Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Questions

A full roundup of random publishing questions today...

Andrea wrote to say, "An author recently gave me a copy of her book to review. I wasn't very impressed with the writing or the story, but I felt indebted to write a fairly positive review (since she gave me a complimentary copy). What is my obligation in this situation?"

Eeek. I hate that situation. Been there many times myself, and I always felt like a weenie when I didn't tell the truth. Besides, none of us like reading a glowing endorsement of a book, only to buy the book and feel ripped off by a reviewer who clearly either (a) lied, or (b) didn't read the book, or (c) can't read. It's frustrating. So my advice is lifted entirely from my Grandmother: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

There's a limit to this advice, of course. If you're hired to do a review, just close your eyes and tell the truth. But in a case like you're describing, where you've been given a copy by someone who probably thinks of you as a friend, it is sometimes best to write back and politely say, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to do a review on this book after all. I wish you the best."

Tanya wrote to ask about titles: "I understand publishers have the last word on titles -- how often do they change an author's proposed title? And if they're going to change it anyway, how important is the title we suggest?"

The proposed title coming from the author is always given weight by a publishing or titling committee. In fact, the publisher will sometimes bend over backwards to be polite to an author offering up a lousy title. (My pick for one of the all-time bad CBA titles: "Heism Vs Meism," a book by Michael Yousseff with Harvest House. Michael is great. Harvest House is wonderful. The book isn't bad at all. But that title really sucks. When I saw it, I didn't even know how to pronounce it.) That said, I've seen both sides come up with clunkers. Sometimes an author will get stuck on a totally unsalable title and be completely unreasonable about it (let's face it, if you don't have a background in marketing, you may want to give up on that title everyon is telling you is awful). At other times, the publisher will push for a title that doesn't fit a book (they'll claim to be basing it on market research, but it usually is because nobody has come up with a title that really captures the book). The bottom line? Nobody -- not author, not publisher -- has a sure-fire method for creating dynamite titles. And nobody wants to publish a title the author hates. So create some good titles, offer some alternatives, and keep the lines of dialogue open.

Ryan wanted to know, "If my book is published with a small house, what are the chances it will get into Target or Wal-Mart? Do those companies only buy books from big publishers?"

Wal-Mart and Target use book buyers to select the books they sell. The larger companies have full-time sales staff dedicated just to those accounts (for example, Grand Central has a couple sales people who do nothing but sell to Wal-Mart). That exclusivity, and the size of their lists, gives them a big advantage. They have a lot of products to show the buyers, they're talking all the time, and they've worked to understand what the seller does best. That said, you never know what a Wal-Mart will buy. They like high-concept books that meet the felt needs of blue collar people, so if you're doing something like that, you stand a chance. And yes, they'll look at it, assuming your publisher has a sales rep who gets in front of them.

Steve wrote to say, "I have a degree in teaching from a Christian university, and I've taken classes in the Professional Writing Program at Taylor University... but I feel stuck between two careers. What do I do?"

If you're trying to make it as a writer, you've got an uphill climb. But so does everybody who wants to make a living in the arts. Look -- I'm a pretty good ballroom dancer. (Really. Publishers love it when I come to their publishing balls, since there will be 300 authors and 6 guys who know how to dance.) I've had lessons for years, and if you saw me on the floor you'd think I was head and shoulders above most beginners. But I realize there's a huge gap between being pretty good at the local dance club and asking people to pay $20 to come watch me dance in a show. My son is a good guitar player, but there's quite a leap from playing in the worship band at church and asking people to plunk down $18 for his latest CD. So just because someone is a pretty fair writer doesn't mean he can expect a reader to pay them $21 for their latest novel. There's a gap between amateurs and professionals. It's tough to make it in any art.

Therefore, what do you do? You work at it. Get better. Study the craft. Take classes. Join a critique group. Locate a writing mentor. Pay a professional editor to review your work. Sit your butt in a chair and write a lot. Most novelists don't get their first book published -- they write several novels before hitting on a story that's salable. I've been teaching a couple writing courses in Taylor's excellent Professional Writing Program (thanks for the plug!), and I'm surprised to find so few older or non-traditional students. Most everyone in my classes is in the 18-to-22 year range -- which is fine, since I love the students, and enjoy teaching them, but I'd love to see more returning students who are trying to move forward in their careers. (By the way, the program is expanding to include online courses. And the guy in charge, Dr. Dennis Hensley, is currently teaching at a bunch of the American Christian Writers conferences around the country. If you're interested in the program, you should email him. I don't know of anything quite like it in Christian college circles.)

Oh... man... Just as I wrote those words, an email popped up onto my screen. Speaking of Christian colleges, one of the giants has passed. Dr. Clyde Cook, the longtime president of Biola University, has died. What a loss for the school, for the church at large, and for all believers. The guy was wonderful. A great sense of humor, an encouragement to those around him, and a real leader at one of America's best colleges. Geez. I'm heartbroken. Clyde was one of my biggest supporters. He always called me on my birthday to check in. He always made a point of seeing me when he was in Portland. He always remembered to ask about Patti. I was just at Biola last week, speaking to some student writers, and missed him (he was in Houston, speaking to people and, no doubt, making them laugh). Shoot. If you didn't know Clyde Cook, you missed one of the really good guys in the faith. The world is a lesser place today.

So long, Clyde. See you again sometime.

Comments

[Kristi Holl]

Thanks for the helpful suggestion for when you're asked to review a book for a friend that you don't think is very well written. Your grandma must be related to mine. 8-)
www.writers-first-aid.blogspot.com

[Pam Halter]

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.

[Thankee]

Chip,
Thankee fer still doin' yer blog. It's a huge comfort to see a familiar face, ermmm...blog :-)

Stevie Rey

[Julie @ Word Chicks]

I'm so sorry about Clyde, Chip. A friend of mine is actually flying out to Biola on Thursday to visit her son at the college.

Thanks for the info on the Professional Writing Program, which sounds enticing.

By the way, your post title cracked me up.

[J. Jones]

Speaking of titles, love your blog title today.

[J. Jones]

Speaking of titles, love your blog title today.

[Sharon A. Lavy]

BTY when is your birthday?

[Rob Sargeant]

Chip,

I hear Norwegian cruise lines are looking for ballroom dancers. Paying big bucks too $$$, plus tips. See the world. Exotic locals.

[DeeDee]

Condolences on your friend, Chip.

Great book review advice. I'm a reviewer so I take two positions, depending on how I feel at the time a book review is requested by a friend.

A. Do you want your review published? If so, go through these channels:

1. Contact the magazines I review for(usually RT or Mosaic Literary, sometimes Spirit Led Woman.) or,
2. Complete my book review request form for Christian Fiction Blog.

why? Because 9/10 my mags I write for won't allow me to review a friend's book. if that does become the case, then the author knows that i have to give the review full weight just like any other. my book review request form for my blog has clear statements on what my review will include. Also it buttresses my belief that i'm obligated to my readers to tell them the truth about the book. so if they say yes, i'm clear that it's a business arrangement.

2. If they don't want it published, which I don't why they would want that. But I do get asked to review it for amazon or for endorsements then if the book isn't good I do what you suggest. I come back to the author, then tell them. Not a fan of endorsements, though...

I would also suggest to Andrea to take the position not to review friends or family members books. Reviewing books won't help you get a book contract. Reviewing is simply what it is. I've saved many friendships passing on reviewing their books. That's another reason why the book review request form works. I have a few subscribers at my blog who will review books I pass on for the blog, so the author still gets the publicity. However, whatever review they get is what they get.

I appreciate your impersonation of the Statue of Liberty. :)

[Keri Wyatt Kent]

Sharon and anyone else who is wondering,
Chip will finally turn 29 this May 11 so be sure to stop by and wish him a happy birthday next month!!!
great stuff on endorsements. I've sometimes said yes to endorsements thinking it would "get my name out there" but that usually turns around to bite you.
I now say: have your publisher send it and I will consider it. that way if I say no i can send my kind "thanks but no thanks" note to the publisher, not the author! Also, um, complimentary copies are usually ones given to the author for free, so don't feel like you owe anyone anything for a free review copy!!