Chip MacGregor .com

The Dumbest Thing I Ever Did

Okay, we've all made stupid mistakes. Done things in a hurry and later regretted them. I remember once, a couple decades ago, when I was working as an associate pastor at a church, and we had a puppet team come in to work with our youth group. They had those big foam Muppet-like puppets, and were training our kids how to use them to do inner-city puppet shows. The girls were all handling the girl puppets, the boys the boy puppets, and we were all doing our Muppet voices and acting dopey. So, when the woman in charge announced we were going to take a break, I happened to be standing next to one of the girl puppets. I picked it up, slid my hand into it (which meant sliding it under the puppet's dress), and said, "I'd like to see how one of the girls feels." 

Oops. The room suddenly got real quiet. "Um... that's not what I meant!" I ended up having to call all the parents of the kids to apologize. Yikes. Sometimes it's the little things that come back to bite us. 

I tell that story because it's a Saturday morning, and I woke up to discover that, last night, while racing to catch up on some work, I did the dumbest thing I've ever done in more than a decade of agenting. Some background: As an agent, you try and figure out which editor and publishing house is a fit for each project you represent. You put together a list, and you query people, checking to see if they would, in fact, like to look at the manuscript. 

I've got a great novel that I'm representing, from a fine author. I've been really excited about this one, thought it had broad appeal, and put together a nice list of editors. Last night I sat down with that list, opened the proposal... and then SENT EACH OF THEM MY QUERY LIST INSTEAD OF THE PROPOSAL. That means when each editor reads my email and opens the document, instead of looking at the author's words, they'll be looking at a list of other editors and houses who are also receiving this query. Good grief. I've never done anything like that before, and it's such a stoo-pid rookie mistake that... well, I was in shock when I woke up today, checked my email, and saw a note from an editor friend saying, "Uh, Chip, you sent me your query list." AAAAAACK!!!!

Some days, I know I'm a good agent. Over the last year, I've sold more projects than any other agent in the country. I represent great authors. I have an ability to recognize good writing. And then, other days... I do something SO bad it leaves me shaking my head, aghast. Yikes. I'd like to be able to say, "That'll teach you." Except I don't really know what it'll teach me. Not to be a bonehead, I guess. Or maybe to appreciate editor friends who can be honest with me, instead of rolling their eyes and refusing to ever read anything I send them again. Good grief. And the worst thing is that I rarely create a long send list any more -- the industry has changed considerably the last couple of years, so that the majority of projects we sell are actually only sent to one or possibly two houses, since we try and target publishers instead of querying a long list of people. In this case, with a new author... well, again, yikes. I am, indeed, a bonehead. 

You know, years ago, when I was working as an agent at another company, we had something similar happen. We were working with an author named "Elizabeth," and she had a great project that two publishers were fighting over. One of the editors at one of those houses was also named "Elizabeth." Uh, you know how your computer will sometimes fill in the name in the "send" line of your email if you just type the first few letters? Well, my assistant MEANT to send a message to the author, laying out our strategy. Instead, she accidentally sent that email to the editor... who was NOT happy to find out she was being played, and who immediately withdrew from the whole deal. 

Sigh... It turned out okay, I guess. We sold that deal to a great publishing house (in fact, that author is STILL publishing with them, ten years later). And the funniest part of the story is that my former assistant who made that mistake is now WORKING FOR ELIZABETH, the editor who withdrew from the proceedings. I guess people really do forgive mistakes and grace abounds after all. Let's hope.

Geez. What a lousy morning. I'll go apologize to the list of editors who are opening up their emails and wondering, "Has this guy lost his freakin' mind?!" But first, I need to go buy myself a Starbucks, so I'll feel better. 

Interested in Marketing Your Fiction?

[Get ready. I'm going to offer a commercial. At the end, I might even offer you a Ginsu knife. You've been warned.] 

I've long been bugged by the fact that most marketing books you read about in publishing are focused on non-fiction. They tell authors to create websites that give away content, or to go on a speaking circuit and talk about your topic, but most of the ideas are really best for non-fiction. What do you do if you're a novelist? 

I've been talking about that a lot in recent months -- how novelists can create a readership, build a following, establish a presence as a novelist. Several of my recent blog posts have been focused on things like social media, and establishing an author brand, and the importance of social media. So, working with longtime marketing specialist Jim Rubart, we've put together a two-day seminar on marketing your fiction. This is aimed at writers who have a book coming out sometime in the next year, and want to be able to create their own marketing plan. In fact, the goal of this seminar is to make sure, at the end of our weekend together, each novelist walks away with a unique marketing plan for their upcoming book.

Okay, so we're not going to include a bunch of hype, or motivational you-can-do-it speeches, and there won't be any pie-in-the-sky, "maybe this could work" type of ideas. We're not going to sell you any products. Instead, here are a few things we're going to cover:

• What a novelist’s brand is, how to, discover it, and how to establish it

Five things you can do to become your publisher’s favorite author (and get extra help because of it.)

What you should expect from your publisher, and what you shouldn’t

 How get the maximum impact out of social media, your Web site, and your blog.

The seven keys to great ad copy, and how you can use those keys to get free (or nearly free) advertising

How to find new, untapped markets for your books

Three strategies for working successfully with an outside publicist

Most importantly, we'll show you how to create and implement your own, personalized marketing paln to make your novel stand out in a crowded marketplace. And we'll cover the philosophy behind WHY to do certain things. We'll get you thinking like a marketer. 

Jim and I have already beta-tested this material, and found it to be really helpful to authors. We are going to do this next month -- November 20-21, in Dallas. Then we're going to repeat it December 4-5 in Indianapolis. We'll be meeting at a hotel conference room close to the airport, so you can either stay at the hotel, or drive in if you're local. (We plan to do this again next spring in Nashville and Chicago.) We're going to keep these small, so that there will be lots of one-on-one time for each author, and it'll be very hands-on. You'll be creating the plan, not just talking about it. 

Okay, so the cost is normally $499. We decided to charge $399 for these first two, just as an inducement to get people involved. But then I had a bunch of readers of this blog ask about participating, so... tell you what. If you go to the website (www.themasterseminars.com) and mention this blog, you can come for $300. And yeah, space is limited. There's just two of us, and we can only work with a small group. 

Can this sort of focused marketing really work with fiction? Well, I've been working with novelists for years now, and have a good track record of helping them move forward in their careers. So if you really want to figure out what to do in order to market your fiction effectively, plan to come join us. I'd love to meet you there. Thanks for letting me offer you a commercial. 

(Yes, I should have worked for Ronco -- "And, if you order before midnight tonight, we'll send you this lovely set of cheese straightners for FREE!") 

Questions about the Industry

And it's back to questions from writers...

Stan wrote and said, "I've heard that about three or four CBA houses have sold in the past two years. What does this signal for the future? Is it the ABA getting greedy? Is the CBA selling out?" 

 I think this signals that the general market has recognized the value of Christian books, Christian writers, and Christian readers. And, yes, it probably means that more CBA houses will be sold (or come under the influence of) large general-market houses. As to the question "are they greedy?" -- good grief, they're running a for-profit enterprise. If "greedy" means "are they focused on making a profit," of course they're greedy. But I'd argue that CBA houses, for all the carefully-couched terms about having "ministry" and "doing the Lord's work," are also focused on making a profit -- that's how they stay in business. So maybe we should view this as a greater partnership, rather than a sell-out. 

Sure, there are some questions to face down the road -- who will do commentaries and reference tools that aren't necessarily commercial but still have value to believers? What happens when a company faces a decision to publish a book at odds with believers? How will Christians respond when a company publishes some heretical tome? But, for those not in the know, those very questions are faced by some of us every day. Time Warner Book Group (the company I worked for as a publisher) was a marvelous company that did many wonderful books. We probably also published some books Christians would find offensive. But you know what? I was not responsible for every decision in the company. I was responsible to do good books with solid Christian content that would sell in the marketplace. I'm comfortable with the role I played, and I believed in the company. My guess is that people working for other houses feel the same way. 

Stephanie asked, "How do you handle it when you have a change of editors (and editor styles) in mid-contract?"

This business is all about relationships. Editors move around quite a bit in the publishing world -- even more than in most industries (the reasons can be discussed in another post). So authors can expect this to happen to them occasionally. How to respond? Be polite, be positive, try to establish a new relationship with the new editor. Say hello. Send Starbucks. Show him or her that you're easy-going. Keep a positive attitude. Don't give the editor any reason to lose enthusiasm for your book, because every new person in a role is looking for projects that will succeed and make them look good. Make sense?

Ronnie wants to know, "What can we do as writers to stay current on this type of news?"

You mean besides "read my blog"? For CBA news, read Christian Retailing, Outreach magazine, World, Christianity Today (the magazine as well as their many excellent websites), maybe the CBA retailer's magazine if you can locate it. For ABA news, read Publisher's Weekly, subscribe to Publisher's Lunch, and keep tabs on book news. Go to the books shows to see what's happening with titles and covers and topics. Have conversations with other authors and editors. 

And Steve asked, "What been the biggest change you've seen in the years you've been agenting religious books? If you could pick a trend (besides e-books!), that has been significant, what would it be?"

I'm tempted to talk about the growth of Christian fiction, but I've been saying for quite some time that the biggest trend in Christian publishing has been the distribution -- AWAY from independent Christian bookstore/gift centers and TOWARD general market bookstores. That has both an up and a down side, of course, but it's simply the marketplace at work. Christian readers would prefer to spend $12 for a book at Wal-Mart (and don't underestimate Wal-Mart in the Christian retailing market) than $20 for a book at Betty's Angel Book Shoppe. That has caused Christian independents to go under by the dozens, and it is rapidly forcing a reshaping of CBA as we know it. 

Along with that has been the sale of various CBA publishers. Time Warner had its stock price stuck at $17 for three years, so in an effort to get some things moving (and to hold off Carl Icahn), the board decided to get out of the book business. They sold the Time Warner Book Group to Hachette Livre, a French publishing conglomerate that owns Hodder in England, Car & Driver  and Elle magazines in this country, and numerous publishing ventures around the world. On the heels of that came the sale of Thomas Nelson -- interestingly enough, moving from a publicly held company to a private one. It was a significant change for them, and they went through a couple years of tweaking to get things right. (They also bought out Integrity Publishing.) Then Simon and Schuster, which is seemingly always for sale by Viacom, and who had not had a Christian imprint, decided they needed CBA exposure. So they purchased Howard Publishing, lock, stock, and barrel. It was an interesting move, since S&S had been going after "name" CBA authors but with no place for them to call home. Harper Collins was already in the business, since they own Zondervan (as well as HarperOne), and Random House has their Waterbrook imprint, and they bought out Multnomah. Wiley has a religious imprint at Jossey-Bass. Viking is still in process of figuring out how Christian books fit in their model. My point is just to say that Christians have firmly established themselves as a market, that every major publisher is going after that market, and that the market itself has grown and changed in recent years, most notably in the areas of distribution and sales.

One more thing: The fastest growing segment of Christianity is charismatic, and we have probably neglected to mention that some small charismatic houses (Strang, Destiny Image, Harrison House, etc) have recently sold a ton of books -- so certainly somebody is buying their materials, whether they are in big ponds or small, and whether they are in general markets or not. I mention this because I've had questions about the "big" vs "small" publishing houses. 

Don't believe the people who say "big publishers are jerks who don't care about the little guy." I worked for a big publisher, and while I may be a world class jerk, there are still plenty of not-so-giant authors who would say I cared about them and worked hard to help them succeed. The stereotype of big business isn't always true, so don't accept that criticism as gospel -- particularly from people who may not know what they're talking about. Also, I don't see anything in Scripture that calls us to a ministry of "size." We're in love with size in America because we believe bigger is better, but God calls one guy to pastor ten thousand and another to pastor ten. There's nothing I can find in His Word that says "the guy who pastors ten thousand is therefore better, more spiritual, and higher on the kingdom ladder" (or whatever it is we're all placed on when God sorts things out). If you're called to write, then write your best. For some it will mean big dollars and a huge audience. For others, not-so-big dollars and a smaller readership. Some of the best books of all time haven't ever made a bestseller list or even been read by that many people. We're called to obedience, not noteriety. We're called to significance, not success.

Finally, Ben aksed, "You often talk about publishing news in your blog. Why is it important for authors to be aware of this sort of news?"

To impress girls at author signings and cocktail parties, of course. And, I suppose, to make wise decisions in your writing career (should you find that important). 

Today's Publishing Environment

Frank wrote to say, "Why don't you take fewer questions and do them more often?"

A good point. I've thought about that... I'll try to answer more questions, and do so more frequently. But first, a note on the self-publishing posts of the other day. I had an author named Nicole write and say, "A note on using iUniverse to self pub. I had a fine experience -- it wasn't expensive (about $300), they actually read my manuscript and gave me feedback, which I used to revise, and the production values, while not lavish, were fine. I've got a paperback original that is sold as a POD, but looks fine on a bookshelf. So if you've got a family memoir or personal story that you want to have produced for a small group of readers, self-pub is the way to go. It's when you combine outside commercial expectations with self-publishing that you run into trouble." 

Well said. Thanks for taking the time to write about your experience. As I noted, I have self-pubbed a few books (both paperback and hardcover), did it myself, and had a good experience. BUT I hired a professional editor to review the manuscript, used a copyeditor I trusted, reviewed the interior and cover designs carefully, and, most importantly, I knew how to sell the book. If you don't know how to sell the book, you're making a mistake if you have commercial expectations. Appreciate you writing to say that, Nicole. 

Abigail asked, "As you look at today's publishing market, what's the most important development you see happening?"

I tough call to pick out one thing, Abigail. First is probably the news that Walmart and Amazon are having a price war, with both saying they'll sell their top books for less than ten bucks (even hardcover books). Yikes. Take a look at what David Young, the CEO of Hachette Book Group USA and my former boss, had to say in the Wall Street Journal and on Publishers Marketplace. He is quoted saying, "It worries me from the perspective of the independent bookseller community that is so vital when it comes to launching new careers." He's absolutely on target with that, coupled with Amazon's desire to make e-books cheaper than $10, there's not much money to stay in business. The implication is that booksellers will price each other out of business, publishers won't be making anything, and that leaves almost nothing for the author. Tough times. 

Second is no doubt the growth of the e-book audience -- today Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook, which is their proprietary e-reader. It includes some of the best of the Kindle features (cell phone technology, the ability to highlight text) with some cool enhancements (a color screen for covers, will get newspapers and magazines, can hold 1500 books, and allows you to move Word docs and PDFs as well as book text to your computer or to a friend's device). They sell for $259, and can be ordered starting today. The price will drop eventually, but this is the big battle brewing on the retail front. 

Chuck wrote this: "You seem to spend a lot of time talking about marketing on this blog. Can't a writer just focus on writing these days?"

Thanks, Chuck. Actually, I'd love it if a writer could just focus on writing. But this is a blog about publishing AND writing, and the reality these days is that a writer is being called to be his or her own marketing director. I don't really enjoy saying that -- I'm just calling it the way I see it as a longtime agent in the industry (as well as a former associate publisher for Time-Warner, senior editor for Harvest House, and author of a couple dozen books). I do think it's possible for a writer of literary fiction to just be a great writer, and choose not to get involved much with marketing... but I think that writer will always struggle in the marketplace (unless he or she hits the lottery and gets a ton of attention somehow -- something that is happening far less frequently than it used to). What we're seeing these days is literary novelists choosing to be involved in some way with the marketing plan -- whether that is doing a blog tour, or a booksigning and speaking tour, or a bunch of interviews and articles in print and web-based 'zines. So the idea of a writer doing his or her own marketing isn't something I'm pushing so much as it's the direction I see the industry has gone. 

I just had a conversation with an author I represent. She's a literary writer, and she's never going to turn into a full-time marketer. That's fair -- I wanted to represent her because I believe in her WRITING, not because I think she's going to be a world famous marketing expert. And I know it's a struggle for an introverted, solitude-loving writer to suddenly be called upon to talk to people, press the flesh, and make herself available to groups. So maybe a writer like that just trusts in her talent, and does as much as she feels comfortable doing, and lives with the results in a competitive book market. I can live with that, so long as the author understands the sales projections will probably be much more modest than if she threw herself into marketing. Again, I'm not trying to be The Marketing Evangelist. I'm just trying to help today's writers understand how the world has changed, and try to be as well-equpped as possible to face the new reality and find some success.

Remember, I sell as much literary fiction as anyone. So if you're a literary writer, I understand your struggle. And I long for the day when you'll be appreciated for your voice and talent, not for your ability to go onto a TV show and pitch your book in 30-second soundbites. Until we get there (IF we get there), I figure my job is to help authors know how to best spend their time trying to be successful. 

Chip 

Links and Notes in Publishing Today

I am regularly asked if the questions on this blog actually come from people writing in, or if I make them up. When I first began the blog three years ago, I culled some questions from writing conferences I was at. Since then, every question I've answered has come from somebody sending me a note. (And yes, I've got a backlog. So sue me.)

One follow-up to the last couple of blogs on Thomas Nelson's new "WestBow" initiative... A couple folks wrote to ask, "Does this mean Thomas Nelson is destitute?" Nope. It just means they're a business, and they see an avenue where they can make some money. The world of publishing is changing rapidly, and I think we're going to see publishers try all sorts of new ideas. Look how newspapers have changed (they've gone online, given away content for free... then gone out of business), or how magazines have changed (they've gone online, cut costs, moved their income base from subscribers to advertisers, and focused on niches). Book publishers are trying to navigate those same changes. They're trying to figure out how to make money with digital books, how to improve the bottom line, how to trim costs, and how to increase income. 

A happy note in the world of publishing... This week Barnes and Noble is expected to reveal their own e-reader. It has a color screen (actually a two-part screen -- color to see covers at the bottom, but a black-and-white reading area at the top), uses cell phone technology to deliver books, allows hyperlinks in the text, has full browsing cabability, and uses a Google operating system. Early reports say it allows both Word and PDF documents, so it'll be useful for people in the industry. Expect some serious competition for the Kindle. 

And another note: it looks like the government might end up canceling the Google rights deal. They consider it too much of a reach (putting all out of print books into the hands of Google), so it looks like they're going to break it up. We're still moving toward a digitalized future for all oop books, but probably not the one you did all that paperwork for. Sorry!

The folks at Novel Journey continue to interview some of the most fascinating writers. I loved the video from Brad Meltzer, an author who was panned by Kirkus, PW, and everyone else before he hit the big time (check out his great video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fubceELexE

And if you're really into marketing, you have GOT to read a wonderful piece in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/10/19/091019sh_shouts_weiner

Several folks have asked if we're planning to do the Fiction Marketing Seminar as a webinar, or if we're going to make the materials available somehow. Maybe one day in the future. But the GOAL of the seminar (which we're doing in Dallas Nov 20-21 and Indianapolis Dec 4-5) is for every participant to walk out of the weekend with a workable marketing plan for his or her novel. That requires some hands-on work (I'm teaching this with Jim Rubart, a longtime marketing consultant), so it's not the sort of thing you can stick into a workbook and sell for $19.99. If you're a novelist interested in finding out how you can market your fiction, check us out at: www.themasterseminars.com

Some folks have asked if Christian Manuscript Submissions (www.christianmanuscriptsubmissions.com ) is legit. Yeah, they are. That's a system that was set up by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. They charge a fee to have you submit your book proposal and sample chapters, so that they can stick it into an electronic slushpile and make it available to publishers. Can it turn into a deal? Theoretically. But practically speaking, the odds are VERY long. For all the people who have submitted in recent years, there have only been a couple of projects that were actually picked up by publishers. So there's two ways to view it... (1) If you take the perspective that an author needs to try every avenue in a quest to get published, then I suppose this is one other way to try. (2) Most editors already get a ton of legit proposals from agents, so what's the motivation for checking an electronic slushpile? If you really want to be seen by an editor, hook up with a good agent. 

Okay, so a couple moments of bragging... Jon Acuff has one of the world's most popular religious blogs (Stuff Christians Like), and he's coming out with a book of his musings at Zondervan next year. Seven months out, the book is in pre-orders on Amazon, and it's already the most popular book combining religion and humor. Wow. Seven months out? Have I ever purchased a book seven months before it released? AND I read two novels recently that knocked my socks off... Susan Meissner is famous for last year's The Shape of Mercy, which was widely regarded as the best religious novel published last year. But if you haven't seen her new one, White Picket Fences, you're missing out. It's really good. And I know I've been guilty of raving about Lisa Samson's novels in the past (Tiger Lillie and Quaker Summer were great reads), but by all means take a look at her new one, The Passion of Mary Margaret. Man. Fabulous. Oh, and if you like thrillers, Irene Hannon's debut, Against All Odds spent three months on the bestseller lists. Her new one, An Eye for An Eye, is just as good (and doubtless headed back to the bestseller lists). I know I can't rave about every book I represent, but these three are all good. 

I have been asked by several people to point them toward writers who are really good, but who don't get the attention they deserve. Without a doubt I can give you two names: Ginger Garrett and Kimberly Stuart. No question. Both great writers, and both staying under the radar. There are doubtless a bunch of others, but those are the first two names that come to mind. 

For some reason, I keep having font and spacing issues in the new Typepad blogs. Don't know what's up, or why some of these paragraphs are larger than others, but I'm working on it. Back to more questions -- and if you've got a question about writing and publishng, feel free to send it along. 

Thomas Nelson and Self-Publishing

While I've been moving my daughter Kate into her first apartment, the internet has been buzzing with news about Thomas Nelson (a huge CBA publishing house) announcing that they are moving into the self-publishing business. You can read all about it here http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/10/should-you-consider-self-publishing.html and here  www.news.thomasnelson.com  

Some people are angry, thinking Nelson is profiteering... but my feeling is, "They're a business. OF COURSE they're profiteering." I mean, I'm in business to make a profit. That's what a business does! The team at Nelson has simply noticed the abundance of wannabe writers out there, and decided to create an option for them to get into print. Nothing wrong with that. The industry is changing rapidly, and we're all trying to figure out how to make a living in the new economy. If Nelson wants to start a self-pub unit, it's not much different than if they started a "plush toys" unit or a "TV movie" division. That said, I do think there are some issues to think through.

First, there's no getting around the fact that the Thomas Nelson name has huge cache. So there's the potential for offering a bit of a "come on." I think that's what has upset people -- the notion that the team at Nelson is saying, "Self-pubbing with WestBow is sort of like publishing your book with Thomas Nelson." And that's just not true. 

When the president of the company, Michael Hyatt, blogged about it, he alluded to this when he stated self-pubbing "provides us with a kind of 'farm team.'" Um... Mike... please. I respect you very much, and I've publicly sung your praises, but that looks like you're letting the marketing guys create your copy for you. You're already publishing 500 titles per year, and these books weren't good enough to make your list. Sure, if somebody self-publishes and sells 10,000 copies, you might sit up and pay attention to them -- but so will everyone else. A "farm team" implies that your editorial and marketing people will be investing in these authors, shaping them for a brighter publishing future. And that won't be happening. 

(A side note: Mike also mentioned that authors wanted to self-pub "without getting ripped off." Uh... ripped off by who? Haven't the majority of the complaints been aimed at iUniverse and XLibris and Author House? Nelson has announced they're doing this in a partnership with ASI, who, um, owns iUniverse and XLibris and Author House. So if you're concerned authors are getting ripped off, it's by the very company you're partnering with. But I'm not trying to cast aspersions. I don't have any firsthand knowledge of problems with Author House, for example. And I know Michael Hyatt -- he's a good man, who's just trying to make his company successful.)

Second, the Nelson group must understand that some folks are afraid of the huge potential to scam people -- having some editor say, "We're not interested in publishing your book through our regular publishing company... but have you considered self-publishing with us?" No, I don't expect that will happen. But do you know that's exactly why members of the Association of Author Representatives aren't allowed to have their own editing services or publishing companies? There's too much temptation to look at every bad manuscript that passes an agent's desk and say, "This isn't ready... but for $500, I have an editor who could really get this in shape." A successful agent would have a bonanza -- EVERY crappy manuscript would have the potential to earn the agent money. (And there are several literary agents who do this -- running an editorial service or offering "proposal consulting." They'd be drummed out of the AAR for that reason. Stay away from them.) 

Third, the folks at Nelson probably wish they hadn't decided to use the name WestBow. They used it for expediency (Thomas Nelson already owned it; WestBow was the name of their fiction program a few years back), but that creates real issues... Can a WestBow author now say, "I'm published by the same imprint that publishes TED DEKKER"? Yeah, they can. (And yes, the WestBow authors are livid about this.) My guess is that they'll change this. 

Fourth, I have a real problem with the blog stating, "We want to work with agents and affiliates as 'WestBow Press Affiliates.'" That would mean I, as an agent, would supposedly send an author to WestBow, so that I could get a bird-dog fee? Um... no. Sorry. That's a clear ethical violation. 

In retrospect, I was surprised the Nelson folks did this so publicly, since most people in publishing look down on self-pubbing as the low-end, potentially seedy side of the business. Another CBA house, B&H, has a self-pub company -- Cross Books -- but they keep it under wraps. So far as I know, there are no connections between their self-pub side and the actual B&H publishing business. And if this whole enterprise is going to come back and bite Thomas Nelson in the backside, it's because of that. There's at least one publishing house who has sent out rejection letters stating, "We've decided not to publish your book... but you may want to consider self-publishing with us." That doesn't pass the smell test. 

I'm not down on self-publishing. In fact, I've self-pubbed my own books (they were books of card tricks) and done very well. But all of us who work in the industry have seen poor quality, badly written books with no editing and poor production qualities. So, to make sure we leave with a learning tool, let me answer one question: Who should self-publish? 

The answer is simple: Only authors who can sell their books. Period. If you can't sell your book -- either by speaking to a group or pitching them to your organization or offering them to your regular readers, don't self-publish. You'll just lose money. It's extremely rare for a fiction writer to sell any self-published books, no matter what company name is on the spine. So be aware, and do your homework. 

Precisely why I don't blog much ...

... because I should be working on getting proposals out and answering phone calls and emails. But, here I am instead. Wondering why on earth I threw my opinions out there in there in the first place.

First, let me say I realize we need to change our blog setup so people realize when it's me, SANDRA writing. I'll work on that.  For now, you get to read my words in orange.

Regarding yesterday's blog, I began posting comment replies but they got too long, so consider this a group reply.

I want to clarify that expressing whether or not I approve of TN's decision was not the intention of my post yesterday.  Who really cares whether I approve or not? I certainly wasn't trying to shake my finger at Michael Hyatt. Frankly, I don't know the man, but I do respect his position, and I'm smart enough to know (and humble enough to admit) that he's someone with a lot of influence who has the capacity to make or break careers. Or at least bend them.

My pointing out "what's behind the curtain" had more to do with my frustration about the whole farm team analogy. It just didn't fly for me.

Thomas Nelson's decision to add self publishing to their product line was their choice to make. It's a business model which is different from what's always been done. Does the fact that Nelson and other traditional publishers are stepping into this ring threaten the status quo? Absolutely. Do I respect their courage to at least step out and try something new? Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Am I jumping up and down in excitement about it? Uh, no.

I'm sure this decision wasn't considered lightly. Business ideas are sometimes conceived in a vacuum, but rarely carried out in one. My guess is that the seed of this idea started with a simple question like "how can we continue to move forward and mitigate risk?" For Nelson, this was their answer. Is it the right answer? That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

I realize from Thomas Nelson's perspective, this new division simply offers authors a new choice to make in regard to how they pursue publication. It's a service in exchange for a fee. And it's not like TN is going to go out and hang authors upside down to shake spare change from their pockets. Whether authors choose to buy this service is their choice.

Still, it's needs to be said that good authors work and sacrifice long and hard on their product before presenting it for consideration and this move doesn't make the road to publishing shorter or easier for them. It makes it steeper, bumpier, and harder to navigate.

For most authors, traditional publishing is still the end goal. In CBA, Thomas Nelson has long been considered the brass ring. The stamp of approval. Validation and evidence that an author has earned their way to the top and is deserving of respect as a Christian author. And I believe that respect is something which should be earned. Not available for purchase.

Face it, there is the potential for folks to let their desire to see their name on the spine of a Thomas Nelson book override their motivation to do the work. And, conversely, there is also the potential for TN to let their desire to make money override their motivation to hold to their standards. I'm not accusing. I'm just saying this looks like it has the potential to be a slippery slope and this concerns me.

Obviously I wasn't asked for my opinion on any of this. And as I was talking with another agent this morning, we agreed that it's easy to criticize and point fingers at other people's solutions without offering suggestions or alternatives, so here's mine:

Want a farm team? Go for it. I think it's a great idea. Start a new non-advance, higher royalty division - and perhaps use the Westbow imprint for just such a thing. This would still raise the commitment required from authors without lowering the bar. Help authors who are willing to commit to making the product a success, then spend the money that would have gone into an advance to help the author with marketing. I've done a couple deals this way with other publishers recently, and I have to say, I feel fine about it. There was nothing in it for me upfront as an agent, but in both cases, they are projects I believe have the capacity to not only make money down the road, but also make a difference in the long run.

Just an idea. Conceived in bit of a vacuum, I'll admit. Feel free to discuss. I've got work to do.

Sandra

So ... Self-Publishing is the New Black?

Sandra here.

Who doesn't see much point of getting into topics just to stir debate. Not afraid of conflict. I just don't see the point of adding another voice to what is destined to become an overcrowded, noisy room.

Okay. So, Thomas Nelson is starting a new self-publishing line. That's interesting. A sign of the times, perhaps. Something to watch and a new topic to discuss at writing conferences, debate on blogs, squawk about with retailers. We'll see. I have my opinions about it, but frankly, it's not my business. Literally. It's not my decision to make. Last time I checked, I didn't own Thomas Nelson.

I respect Michael Hyatt and the other fine folks at Thomas Nelson. And I'm positive they (and their shareholders and/or corporate suits) all put much thought and consideration into this decision. My guess is that they're expecting flack and have steeled themselves (and have pre-written press releases waiting) in preparation for it.

However. Ahem ... pitching this new venture as a "farm team" to authors? Excuse me?

That is a giant, sticky, wad of hooey, man.

Look. I know the lines between what once worked and what will work in the future are blurring and that we all need to do what we can to A) keep publishing viable and relevant and B) figure out a way to keep the pipeline of books strong so we can keep spreading the word and doing what we love. 

Call me cynical, but I'm thinking the motivation behind this decision might have something to do with the fact that opportunities to profit from books are growing slimmer by the second. Or is that just coincidence?

Thing is, there really is nothing new under the sun.

Back in the late eighties when I worked in the marketing department of a major CBA publisher, it was standard fare to gasp when authors held out for larger advances or asked that the publisher spend a few dollars on advertising, tours, publicity. "Greedy authors. Don't they understand Christian publishing is a ministry?"

Then the wall fell. Big hair started giving way to grunge. And agents began coming onto the Christian publishing scene (another gasp).  Soon after, the veil of ministry this and other Christian publishers were hiding behind was pulled away and Christian authors were suddenly encouraged to get over it and begin thinking of writing as a business. Hmmm...

At its core, publishing is a business whose end product happens to be the packaging of free expression and creative thought.

It is a capitalistic, money making venture. With some exceptions (Gideon comes to mind) it always has been. Still is. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Thomas Nelson's attempt to legitimize their venture into self-publishing by pitching it as place for them to cultivate and find professional authors is, at best, a stretch. Do they really need to start their own self-publishing venture to do this when there are others who this exact thing already, and do it well?  Go ahead and do it -- just call it what it is.

I don't follow baseball, but (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) aren't farm teams peopled by amateurs looking to work their way up the ranks to the pros? And aren't they typically supported (at least minimally) by the parent clubs or ticket sales? I'll admit I'm not exactly sure how farm teams pay for the gas to get from game to game, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't come out of the pockets of players. And are they expected to invest their own money in order to dress just like the big boys so fans and spectators can't tell the difference? I don't think so.

Seems to me that calling this self-publishing venture a "farm team" is an attempt to hide behind a curtain again, and mask the reality that this is a business venture and a way to mitigate risk. Trouble with that is those of us who have been around awhile can see that there's money behind that curtain.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Sandra

Questions about Marketing

I've got a backlog of publishing questions that have been sent in (currently more than a hundred -- yikes!), so I'm going to try and squeeze a bunch in this month. Today is a batch of marketing questions...

Diane wrote and asked, "In publishing, which comes first -- the chicken or the egg? Do we need to have a book published before we start building a platform? Or do we start building a platform before we have a book to push?"

If the platform is the chicken, it's definitely the chicken that comes first. Look, if I walk into a publisher's office with your nonfiction book, the FIRST question he or she will ask is, "What's her platform?" I can sell good writing and a good idea from an author with a great platform. But it's tough to sell even great nonfiction writing that comes from an author with no platform. So that's easy -- start building your platform NOW. 

Irene wants to know, "In laymen's terms, can you tell me what a marketing platform is?"

Sure. Your platform is a number. In simplest terms, your platform is the number of people you can influence to buy your book -- and these days your publisher is going to expect the author to be responsible for about half the overall number of copies sold of your nonfiction book. So add up the people you can influence -- the number of people you speak to at conferences, the number who read your blog, the number who get your newspaper column, the number of people in your organization, the number who listen to you on the radio or watch you on TV. All those media contacts you have can be turned into a number -- and that's the number the publisher will look to when they think about selling your book. If it's a smaller house, they might be hoping to sell four-to-eight-thousand books. (That means you'd have to sell between two-and-four-thousand copies -- which is a lot of books.) If it's a medium sized publisher, they're looking to sell twelve-to-twenty. If it's a large publisher, they may only be interested in titles that will sell twenty-five-thousand copies. But you've got to sell half... and that means your marketing platform needs a big number. 

Jill wrote to say this: "I've been asked to speak at a couple places, but it's the same month my book comes out. Should I say 'yes,' and use that as an opportunity to promote my book? Or should I say 'no,' and spend my time doing other marketing? I don't want to jump at every speaking engagement that comes up."

If it were me, I'd probably say "yes." When your book is releasing, you want as many promotional opportunities as you can get. Say yes to everything. Go speak. Write for people. Get out there and be seen. Work yourself hard, because you'll soon be working on another book, and that means sitting by yourself, in a room, with your keyboard... and no crowds to clap for you and tell you what a great job you're doing. Given a chance to promote a book, an author usually has a limited window. Do everything you can to maximize that window. 

John noted, "I have a popular blog, and I'm curious what you think about having links on it. Do they help? Should I include them?"

Yeah, you should. They'll bring in traffic, and they're part of what makes the blogosphere a social network. I happen to think Mike Hyatt's blog is great, Jenny B Jones' blog is a riot, and Rachelle Gardner's blog is insightful. So I include links so others can visit them. Maybe they return the favor (maybe not -- doesn't matter to me), but it gets people visiting other sites and that brings readers to my own site. That's the essence of social marketing. 

I had four people ask this: "Will you be doing the 'fiction marketing' seminar in the Pacific Northwest? And will you be putting any of them onto DVD's?"

Okay, prepare yourself for a mini-commercial... I'm working with Jim Rubart, a longtime marketing guru from Seattle, and together we're putting on a two-day seminar called "Marketing Your Fiction." The goal is that novelists who attend will walk away with an actual marketing plan for their upcoming novel. Rather than waiting for the publisher, they'll take charge of their own fiction marketing. We're planning to do it Nov 20-21 in Dallas, then again Dec 4-5 in Indianapolis. If those go well, we're planning to do it a couple more times next year. Should be fun -- and as far as I know, there's nothing else like it. You can read all about it at this link:

www.themasterseminars.com . Look into it and see if you might find it helpful. 

Last question is from Jerry:  "I've heard some publishers are requiring their authors to include not just Amazon but the B&N.com sales button on their website. Is that true? Why would publishers do that?"

It's true, and it's troublesome. Publishers are putting the squeeze on authors to include B&N.com on their websites, even though B&N doesn't pay an author to link to them (Amazon does). It's no doubt happening because someone at B&N is suggesting to publishers that they're more apt to carry the books of authors who include them on author websites. Maybe that's just business, but it's worrisome any time you have retailers trying to control author content. (Think of when Amazon forced social networking site LibraryThing to remove buttons and links to other booksellers. The argument at the time was, "If you're going to use our materials, you can't list any of our competitors.") You know where this will lead? Borders won't carry your books unless you have a Borders link on your site. B&N will be checking author websites for their link. Amazon will insist everybody keep an Amazon link on their site. As I said... troublesome. What if a retailer announces that they don't like your cover, and won't stock your book unless the publisher changes it? Of they don't like your title and demand a change? Hmmm...

Questions about Platform and Publishing

Back to questions from readers...

Kara asked, "Is doing book reviews considered part of an author's platform-building efforts?"

I think any sort of writing you do that gets read adds to an author's platform. And if it doesn't immediately draw readers to your work, it keeps you writing for publication, which is certainly better than doing writing that nobody will ever see. So doing book reviews, movie reviews, restaurant reviews, local newspaper columns, and a blog may not garner you thousands of readers, but it gets you in front of more people than those who aren't doing it. 

On a related note, Debbie wrote, "I review books on my blog for some large CBA publishers, but today I received a request to review a book from Xulon (a self-publishing company). I'm wondering if a review of something like that will hurt my credibility."

I doubt it. A reviewer writes responses to books -- so make it an honest, helpful review for the readers, Debbie. (And be warned... I've had some self-pubbed projects sent to me recently that were incredibly bad. If the book you received is similar, you'll have to figure out if you want to toast the author, or just ignore it and review something else.) 

Devin wants to know, "Realistically, what hope is there for my novels to be published in the US while I'm living in South Africa? My writing tone is a bit different than US writers, and my settings are all in South Africa. Do I have a chance of being picked up?"

Realistically you face an uphill climb, Devin. American audiences generally like American settings and American language, and American publishers want to know you're going to be here to help them sell the book. That's not to say a fabulous writer from another country can't have great success here -- it certainly happens. But it's rare, and it's basically writers who have had incredible success in their home countries. 

(Speaking of which, a friend recently sent me a note from Stuart McAllister, a pastor and speaker from Scotland. In a recent radio address, he said, "When the Gospel came to Britain, it was embraced with great enthusiasm by the four great tribes of people. The English warmly embraced the Gospel because it was something they could build a culture from. The Welsh embraced the Gospel because it was something they could sing about. The Irish embraced the Gospel because it was something they could fight over. And we Scots embraced it because it was free!")

And keeping you up on new trends, Simon & Schuster has just starting marketing a "vook." (A video-enhanced-book.) It's a combination of text and images (basically video clips -- think "the newspapers in the Harry Potter movies"), and they're aimed at the iPhone market. The two novels releasing are from Richard Doetsch and Jude Devereaux, so they're relying on proven authors, and the low price-point ($6.99) means they're trying to build enthusiasm for the product. It's an interesting concept. 

Also on the horizon is a new e-book reader from Barnes & Noble, which they're hoping to get into stores later this month, in time for your Christmas shopping. Rumors say it will have a color screen and use cell phone technology (relying on AT&T) so you'll download books the way you receive text messages. Having a the country's biggest book retailer push an e-reader will surely give Sony and Amazon some serious competition. Some people think this is why Amazon just cut the price of the Kindle another hundred bucks (it's now $259). You may not own an e-reader yet, but you will... just like a cell phone, a TV remote, an answering machine, a GPS, and an iPod, an e-reader will become part of your electronic life. 

We've already had people sign up for our Fiction Marketing Seminar. In case you haven't heard, I'm working with JIm Rubart, a twenty-year marketing veteran, to do a two-day seminar in Dallas (Nov 20-21) and Indianapolis (Dec 4-5) that will focus solely on helping novelists determine a fiction marketing plan for their books. For too long publishers have relied on marketing plans that were developed for nonfiction books, with the expected result of leaving novelists less than satisfied. So we're going to take a small group of novelists in each city, and help them create marketing plans that are unique for their titles. You can find out all about it at  www.themasterseminars.com. Would love to have you join us. 

-Chip