Depending on who you’re talking to, Writing is either art or commerce (usually a little of both), and it’s the commerce half that gets goosed in the Season 23, Episode 6 of The Simpsons — a beautiful sendup of young adult book mills (you can watch it here on Hulu).
The Simpsons send up YA book mills (click image to view on Hulu)
According to this Tor.com post, the episode was inspired in part by a 2009 New Yorker article covering Alloy — a young adult book/TV in New York. (You’ll need subscriber access to read the whole article… you do subscribe, don’t you? Don’t You?)
The episode highlights author Neil Gaiman (well, his cartoon doppelganger), and features Homer and Bart forming a team to write and package a book series.
Intertwined is a send up of Oceans Eleven and yes, Andy Garcia appears (again, sorta), and this was funny and fast moving and worth a couple minutes of your time — especially if you’re of a sort that likes wax about the sanctity of the published word.
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
p.s. — According to this Walter Jon Williams article, the contemporary YA book mill is alive and well, and apparently happy to have you work for $250 a book…
Great episode indeed!
Even non-fans of the series could enjoy this episode of “The Simpsons.” It has a completely different feel to it, having to fit its being styled as a classic con movie.
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Michael Louis Weissman(Quote) (Reply)
I haven’t watched the Simpsons in years (who has time for much TV), but I agree, this was a sharp episode, with lots of funny asides for writers (Lisa’s 2000 words a day quote was clearly aimed at NaMoWr…whatever).
TC(Quote) (Reply)
There are a couple of key moments in the episode which also reinforce that innovation is a team sport. A great episode. Thanks for spotting it.
Peter Thomson(Quote) (Reply)
My takeaway was that there isn’t much innovation in YA fiction, but different strokes…
TC(Quote) (Reply)