Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Welcome to Vent Club

I've created a new blog called The Anonymous Publishing Vent Club. Here's the low down:

You're a writer. Or an editor. Or an agent. Or a publicist. Or a bookseller. Or someone who works in the publishing industry in some capacity.

And you're angry about something. You've been wronged, lied to, gotten a bad deal, had to put up with some unbelievable bullshit, dealt with a real brain donor, or have experienced something unfair or ridiculous.

You need to vent. But you can't complain about it, because you don't want to get fired, or have your contract cancelled, or you believe it could come back to haunt you, or you think that your peers will hate you, or you're worried that it will hurt your career.

This blog is for you.

Here you can vent, rant, and rage against injustice, and do it anonymously. There's no way to find out who you are, no way for your diatribe to come back and bite you in the butt.

Curious? Interested? Can't wait to try it?

Here are the rules:

1. Vent Club is anonymous, even from JA Konrath, its creator. NO REAL PEOPLE/PLACES/COMPANIES SHALL BE NAMED! Use Publisher X, Author X, Bookstore X, etc. when telling your story. Keep the specifics (dates, places, details) vague. Vent Club is not about pointing fingers and/or punishing those who have wronged you. Vent Club is about anonymous venting.

2. If you want to post on Vent Club, create a free, anonymous email account at http://www.hotmail.com. Then send an email to JA Konrath at haknort@comcast.net through that account with "I WANT TO POST ON VENT CLUB" in the heading.

DO NOT tell JA who you are, or anything specific about you, even if you know Joe and like Joe. KEEP IT ANONYMOUS! But in your email you must mention what type of publishing person you are (agent editor, writer, bookseller, publicist, etc) along a few sentences about what you want to use Vent Club for.

If you are accepted, JA will send you the username and password to post your words on Vent Club.

3. NO changing passwords, changing other people's posts, or deleting comments. The password will be changed by JA after every post, and he alone has the right to delete inappropriate content. Respect Vent Club, for it respects you.

4. NO swearing, trolling, or flaming. We work in the publishing industry. We're more creative than that.

5. If you post on Vent Club, keep your mouth shut. NEVER tell anyone you posted here, and never take credit for a post. If asked, deny your involvement. Vent Club isn't about marketing yourself, or gaining fame or notoriety.

6. Comments on posts are encouraged. These can be signed using your real name. But there will be NO speculation or guessing who the posts belong to, or who they are talking about. If you try to match names with events, YOU WILL BE BANNED FROM VENT CLUB.

Vent Club is located at http://ventclub.blogspot.com. Bookmark it. Add it to your RSS feed. Link to it. And spread the word. I have a feeling this could get interesting...

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

The fifth rule of Vent Club is you do not talk about Vent Club...

Anonymous said...

I will anonymously suggest you reformat that blog because that font is so light I can barely read it - and I'm on a 24" Samsung flat panel.

JA Konrath said...

Anon--I just changed the template.

Anonymous said...

Joe, have you given any consideration as to whether Vent Cub may turn out to be Libel Club? What if the person or entity which is the target of the vent is specifically named and the vent is not true?

JA Konrath said...

By hosting Vent Club, I'm a common carrier, not a content provider. Could you sue Google because your son found a link to making bombs?

Besides, the rules of Vent Club state no one will be named. If I see someone named, I'll change the post.

Jude Hardin said...

Great idea, Joe. I'm looking forward to gaining some insights into the publishing biz. Hope it's a big hit.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! I just think this is an awesome blog. JA, I hope you don't mind but I've linked your blog from mine (I don't think you would, but I like to inform people of my actions . . . well not ALL my actions . . . )

Anonymous said...

Okay...as long as it doesn't interfere with your work here, she said, wagging her finger.

I sigh whenever there's no post to read on this site (because you're WRITING or some such thing). I even re-read the previous day's post. It's my version of "Groundhog Day."

JA Konrath said...

And we have our first Vent Club post...

Anonymous said...

Excellent idea, although I've just been riled enough to do this publicly on my own blog anyway - names removed to protect the guilty but otherwise I simply couldn't sit still under one particular editor's behaviour and I don't want another ulcer, so I vented ...

s.w. vaughn said...

Ooooh, Vent Club! Sounds like a total blast.

And OT: I just ordered my very own Whiskey Sour. Sorry I couldn't make it through the bookstore, but my car's broke down and I have Amazon Prime. Drooool.

Missed the cutoff time to get it on Friday though (drat, wanted to read it this weekend). But it shall arrive Monday. Woot!