Randomly...

• 2008 CWIM: I'm officially starting work on the 2008 edition of CWIM today. Not the articles and interviews part (also known as the fun part)--those are pretty much all assigned and underway. Today I begin contacting publishers, magazines, agents, etc., to verify and update their information. I know what you're thinking: Awfully early for the 2008 edition. Well, today I send the first bunch of emails. There will be many, many more. There will also be faxing, phone calls, and even good old snail mail. It's a process. It's the part of the year when I feel like 80% of my job is following up. I consider myself a pretty good follow-up-er.
• Publishers Marketplace: Do any of you subscribe to Publishers Marketplace? We've got a subscription here at the office and it's exciting to click around in it. They have a database of who represents whom as well as a list of recent deals including the names of editors and agents. (You can get a smaller version of their recent deals list by subscribing to Publishers Lunch.) Today I was excited to read about recent book deals by two authors who have been included in past CWIM First Books features, Marlene Perez (who is represented by the agent who won the MediaBistro Hottie's in Publishing vote) and Debra Garfinkle--both for books in series that sounds so much fun. (Psychic powers! Magical rubber chickens!)
• Me Reading Update: My Five-Pronged Plan to Read Way More Than I Do has been going OK but not great. Ohhh--I'll be honest. It's hit a rough spot called The New TV Season. Why oh why am I still watching One Tree Hill? Why Does Veronica Mars have to be so good? Why Am I so happy Lorelai Gilmore is finally getting together with Rory's dad? (Why are all these shows on The CW?) I think I need a sixth prong: Afternoon reading time at the office.