nowhere, fast.

Some assistant, or intern, is screening out these queries, deleting them before the agent can even lay eyes on it. Or just firing off the standard “not for us” rejection. There’s got to be a better way.

And just like with a job hunt, you need someone on the inside. Somebody to say “Take a look at this author.” Someone to get your email query out of the trash and onto the agent’s browser window.

I need a referral. Anyone?

Back to Business

I've posted another excerpt from my novel Into the Sunset on my PublishersMarketplace page. Check it out:
Donald Capone

Meanwhile, I'm continuing to work on the latest draft of my second novel, the Lennon one, Like I've Never Been Born.

Plagiarism or Coincidence?

I'm pissed and ready to puke. Seriously. The idea of my second book has been stolen. I sent out 13 query letters between 6/11/05 and 7/29/05 and mentioned the plot briefly on my Publishers Marketplace page since then. I am looking for a lawyer now and trying to determine if the writer of the film is in anyway connected to any of the agents I queried:

---------------------------
Lohan Imagines Lennon Flick

Thu Nov 03, 7:05 PM ET

Lindsay Lohan is eyeing some killer roles these days.

Just days after signing on to Bobby, Emilio Estevez's low-budget ensemble drama about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the erstwhile Mean Girl is now set to star opposite Jared Leto in Chapter 27, an indie film centering on the 1980 murder of John Lennon.

Lohan will play a devoted fan of the former Beatle who befriends Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman (Leto), shortly before the murder in New York 25 years ago.
________________________________
If you just change the word "befriends" in that last sentence to "encounters" it could be the tagline for my novel. I swear my idea was stolen. Last spring I sent out query letters for the book, and I summarize it on my Publishers Marketplace page. My idea has been out there to steal. The only difference is in my book she doesn't befriend the killer as much as try to avoid him because she thinks he's creepy. I have another great book with a funny plot that would be perfect for a book/movie if you want to steal it. It's called "Into the Sunset," but you can just use the idea and call it anything you want.

[EDIT-MORE RANTING]
I know there is a good possibility it is a coincidence.
But on the other hand, in 25 yrs nothing has been done on the subject, and it happens to be done the same time my query letters were floating around out there? WITH A 19-YR OLD DEVOTED LENNON FAN FEMALE CHARACTER WHO ENCOUNTERS CHAPMAN?!

[EDIT-YET MORE RANTING]
One more thing—my novel also gets into the head of Chapman (as the movie supposedly does), with 3 or 4 chapters from his POV as he prepares for the murder. But I never use that scumbag's name; I don't want to give him the satisfaction. My book is a loving tribute to Lennon, and how his loss effects my characters.

[I FOUND OUT MORE INFO]
From aintitcool.com:
"Variety reports that Lindsay Lohan (hoo-wwwhaaaaa???) and Jared Leto have been cast in the film. Leto will be playing Chapman, even though in real life Chapman was kind of a heavy geeky looking guy. Lohan is a Beatle fan that Chapman befriends the weekend he kills John Lennon. Newcomer Jarrett Schaeffer will write and direct the pic."

Random Excerpts

I've decided to post random excerpts from my novel Into the Sunset on my PublishersMarketplace page. I will update on a somewhat consistent basis. Check it out:
Donald Capone

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

November is National Novel Writing Month. If you are not familiar with this, it is a "fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30." That's right, write a novel in 30 days! Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo has written a great guidebook (shown above) to help you get through the month with your sanity (somewhat) intact— No Plot? No Problem! His notion of giving yourself a deadline is what really sticks out in my mind (and, basically, is the whole concept of the 30 day novel). 50K words in 30 days breaks down to approximately 1,600+K words a day. The book is very inspiring, and even if you choose not to participate in NaNoWriMo it will still give you the kick in the pants you might need to finally start that long put off novel you've always dreamt of writing. I cut it in third and wrote the 50K of my second book in 90 days—still fast. You just have to write every day and not give yourself any excuses. I was able to write 500-600 words a day and still get everything else I needed to do accomplished.

Click on the image of the book to visit NaNoWriMo's official website. You still have time to sign up!

Chick-Lit Meets Intellectual Porn

“Writing with a mind-blowing commitment to honesty, inducing multiple orgasms, even from Eunuchs.” With a promise like that, how can one resist reading further? Newcomer Laure Dixon is sure to make her mark on the literary world with her memoir THE EDGE OF PASSION.

“...Laure Dixon leads her readers on a series of authentic, sensual adventures across international time zones and through unfathomable sexual scenarios involving business moguls, government agents and married men. Her boundary pushing and chutzpah will lure male and female readers as she embraces humor amid some deeply sad, and at times frightening, real life drama.”

Laure is currently seeking an agent. If a beautiful young woman with a sexy memoir can’t land an agent, then there’s no hope for any of us writers!

Check out her blog to read the complete synopsis and an excerpt from THE EDGE OF PASSION:
Laure Dixon

Rejected!

I heard from the agent who had the first 100 pages of my manuscript. As you probably deduced from the title of this post, the news wasn't so good. Here is her response:

"Many thanks for sending Into the Sunset, but I'm sorry to say I didn't like the writing. 

"Please know that my strategy is to go with what I like, and my response to a manuscript isn't always a reflection of what publishers are looking for.

"Thanks again for giving me an opportunity to consider your work."

OK, so the line about not liking the writing threw me for a second. I've been exposed for the fraud that I am! Why did I ever think I could write in the first place?! But I have confidence in my writing. Maybe she didn't like the humor, or the first-person narration. Maybe it wasn't "literary" enough. It is what it is: a mainstream comedy with jokes about sex, the workplace, jealousy, sex, toilet paper, hemorrhoids, centaurs, spying, more sex. Hell, what's not to like? It's pop, it's funny, it's a quick read. I'd buy it if I saw it in a book store.

Time to send out some more query letters...