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Sort of Comical
Somedays, Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada (film version) is my role model. (Also on the shortlist? Nancy Pearl.)
Part of it is Priestly has embraced her hair color in a way I have not.
But part of it is this quote, when she explains to Andi, the so-called main character of The Devil Wears Prada, the role the fashion industry plays in Andi’s life whether or not Andi knows it.
Here it is: “‘This… stuff’? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select… I don’t know… that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent… wasn’t it who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.”
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At this point in the movie, I knew Miranda was the real main character, the real lead. She embraces her passion, defends her profession, and owns it. Miranda has ambition and is proud of both her work and her career. When Andi acts as if there is no connection between “fashion” and what Andi wears, Miranda corrects her.
And yes…. I’m trying to figure out just how to rework it for books, especially all the steps that go into making a book that some people don’t realize. People may not realize the connection between all that goes on in connecting a book to a reader, but it’s still important and it still happens.
How’s this?
“‘This… stuff’? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to the bookstore or library or Amazon and you select… I don’t know… that mystery, for instance, and you don’t care who the publisher is or the agent or the editor, it just has a cover you’re attracted to and the blurb sounds good. And you think, oh, great, once the ebook revolution comes I can buy my books for ninety nine cents because the author will sell straight to the reader.
But what you don’t know is that that book started as work of literary fiction and the author was in writers group that suggested it was stronger as a mystery.
And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that the agent told the author to drop the backstory about the secondary character’s childhood in Indiana, and then knew which editors specialized in the cozy mystery that book had become and knew just what publishers to send it to.
And then it was bought, and the editor and author worked for months revising it page by page, and no, I’m not talking spelling and grammar. And then other people designed the book, and selected font, and created a book cover. Reviewers and buyers were sent advanced copies, and even though it wasn’t the final polished version, reviewers and bloggers wrote about it and librarians decided to carry it and booksellers bought it. And a bookseller who was reading the reviews and publishers catalog thought that people would like the book, and put it where you would find it.
That book represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the publishing industry when, in fact, you’re reading a book that was selected for by agents from a pile of slush and by editors from a pile of submissions.”
I know, it’s not quite right yet. And I’m clearly aiming at the Andis in the world, not at those who “get” this. Any suggestions for additions, changes, revisions?
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About Elizabeth Burns
Looking for a place to talk about young adult books? Pull up a chair, have a cup of tea, and let's chat. I am a New Jersey librarian. My opinions do not reflect those of my employer, SLJ, YALSA, or anyone else. On Twitter I'm @LizB; my email is lizzy.burns@gmail.com.
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