Sunday, October 19, 2008

Who Is Editorial Anonymous?

Possibly the most amusing thing about this blog is the guesses I see about my identity.
And not to discourage the wild guessing, but I would like to just say:

My spelling and punctuation seems to have a British-English bent sometimes. Even so, I am not British.

I am not a man, though I'm curious about what makes some people think I might be.

I am not an agent. See the "Editorial" part at the top of this blog? Clue.

Whatever you may have heard, I am not Lisa Graff or Teen Wolf.


Thank you, that's all.

50 comments:

  1. How could anyone think you were a man?? *chuckles*

    But seriously, not teen wolf? Gosh darn it! I was SO sure.....

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  2. You're the butler and you "did it" in the atrium with a pair of chopsticks.

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  3. I was telling my husband about this blog, and I referred to you as female. My husband asked me how I knew that, and I couldn't tell him.

    But I'm glad to see I was right!

    If I were to make a wild guess, I would say you are a cat who belongs to an editor, and spends her nights typing blogs on the computer and terrorizing mice.

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  4. And here I thought you were Snoopy!

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  5. I'm guessing you're Canadian, and work for a publisher that isn't based in Toronto. That's been my hunch for quite some time, but it just wouldn't be fun if I ever knew for sure.

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  6. I know this sounds sexist, but I always figured a woman- not a man- would have a picture of a cute slush monster.

    Though, I'm sure there is always that one guy that loves cute slush monsters. I just don't know any of them.

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  7. You mean you might not be the Cookie Monster?

    I thought, well, you know, you like chocolate and you have this blue slush monster that might be your cousin...

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  8. I've never understood the burning need to know who is behind any of the anonymous blogs...three-quarters of the fun is playing along with the anonymous personality. Miss Snark would never have been as much fun if we'd known who she was, don't you think?

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  9. Damn it, somebody guessed. I'm Cookie Monster.

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  10. I've always figured you worked at S&S, because once upon a time you made a crack about Dora the Explorer 8x8s....

    and, unfortunately, as the mother of two young girls, I know WAYYY more than I'd like to abot Dora 8x8s...

    Except, I've always wondered-- is the Cristina Ricci who writes some of them the SAME as the former child star?

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  11. Ah, see, here's the danger-- the people who have read every post I've ever written and remember them.

    Must add more red herrings.

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  12. Terribly sorry, but why does it matter, if you have not posted an identity, who you are? You give great advice and insight, and you have a great sense of humor. In an editor, that's pretty amazing, if you ask me. Keep it up!

    As for mistaking you for a man...well...I never would have. You have a distinctly feminine way of speech and expression.

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  13. There's a website (whose address I've completely forgotten), but you can type in some text, and it will analyze the voice. It was quite fun. Probably completely sexist. But still fun....
    :-)
    *looking up male editors at S & S*

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  14. Yeah, the only problem is when EA makes comments about her house and submissions, they don't always match S&S's submission policies. =)

    So I'd go for USED to work for S and S, but quit, because she couldn't take one more day of Ghost-writing for Dora........

    "Map says we have to cross the troll bridge next! Can you find the troll bridge?" ARGH!!!!

    (My only consolation is that 8x8s are very shoddily constructed, and I've run otu of book tape, so they just HAVE to get tossed occasionally.....)

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  15. I think I actually do know who the agent Miss Snark is, her sentence structure, word choices, and texture of how she writes is obvious to me from another publishing blog ... but I was sad when I figured it out, because I really didn't want to know -- which is why I'm not going to tell anyone.

    I like mystery. My only concern -- and why I only post here as "anonymous" when I post -- is that you will eventually be my editor and then I'll have to worry about all the insiped posts I've made, and you'll think... THAT writer? I don't want to represent her, her posts are so whiny, incomplete, overbearing, boring (insert any other adjective...)

    Any one of us would love to have you as an editor, myself included. No one needs someone in their corner more than a writer, imo, and you do seem to be not just astute about the industry, but inclusive and encouraging. Pardon me for all that ass-kissing, but it's rough out there, this blog is safe.

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  16. I don't think you really have to worry about THAT, Anon... I'm guessing that whoever EA is, she has a good sense of humor.

    Otherwise, she wouldn't blog here in the FIRST place.

    (BTW, EA-- I like the way you posted just to START speculation again!)

    Also, I'd guess NOT canadian-- just someone who read too many British editions as a child....

    (I know I still can't STAND to see grey spelled 'gray'... it's so...ugly...)

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  17. I'm just always careful about posting on your blog because I can't help but assume you actually are my editor. The fact that you come right out and say you are NOT Lisa Graff is good because she works with him!

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  18. You're Chocolate Cookie Monster!

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  19. Aww darn, you blew all my theories out of the water! I was just sure you were a British agent who happened to be a man. Oh well, back to the drawing board!

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  20. OOOH! I just realized something...

    Jane Yolen occasionally comments on some of the blogs I read.

    She's never commented here.

    Jane Yolen is an editor.

    EA waxes eloquent on the special work authors do.

    Jane Yolen is ALSO an author....

    Jane Yolen is an American who lives in Britain and loves authorian lore so probably has picked up britishisms.....

    Ea is cool, and Jane Yolen is cool@!

    Therefore, EA is Jane Yolen....

    QED. We've totally found you out! =)

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  21. errr Arthurian lore.. sorry... got carried away by the strength of my psychosis! =)

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  22. Funny...I never would've thought you were Lisa Graff...that never occurred to me. I wonder what makes people think that?

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  23. It is more fun to keep you anon. I don't want to know. Even though I have my suspicions as to your identity... :)

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  24. Wow, wow. I just found your blog and am thrilled! Fabulous service you're providing for writers, a true taste of the "inner circle." Thank you! Now off to subscribe...

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  25. I wonder if anyone has ever hired a private detective to snoop out an editor's real identity? Not sure if that would work...hmm, but first I'd need lots of money. I guess your secret is safe for another year or so.

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  26. How do you say crustacean in french?

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  27. I imagine it is pretty fun to keep people guessing!

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  28. I assumed you were a woman just because there seem to be more women than men in the children's publishing field.

    But I don't want to know your identity. Don't give any more hints ... it's more fun not knowing.

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  29. French for crustacean? Wouldn't that be "Crustacean?" OR is it...

    Le Herring Rouge?

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  30. Ohhh but because you say you aren't Lisa Graff, that makes me think the possibility is very strong. . .

    Perhaps the lady doth protest too much

    ;-)

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  31. We know Evil Editor is a mechanic named Joe (or a woman from Argentina) and not an editor at all. I'm suspecting the same here. It's that lure of pretending to be an overworked, underpaid, underappreciated editor. Just pulls you in. I understand.

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  32. Now that you mention it, I did think you were a male considering how straightforward your blogs were, no beating around bushes. However, the cute paper eating dino does confirm that you are a female.

    Please do continue. I love reading your refreshingly astringent blogs.

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  33. how could you be teen wolf?!?! how could anyone even THINK that?!?! (since IM teen wolf, after all.)

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  34. I'm so glad to hear you're not me! I was really starting to wonder... :)

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  35. Are there red herrings among the books in your banner? If so, I can guess who you are pretending to be.

    P.S. My web verification is oohweb. So nice when it's actual words.

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  36. Jane Yolen here. Not me, either. I have enough trouble keeping up with my own journal!

    And I don't live in Britain. I live part time in Scotland. (Many Scots will tell you it is a separate nation that became part of Britain because of chicanery and historical happenstance.)

    No longer an editor either.

    Never been an agent.

    So, not me.

    Jane

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  37. Do you know Penelope?

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  38. I was fairly certain you were a woman, but I’m surprised to hear that you are not British.

    Hhmmm . . .

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  39. Cookie Monster? Kind of a deep voice you have there, lady. you might want to cut back to one pack a day. You'll make Tom Waites sound like Tiny Tim.

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  40. I know!

    You are "Joe Editor."

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  41. Hmmm...I automatically assumed you were a woman, North American for sure, likely Ontarian or from the Northeast of the States, though less sure on that. This is all from your vocabulary, of course. I also speak and write 'British' (apparently I have very English pauses) but am not, so I empathize with that.

    Guessing accurately is par for the course, so long as you're all part of the same culture, since we're subconsciously good at making suppositions about people from the tone of writing. I'd assume that you could guess with reasonable accuracy the gender of a writer of a childern's story, for instace. And that's the particular you, not general one.

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  42. Well, that's an American version of 'Permanent Rose' on the bookshelf, and I'm pretty sure Canada would have the British edition, wouldn't it? (Correct me if I'm wrong).

    I never thought you were British - a British childhood would have been full of Shirley Hughes and Very Hungry Caterpillers and Alan Albergh and similar. You make WAY too many references to Dr Seuss and Goodnight Moon to have grown up in Britain. Unless you had American family.

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  43. You're Allyn Johnston.

    Now, who am I?

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  44. You are a cute little squirrel with an adoring grandma and some sort of not very interesting phobia which, through the power of grandmotherly love and belief in yourself, you're gradually getting over.

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  45. Well, I know you aren't me!

    word verification!: d i alibi

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