Chip MacGregor .com

Sandra writes about the "L" word ...

After having worked for myself as a freelance writer, and now agenting, I don't think I could go back to a nine-to-five job working for someone else. Never say never, but seriously, the freedom I've enjoyed in both "jobs" far outweigh the benefits I'm missing working for "the man". Cafeteria food. Overpriced health plans. The opportunity to practice defensive driving during rush hour.

And, I'd totally miss out on responding to the questions folks ask about an industry I love.

It's my birthday, (and I'm on vacation) so I'm going to allow myself the indulgence of answering this one often debated question which I hope stirs up lots of discussion and other questions, from you.

Gina asked:

What kind of Christian fiction do you wish you could find more of?

Personally, I wish I could find more Christian fiction that tells the story of redemption and discovery through a focus on character vs. plot.

The trouble with these, though, is that CBA booksellers don't know how to describe them quickly, which makes them hard to sell. Several CBA publishers have success with authors who write in what is often described as a more literary style. But, they have to limit the spots for these because it often takes years for these authors to build a following. This makes them hard to find in CBA bookstores, specifically.

Take my favorite book - PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger. A word-of-mouth book which took a couple years to grow into a best-seller. It's one of the most "Christian" novels I've ever read, but I've yet to see it shelved in a CBA store. The most obvious reason for this is that sales folks who call on CBA stores sell CBA books. Still ... I often wonder what might happen if Christian bookstores stepped a little outside the lines and stocked non-CBA books. Gasp. I know. It's heresy. Like I said, it's my birthday. Indulge me.

The strength of books like PEACE LIKE A RIVER, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, EAST OF EDEN, is that the authors carry you away on the strength of their prose and the breadth and depth of their characters.

But, they are hard books to categorize without using the L word. Literature. It's an oft ignored category in CBA for a very good reason. It doesn't sell well.

I know, I know. I sound like a snob. I'm not. I understand the desire for commercial fiction. And, as an agent, I've learned to appreciate this desire, and come to understand the enjoyment of reading more commercial novels. Honestly, I've been pleased to learn that there are more excellent writers in CBA now than I thought I'd find when I started agenting two years ago.

And, literary or not, working with authors to help them entertain, encourage, and make a difference in the lives of their readers is not just a job. It's a dream job. In fact, it's like it's my birthday -- everyday.

Sandra

Hey -- while I'm here, I have a favor ... I've been racking my brain to come up with my own birthday blog tradition but so far the best I can muster is a fruity-drink recipe contest. Obviously, the islands are getting to me.

Anyone have any suggestions, I'm game!

Marketing and Publishing Questions

I moved recently, and that's put me behind in my blogging. Sorry! The good news: I'm now in my new place on the Oregon coast, trying to get my office organized, and I'm back to your questions about writing and publishing. We've got a backlog, so let me get cracking...

Darlene asked in a comment on a recent post, "In marketing my books, what's the most effective use of my time and money? I'm planning to market my work, but... I'm not sure what to do first."

The answer is going to be different for each author, of course. However, keep in mind that the basics of marketing your book are simple: Figure out who your readers out, find out where they're going, then try to get in front of them. Researching those basic questions will probably help you figure out what to do next. The internet has made marketing MUCH more accessible for every novelist. You can blog, write articles, participate in a discussion, and become an expert in an area without leaving the comfort of your writing space. So I think many novelists need to think through how they can use the web to get their name and their book titles in front of readers. That's the first place I'd explore, Darlene. 

Dan said, "I want to be able to show my novel to production companies, but my publisher says I have to pay them $500 to get a PDF file with the edited, formatted version of my own book. Is that fair? Is there anything I can do?"

Charging authors for a PDF file or Word doc of their edited manuscript is something that's come up in the past few years. Authors want the file in case the book goes our of print, so they've got an edited version on their hard drive. But publishers are wary of giving it to the author, for fear it will get distributed and they'll lose sales. The solution? Ask for this in your contract negotiations, and explain to the publisher that you will not be selling the digital version of your book while it's still in print with the publisher. (An alternative: If your publisher creates a digital version of your book, simply purchase a copy for your Kindle or Sony reader.  Then you've got the finished version in an e-file.) 

Jason wrote to say, "I really want to be published, and friends of mine suggested I try self-publishing. One suggested publishing a mediocre work, just to get my name associated with published material. I was thinking I'd be better off submitting to literary journals and commercial magazines to establish some legitimate publishing credits. Your thoughts?"

I'm glad you wrote, Jason, since you are clearly hanging around with idiots. Publishing a mediocre work that doesn't sell is a great way to kill your career, since it lets everyone know you can't write. (Your idea of submitting to literary and commercial sources is a much better plan.) You could also start submitting to online 'zines and publishing online articles -- both have the potential to garner you some readers. Self-publishing is only good for one type of author -- the one who can sell a bunch of copies. So if you're doing seminars where you can do book sales in the back-of-the-room, it's a fine option. But if you're writing literary works and are hoping to get noticed as a novelist, it's usually a terrible choice. Nobody notices it. Nobody read is. So it's only good for leaving out on the counter, in hopes that your friends will notice when they come over for dinner ("Set your coffee cup right on the...oh, excuse me, let me move MY BOOK!"). 

My buddy James Scott Bell had some good things to say about fiction marketing on a recent blog. Check out his thoughts at:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2009/08/writer-this-is-your-job.html

Got a question about writing and publishing? Send it in and we'll get you an answer. -Chip

Talking Books and Marketing

I had a chance to sit down with a marketing specialist at last week's ACFW conference. This wasn't just a publicist who knows a bit about the industry, but a marketing consultant who works with some top companies (Apple, Disney, HP, etc) to design their marketing plans. His name is Jim, and he's got a proven track record of success. I told him, "I have the privilege of working with some great authors, who create wonderful books, but it often feels like the publishers seem to do the least they can when it comes to marketing a book." Then I went on to explain the frustrations for an author trying to create a marketing plan when he or she is not actually trained in doing marketing.

Jim's response: "I think every entrepreneurial writer can learn to do more effective marketing." While he admitted that some will come to it more naturally than others, he also noted that there were certain steps everyone should think through in order to create a full-blown marketing plan. When I asked him what those steps would be, here's what he said (and he gave me permission to share this with you)...

STEP ONE: Do a business review of your writing and career.
He suggested each author write down the strengths and weaknesses of their work, think through their audience, and make a careful analysis of what your marketing capabilities are. (It's probably realistic to think you can create a blog...it's probably not realistic to think you're going to be buying full-page ads in USA Today.) But this part was helpful, because he said the author should also do an analysis of the publisher -- What do they do well? What do they do poorly? What do you want to let them do? What do you need to take away and have someone else do? What are their covers like? How good is their pricing? How good is their distribution? Is the sales force on board with your books? What are the trends in the industry -- toward your work or away from it? Jim feels we need to do a complete competitive review, in order to recognize how our books are going to do in today's market, with today's competition. And he said the most important part of this is a clear understanding of our own marketing capacities. What do you like to do in marketing? What do you do well? What seems to work for you? What is unique? How many people are on your database? How many names and emails and addresses have you captured? How many people visit your site? How are you in contact with your readers? "It does not good for an author to say she wants to connect with 100,000 people," Jim told me, "if she only has 200 names in her database."

STEP TWO: List your roadblocks and your resources.
In other words, what are the problems you're facing, and what are the opportunities you have? Write them down, so you can identify them. It does an author no good to say there are "a million opportunities" if, in fact, you can't identify what those opportunities actually are. Is the roadblock a lack of money? A lack of names? A lack of exposure? A lack of time? A lack of media? A lack of originality? Too much competition? Jim explained to me that a good business review will make clear what the roadblocks are. He also noted that an even-handed review of your resources will help you form the basis of your marketing plan.

STEP THREE: Set a sales goal.
You may laugh at this, but it's a reasonable to think that an author can set a sales goal. It certainly would help you determine things like your budget and your time investment if you knew you were going to sell a certain number of copies. So this will mean talking to your editor (or having me talk to the editor) in order to see what the publisher's sales goal is for your book. This step, in Jim's words, is "critical -- it sets the tone for the entire marketing campaign."

STEP FOUR: Clarify your target markets and marketing objectives.
In other words, determine who you're going to sell your book to, where and when you'll contact them, and how you'll reach them. Then clearly state what behaviors you want from the target markets. The big picture here is that you'll be setting up quantifiable goals -- which activities will sell books, and how many they'll sell. (And at this point, I'll admit that I have never done this. I don't know that this was a new thought for me, but it would certainly be a scary step for me to take.)

STEP FIVE: Plan your overall strategies.
After you've defined your target markets and established your objectives, you begin to think about positioning -- "creating the desired perception of your book with the target markets relative to the competition." Jim stressed that this step cannot be skipped -- it provides overall direction for the specific strategies. (And he had a LOT more to say about marketing strategies...but I'll wait for another newsletter to share all of that.)

STEP SIX: Set your communication goals.
At this point an author writes down what he or she wants the target market awareness and attitude to be. It gives you a way to provide direction for each marketing tool.

STEP SEVEN: Develop tactical marketing tools.
This is where you think about branding, packaging, pricing, events, media, promotion, advertising, and publicity vehicles. Most of us START here -- but the marketing guru says this comes near the END of the planning process.

STEP EIGHT: Set a budget, a calendar, and an analysis.
Determine an amount of money you're going to invest in your book, then an amount of time you're going to invest. In other words, don't just rely on the publisher for this. Then do an analysis -- ask yourself if you go through with the plan, do you stand a good chance of earning that money back?

STEP NINE: Work the plan.
Now that you've done all the basic planning, you get to do the work. This is where you start working through all those steps you set up in your plan.

STEP TEN: Evaluate.
Once you've worked through it all, go back and do an evaluation. What worked? What didn't? What can you take and repeat on your next book? Ask questions and write down some clear answers. Be honest with yourself about the results.

There you have it -- an expert's thoughts on how to create a marketing plan for you book. Would love to hear your thoughts on the overall process!

Sandra gets a word in edgewise ...

Thanks to everyone who's written recently asking when I'm going to blog again. We've had some great guest bloggers, and of course Chip is always so loquacious ... er, I mean, informative.

Actually, Chip is incredibly generous and always urging me to blog more often. I just couldn't resist giving him a hard time and making note that it's impossible to keep up with the man. Even when he does have a pain in his neck.

I'm finding that I'm frequently asked some of the same questions, both in person and via email, so thought I'd squeeze in while there's an opening and answer a few of them here.

I'll confess, I spoke last night before some 100 members and guests of the Northwest Christian Writers Association in Seattle where I shared a lot of this information. But, I happen to know the sun is shining in Seattle, so I'm hedging my bets that most of those folks are outside soaking it up while they can. Hence, I'm feeling okay about repeating myself.

WHAT DID YOU DO, SANDRA, BEFORE BECOMING AN AGENT?

Lots of things, actually. Out of high school I joined the Marines. Went to college. Worked for a couple of non-profit organizations for about ten years. Then, I went to work in the marketing departmentof a large Christian publisher where I helped write marketing plans for nonfiction authors. This was back when Christian fiction could fit on one shelf in the Christian bookstore and the notion of marketing fiction was unheard of.

Most recently, though, and during the decade before I joined MacGregor Literary, I'd built a freelance business by writing articles for local and national magazines, writing promotional copy for publicity professionals, consulting on book proposals for authors, creating marketing copy for local business owners, and producing and writing monthly columns for local and national trade publications. I also enjoyed a three year stint as a feature writer for Street of Dreams Magazine, a premier publication produced for the local chapter of national building trade association.

WHAT'S IT BEEN LIKE MAKING THE SWITCH FROM FREELANCE WRITER TO AGENT?

In some ways, though the processes and pace are certainly different, I'm still about the same thing as an agent that I was as a writer. Helping to produce and present a quality product in written form which communicates, entertains, and educates readers.

The deadlines I negotiate are now hanging over the heads of the authors I represent, and not directly looming over mine. Still, there are always plenty other tasks at hand.

Where I once spent my time hunting down worthy ideas to pitch to editors, I'm now hunting down worthy editors to whom I can pitch ideas.

I love helping my fiction authors improve their storylines, eek up the suspense, ratchet up the romantic tension, draw out the emotion from their characters. I help nonfiction authors hone in on their unique message and figure out how and where to get the word out.

DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL OR HAVE SPECIAL TRAINING TO BECOME AN AGENT?

Truth is, it doesn't take a certain set of credentials to call oneself an agent. Though it does take a unique set of skills to be good at it, I think. Organization, drive, instinct, tenacity, equal parts humility and bravado. Personally, I'm glad I came to agenting after having made my living as a writer because I understand the heart of a writer. I know how hard it is to write well. And to write consistently. I know the personal sacrifices writers make as they toil over the keyboard while others relax and enjoy free time. I understand the disconnect when friends wonder if you'll ever get a "real" job. And when family members silently resent that you're working in your slippers when they're schlepping off to punch a time clock somewhere. I also understand the pressures of juggling deadlines, family commitments, marriage, household duties, travel, and serving others. I've still got tons to learn, and many areas of needed improvement, but I believe my experience as a writer brings a lot of value to the table. 

DIDN'T YOU CHOOSE A TOUGH TIME TO START AS AN AGENT?

Definitely. The last year has been tough in publishing. From canceled contracts to tightened staffs, we're all feeling it. Yes, deals are slower, and lower, than ever before. Still, I feel really good about what I've done since Chip invited me to join the agency a year and a half ago. I've added more than twenty authors to our list, done nearly as many deals (fiction, nonfiction, memoir) in both CBA and the general market. I've got some exciting projects on the horizon, and I'm helping authors at various stages plan for their next and subsequent career steps.

DO YOU INTEND TO SPECIALIZE?

I've yet to put a definitive answer to that. I'm too curious a person to see restricting myself to fiction or nonfiction. Beyond saying that I don't get science-fiction, am not interested in erotica, and generally don't handle childrens books, I'm not interested at this point in specializing in a specific genre. We'll see.

If you've got specific questions for me, fire them off. I'll see if I can figure out when Chip's sleeping or watching his beloved Ducks so I can slip in here again soon.

On my way to ACFW tomorrow. If you're already there, do me a favor when you see Chip and say GO BEAVERS!

Sandra

Thinking about ACFW

Wow. You won't believe how LUCKY I am. In yesterday's mail, I received a query letter in which the author "guaranteed" me his book is "literally going to sell a billion books worldwide." Zowie! And he can back up such a wild promise with "1200 Bible verses synergistically harmonized by the Lord God Himself." Holy cow. (If you haven't received an answer to prayer lately, it's probably because God has been synergistically harmonizing this guy's verses.) He also noted he has "literally spent the last 13 years doing 14 hours of research per day," making me think he might need to bone up on the usage of the word "literally." He told me his book is both "the final word on the Trinity" and "the Suprascientific Theory of Everything." Yowzer. He then promised to make me "a hundred million dollars -- easy," and noted "this is the chance of a hundred lifetimes." He closed with a personal aside, saying, "I hope you're ready for the big time." I decided I'm not -- the whole suprascientific thing makes we shudder. I am not worthy!

And aren't I the lucky one? I also received a proposal for "104 prophetic poems that have been dictated to me" AND a "fiction novel" about portals between earth and heaven, that includes a "giant race of people living in the mountains of California," that the author notes is "based on historical fact and my own experiences." 

Wait, there's a lesson here. I wrote to each of these people, to tell them they need to research agents before querying, and that their writing needed help (I left off any notes about "and be sure to take your meds"). But in each case the author wrote me back a nasty note. So, yeah -- though these people can't write, and don't know how to approach an agent, they feel they know much more about the business than I do. I mention this because there are some great writing conferences coming up soon, and maybe if you're starting out, you'd find it helpful to attend. 

The American Christian Fiction Writers annual conference is happening next week in Denver. I'll be there -- I've long said ACFW is the best conference in the country for commercial fiction writers. Good speakers, good sessions, and a well-organized conference in a nice setting. If you're going to be there, make sure to say hello. Bestselling romance novelist Debbie Macomber is delivering the keynote, and there are a ton of workshops and breakout sessions. I'm doing a couple workshops (one on writers mentoring writers, the other on "the future of publishing"), and I always enjoy the social times at ACFW. Plus I get to wear my kilt at the annual awards banquet on Saturday night. (I'm doing the Blackwatch this year instead of the traditional MacGregor tartan -- so if you're coming, you now have another reason to go on living.)

Talk of the conference reminds me that I've had a number of letters from people asking about the value of conferences and workshops. I think writers' conferences are a wonderful way to meet people, get exposed to the industry, gain some helpful information, and remind yourself that you're not alone in this crazy business. It's also a great place to meet agents and editors face-to-face -- many experienced writers will tell you that the bulk of what they learned about the industry early in their careers came through attending writing conferences, where they met people, heard stories, and had a lot of basic information explained to them. I can tell you that a number of the authors I represent are people I first met at a conference. So if you have a chance to attend, by all means you should go. 

At the same time, I think the value of conferences can diminish for experienced authors. That's why I encourage people who have published to do three things... First, attend a conference as a mentor, not just as participant. Use a conference as a way to give back, to share your knowledge, and to encourage a fellow writer who isn't quite as far along the path. You probably had people invest in your writing career when you were starting out -- here's your chance to do the same with someone else. Second, find a mentor or writing partner. For an experienced writer, a critique group may not be quite as valuable as finding one person whose judgment you trust; who will read your material and give you straight answers about what works and what doesn't. Third, consider a more in-depth workshop or seminar to boost your knowledge. The fact that Donald Maass is doing a shortened version of his "Writing the Breakout Novel" seminar at ACFW this year is fabulous. If you're a published author, consider attending the full-blown version. Or maybe take in McKee's "Story" workshop. A good, advanced-level seminar can be extremely helpful for those who don't feel they're getting much out of the one-hour workshops at a conference. 

And yes, I have a reason for tell you that... I've been working with Jim Rubart, a longtime marketing consultant, to create an advanced marketing seminar just for novelists. We'll be announcing it at ACFW, but this fall and next summer we'll be hosting small groups of writers in a handful of cities for two days, focused exclusively on developing fiction marketing techniques that are specific to each author and their books. More on this in a later post. 

You can also find good info on the web, of course. Make sure to check out the popular  www.publishingperspectives.com . My friend Jason Ilian put me on to them recently, and I've become a big fan. Novelist Brandt Dodson introduced me to another good site:  www.bookbusinessmag.com . These folks have been on a roll -- great thoughts on the future of the industry. One blog I've become addicted to is LIsa Delay's www.lifeasprayer.wordpress.com , which I really enjoy. 

Um, in case you haven't heard, I hurt my back and neck. Patti and I are moving (we finally bought a place at the beach), and I celebrated by showing off my testosterone and wrestling the washing machine into the truck. Bad mistake. I wound up in the ER, and now I'm taking drugs and can't lift anything heavier than a pencil. It sucks, and I'm cranky, but more than anything I'm mad. Mad at myself for thinking my 150-lb body could wrangle a washer up a ramp and into a truck by myself. Mad at Sears for making such a heavy washing machine. Mad at Jerry Jenkins for not calling me and invited me to represent his latest million seller so I wouldn't have to even OWN a washing machine -- I could just toss my clothes into a corner and the laundry fairies would show up and magically make them shiny again. Anyway, if you can't tell, I'm on serious painkillers. So if you don't like anything in this post, blame it on the drugs. 

How an Author should Think about Money

I have had a number of authors ask about career planning -- mainly, "What does that mean in real life?" Since I'm the guy who criticizes others for "talking about career planning" without really knowing "how to do career planning," I thought I should offer a description. Here are some practical thoughts for putting this to work in your own career...

An author and an agent start out by trying to get to know each other. Who are you? What's the platform you're bringing to the process? What are the big past events and accomplishments? What's important to you for the future? What do you want to do, and what changes do you need to make? Trying to get a quick overview of your writing life is a good first step. The goal is to try and create a career map, so that you can start to think about what you expect to happen in the next two years, the next five years, the next ten years. What plans are you making? Do those plans reflect your values? Do they match up with your life purpose? Does it maximize your strengths? As an agent, I'm not trying to get you to write some sort of overall purpose statement that you think is fun, but then stick in a drawer and forget about -- I'm trying to help you establish a workable plan you can use to move your writing career forward. So I'm very results-oriented. It's why I'll ask an author questions like "what person would you most like to learn from this year?" and "what single thing would you most like to purchase this year?" and "what obstacle is holding you back that you most want to overcome this year?" If we can talk through issues like this, we start to gain some clarity as to what you want to accomplish. 

So if you want to make career planning real in your own life, here is Step One: The very first thing I suggest an author do when thinking about establishing a career plan is to write down on paper what you define as "success." If you don't do this, you're always going to be wondering if you're successful, or if you're "successful enough." Define success for yourself -- is it hitting the New York Times list? Or just seeing your name in print? Is it making a certain amount of money? Or selling enough copies to get another deal? You see, everybody defines "success" differently, so you've got to figure out what success is to you in order to figure out if you're taking the right path. 

And no, in case you're wondering, I don't happen to think that "success" is the be-all and end-all of writing. In fact, I happen to think it can be a trap, because we're never going to be satisfied by this world. For most of us, we simply want the time and energy to be able to actually write down the stories we have in our heads, and the opportunity to share them with others. BUT...at the same time, most of the people I represent are either full-time writers or moving toward being full-time writers. So I think from a business standpoint, there is the sense that they need to figure out how they can make a decent living from this writing gig. So I tend to focus on the economics of a career plan. 

Step Two is to set a financial goal for the year. It's got to be something that is both livable (assuming you are a full-time writer) and reachable (so there's no setting a figure of "a million dollars this year"). Let's say, for someone just moving into full-time writing, they set a goal of $24,000 a year. Skinny, but a real wage. If you're farther along in your career, maybe the goal is $48,000 for the year. (I don't have up-to-date figures, but I know that in 2004, the average annual income for a full-time writer was only $31,000. If you're doing better than that, you should be filled with gratitude.)

Step Three is to figure out a real-world budget for yourself. What does it cost to live for a year? I'm always surprised at the number of organized and creative artists who basically don't know where their money goes, or what it costs to live each month. It's going to prove very tough to determine a writing salary if you don't know what your monthly costs are. So if you have that information, get it out. If you don't, sit down with your checkbook and figure out how much you need each month for housing, utilities, food, insurance, car payment, gas, retirement, taxes, tithe, etc. If your monthly expenditures exceed your financial goal for the year, something has to change -- either you need to make more money or you need to cut expenses. For all the financial advice you can get from books and experts, it still comes down to those two choices: You can either make more, or you can spend less. The goal here is to create a budget that matches your financial goal. (This is why most authors are married to someone with a "real job.")

In Step Four you break down your annual financial goal into monthly sections -- the writer who needs to earn $24k per year will need to average $2000 per month. The writer looking to make $48k will need to average $4000 per month. It's important that you have that figure in mind, since most Americans live on a monthly budget and pay their bills every 30 days. 

Step Five: I always remind authors of the MacGregor Formula for full time writing: 24m(s) + 4b = RJ

You've probably heard me talk about this before, but I'll translate: the writer needs to have the next 24 months of book contracts, and they need to add up to a regular salary [that's the 24m(s) part].

The writer also needs to have four books earning him or her income [books already earned out -- the 4b portion of the equation].

If they have those two aspects, they have a real job [RJ]. 

Still with me? So the author has figured out what a realistic annual salary is, Then he or she has has written it all down so that there is a two-year plan. 

Now comes the hard part -- in Step Six, you have to start adding up what you expect to earn on the writing you're doing, marking down the times you expect it to arrive. That's called a budgeting calendar, and it helps you figure out what you have coming in and what you might need to add. Let's say an author is expecting a royalty check in May, and has a book due in July. She expects a signing check in October, another royalty check due in November, and if she can complete her other contract in time, another payment due in December. So she simply takes out a calendar and writes down the dates and expected income. Once she has filled in all the numbers on the calendar, the author will have a pretty good feeling for how much she's going to make and when she's going to make it. 

In Step Seven, the author shifts his or her budget from a monthly system to a quarterly system. So in our $24k per year scenario, the author stops thinking in terms of "I need to earn $2000 this month," and starts thinking in terms of "I need to earn $6000 per quarter." The $48k-per-year author stops thinking about making $4000 per month and starts thinking about making $12,000 per quarter. That takes the immediate, "how-are-we-going-to-survive" pressure off. Writing income just doesn't arrive on a monthly basis; but it's very fair to assume a full-time writer can expect to earn a decent paycheck four times per year. So move your income into quarterly groups, lowering the pressure on yourself, and give yourself a better big-picture view of your budget. (And if you're reading this far, you should know that several authors have found this one step to be life-changing. No kidding.)

The conversation then becomes something like this: "I'm going to make $6000 this quarter. It's going to come from these three sources: my completion money, my royalty check, and those magazine articles I'm completing. And the money is going to go toward..." [again, part of having a budget is determining where the $$$ goes, not just how it comes in]. 

Are you still with me? I'm just trying to help the authors I represent see that we can create a realistic plan for making a living at this writing stuff, but it takes some planning. And no, not everybody needs this from their agent. Some authors just need a guy who can negotiate contracts, or who has the relationships with editors to sell books. And that's fine -- if you don't need this information, feel free to ignore it. 

And no, this doesn't always work. Unforeseen events can occur that foul up our plans. We can be too aggressive. Or we can get lazy and only get halfway done. But in the real world, this is what I think an author has to do if he or she is going to think about creating a writing budget and actually making a living at all of this. 

Questions about Literary Agents

Recently I've received a number of questions about working as an agent...

Megan wrote to say, "I'm working with a brand new agent, and she's not sure how to answer my question. Can an article that's appeared in a magazine later be included in a book, say as an introduction or as a chapter?"

If you own the rights, you are free to use that material again. But be aware: If you sell this as a book, your publisher may have a clause that restricts you from using any material that has been in print before. So before you sign the magazine contract, be sure rights revert to you once that magazine comes off the shelf. And before you sign the book contract, make sure to explain that you're re-using some material from a magazine piece that once saw print. You just want to cover your bases and make sure you don't get into trouble. But for the most part, this happens all the time. Keep in mind that a book is rarely a collection of magazine pieces -- it's more in-depth, more complete, and offers a longer view than a short piece in a magazine or e-zine.

Richard asked, "Do you get queries from people randomly -- I mean, queries from people who have not checked you out or read your blog?"

Oh, sure. All the time. I get queries from people who have never met me, never checked me out, never even taken the time to so much as read my website and query guidelines -- and then sometimes they'll say something like, "I think you'd be a great agent for me." How would you know? For example, I state very clearly on my site that we don't represent children's books, poetry, screenplays, or sci-fi novels. Yet just this week I have had queries in all four of those categories. That sort of thing amazes me. I mean, these are perfectly smart people, and I doubt they'd wander into a car dealership and ask to buy a garage door opener. Sure, "cars" and "garages" are somehow linked, but... Anyway, the lesson is that ten minutes research into an agent can reveal a lot of helpful information.

Marlene wants to know, "What is a typical day for a literary agent?"

A typical day looks like this -- rise early (I live on the west coast, which makes me a bit different from many literary agents), go running, shower, make myself some coffee, then sit down and plow through all my emails. I normally get more than a hundred emails per day, and I try to work through them all first thing, get them out of the way, and not keep going back to them. Then I catch up on phone calls, which I group together so as to try and keep them shorter. Then it's on to projects, which means reading manuscripts, editing and tweaking proposals, contacting authors and editors, and sending stuff out. There are a few things I handle on a weekly basis instead of a daily basis -- finances, reporting deals, looking at submissions, catching up on the industry news. The thing that's hardest to stay on top of is the reading -- lots of hours spent reading, so that I don't get as much pleasure reading in as I'd like. 

I have a great agent who works with me, Sandra Bishop, and we talk most days, and try to meet once a week to go over stuff together. I also have an assistant, Amanda, who helps with things like submissions and databases. Both of these folks are really good, and help make my workload easier, but it's still a lot of hours. Actually, it's always tough to talk about the hours you put in, since it looks like you're either whining or trying to impress people, but I work for myself, and like anyone who works for himself or herself,  the hours are long -- maybe 70 hours per week. I'm not complaining -- I've always been the hardest working person I know. Ask the folks who have worked with me at Alive or at Time-Warner. I was always the first guy in, the last guy to leave. It's why I've become very selective about taking on any new authors. They can't just be good -- they have to stand out in a crowd. 

Jeff asked this: "If somebody really wanted to get into the industry, get to know things, maybe even become a literary agent some day, what advice would you give him?"

First, learn to differentiate great writing from good writing. Then learn what a salable idea is. Those are the two most important keys to success in this industry, in my view. If you were going to be an agent, you'd need to study publishing contracts. (I'm still amazed at the wannabe agents who don't understand contracts.) Make friends with editors, since we all do business with people we like and trust. Do some writing yourself, so that you keep your hand at the creative process. Learn to foster talent. Again, if you're going to be an agent you should join AAR -- I think it's a mistake that many of the CBA agents haven't joined, since it's the one legitimizing body we have in publishing. 

What else? Um... don't lie, even when the news is bad. If the sales numbers suck, just take a deep breath and share them anyway. Only represent people you like, since life is too short to deal with the frustrations that come with working closely to folks you can't stand. Study the market and its trends. Build a network. Always take the approach that "good" is better than "fast." Give things away (your time, your money, your advice), so you don't turn into a completely selfish jerk (like me). Pray for your clients. Track everything you do, so when you're asked about it, you'll have a record. Hey -- the fact is, if you're an aspiring literary agent, the BEST thing you can do is to find an agent mentor who will show you the ropes. Learn from someone who is doing this successfully. (And this is where I get to say THANKS to Rick Christian and Greg Johnson, who showed me how to do this job.) 

Danni asked, "You frequently poke fun at the dumb stuff in publishing, but what do you enjoy most about publishing?"

What I enjoy most about this business is talking books and words with people. No question. I started out making my living as a writer, and sort of slid into being an agent. I love agenting -- it keeps me working with authors, and focused on words and books. I started doing this more than a decade ago, and have loved every minute. The fact is, I once left agenting to go be a publisher with Time-Warner, and thought I'd enjoy working on the publishing side. I was wrong -- it wasn't a disaster, but it also wasn't nearly as much fun. I really like being on this side of the desk.