I’ve moved!

Update your bookmarks and RSS feeds, folks! I can now be found online at www.suzannegardner.ca (the .com has already been taken by an artist who also lives in Toronto, which brings the total to at least 3 Suzanne Gardner’s in the T.Dot when you include Suzanne Gardner Flowers). I’m still ironing out some tweaks in the new site and am working on adding portfolio pieces over the next week or so. But for now, the archives have moved over, my résumé is up, and there are more frequent bookish blog posts to come. Thanks for reading!

New literary agency for Canadian freelance writers questions rates and rights

Canada’s first literary agency for freelance writers, the Canadian Writers Group, launched today with a starting roster of 50 writers being represented. Since CWG founder Derek Finkle announced his idea to start the agency last fall, he has received hundreds of applications from freelance writers across the country. The agency has plans to represent more than 100 of those writers by the end of this year.

According to a press release issued today by Finkle, “the agency will negotiate terms on behalf of its writers [and] it will also act as a reliable resource for editors and commercial clients interested in finding suitable and proven writers.” The agency also aims to shift away from per word rates and will instead focus on the skill and experience of the writer, as well as take into account the time to complete the article and any required research.

Suzanne, the Book Blog Queen

This post isn’t exactly commentary on the publishing industry, but rather an update on my own role within it.

As of May 1st, I am now the editorial intern at Quill & Quire and will hold this position until the end of August. I’ve been kept quite busy so far by blogging (three posts today, one yesterday, and my first one on Friday) and writing some short round-ups of awards and bestsellers for the subscription-only section of their site, Q&Q Omni. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to write for the print magazine as well, and I have a few ideas of other new jobs to create for myself here which I will divulge more on as they happen.

Derek Weiler: 1968-2009

Derek Weiler, editor-in-chief of Quill & Quire, passed away yesterday. He was 40 years old and articles posted today cite that he passed away suddenly at his home in Toronto. Quill & Quire posted an announcement about his death on their website this morning, and articles have popped up all over the internet throughout the day. Two of the most heartfelt and well-written articles I’ve found are by Martin Levin (Books Editor at The Globe & Mail) and Steven W. Beattie (Review Editor at Quill & Quire).

Without a doubt, Derek’s death will be felt throughout the Canadian publishing industry. His work at Q&Q was phenomenal and so crucial to publishers and authors across the nation. He was an extremely talented writer and editor, and even more importantly he was an incredible person. Every word I’ve read about Derek today has been exceptionally positive, praising his kind and gentle manner along with his quick wit. I only got to meet Derek twice, but from those two short meetings alone I can agree that all these assertions are spot on.

Amazon receives major backlash as LGBT books unexpectedly removed from rankings

Update: Amazon has called this a “glitch in its sales ranking feature” and that there is “no new adult policy”. Read the full story at Publisher’s Weekly, but feel free to still be suspicious (as I am).

The Fail Whale: An Easter present for Amazon

The Twitterverse has been all a-flutter this fine Easter Sunday as Amazon has unexpectedly removed sales rankings, listings, and search functionality of books with themes relating to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues. The hashtag #amazonfail has been used in tweets to document this event and is currently the second highest trend on Twitter, following after “Happy Easter”.