Chip MacGregor .com

From the Grab-bag of Questions

Okay, here's how this blog works: You send in questions, and I try to bring some wisdom to bear on the issue at hand. All the questions I use on this blog are actual questions readers have sent in (though I do tend to change the names so that nobody can tie a question back to a particular person). Normally I save them up and try to cover several questions on a particular topic. But sometimes (like today), it's just a grab-bag of whatever is in the in-box. So here goes...

Dale asked, "I'm trying to write a story that's true, but change the names and places of the events. I've had dramatic, criminal-headline-grabbing events in my family, but I keep going back and forth between creative nonfiction and a novel based on facts. What's the difference? Which is better?"

First, neither is "better." They're just very different. A nonfiction true crime book will garner a much different audience than a well-done novel that is loosely based on actual events. Fiction, in my humble opinion, is harder to do well. But both need to offer great storytelling. 

Second, you have to be very careful in terms of the legal issues with both forms. If you do a true crime book and name names, you'd better make sure the bad things said about people are a matter of public record. If you do a novel based on an actual crime, you've got to change names and events enough so that a reasonable person cannot tell who the characters represent. 

Third, the best way to tell the story will probably become clear as you begin to write it. Creating fiction allows us to clean up loose ends and make the ending neater and more redemptive -- something that is harder to come by in real life. As you work on the project, you'll probably find yourself either being compelled to reveal the true story, OR to fabricate your own story that relies more or less on the events of your life. 

Josh wrote this: "How do you feel about MFA programs? I've heard the University of Iowa has a good program, but I wonder if these are actually beneficial to working writers."

We Scottish people have a saying: Time spent sharpening the tool is rarely wasted. I'm a huge fan of MFA programs. Most undergrad writing programs spend very little time actually getting students to write. Or they're focused on obscure literature (or a professor's favorite research topic) so that the writing is academic but not usable in the real world. But most MFA programs are designed t help adults sharpening their writing so that they can create good work that is salable. You'll spend the majority of your time actually writing, and hopefully learning from those who are a bit further down the path and therefore have some wisdom to share. 

The University of Iowa has a well-known program, but there are more than 100 MFA writing programs around the country. Several are very strong. Here's how you evaluate them: Look at the faculty and alumni of the program. If the faculty are publishing the sort of material you find valuable, you'll no doubt enjoy learning from them. If the alumni are getting published and producing the sort of work you value, then you'd probably appreciate what you would be studying. If you're a CBA writer, Seattle Pacific University has started a fine program. I'm an Oregon Duck, and I know the University of Oregon has a good MFA program. There are good ones across the country; many with low residency requirements. It's a great way to stretch yourself and learn new skills from experienced instructors. 

David wrote to ask, "What's the best length for a YA novel? It seems like young people don't want to sit and read a huge 400-page book (face it -- I'm in school, and most kids think it's a sin for an 8th grader to read more than 20 minutes a day)."

There are two schools of thought... Some people like shorter YA novels (ranging from 25,000 to 45,000 words) that can be read quickly. Others, no doubt influenced by J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer, like to see the giant tome (80,000 to 110,000 words). So take a look at the story you want to tell... Is it best told in a fast-paced, shorter version? Or do you need those 400 pages to work through the entire saga? Both take considerable skill to keep a 14-year-old reading. And, of course, most 8th graders are uneducated twits. That's why they're still in school -- so they can learn the value of words and books. Don't let the twits shape you, David. We're shaped by the people we hang out with, so hanging out with wise writers might be a good direction for the long term. 

Frank asked, "Can you tell me what genres are hot right now (and what genres are not)?"

This is always changing, of course, so by the time you read my answer, this could very well be out of date. But right now the hottest genres seem to be romance, historical romance, paranormal and supra-normal stuff (vampires and the like), Amish books, some romantic suspense, edgy sexual crud, and, on the nonfiction side, self-help books, spirituality (especially books that call on people to do something big), pets, and going green. I think memoir is doing well in the general market. 

What's not hot: gift books, westerns (though that could change), men's fiction, books from pastors, books from minor celebrities, and anything expensive. There are others... help me out here. 

Dane noted, "I just heard an agent say she sold a book in a genre that isn't very popular right now. She noted it was a lot of work to land a deal... and that made me wonder: How successful will a book be in that sort of situation?"

That's an interesting question, but there's no way to answer it. No publisher contracts a book unless they think, at the time, they can sell adequate numbers of copies to make money. But if a genre is trending down, then yes, it can be an uphill climb to try and make a book in that genre become successful. 

Jerry said, "You've noted before that humor isn't selling all that well these days in CBA circles. Can you give us some examples of humor writers who ARE selling well, or who you really admire?" 

Sure... Mark Twain is a favorite humor writer of mine. His writings on religion are as funny now as when he created them. (If you're interested, check out The Bible and Mark Twain by McCullough and Baetzhold.) Also Dave Barry, who did a Pulitzer-winning column for years, then moved to very funny crime novels, and now is doing children's books. He's a Presbyterian minister's son, by the way. Garrison Keillor, who has great takes on religion in America's heartland, even if his more recent stuff is more acerbic and less insightful than his earlier work. Todd & Jedd Hafer -- read their Snickers from the Front Pew and Mischief from the Back Pew. Becky Freeman Johnson is a hoot. So is Charles Marshall. Dave Meurer, a very funny (and under-read) family storyteller. Phil Callaway is a fine writer, though I find he too often pulls his punches to make a point, instead of just letting his humor work. There are a handful of others who have done very funny pieces -- Julie Barnhill and Anita Renfroe come to mind. 

I represent two authors with humor books coming out next year -- Jon Acuff, who has created the incredibly popular blog www.stuffchristianslike.blogspot.com , and Chad Gibbs, a member of the Burnside Writers Collective who makes me laugh out loud. Oh, and if you haven't read Patricia Klein's Growing Up Born Again or Joel Fitzpatrick's A Field Guide to Evangelicals, you've missed two great Christian humor books. 

Got a publishing question? Send it to me and we'll try to get you an answer. 

Happy First-Book-Deal Anniversary to Me (Sandra)

'Twas a year ago this coming week that I did my first book deal as an agent. I've learned A LOT since then. Here are a few things that come to mind ...

At first, nearly every project I looked at had potential. Now, generally, I recognize potential for what it is -- something which requires an investment of time. And time, like never before, looks like a precious resource I have only so much of to invest.

A year ago, digging in and helping authors shape and mold their projects seemed fun and exciting. Now, I understand that in order to serve all of my authors, I do need to guide authors as much as I can, but I can't do as much as I'd like.  Though performing some editorial work is certainly part of the job and one I enjoy, my role as an agent requires that though I may help an author figure out what needs work, actually doing the work is not the best use of my time.

Negotiating my first contract was exciting, and it's still a thrill to receive offers and notify the authors I represent when we land a deal. Now, though, the best part of the job for me is in looking ahead and helping authors plan their futures.

My initial desire to find and work only with literary authors whose inspired works of genius would change the world has been somewhat toned down by the reality that authors who write commercial fiction work very hard, and probably more consistently than those who are waiting around for their muse to inspire them. 

In the same light, I've realized that those who write category fiction probably better understand the needs of their readers than do most authors. And that they also are those who are most willing to do what it takes to make a living in this industry.

I've come around in my somewhat nose-in-the-air attitude toward romance and realized that not only is it the the bread and butter of publishing, but a topic which meets an innate need in all women -- and that by working with authors who are filling this need in a way which honors God, I am participating in an important mission.

I've also learned that I can be a bit cynical and critical at times. And that I work best with people who have a sense of humor.

And I've learned that working under the guidance of Chip MacGregor is even more the honor than I thought it would be.

Getting you up to date...

I know I need to get back to publishing questions, but first...

There are a couple resources on the web you should know about. If you don't read Mike Hyatt's blog (www.michaelhyatt.com), you're missing one of the really good publishing blogs. And my friend and fellow agent Rachelle Gardner's blog (www.cba-ramblings.blogspot.com) just was named to the list of 101 best writers' blogs by Writers Digest magazine. And my buddy Steve Laube, also a literary agent, has begun doing some blogging over at www.stevelaube.com/blog. He recently had his own take on the just-completed ICRS convention, and I thought his musings on "the benefits of the show for our agency" were really good. Check these out. 

One last note on my ICRS ramblings... I've had several people note that The Message Ball (nothing more than a soccer ball with Bible verses printed in very small font) was a hit with retailers. However, it's just a regular soccer ball -- unlike the Magic 8-Ball, it won't give you wisdom on life decisions. One wag suggested a marketing slogan: Kick their balls for Jesus. This could really catch on. 

For authors interested in solid marketing information, check out the good stuff Antonio Crawford is doing at www.topbooksales.com. He has created an "author first-aid kit" that I think is great, and his book on social media is timely and practical. Highly recommended (and no, I don't get a kickback if you buy them -- I just happen to be a fan). And you should take a look at the words of Tangle.com's president, Jason Illian, at www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php, Good stuff here. 

BIG NEWS: In case you haven't heard, Barnes & Noble is going to come out with their own e-reader, and word is the price is going to be a low $99. They're partnering with Plastic Logic, and the plan is to quickly roll out a half-million digital titles (300,000 of those will be public domain books, and the rest will be newer releases). At this point the files aren't compatible with the Sony e-reader (which, um, makes no sense, since the Sony simply readers Word documents and PDF files), but they say that will be resolved down the road a few months. I've been predicting for a long time that somebody would come out with an e-book under $100, and that it would create a bunch of digital book readers. 

The other bit of e-book news is that, apparently, everybody is mad at Amazon. It seems that someone illegally loaded some books onto a Word platform and sold the titles (including Orwell's Animal Farm) to Kindle users, even though they had no right to do so. SOME folks are mad that happened. OTHER folks are mad that the people at Amazon didn't catch it. And still OTHERS are mad because, once discovered, they simply deleted the book from people's Kindles. Which raised a new issue... It seems when you buy an e-book on Kindle, you don't actually "own" it. You are "licensing" it, so they can take it away without your permission. Interesting.. (And if you want to read more interesting stuff about e-books, take a look at this article: www.idealog.com/blog/an-ebook-experiment-stirs-up-conversation.)

Hachette did something interesting -- working a system called Open Book Technology, they gave away 38 books on their website recently. The demo is really cool (take a look at The Heretic's Daughter at   http://snipurl.com/mbw7o -- I love how it looks). But when my buddy Wendy Lawton (an excellent literary agent) asked them why they were giving books away, and if perhaps that was like giving away the store, somebody in management responded with, "People will always buy books." 

Um... I don't know who you are answering Wendy's question, but you're a moron. As Wendy pointed out, imagine if the music industry had just said, "We'll give away our music, and hope people will still buy our CDs." For crying out loud, the biggest crisis facing nonfiction publishing right now is that everything apparently can be found on the internet for free. Nonfiction publishing is all about providing solutions to problems (i.e., "I'm overweight, so I need a book that helps me know how to get healthy" or "I can't communicate with my teenage daughter, so I need a book that will show me how to improve our conversations"). These days, there's a mountain of information online about any topic. That's hurting book sales. Giving away new books doesn't seem to help that situation. Geez... 

Okay, enough. I'll be back to your writing and publishing questions in a day or two. 

Back to Work: Thoughts on ICRS 2009

You take a week to go to books shows and writing conferences, and you suddenly discover you are DAYS behind in blogging. Sorry.

Last week was the International Christian Retail Show (also referred to as "ickers"), and I've already had several people write to ask what it was like. Surprisingly, I found the show very upbeat. I mean, I was expecting to see doom and gloom. Christian bookstores are closing, the numbers at the show are down again, some publishers have pulled out completely, and I thought this might be the last year we saw a CBA show.

I was wrong. There was good energy at this show. It was certainly smaller, and again it is no longer a "book" show exactly, but the folks who were there seemed to give it a thumbs up. Some houses were writing orders, which was a nice surprise (selling books on the show floor had become a rarity, since most stores order books online or through sales reps nowadays). While the overall number of international guests seemed way down due to the economy, international sales orders were still being written, according to everyone I talked to.

There are still struggles. Several publishers have pulled out and the ones remaining are far less engaged than they used to be. No publishing house brought many authors. The days of lavish publisher parties are over (dang!). In many ways I still think this could be done on a weekend, instead of taking the better part of a week. And I wonder if we might all be better off with a big meeting of publishers, authors, agents, and media at a nice hotel some weekend -- sort of a longish wine-and-cheese where we can all talk business and get stuff done. But still, ICRS surprised me with some vigor this year.

A trend: A new look in book covers. Take a peek. We're seeing a new vision for CBA novels. More texture. Fewer creepy looking evil guys. Fewer models looking off into space with the wind blowing their hair into a rat's nest. Check out the covers at Zondervan and Tyndale and Baker at their corporate websites. It's a positive step.

And, as always, I've had at least a couple dozen people write to ask about the dopiest thing I saw at the show this year. Longtime readers will recall that past winners of my coveted "CBA Weenie Award" have included:

-Gospel golf balls (complete with John 3:16 printed on them!)

-Armor of God Pajamas (complete with "Helmet of Salvation" nightcap)

-Standing on the Promises Insoles (your feet NEED bible verses)

-Pope Soap on a Rope (gave me no hope, I couldn't cope, was the color of taupe, sold by a dope)

-Vials of ash from Sodom & Gomorrah  (don't wait! get one for your gay friends now!)

-Praise Panties (preferably the red ones, embroidered with "His Love Endures Forever")

But none of these were there this year. Last year's winner, Heroin Jesus, was back (if you don't know, it's a truly tasteless painting of a junkie shooting drugs into his arm, with Jesus standing over him and extending his own arm, so that the drugs are shot into Christ's veins... um, no, I'm not kidding, and no, it doesn't make any sense, even with the out-of-context bible verse about "he who has done this to the least of these has done this to me" as an attempt to sanctify it, and no, I have no idea why this particular dipstick was allowed to return). But it was back for a repeat, complete with a sign about how his art has "changed the face of Christian art." I'm not sure how, unless it's turned Jesus into a shill for crappy art with faux depth. (True story: The guy also has painted pictures of Jesus in the ring, wearing boxing gloves. Beating the devil into submission, no doubt. I'm dubbing that one Rocky Jesus. Yo, Adrian!)

But what you really want to know are what are this year's weiners?

-So you want to play the drums, but are worried that you don't have enough bible verses plastered on your hat, your t-shirt, your pants, your jewelry, and your shoes (to say nothing of your insoles)? Now you can get Stick with Jesus Drumsticks for all your performing needs. I think they come with special powers, so that white people who use them can actually keep the beat.

-And, of course, you want to brush your teeth, but worry that, unless standing there in your Armor of God Pajamas, you might be doing an activity without spiritual value. Not any more, now that you can buy a Jesus Loves Me Toothbrush. Let no unwholesome words come out of your mouth, except it's been brushed by a verse-covered toothbrush.

-For those who are completely incompetent when it comes to music, you can now get karaoke for Christmas carols, called Christmas Caroloke. I know I really struggle trying to remember the tune to "Silent Night."

-One of the big sellers on the floor was The Message Ball -- which is a soccer ball covered with bible verses in very small print. That's it. I'm not kidding. The eager young sales team was tossing them around, and stores seemed to be buying them. Uh, I'm not sure how they would work in an actual game ("I was going to kick it, coach, but suddenly I saw the words 'repent and be baptized,' so I decided then and there to fall to me knees..."), but it certainly made for lively conversation on the floor. Remember the rainbow-haired guy who used to show up with "John 3:16" signs in the endzone of every big game? Now you can take that can-do spiritual attitude onto the field with you, and share the gospel right before kicking somebody in the shins. Yes!

-However, this year's winner of the CBA Golden Weenie Award goes to the I Love Jesus Zipper Pulls! It just wasn't close. The idea of being able to have Christ on your zipper, and to gauge your spirituality by whether or not the zipper is up or down, trumps all the other finalists. So there you have it. Only 163 more shopping days until Christmas! Get your religious crud now!

-chip

Good News from a Trade Show

That was the heading of yesterday's email from PW Daily, a daily digested version of Publishers Weekly.

What? Good news? In publishing?

I'll admit that as I (Sandra, here) prepared for and traveled to ICRS this year, I was hoping for a more upbeat experience than last year's episode of gloom and doom.  Not expecting, necessarily, but hoping.

I was relieved to find that my optimism was rewarded. Attendance on the floor seemed up from last year despite a report from PW of a 20% drop in attendance from 2008. Maybe it was because there were fewer exhibitors. Or maybe it was because the overall exhibit space was smaller. But, it at least gave the impression of increased activity and attendance. And at events such as this, impressions matter.

I recall a dismal scene from the show floor last year when I rounded a corner and saw one of CBA's most noted authors sitting at his signing table ... doodling.  I happened upon this scene at time when I was wandering the floor, seriously praying about the future of CBA, and wondering what had compelled me to enter the industry just as a tsunami was threatening to hit.

A good sign this year, though, was that signings seemed steady and well attended. There were lots of lines, a few even snaking around the aisle-ways. One of my authors was there at the invitation of her publisher and they had to pull books from the shelves to meet demand. One house intentionally held four signings at one time; one on each corner of their booth - an example of the kind of new thinking which probably helped in giving the show a more upbeat and positive feeling.

Most industry professionals I talked with sounded authentically hopeful about the show's survival - even in spite of lower retail customers in attendance. The handful of sales people I spoke with reported they were taking modest but steady orders. Lean times call for modest expectations, and I think, for the most part, this is how publishers approached the show. They sent fewer staff, kept their expenses down, brought less product with them in the first place.

As far as meetings with editors (always my favorite part of any industry event) most expressed that publishing spots are still fewer and pushed out, and that decisions are still taking longer to make with far more deliberation than ever before. But, a majority of the folks I met with said they are actively looking for fresh approaches to perennial topics and strong voices in fiction to lead the way by taking our message of hope and invitation into the general readership.

This is strictly from my gut (and I've not had breakfast yet at the time of writing this, so consider yourselves warned) but I think the tide of CBA is shifting away from being dominated by the Bible Belt sentiment of what's acceptable material for Christians and what's not.  (Please read carefully that I said Bible Belt, not Bible!)

This was perhaps forecasted by my agreement with a June 4th Newsweek article by Lisa Miller in which she noted "evangelical Christians are less willing to identify themselves as a coherent group embodying one set of values."

If that's the way the tide is turning, I'm glad I dived in. Hooray and Hallelujah! Change is coming and I, for one, think embracing it instead of fighting it always brings good news!

Sandra Suggests Kicking the Internal Editor to the Curb

Writing is solitary. We are often so much in our own heads that sometimes we can forget we are writing for an audience. That's not always a bad thing.

There are times when, in writing fiction, for example, your characters run away with your story and you feel like your role is to just hit the keys and try to keep up. Unless you're under a tight deadline and your agent or editor is breathing down your neck, I think the worst thing a writer can do at times like these is to stop and let your internal editor step in and begin analyzing what you've written. There is a time for this, but not here. At times like these, my advice is to forget your internal editor and your external audience and enjoy the ride.

Such experiences are freeing and powerful for authors because these are the times when the editor in your head gives up, gets out, and lets you, the writer, take the wheel. It's a great feeling. Like driving on a sunny day along the 101 with the top down, the wind in your hair, no other cars on the road, and no one in the passenger seat fiddling with the radio or telling you they gotta stop and go whiz.

One of my favorite writing quotes is from Stephen King who said (about what, I'm not sure) "No, it's not a very good story - its author was too busy listening to other voices to listen as closely as he should have to the one coming from inside."

Whether you like Mr. King or not, I think you can agree when it comes to writing he knows what he's talking about here. How many authors are guilty of deciding they want (literally) to be the next John Grisham, Karen Kingsbury, Michael Chrichton, Nora Roberts, Debbie Macomber, Brandilyn Collins, Tom Clancy, Beverly Lewis, or Stephen King for that matter? If that's your mission as an author, good luck to you and let me know how that turns out. It's not that I'm opposed to encouraging authors to believe in their eventual success to the levels of these authors, it's just that if a writer sets out thinking they are going to follow the road these folks took, I think they don't consider one very important thing. That these authors blazed their own trails, followed their own directions, did their own thing and worked hard to develop their own voices along the way. And it's precisely because they did so that they found success.  Commercially successful authors rarely become overnight successes without putting a lot of time behind the wheel.

Back to the point about kicking the editor out, though. The good news is that not only is it fun to write without the editor constantly telling you where to turn, or questioning if you're headed in the right direction, it's important. These are the times when authors typically find their unique voice - and often surprise themselves with their abilities.

Some who experience this kind of writing high say they've been visited by a muse and that it's a near celestial thing; one which cannot be forced. I think that's a big load of hooey. Writing is hard work - not magic. I think writers are destined to reach such zones if they stay after it. Maybe for some it's after a certain length of time at the keyboard, others find they can better access writing freedom at particular times of day. The key, I think, is to not wait for times of inspiration to get to work, but to work until the inspiration comes.

Of course, as Christians who write, we have direct access to one whose Voice we can and should listen to without reservation. I think, though, that there are times when even God himself knows the best thing He can do for his writer-kids is to let us take the wheel, exercise the creativity with which we were trusted, and learn on our own how to do it well.

One More Look at Basic Basic Questions

One last whack at some basic basic questions people have sent in recently...

Gwenyth asked, "In a proposal, are editors and agents looking for proposed subsequent books to be in the same genre as the proposed debut novel?"

Normally, yes. That's exactly what they're looking for. It's hard enough to get a new novelist started, so publishers are always hoping the writer will have more than one book, generally in the same genre so that they can market and sell to the same readers. 

Terry said, "I've heard a bunch of different advice as to how I can create a good proposal. What is the ONE THING you would most recommend to an author who wanted to catch your eye?"

Develop a great writing voice. Ideas come and go, but a great voice will last a long time. I see hundreds of average ideas in a typical month. I see very little great voice. Nothing catches my eye like a strong voice. 

Andrea wants to know, "Who enters a published book into a contest or awards ceremony? Does the author do so? Does the publisher do it automatically? Does the agent make a recommendation?"

With most contests or awards, it's the publisher who decides which books merit consideration. They turn in the book to the committee in charge (often paying a fee to do so). After that, it's all in the hands of the judges. 

Peggy asked, "Is there one source to find out everything about contests and awards for unpublished writers?"

Sure -- check out the "contests and awards" section of WRITER'S MARKET, the annual tome created by the editors at Writer's Digest. They've got an entire section dedicated to that topic. 

Mike wants to know, "Can you help me define Christian fiction? I just read a novel from a CBA house, and while it was good, I didn't find anything particularly religious about it. It was no different from an ABA novel except it didn't have gratuitous sex and violence." 

I'm one of those people who would prefer his Christianity be defined by something other than "what I don't do." So the fact that a novel DOESN'T do something does not, in my view, make it a Christian novel. From my perspective, a Christian novel is one that is written from a Christian worldview. It may or may not present biblical truth, but it will reflect the author's outlook on the world. It will probably be redemptive in some way, and express a hope that God is, in fact, alive and at work. I suppose I'm less interested in finding "Christian novels" than I am in finding "great novels that are written by Christians." 

Margaret wrote this: "My agent has had my proposal out with publishers for more than a year. Shouldn't I be getting some sort of a status report?"

Yeah, I think it's fair to get an update. But... if your project has really been at a publishing house for more than a year, chances are there's not a lot of enthusiasm for it. 

Peter asked, "In your view, what's the best way for a writer to find an agent?"

The best way? First, figure out who you are -- what are strengths are, what you write, and where you might best use some help. Second, do some research on agents. Try to find someone who offers the strengths you need. Third, if at all possible, try to get face-to-face with the agents who interest you. Sometimes an agent will seem a perfect fit on screen, but be a perfect disaster in person. Fourth, create a fabulous piece of writing and have it ready to show the agent(s) you've decided to target. Make it so strong that there's no reason for the agent to say no. There you go -- the MacGregor Plan. 

Janice wrote to ask, "Do you know if Kindle and other e-book sales count toward an author's royalty earnings? Are they counted separately from printed book sales?"

Yes, all e-book sales earn the author royalties, and that money counts against the advance. And yes, the publisher will keep a separate account for e-book sales from printed book sales -- however, in the end they'll add them all together to say, "This book sold more than 100,000 copies." 

Peter wrote to say, "I have a business question. A recent article in Writers Digest encouraged writers to get one phone number that rings through to all your phones. One famous author suggests getting a separate phone line for your writing business, another says to run it all from your cell phone. Do you think a busy writer should consider getting a toll-free number -- would that prove helpful at all to agents and editors?

I think it would be a waste of money, Peter. These days all agents have cell phones, and we're not really paying extra for long distance calls. Besides, I used to make my living as a freelance writer, and I don't recall every being so busy I would need a toll-free number to handle all the calls. 

Taryn asked, "Are writers' magazines worth it? It seems like there's a bunch of them, and that most of what they say we could discover ourselves with a little digging."

Sure, writing magazines offer advice you could find elsewhere if you did some searching... but I think that's true of anything. Magazines are a great vehicle for doing your research, and sometimes offer very helpful advice. (I still remember being greatly influenced by a couple articles I read in Writer's Digest and the old Saturday Review.) It's all about what you want to get out of them, Taryn. Many writers find writing magazines informative and helpful. 

Steve asked, "What writing blogs do you enjoy most?"

A short list of blogs I think are really helpful to writer would include...

-Randy Ingermanson's www.advancedfictionwriting.com

-Michael Hyatt's www.michaelhyatt.com

-Writers Digest has several good blogs, including www.blog.writersdigest.com/norules/

-Janet Reid's www.queryshark.blogspot.com

-Sally Stuart's www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com

-Fellow agent Rachelle Gardner's www.cba-ramblings.blogspot.com

-Gina Holmes' www.noveljourney.blogspot.com

-Maria Schneider's www.editorunleashed.com

And, just for fun, I think Jenny B Jones' blog, www.jennybjones.com, is one of the most consistently funny things I read. 

By the way, if you haven't caught it on TV yet, keep your eye out for Life After Film School 

which you can catch on the Fox Movie Channel or as a streaming video online at www.sidereel.com. A great insider's look at screenwriting and the creative process in the real world. (My friend Ginger Garrett turned me on to this -- make sure to check out the interview with the writers from "Night at the Museum" and TV's "Reno 911." Great interviews.)

Okay, on to other topics. Got a writing or publishing question? Send it to me and I'll get you an answer. 

More on the Basic Basics

I'm trying to catch up with a bunch of questions on the basics of writing and publishing. Here's another batch of questions I've had sent my way...

"How many words does a typical book have?" -- That depends on the genre of the book you're writing. A contemporary genre romance novel has about 55,000 words. A historical romance will have about 75,000. A novel outside of the genre houses will probably run between 85,000 and 90,000. Some literary fiction and family sagas can be as long as 110,000 (but I don't recommend starting there). With nonfiction, we see some shorter business books, mom books, and self-improvement books in the 45,000 range, but 55,000 to 65,000 is more common with commerical projects. I keep having people send me 23,000-word books -- which I can do nothing with. There's no market for that short of a book. In a lousy economy, people want value for their money, and that means a big chunk of dead trees.  

"I write both fiction and nonfiction. Should I have two agents?" -- I rarely see this work. I've shared a client on occasion, when there was a clear delineation of markets (for example, I worked with a humor writer who had a separate agent for the textbook market). But for the most part, it's too messy. Both agents want to help shape the author's career. And since I do a lot of business in the Christian market, I'll tell you that, yes, some people have one agent for their Christian books and another for their general market books -- but that's always seemed awkward to me. I represent both religious and non-religious books, so working in both CBA and the general market isn't mutually exclusive.

"Should I write a proposal before approaching an agent?" -- Absolutely. In fact, in this sort of lousy economy, you will probably want to create a proposal and sample chapters. When times are hard, do as much as you can in order to keep the prospective agent from saying "no thanks."

"I just submitted my proposal to an agent. How long will I wait before hearing from them?" -- Everybody's different, but it's certainly reasonable to think you can expect a response in two or three months.

"Should I include my age when I query agents?" -- I don't know why you would. I just turned 51, in case anyone is keeping track.

"I just submitted my project to a publisher. If they agree to publish it, what are the next steps?" -- The next step for the publisher is to send you or your agent a deal memo, which starts the negotiation process. The next step for you is to jump up and down and scream with excitement. Then talk over the deal memo with your agent, so that you can begin to create a writing calendar.

"My book was published by my local newspaper, but they've now gone out of business. Who owns the rights to it?" -- Check your contract -- it should tell you what happens if the publisher goes out of business. Most likely the rights revert to you, but if not, rights to the book will be considered an asset of the company and will go through probate. In that case, buy yourself a bottle of Johnny Walker Black. You're going to need several stiff drinks.

"My book has gone out of print. Is it possible to get it republished with someone else?" -- In theory, yes. In reality, you'll discover there's not much of a market for reprints these days. If your book was with a small publisher, and received very little distribution, you might be able to sell it as a new book. Otherwise, your best bet may be to self-publish, talk to an e-publisher, or simply use the content on your website.

"Are there any writers' organizations you think authors should belong to?" -- The Writers Guild. You may also be close to a regional or local writers' group that could prove valuable. If you write Christian fiction, by all means join ACFW (and Chi Libris, if you're already published). If you write Christian nonfiction, check into TheWritersView, an online Yahoo group that is really good. There are doubtless others.

"I'd like to submit some of my blog posts as part of my book proposal. Will an editor frown on that idea, since the material is already available on my blog?" -- It used to be that editors didn't care much about material taken from blogs, but now that's generally considered "previously published material," so be sure to reveal what has already seen the light of day. Your book contract will ask you to warranty that the material you submit is unpublished, so you'll want to be up-front with them about what's been widely read.

"How can writers find security when publishing electronically when there is so much piracy going on in other countries?" -- Publishers are working to keep e-books from being widely pirated, but yes, that's a concern. Piracy really hurt the music industry -- specifically the performers. What can an author do about it? Not much. If you don't want it stolen, don't post it. I've learned not to worry too much about piracy. It's happened to me in the past, and doubtless will in the future. When I catch someone using my words without my permission, I threaten to whack the person with a board. If they ask politely, I generally say yes.

"On my royalty statement, there's a line that says the publisher is holding a 'reserve against returns.' Can you tell me what that means?" -- Your publisher sells books, puts your earned royalties into an account for you, then holds back a percentage in case retailers return books and expect a credit. That's the publishers' way of protecting themselves against high returns.

"What is the industry standard for the reserve taken out of my royalties?" -- Somewhere in the neighborhood of 20%.

Regarding my statement that "an unearned advance does not mean the publisher lost money, " two publishers wrote to say that tax laws require publishers to write off unearned advances within a specified period of time. That means the unearned advance is taken out of the profit, therefore they're arguing the publisher does lose money on an unearned advance. Um... in a way, that's true. I mean, an unearned advance means the publisher makes less profit. But there's a difference between "making less profit" and actually "losing money." My point was that a publisher can still make a profit on a book that did not earn back its advance. The Hillary Clinton book a few years ago is the perfect case in point -- the publisher paid a huge advance, with no intention of earning that back, but they still found the book to be profitable. In one sense, they simply treated the advance as a cost of doing business. (That said, you still want your books to earn back their advances. As one publisher noted to me, "Regularly having books that don't earn out will get you into trouble with the Powers That Be.")

Finally, someone wrote to ask me, "Is it true you see really awful proposals?" -- Good grief. Absolutely. I just had someone send me a proposal that states, "I have published several pomes." (No kidding.) I state clearly on my website that I don't represent poetry, children's books, or fantasy novels, but yesterday I had someone submit a children's fairy tale book to me (and yes, it was filled with poems -- or maybe "pomes").  I'm constantly amazed that people won't take five minutes to research a project before sending it out. However, you'll be happy to know that I'm about to make a killing, since yesterday I had someone write to me these words: "I have written a novel about everything." That pretty well sums it up, I think.

Basic Basic Basic Questions

I regularly get some basic questions on writing and publishing, so I've culled a dozen to help those who are just getting started. All of these are actual questions I've received recently, though I'm not going to attach names to them since they've come in from more than one source.

"What is an advance?" -- An advance against royalties is money paid by the publisher to the author prior to publication of the book. If you're doing a novel with Pocket, for example, they might offer you a contract that pays you $2000 upon signing the deal, another $2000 when you turn it in, and a final $2000 when your book releases. That means you're basically in the red $6000 -- so with every book sold, you are credited with the earned royalty. (If you're earning $1 per book, and they sell one book, you're now in the red $5999. Make sense?) Advances aren't based on how much the editor likes you, but on how many copies the publisher expects to sell. 

"What does it mean when a book 'earns out'?" -- Go back to my previous answer... let's say you're in the red $6000, and you're earning $1 per book. When the publisher sells six thousand copies, you will have earned back your advance. That's when your book has "earned out" -- that is, it's earned back its advance. You're now making money on each book sold, and the publisher will keep a record of that and send you a check twice a year for the money earned. 

"My book didn't earn out the advance. Do I need to pay the unearned balance back?" -- Nope. First, your contract doesn't call for you to do so. Second, an unearned advance does not mean the publisher lost money (even though they make it sound that way sometimes). Think of it this way... if your book sold for $12.99, and you made a dollar on it, where did the rest of the money go? A chunk went to the retailer. The rest goes to the publisher. If they're paying you a 15% royalty on net, the publisher is keeping the other 85%. The majority of books don't earn out, and publishers are still in business, so that should tell you what you need to know. 

"What is a fair advance?" -- That's an impossible question to answer. I've seen authors do deals for no advance, and I signed an author to the single largest one-book advance in CBA history. Both authors were happy. Who can say what "fair" is? Some authors are starting their careers doing small genre books for $1500, then graduating to $5000 and $6000 deals. Others are signing $15,000 deals right off the bat. (If you're doing better than that, you're way ahead of most people who are early in their careers.) My advice is to think "time-to-value." Is the amount you're being paid fair, in your mind, to the time you're spending on it? If not, consider if you are (1) at the start of your career, and therefore paying your dues, or (2) in need of a change in plan so that you're making more money, or (3) an arrogant putz who overvalues his time. 

"What is a standard royalty?" -- Most general market contracts will pay you 10% of the retail price of your hardcover book on the first 5000 copies sold, 12.5% on the next 5000 copies sold, and 15% thereafter. Most trade paper books will pay you 7.5%. Mass market is less. In CBA circles it's harder to gauge, since they (1) pay on net receipts instead of the retail price, and (2) are willing to negotiate more on royalties. 

"What is 'CBA' and 'ABA'?" -- CBA is officially the acronym for the Christian Booksellers Association, a group of religious retailers. But in the real world it is used to refer to the realm of religious publishing -- therefore people will say things like, "Is this safe for CBA?" when discussing a controversial book. ABA is the outdated acronym for the American Booksellers Association, but again it's frequently used to differentiate the reading world that is simply "not CBA." (I should add that I most frequently hear it these days when talking with CBA types -- someone will say, "I think that's an ABA book." Few people outside of CBA use the term that way. They're more apt to say, "I think that's a general market book.) 

"What does it mean when you say an author wrote a genre novel?" -- Technically you could probably argue that every novel is a "genre novel." But in the nomenclature of publishing, a genre novel is a work of fiction that shares themes, values, stories, characters, and settings that appeal to readers familiar with similar books. So "cozy mysteries" are a genre, and "historical romance" is a genre, as are "westerns," "detective," "horror," and "sci-fi." Two things to keep in mind about all genre fiction: First, each genre has clear conventions or rules (for example, "the mystery will get solved" or "the heroine will meet the hero early in the book"). Second, each genre is clearly marketed to its unique readership (for example, the cover of a western will clearly feature guns and horses). 

"What is narrative nonfiction?" -- The use of fiction techniques to tell a nonfiction story. The genre really began with Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, which reads like a contemporary police novel even though the story is true. Other good examples would include Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm and John Krakauer's In Thin Air. There's no mystery to Junger's book -- the reader knows it's the story about a swordfishing boat that went missing off the Grand Banks during a terrible Nor-easter. But the story is told linearly, with background on the boat, the sailors, the town, the fishing industry, even the science of weather forecasting and the physics of waves. The fact that it's true makes it all that more interesting. 

"When you use the term 'over-the-transom,' what does that mean?" -- Unsolicited manuscripts that come into an agent's office or that are dropped on an editor's desk are referred to as having come in "over the transom." Even though almost nobody has a transom any more. We also refer to the stack of unsoliciteds as "the slush pile," as well as other, earthier terms that my mom wouldn't want me to use in a public forum like this. 

"What does 'requested materials' refer to?" -- Let's say you meet an editor at a writers' conference, pitch your book to her, and she asks you to send her your proposal. That envelope can be marked "requested materials," so that it doesn't get tossed in the slush pile. 

"What do you mean when you say something is a 'trade' book?" -- Again, that's just publishing lingo for a book that is aimed at the lay reader, rather than a professional in an industry. 

"What is a 'vanity' or 'subsidy' publisher?" -- Most commercial publishers will offer you a contract, edit and produce your book, distribute and market it, and pay you a royalty for each copy sold. You do not pay them to do it -- they are in business to create and sell books, so they actually pay you for making money off your creative thinking. A vanity press charges you a fee to produce your book. They come in all shapes and sizes, may or may not edit your book, market it, or assist with distribution. I've noticed some companies are now using the term "custom publishing," since that doesn't have the same baggage as "vanity publishing." That may be fair in the new economy -- some of the custom publishers (like Winepress Publishing) works with busy speakers who make more creating their own books by selling them in the back of the room than they would make working with a royalty publisher. 

Back to writing conferences in the near future...