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Brotherhood 2.0: May 18: How to Write a Book Proposal

2007-05-18 · John, Sarah Urist Green · watch on YouTube · Books & writing · advice recommendation

Leaving for the Netherlands to support the Dutch edition of his new novel, John insists he is still right about pronouncing Wikipedia, mocks the grammar of vandals on Hank's Wikipedia entry, and, with puppets, explains that a fiction book proposal needs a plot summary, a character list and sample chapters.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; John and the Yeti leave for the Netherlands to support his new novel, a trip postponed in March by orbital cellulitis

00:00:43 — Wikipedia pronunciation: John concedes the facts but still thinks he is right; recruits Sarah as a girl robot voice

  • ★★ John grants that Hank has fact-based evidence on how to pronounce Wikipedia but says he still thinks he is right, calling that 'the American way'. (playful) (hedged) — 00:00:43 · Wikipedia
  • ★★ John dismisses Hank's evidence as Wikipedia, 'a known fraudulent source', plus a girl robot voice, and has Sarah say Wikipedia his way in a robot voice. (playful) — 00:00:43 · Wikipedia, Sarah Urist Green

00:01:28 — Robot-voice 'checkmate'; vandalism of Hank's Wikipedia entry and its bad grammar; commenter asks for a proposal made with puppets

  • ★★ John tells Hank that his Wikipedia entry has been repeatedly vandalized, with edits calling him gay and other offensive claims John won't repeat. — 00:01:28 · Wikipedia
  • ★ Reading vandal sentences about the brothers and John's wife, John corrects their grammar: vandals should show reverence for the English language. (playful) — 00:01:58 · Wikipedia
  • ★★ Because a commenter asked for the fiction book proposal to be made with puppets, John explains it to Hank using puppets. (playful) — 00:01:58

00:02:44 — Puppet show (Mr. Argyle as editor Julie Strauss-Gabel, Ooby as John): how to write a fiction book proposal; sign-off; happy birthday Katherine

  • ★★★ Mr. Argyle, the puppet playing John's editor, says first novels very rarely sell on a proposal; they almost always need the finished manuscript. (playful) — 00:02:44
  • ★★ In the puppet scene, Ooby (playing John) says he had finished the manuscript of Looking for Alaska. (playful) — 00:02:44 · Looking for Alaska
  • ★★ Mr. Argyle, playing the editor, recalls asking John for a proposal for An Abundance of Katherines; Ooby says he didn't know what a proposal was. (playful) — 00:03:32 · An Abundance of Katherines
  • ★★★ John tells Hank a fiction book proposal basically needs a plot summary, a list of the characters and sample chapters showing what the book is about and how it will sound. — 00:03:32
  • ★ Asked whether he said happy birthday to Katherine, John wishes her a happy birthday before leaving for the airport. — 00:03:32 · Katherine Green

Humor (significant)

  • John admits Hank has the facts on pronouncing Wikipedia but insists he is still right. — 00:00:43 > «I may not have facts on my side, Hank, but I still think I'm right. That's the American way.»
  • John has Sarah say Wikipedia his way in a robot voice to match Hank's evidence. — 00:01:28 > «See? Girl robot voice saying Wikipedia. Checkmate.»
  • John reads an ungrammatical vandal edit calling the brothers gay and corrects its grammar. — 00:01:58 > «if you're gonna vandalize Wikipedia, you should do it with some reverence for the English language.»
  • The editor puppet recalls asking John for a proposal for his second novel. — 00:03:32 > «I don't know what a proposal is. I'm just a little Ooby.»

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