When Was the Last Time You Told a Flap Writer You Loved Them?
Remember remember the 15th of .... January (note to self: doesn't rhyme).
The Flappies are due in to the Longstockings by 1/15/07, people. Flap copy on children's books gets little to no attention. I never look at flaps when I'm writing a review for fear of inadvertently copying some poor clever schlub's encapsulation of events (though I often go back after I've read the review to think, "ARGH! That was better!"). And do these schlub's get flap copy credit? They do not. It's a secret science that culls no attention and receives no praise. So grab some flaps, find your favs, and head on over to The Longstockings blog to give shout-outs where shout-outs are due to the flaps that won your heart in 2006.
posted by fusenumber8 @ 12:07 AM
7 Comments
7 Comments:
great idea, but it's not some poor shlub who writes the copy--it's the editor.
Whoops! You learn something new every day. Well some poor schlub of an editor then. Good call.
Sometimes it's not even the editor -- I was asked if I wanted to write the flap copy for both of my books and was happy to do so. (I actually needed to collaborate with a friend both times -- flap copy is TOUGH!)
Barry
Sometimes it's the editor, sometimes the editorial assistant, and yes, sometimes we ask if the author wants to chip in. All depends on the book, the audience, whether it warrants flaps in the book's voice (for me, only for YA books), who has time, etc. I agree, flap copy is tough, and occasionally the bane of my existence.
Which brings me back to The Flappies then. No matter who writes it, it's not fun. It deserves an award.
Is there some sort of booby prize for this sort of thing? My book group just read "Peace like a river" and there was a total spoiler on the flap copy of the hardcover edition. Made the book a poorer experience for the people who had a hardcover.
Ooooh. The Anti-Flappie. That'd be a prize in and of itself. Giving away secrets is a definite no-no and more common than we'd like. Hm. I'll propose it to The Longstockings as a follow-up.
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