Comments on: Interviews, schminterviews http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/ The News Blog of Comics Culture Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:55:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: brian h. http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-928707 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:15:07 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-928707 honestly, tom, i completely understand the complaint. i had debated how to post things when i first started my site, and it really came down to a lack of time on my part. between my "real" job, my freelancing, and the site, breaking up interviews made the most sense at the beginning. since then, i've had largely positive feedback about the formatting, though, since you've stirred the proverbial camel slop, a few folks have mentioned to me that they're in agreement with you. while, as long as my site continues to be something that i attend to in my "free" time, i will likely continue to serialize interviews, i can definitely come up with a better way of tying said parts together, once they're all up, and in that respect, it's a point well taken. now, if you don't mind, i need to weather the blizzard outside for a nice, smooth pack of pall malls. honestly, tom, i completely understand the complaint. i had debated how to post things when i first started my site, and it really came down to a lack of time on my part. between my “real” job, my freelancing, and the site, breaking up interviews made the most sense at the beginning.

since then, i’ve had largely positive feedback about the formatting, though, since you’ve stirred the proverbial camel slop, a few folks have mentioned to me that they’re in agreement with you.

while, as long as my site continues to be something that i attend to in my “free” time, i will likely continue to serialize interviews, i can definitely come up with a better way of tying said parts together, once they’re all up, and in that respect, it’s a point well taken.

now, if you don’t mind, i need to weather the blizzard outside for a nice, smooth pack of pall malls.

]]> by: Tom Spurgeon http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-928151 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:11:59 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-928151 No, it's more like a television show where they still make the stars do a brief scene where they talk about how great it is to be smoking Pall Mall cigarettes. No, it’s more like a television show where they still make the stars do a brief scene where they talk about how great it is to be smoking Pall Mall cigarettes.

]]> by: Paul O'Brien http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-927892 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:19:59 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-927892 "I'm convinced that in 90% of cases it's just stat pumping." Well, yes. And? Isn't that a bit like saying "On free-to-air television, they break up the programmes with adverts. What's that all about?" “I’m convinced that in 90% of cases it’s just stat pumping.”

Well, yes. And?

Isn’t that a bit like saying “On free-to-air television, they break up the programmes with adverts. What’s that all about?”

]]> by: Tom Spurgeon http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-926134 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 01:01:49 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-926134 Yeah I guess it's just stylistic difference. My own interviews are supposedly the highlights of my site (my vote for site highlight is photos of me), and they're usually 4500-6000 words. But then again I have the luxury of not giving a shit if anyone reads them. As for the process issues, I would imagine you could copyedit a little every day and then post the interview when you're done, but I guess that's crazy talk. Or you could do multiple pages like other sites do. I'm not passing a nerd law or anything, I don't expect anyone to do it differently. I break stuff up every now and then, too. The reason I posted wasn't to show scorn so much as to let the people know who write in and say, "Why didn't you link to my article" why I don't link to their article. Yeah I guess it’s just stylistic difference. My own interviews are supposedly the highlights of my site (my vote for site highlight is photos of me), and they’re usually 4500-6000 words. But then again I have the luxury of not giving a shit if anyone reads them. As for the process issues, I would imagine you could copyedit a little every day and then post the interview when you’re done, but I guess that’s crazy talk. Or you could do multiple pages like other sites do.

I’m not passing a nerd law or anything, I don’t expect anyone to do it differently. I break stuff up every now and then, too. The reason I posted wasn’t to show scorn so much as to let the people know who write in and say, “Why didn’t you link to my article” why I don’t link to their article.

]]> by: The Beat http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-926008 Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:09:33 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-926008 Actually I think 1500 words is about the limit for a normal interview in the fast paced blog format. All of the pieces in the above links are about that length (not counting prose intros) except the Comixology profile, which was about 500-600 words, and the CBR Boom piece which was about 1200 words. Your own Steven-Charles Jaffe interview today is about 1100 words. I dunno about anyone else but editing and writing anything longer than that gives me a HUGE headache on daily deadlines. I just looked up an old Peter Bagge interview I did for Comicon, and it was 7000 words!!! I'm sure I broke that up into 2 3500 word parts. At PWCW it's not fair to our copyeditors to dump giant pieces on them with our short deadlines, so we have to keep everything within a certain framework. Anyway, no right or wrong, I suspect, just stylistic differences. I think you're right to not link to these multi-parters if that's something your readers dislike. Actually I think 1500 words is about the limit for a normal interview in the fast paced blog format. All of the pieces in the above links are about that length (not counting prose intros) except the Comixology profile, which was about 500-600 words, and the CBR Boom piece which was about 1200 words. Your own Steven-Charles Jaffe interview today is about 1100 words.

I dunno about anyone else but editing and writing anything longer than that gives me a HUGE headache on daily deadlines. I just looked up an old Peter Bagge interview I did for Comicon, and it was 7000 words!!! I’m sure I broke that up into 2 3500 word parts.

At PWCW it’s not fair to our copyeditors to dump giant pieces on them with our short deadlines, so we have to keep everything within a certain framework.

Anyway, no right or wrong, I suspect, just stylistic differences. I think you’re right to not link to these multi-parters if that’s something your readers dislike.

]]> by: Tom Spurgeon http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925935 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:34:08 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925935 Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way. I know how rare it is in comics for people to complain about anything, and when they do it's always about something important, so I'm glad you pointed it out. Basically, it just occurred to me after the latest e-mails that I wouldn't want to read interviews spread across three days for no particular reason if it weren't my job, either. I've been able to handle 1500 words all at once instead of in three 500 word segments with a day's rest in between since I was eight or so. And the Internet has been able to handle such documents since 1998. I have like 12 readers and none of them use my links so it's not a big deal. Yeah, I guess you could look at it that way. I know how rare it is in comics for people to complain about anything, and when they do it’s always about something important, so I’m glad you pointed it out.

Basically, it just occurred to me after the latest e-mails that I wouldn’t want to read interviews spread across three days for no particular reason if it weren’t my job, either. I’ve been able to handle 1500 words all at once instead of in three 500 word segments with a day’s rest in between since I was eight or so. And the Internet has been able to handle such documents since 1998.

I have like 12 readers and none of them use my links so it’s not a big deal.

]]> by: The Beat http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925879 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:18:01 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925879 Crochety! Crochety!

]]> by: Tom Spurgeon http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925860 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:09:34 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925860 I swear, it's the #1 complaint I get, by a factor of about 4 or 5 to 1. I swear, it’s the #1 complaint I get, by a factor of about 4 or 5 to 1.

]]> by: Christopher Z. http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925639 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:54:09 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925639 Elephants never forget and camels always pay attention is what my mama always used to say. Elephants never forget and camels always pay attention is what my mama always used to say.

]]> by: Jonathan http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925502 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:58:25 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925502 Do camels have large or short attention spans? I think I can gleam this from context, but I've never heard of such a saying, and certainly don't know much about camel's attention spans in general. Do camels have large or short attention spans? I think I can gleam this from context, but I’ve never heard of such a saying, and certainly don’t know much about camel’s attention spans in general.

]]> by: brian h. http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925474 Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:41:21 +0000 http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/2008/02/21/interviews-schminterviews/#comment-925474 i couldn't help but take that comics reporter story personally. i'm thinking of sending a strongly worded multi-part letter. i couldn’t help but take that comics reporter story personally. i’m thinking of sending a strongly worded multi-part letter.

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