Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 14h

The duality of Monroe

Low-quality photo of my perfect tabby cat Monroe yawning, mouth wide open, tongue stuck out, teeth looking particularly sharp. She looks like a cuddly demon from hell

Close-up of Monroe cuddling with me in bed, resting her head on my outstretched arm, her paw stretched toward my face, eyes big and wide. She looks like the angel she is.

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 1d

Hi #DVpit! If I like your pitch, please query me with DVpit in the referral line and your pitch included at the top of your query letter. So excited for this—best of luck, everyone, and whatever happens, keep going! querytracker.net/query/3628

4 3 85

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Keanu_reevebooks @jamesgameboy.bsky.social · 3d

*prince voice* little moist towelette

9 58 340

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 3d

Oh how I wish I could share the conversations we’re having about it 😬

1

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 3d

Yikes! at the Publishing

2 4 25

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 8d

You should book me for a freelance edit. Authors and books I’ve edited have hit the bestseller lists and won major awards. I’ve worked in the book publishing industry for ten years. I’m a thorough, detail-oriented editor. Please check out my services and rates and get in touch! bookmarkobrien.com

4 7

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 5d

Bookstore cats deserve salaries, benefits, and unions

4 20 120

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Faefyx Collington @faefyx.bsky.social · 6d

The attack on trans rights in the planned appropriations bill is a canary in the coal mine for impending authoritarian rule, and not enough people are talking about it.
Read more in my column for @lgbtqnation.com.

LGBTQ Nation @lgbtqnation.com · 6d

Republicans made government funding all about trans rights. Democrats need to speak up too. - buff.ly/WUbBYOl

1 1

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 6d

Some of what I’d love to see more in my query inbox:

•Gorgeous prose with a strong hook
•Fun and funny books
•Queer romances with a sense of humor, even if they aren’t rom-coms
•Strange, boundary-pushing YA
•Accessible nonfiction with a strong platform

2

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 6d

Some of what I’ve noticed in my query inbox that I’m enjoying very much:

•Personalization (it’s not necessary, but I like knowing why you’re querying me)
•Weird, high-concept premises
•Queer and autistic authors
•Content warnings (you all are great at this—thank you!!!)

1 3

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 6d

Some of what I’ve noticed in my query inbox that’s a tough sell for me:

•Christian books
•Memoirs
•Anything involving cops or the military
•Mysteries and thrillers
•Anything over 100k words

1 1 4

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 6d

Walked into the bathroom and my cat was sitting on top of the back of the toilet

3

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 6d

The diva has arrived

My perfect tabby cat Monroe perched atop her cat tree, looking straight at the camera

1 10

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Emily C. Hughes @emilyhughes.bsky.social · 7d

no no the publishing industry is doing fine, why do you ask

A screenshot from Publisher's Lunch:
Jennifer L. Armentrout and Hellmann's
In a promotion designed for BookTok enjoyment, Jennifer L. Armentrout’s just-published THE PRIMAL OF BLOOD AND BONE is available in a special, limited-edition "garlic-scented copy, infused with Hellmann’s Garlic Aioli to create a one-of-a-kind, Craven-proof book." They explain: "This exclusive edition is printed with garlic-infused ink, designed to ward off Armentrout’s bloodthirsty monsters, the Craven. While humans may dread garlic breath, Hellmann’s has cleverly transformed this social faux pas into an unexpected – and delicious – form of supernatural protection."

48 450 1.8K

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 8d

A writer called me funny on Bluesky in their query letter the other day. I requested the full. Now, are those things related? No. But it’s nice to be appreciated and it made me smile.

12

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 8d

Haha, thanks! She’s precious

1 1

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 8d

You should book me for a freelance edit. Authors and books I’ve edited have hit the bestseller lists and won major awards. I’ve worked in the book publishing industry for ten years. I’m a thorough, detail-oriented editor. Please check out my services and rates and get in touch! bookmarkobrien.com

4 7

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 9d

I’d recommend waiting for my colleague’s decision first!

1 1

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 10d

My perfect tabby cat Monroe lying on my bed

1 8

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 10d

If your comp titles include H*rry P*tter in the year of our Lorde 2025, have you considered: any other book

3 43

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Faefyx Collington @faefyx.bsky.social · 10d

If you've just tested out life without the Disney+ subscription, there's some good reasons to consider keeping things that way. Bringing Kimmel back doesn't atone for what they've done.
Read more in my column for @lgbtqnation.com.

LGBTQ Nation @lgbtqnation.com · 11d

Don’t reup your Disney+ & Hulu subscriptions just yet - buff.ly/HqxSzBV

3 5

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Jay Edidin @edidin.bsky.social · 11d

there is no fear in America that informs policy so profoundly as the terror that we might accidentally afford someone human rights or dignity without first determining that they have earned those things; and, by extension, the idea that those things must be earned.

8 260 760

Reposted by Mark O’Brien

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · Jun 5

I continue to need money to afford to live, so: Please consider me for your freelance editing needs! I have ten years of book publishing work experience, I’ve edited many bestselling and award-winning books, and my rates are reasonable, if I do say so myself. bookmarkobrien.com

(book)Mark O'Brien

Freelance editor, literary agent, nerd

bookmarkobrien.com

2 5 18

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 11d

Life is about potato chips and yearning

1 7

Mark O’Brien @bookmarkobrien.bsky.social · 11d

I hit a career milestone I can’t talk about last week. I’ve been thinking about how I’ve wanted to be a literary agent since I first applied for an agency internship when I was fifteen years old. I’m twenty-eight now, making that kid’s dreams real.

1 29