Chip MacGregor .com

The Hard Questions

I've been sent some tough questions lately -- questions that you might have been wondering about in your own writing career. It seems like there are some difficult publishing questions that frequently get ignored, so I'll try to tackle a couple of them today...

Donna wrote to say, "It seems like there are a ton of books that have sold a million copies lately. Can you tell me what the top books last year sold?"

I can, but prepare to be surprised. There were only four books last year that sold more than a million copies -- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which sold more than 7 million); The Secret (just shy of 3 million); Eat, Pray, Love (just shy of 2M); and A Thousand Splendid Suns (sold 1M). That's it. Four books.

There were another 15 titles that sold between a half-million and a million copies: The Dangerous Book for Boys, Kite Runner, Water for Elephants, and The Memory Keeper's Daughter all sold just under a million. Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious, Stephen Colbert's I Am America, Sidney Poitier's The Measure of a Man, John Grisham's Playing for Pizza, Bob Greene's The Best Life Diet, the two You titles (You: On a Diet and You: Staying Young), The Glass Castle, Eclipse, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince all sold more than 500,000 copies. And that's it. There were 250,000 new books printed last year in this country. 19 of them hit the big time. Yikes.

John wrote to ask, "Do you have ethical problems with ghostwriting?"

I hate this question, because too many people are quick to say "YES!" without understanding the terms. I used to make my living as a collaborative writer. A well-known speaker would send me his notes and his seminar on tape, and I'd turn it into a book for him. It was all his material -- I was just asked to wordsmith it for him. Sometimes I'd get the credit; other times I wouldn't. Did I see that as unethical? Not really. As often as I could, I tried to get the writing credit, since I needed the attention in order to get more writing jobs. Sometimes I'd have someone ask me to really create something out of thin air -- and I always insisted I get the writing credit for that, since I was including my own material. But rarely was I asked to create an entire book and let somebody else take the credit for it. That wouldn't sit well with me.

However, there's a type of writing-for-hire that is done routinely. I used to turn a couple of Christian radio preachers' sermons into readable chapters -- I was paid a flat fee to move the text from spoken word to written word, and I never considered that "ghosting." Some media types have their blogs or newsletters crafted by a collaborative writer, and nobody views that as ghostwriting. The comedy bits done on television talk shows are written by writers. and I don't hear anyone complaining about not knowing who penned which joke. So why suddenly are people up in arms about the collaborative writing of books?

The real offender is sometimes the publisher, not the writer, by the way. I once had a publisher "forget" to include my name on the book cover. I sometimes would fight with publishers who argued that including the collaborator's name on the cover would hurt sales (a ridiculous notion -- it's never hurt a Hollywood celebrity or a sports star to include a collaborative writer's name). However, the strongest advocates for ghostwriting I've ever come across are some of the big Christian media types. I can think of one woman I worked with who would always start out asking for a collaborative writer and claiming cover credit would be shared -- but then when the book was done and the cover being planned, without fail, she would argue that she couldn't share the cover with a little-known writer. She always claimed it would create a problem with sales and marketing... but the fact was, it would only create a problem for her ego. Anyway, my point is that you shouldn't always blame the writer. He or she is usually just trying to find projects that will keep food on the table.

Denise wrote and noted that, though she's a novelist, she had been encouraged to write some nonfiction by her publisher."What's the advantage of writing nonfiction if I'm a fiction writer?"

If you really don't feel led to do it, Denise, say no. There are some marketing advantages -- a nonfiction writer has another platform, another income source, and another way to get his or her message out to people. It's arguably easier to get media and speaking engagements for a nonfiction writer than it is for a novelist. But there are also some disadvantages to switching from fiction to nonfiction: you can confuse people (important people like readers, editors, and publishers) by offering mixed messages. Generally speaking, a writer is know for his or her brand, and it can be harder to establish a brand if you write in both markets. That said, I represent some authors who write both fiction and nonfiction. Some have done well with both. Others try it and feel it takes them away from their true passion, which is writing novels. Don't get forced into something because somebody else thinks it might be a good idea. Make sure you feel passionate about the topic before you throw yourself into a nonfiction project.

Carol wrote me and asked, "If you wrote a book for someone, and he paid you but never published it, does he still own it? Is there a time limit for something like that? Unfortunately, I did this, but we never had a contract, so I don't know what my rights are."

Ouch. My first advice would have been simple: check your contract. If this was a work-for-hire, then no, you don't have any rights to it. If it was a regular book deal, you might -- talk to your lawyer and ask. This is exactly why you want a written agreement, signed by both parties, before you invest significantly in a writing project for someone. Without a written contract, you'll probably have to rely on the oral contract you had -- what did the two of you agree on? You've got to be careful here, because if you simply take your material and try to sell it, he might sue you for breach of contract.

Jan sent me a note that read, "I've been to your site. It seems like you have a lot of authors. How many authors do you work with?"

Actually, I don't work with a lot of authors compared to some agents. But my guess is that most people wouldn't know a big list from a small list, since they don't know how to measure something like a literary agency -- except perhaps in the number of deals they do. And, well, I'm currently in the top ten in terms of doing deals, according to Publishers Marketplace. And unlike many agents, my authors are listed on my web site, so you know who I represent. However, nearly all the authors I represent are under contract... so why the concern about numbers? Wouldn't an author want to work with an agent who has a proven track record of success? While I was a publisher with Time-Warner, I worked with a much larger author base than I currently represent. I talked with a fellow agent about this recently, and he said to me, "I don't think the size of a roster means that much. But the service, the reputation, and the quality of the agent means a great deal." I'd have to agree with him. Big or small, I'm comfortable with the number of folks I represent.

And while I'm talking about the people I represent, I've got a great story. Kaye Dacus is a novelist who has been working at the craft for several years, trying to get her project ready to sell. Her parents have been very supportive of her as she worked on manuscripts and went through grad school. Late last year, I helped her land her first deal. So for Christmas, she wrapped up a copy of her first book contract and gave it to her father. She took a color copy of her proposed cover, wrapped it around a book, and gave it to her mother. Her way of saying thanks, and of showing them she's finally arrived. I just find that a very sweet story, and wanted to share it with you.

And one last, totally self-serving question... Carolyn wrote and asked me, "Why do you take the time to help writers and answer so many questions from all experience levels? Did you get similar help in your career, and are you now paying it forward?"

Um... I do it because it seems like the right thing to do. And yes, I've had some great help over the years, so I'm just repaying kindnesses, I guess. I owe people like Tom Day and Helen Bateman and Ursula LeGuin and Gene Robertson and Steve Halliday and John Van Diest and Pete Richardson and Rick Christian. Along the way, they showed me how to succeed. I love helping other people do the same. Now you know. I'll get back to saying something snotty in a day or two.

A Stocking Full of Questions

I've been getting dozens of publishing questions sent to me lately, so before we all take our Christmas break, let me try to get to several of them briefly...

Val wrote to say, "I'm a new writer trying to break into the business. I understand that previous publishing credits are a plus, but do prospective agents and editors view e-zines and web sites as accomplishments worth mentioning in a query?"

Publishing credits are publishing credits, Val. What book editors and agents are looking for most is a great idea, expressed through great writing, by someone with a great platform. So by all means reveal your background. Writing for the web counts in this business. The bigger the readership and the more well-known the site, the better.

Matt writes to ask, "When an author finishes his manuscript and begins to send out query letters, should he have his manuscript copyrighted first? Or is that only necessary when a manuscript is being published?"

This is a common mistake, and I'm glad we have a chance to talk about it. Here's the truth: As soon as you create something original, it's yours. You own the copyright. You might (in a rare case) have to prove that you were the creator, but your writing is yours. In the United States, you as the creator are protected from plagiarism -- the intellectual property rights to your written expressions are owned by you until you license them to someone else. So no, you don't have to fill out a formal copyright document with the government. (And, unlike some people believe, you don't have to mail yourself a copy.) When you sign a book deal, the publisher will arrange to get a formal copyright document filed with the government, and that document should cite you (the creator) as holder of the copyright.

A couple notes: Remember that you can only copyright your unique expressions -- so there's no copyrighting a basic idea or a title. And keep in mind that if you write something for another person on a work-for-hire basis, you do not own the copyright for that work -- you're giving it over to someone else, who has the right to make copies and sell them. Oh...and I should also note that I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not giving you legal advice here. If you need legal advice, call your attorney.

Mandy wrote to me and noted, "Recently you encouraged all serious writers to find a writing mentor. How does one do this? I've been to several writing conferences and am acquainted with some well-known authors, but I'm not sure I'd ever be bold enough to ask one of them."

Well, my first thought is that you keep in mind what a mentor is: Not someone perfect. Not someone on the top of the bestseller lists. Not someone who is necessarily your best friend in the business. A mentor is someone who is a bit further down the path from yourself -- with more experience in the field, so as to give you some wise advice and direction, especially when you are trying to grow or you are faced with a major decision. I'd suggest that it's tough to walk up to someone you don't know well and say, "Will you commit to being my friend?" Most of us would probably find that a bit odd. So focus on one of those experienced authors you know.

By using the framework I suggest above, consider going to someone you're friendly with and talking with them about mentoring. Write down what you'd like to receive from a mentor (a chance to talk things over? career guidance? some wisdom when faced with big questions? suggestions for writing exercises?), so that it's clear in your own mind. Approach the person in a one-on-one setting sometime and simply say, "I have a favor to ask you. You don't have to say 'yes' right away, but I'd like you to consider my request. I need to be able to occasionally talk to someone with more experience than myself -- someone who has some wisdom, and who is a little farther down the path from me. I'd like to ask if I could approach you via phone or email briefly, about once a month, just to glean some of your knowledge. I like and respect you, and I believe I could learn a lot from you. Would you consider some sort of relationship like that?"

Okay, that might not be the perfect script, but something low-key like that is a good approach. You'd probably agree with me that most of us are busy and don't need another difficult relationship -- but at the same time, most experienced people are interested in helping foster the next generation. So approaching someone who already knows you and with whom you feel comfortable, and asking for a bit of their time, but placing firm limits as to how much time and what will be covered, that's a way to get the mentor/protege relationship started.

Johann wrote to say he's been approached to do some collaborative writing, and has several questions: "What should I charge? Should I get my name on the book? How long do you think it will take me? And what would the main points of our agreement be?"

That's a lot of questions, Johann. You should definitely have a written agreement that details WHAT you'll do (for example, "write a 50,000 word book about your life story"), WHEN you'll do it ("it will be completed by October 1"), WHAT your author's responsibilities will be ("meet with me four times for a full day"), and HOW MUCH you'll be paid (you will probably want to charge somewhere in the $70 per hour range, plus get a percentage if the book is to be shopped to publishers). If you're doing all the writing, you should get your name on the book (unless you or the author have a good reason for not including your name). As for how long it will take you...well, if you shoot for 1000 words per day (a very common goal), it should help you figure out how long it will take you to create the rought draft. Last, I'll suggest that if you're serious about this sort of work, you might want to talk to a good agent and ask him to walk through all this with you.

On a related note, Dave wrote to ask, "Do you have any ethical problems with ghost-writing?"

I would insist you define the term. To some, ghost-writing means doing any sort of writing for someone else without getting credit. I would disagree with that definition -- sometimes an author has good ideas that are well-formed, but needs a wordsmith to help move them toward a polished manuscript. I see nothing wrong with that sort of writing. It's a paid job to shape up somebody else's work, and I don't find anything unethical about that. But in the classic sense of ghostwriting, in which a well-known celebrity hires a writer to create something entirely out of thin air so that the celebrity can claim to be a writer -- that's something I disagree with. Why not simply list the collaborative writer on the cover and title page ("Bob Smith with Mary Jones")? There's no evidence to suggest listing a collab will hurt sales. To leave off the ghost is something I find misleading, and is usually nothing more than an attempt to shore up the celebrity's ego. However, I find there is far less ghosting than there was a few years ago. And, as I noted, I don't have a problem with a writer stepping in to collaborate on a project, or to help wordsmith somebody else's ideas. I do find that some people get way too worked up about this topic without ever defining their terms. Feel free to chime in on this one, everyone.

Timothy wrote to say, "Some book clubs asked me for discussion questions for my book. I took a stab at it, but came away sounding like my high school English teacher. What do book clubs like to discuss? Do your clients develop book club study guides, or is this rare enough it can be handled on a case-by-case basis?"

Book clubs are looking for 7 to 12 open-ended questions (i.e., questions that can't be answered "yes" or "no") that explore the themes of the book and allow them to either debate the choices made or apply the situations to their own lives. So for a novel, coming up with questions that foster debate is probably more important than coming up with questions that examine the accuracy of the story. For a nonfiction title, coming up with questions that take your principles and ask people to apply them to their own lives is imperative. Get people telling their own stories and interacting with the text, and you've got a great book club.

I've had several authors create book club questions. Some publishers will put these on a page in the back of the book. If yours doesn't want to do that, here's an idea to try: Post book club questions on your web site. It will offer readers genuine value while increasing traffic to your site and allowing you to cross-sell your other books.

Last question: Tanya took a look at my corporate web site (www.MacGregorLiterary.com), noticed that I tend to prefer "established authors," and asked two questions... "How do you define an established author? And is it better for a 'non-established' author to work with a small publishing house, or to keep pounding on doors to find an agent?"

The answer to your first question is fairly fluid -- an established author is someone who has done some writing and publishing. How much will qualify them as "established" is left in the eye of the beholder, I guess. But so you know, most of the authors I represent are people I met face-to-face, liked personally, and came away impressed with their writing -- OR they were referrals from current clients. It's just the way I've built my business.

As to your second question, I'd suggest there's not really a right answer. Many authors (including me) got started by publishing with magazines, newsletters, and smaller publishing houses. Eventually some of us got noticed and moved to a bigger stage. But other authors kept working until they found an agent who could help them land a deal. Either choice is equally hard and will result in you being frustrated and wanting to quit this stupid business...until you have some success and have have people start telling you what a wonderful writer you are, and fawning over you as though you were some sort of genius. [Note: When that happens, accept it, but laugh. You're not really a genius...but if somebody else wants to think of you that way, so what?] There's no one plan that will work for everyone, and since I don't know you, I can't recommend one path or the other, Tanya.

However, I CAN tell you this: I hope you have a very merry Christmas. Celebrate the birth of the Savior, everyone.

More on Self-Publishing and Ghostwriting

After our last discussion, Steve wrote to ask, "So is there anyone making money at self-publishing?"

Absolutely. I have successfully self-published books in the past. If you're planning to self-pub, you need to (1) write a great book, (2) use a professional editor, (3) pay for a great cover design, and (4) work with a quality printer. However, creating the book is only the first part of the process. You also have to (5) know how to market the book, (6) spend a lot of time and money marketing it, and (7) have a plan for selling copies. The fact is, most self-published books lose the author money because he or she had no plan for selling books.

There was a lot of discussion after my last post from people who wanted to defend self-publishing, and I found it completely off-topic. Of course you can find a good printer who will do a quality job. And you can certainly find ways to keep it inexpensive. But the facts are that most people lose money on the deal. I think self-pubbing is great, assuming you know what to do once you have the books in hand. Most people don't. So if you self-pub, you need to have a workable plan for selling quantities of your book.

Donna wrote to say, "You've often said every author should take charge of their own marketing. After having paid your dues and learned all those valuable lessons while publishing your book, why not self-publish from then on? If you have to do all your own marketing anyway, why not just sell your books yourself and make ten bucks per book instead of the dollar per book you'd get in royalties?"

You know, some people decide to do exactly that. They figure out how to sell books, who their readers are, and how to reach them. There are plenty of ministries and companies who self-publish and make more money than if they had sold the books through a regular, royalty-paying publishing house. But there are three caveats to what you're suggesting. First, you've got to warehouse and ship your own books. For some people, that's a pain -- warehousing may not be worth the hassle. Second, your book won't make it onto store shelves if it's self-pubbed. There's money to be made for a good self-publisher, but there's little fame or glory. Your book won't reach beyond the people you can talk to, unless you study and figure out how to sell books via ads and the internet. So don't expect to impress your friends with your self-published title. And third, you've got to market and sell ALL the books. There's no waiting for someone else to come through -- it's all on you, as the publisher. If you're not into that type of responsibility, there's no way you'll enjoy self-pubbing. Again, the chief reason self-pubbed books fail is because the author doesn't know how to SELL her own books. She might know how to write them, maybe how to edit them, and possibly how to talk about them. But she doesn't know how to sell books to prospective buyers. If you don't know how to do that, you should learn before you make any publishing decisions.

Janice wrote to ask, "How much can a ghost writer expect to get for his or her first book? And if the writer gets his/her name on the book, what percentage of the profits should he/she ask for?"

There are a number of variables at play -- How much time do you think will it take you? How big is the project? Did the author give you any materials, or are you creating it from scratch? Is the author a pain in the rear? All of those have to factor into your decision. Every year Writer's Digest issues a report on how much money free-lance writers and editors make. They generally break it down to how much per project and how much per hour, and they typically offer a high, a low, and an average amount. They noted that last year the low was about $1500, the high was $75,000, and the average fee to ghost a book for someone was $22,000.

That's a big chunk of change. Most authors start small -- it wouldn't surprise me if you were paid somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500-to-$4000 for your first ghosted project. If this is your Great Aunt Edna, who wants you to write her life story as "Garden Queen of Dubuque," or the Rev. Ernest Angree, who wants you to write up the notes from his sermon series entitled "How to Be Holy As Me," you're not going to see much green. So ask some questions: What are their expectations? What do they want you to create? How long do they want it to be? People who aren't writers and have never created a book generally don't have a frame of reference, consequently they don't realize how hard it is to create 100 pages filled with words. You may want to offer to start on an hourly basis (say $25-to-$35 per hour), or to write up the first two chapters for a flat fee of $300, just to test the waters. Of course, asking for a flat fee up front is the plan all freelance writers come to eventually. When I was making my living as a collaborative writer, I quickly figured out I much preferred sure cash to potential cash.

Walter asked, "If I decide to ghostwrite a book for a friend, what should the key contract points look like?' 

I'd say the key points to clarify are (1) an overall description of the project, (2) word count, (3) due date, (4) compensation, (5) who covers expenses, (6) copyright, (7) what credit you'll get, (8) the fact that this is a binding contract when signed, (9) the fact that if there is a disagreement you'll go to arbitration rather than hiring lawyers, (10) the fact that the contract is under the laws of your state, and (11) a warranty in which you promise not to plagiarize any material or slander anyone. That about covers it.

Margaret asked me, "Do you get the sense that CBA publishers are becoming more receptive to Catholic authors? If not, will they ever?" 

Yeah, I do. I think Baker, Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, and other publishers are becoming more receptive to Catholic authors. And, of course, I now expect to get letters from nutcases who will want to explain to me why the Pope is the Antichrist, and how saying anything nice about the people we share historical Christianity with is compromising my faith, etc. And I've got to tell you, I am SICK TO DEATH of so-called believers wanting to explain why nobody else is ever quite "Christian" enough for them, so that their religious club consists of a handful of true believers holding onto the faith that the rest of us must have abandoned.

Bernice aksed, "What do you do when your writing friends and critique partners are not experienced enough to help you get to the next level? I guess the obvious answers are to study the craft, go to conferences, meet more writers...is there anything else?"

Lots of writers are in that situation, Bernice. I'm a huge fan of critique groups, I encourage people to attend conferences, and I think hanging out with other writers is great for your career. But the BEST thing you can do is find a mentor -- somebody with some good experience, who can help you improve your writing. That individual doesn't have to be perfect. He or she just needs to be a bit further down the path than yourself.

One last note: Carol saw the "worst titles" note that I mentioned in a previous post, and she tells me she found this book for sale on amazon: "How to Good-Bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? Or Effective Way?" I didn't believe her, so I looked it up. Turns out she's telling the truth. That is a title you can buy on amazon for $14.39. Grab your credit card and go visit -- looks like a huge winner to me!

Self-Publishing, Ghosting, and Other Expensive Ideas

Denise wrote and asked, "What do you mean when you say someone 'self-published'?"

Normally an author sends his or her agent a proposal. The agent shops it to a royalty-paying publishing house, who signs a contract, produces the book, and sells it to stores. The author licenses the sales rights to the publisher, so instead of actually "selling" the book, the author's job consists of chatting it up, helping promote it, and complaining that the publisher isn't doing enough marketing.

That's the "normal" route a book follows. But sometimes an author will choose to go directly to a printer, have his or her own copies of the book produced, and then try to sell the book directly. Under this arrangement, the author pays for all the production costs (editing, cover art, ink, paper, binding, shipping). Therefore, the risk is great. However, if the author can actually sell some copies, his earnings will be much greater. Instead of making a dollar in royalty for each book, the possibility exists that he can make ten dollars for each book sold.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I was able to say that with a straight face. Okay, in reality, the author knows NOTHING about producing books. So he (we're going to assume a male author, since nobody can tell most men anything) pays too much for a bad cover. (Self-pubbed books are notorious for bad covers.) He sends it to the printer who says they'll edit it, but don't. (Self-pubbed books are similarly notorious for poor editing.) He hopes for good quality ink and paper. (Take a guess at what goes in this parenthetical note.) He pays too much for each book, has no contacts for marketing it, and, worst of all, doesn't know how to sell them after he's talked with his relatives, neighbors, and steadily shrinking network of friends. He goes in debt $12,000, but he can puff his chest out at his 20th high school reunion, since he's now "An Author." That's the game, Denise.

Of course, there are two reasons people continue to self-publish... First, because there's a sucker born every minute. If you want to throw your money at a project in order to feel better about yourself, who am I to stop you? Second, because occasionally an author will educate himself. He'll invest in a real cover artist, send his manuscript to a legit editor, and team up with a quality printer. He'll find a great marketing company to help get the word out on his book, then throw himself into promoting it. And, above all, he will research and invest in sales channels, so that he stands a chance of earning back his investment. The few who do this often speak to groups, so they can sell them in the back of the room, or they know their audience extremely well, and understand how to reach potential readers. But this doesn't happen very often. Short of playing the ponies, pulling the handles of slot machines,  or buying stock options, I know of very few ways to lose money as fast as self-pubbing. More power to you!

Mary wrote to ask, "I have a friend who wants me to write his autobiography. He wrote a few pages -- they were poorly crafted, but sweet. I told him there's no market for this, but he insists I write it for him, and he has family money to finance it. How do we determine payment?"

Wow. If he's writing out checks randomly like this, ask him if he needs a consultant. I'd be happy to have him send some of that money my way, Mary. Okay, here's a quick way to determine payment... Look at the project and figure out how long it will take you to write. If you can create about four or five pages per day, and he wants 100 pages, you should be able to get it done in a month. (It takes a bit of experience to look at a project and figure out how long it's going to take, but let's say a month of full-time writing.) Now you have to figure out how much you want to make in a month. If you had a normal job, and worked for a month, maybe you'd make $4000. Since you have to pay your own taxes out of this, charge him $5000 and you're all set. (And yes, the $5000 price tag will probably scare away most people anyway.) Having told you all that, you should know the $5000 figure is low. 

Not everyone charges by "time on project." Some charge by the word  or by the hour. Last year, the average hourly ghostwriting fee in this country was $73 (it ranged between $50 and $100). It's hard to determine the average overall project fee for this type of thing, but I can tell you the average fee for an "as told to" book in this country was about $22,000...but it usually ran about four months, so my $5000-for-a-month estimate is pretty close to being spot on.

Of course,  you may want to heed my advice from an earlier post: If anyone asks you to write their memoir and they are not a celebrity, run the other way. Some day you'll thank me for this bit of wisdom.

And Linda wrote with the question, "What do you think of the services of The Writers Edge and ECPA's First Edition? Do these work?"

For the uninitiated, "The Writers Edge" (writersedgeservice.com) is a private company that solicits author proposals, then produces a printed report that is made available to Christian publishers. You list the title and genre, write your own short book description, and can use up to 75 words to explain your credentials. For that, they charge you $95. They claim that last year they placed 18 books with publishers, though they don't list the projects or the publishers.

The people at Writers Edge are very nice. They mean well. But I'm not a fan. I don't know of many editors who have the time to wade through a monthly report of unsolicited ideas on various ideas in random genres. In fact, I don't know of any significant editor who has contracted a book from this service. I'm not saying this is a bad idea, only that, in my experience, it hasn't been a boon to authors. I still think an author with an agent is much more likely to get his or her project reviewed -- in fact, I believe a well-rehearsed pitch at a writing conference would make a stronger impression than a brief description in what amounts to a printed slush pile.

ChristianManuscriptSubmission.com (formerly known as "First Edition") is run by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). It's similar to Writers Edge in that you list the title and genre, but they allow you to give a 500-word description of your book, a complete Table of Contents, and a 3000-word sample chapter. Rather than producing a printed brochure, they post the proposals on a web site available only to the publishing members of ECPA. The cost is $98 to have your book listed for six months.

In theory, this is a better deal -- you get more words, and you would think that ECPA members would be checking the site. But in truth, the same criticisms hold true. I know of no editors (at ECPA houses or elsewhere) who are short on proposals. So put yourself into an editor's shoes... Would you prefer to contract with someone you don't know, or with an agent you know and trust? Would you rather be reviewing random pieces on a web site sent in by anyone who can afford the fee, or a handful of polished proposals sent in by agents you've done business with in the past? There are thousands of unpublished authors trying to peddle their manuscripts, so this has created the biggest electronic slush pile on the planet. I just don't see that it's an effective tool.

I'm sorry -- I'm an agent, and I know this sounds completely self-serving. But I used to be an editor, a senior editor, and a publisher, and I can tell you with certainty that the publishing business has moved away from the do-it-yourselfer and toward the professionals and specialists.

Does it hurt to participate in The Writers Edge and/or Christian Manuscript Submission? Of course not. And maybe you'll be the one who gets noticed. But using that logic, you may want to also buy a lottery ticket, so that after you win, you can purchase your own publishing house. Business moves from less sophisticated to more sophisticated -- from amateurism to professionalism. It's why most houses only review agented submissions.

Thinking About Collaborative Writing...

Nick wrote to ask me, "I've been approached to do some collaborative writing. What tips can you offer me? What's the most important thing for me to know or do?"

I've co-authored about twenty books, and ghosted/created roughly forty more from the sermons and speeches of various teachers, so I know something about collaborative writing. Since I seem to be long-winded, I'll try to summarize my thoughts in a dozen bullet points:

1. Collaborators come in about four flavors. There's the true Collaborator, who takes the miscellaneous meanderings of a smart or interesting person and shapes it into a coherent text, often finding pertinent material to supplement the content. There's the Co-Author, who adds his own content and generally gets some credit for having a mind of his own. Third is the Ghostwriter, who creates material before getting shafted by the author, whose ego is too big to acknowledge the use of a writer. And finally there is the Mega-Editor, who re-shapes or sharpens the thoughts of the author. (These aren't really the industry terms -- this is from the MacGregor Dictionary of Publishing Words.) I start here just so you'll understand that there are different types of collaborative writing that you can be asked to do.

2. Clearly define your role. Make sure you understand what the job is and what you're being asked to do before you agree to do it. On the one hand, you have to be wary of writing someone else's book for them. On the other, there's no sense writing for someone who merely wants you to do a quick edit of their work. This has happened to me on more than one occasion -- I did great work, which the author always thanked me for effusively, just before throwing it out so that they could use their own lousy, turgid prose.   

3. Clearly define your agreement. Basically you want a written letter or email that details "I will do this work for that amount of money." It's also nice if it clarifies "you're going to give me this material, and you expect me to complete my work by this date." I encourage you to do this even if it's a small project. You don't have to make it a formal, signed contract -- but get something in writing that details the assignment. That way, should there ever be a disagreement, you have something you can all look back on that will clarify the job.

4. Define what "success" is for the project. You should know before starting the project what the author wants as an end product. If they're paying you for a rough draft, produce it. If they're paying you for a polished final manuscript, produce that. But if you don't define success, you'll often find that your expectations may not match up with their expectations.

5. Make sure you can do the job. I love writing, and I love learning new things, so I always enjoyed taking on collaborative projects. I wrote manuscripts that taught me about guns, about investing in stocks, about card tricks, about Scripture... Writing collaboratively was as good as any class I ever took in college. (Not that I was paying attention in college. I was a theater arts major -- we just emoted a lot and tried to look worldly.) If you don't like this sort of thing, or if you don't enjoy trying to mimic someone else's voice, you should stay away from collaborating.

6. Don't say "yes" to a project you don't understand. Old preachers have a saying: "If it's a mist in the pulpit, it's a fog in the pew." The same goes for collaborating. If you're a bit misty about the project after you've talked at length with the author, you'll find yourself in a total pea-souper when trying to write. Have a hard and fast rule: You will be able to tell someone what the book is about in one simple, non-technical sentence. If you can't do that, say "no thanks" to the project. (I once said yes to a book that was a complete mystery to me. I kept writing sentences with phrases like "the focusing centerpoint of emphasis." It was terrible. To this day I have no idea what the author was trying to convey.)

7. If you don't like the author, do not take on the project. Never. Ever. Imagine the phone ringing, you look down and see it's the author, Mr. Farnsworth. Your first reaction is to roll your eyes, shake your head, and yell "NO! NOT FARNSWORTH!" A bad sign. Life is too short. If you're not comfortable with the author after spending some time together, politely decline and move on. No matter how much they offer to pay you.

8. You don't want to take on a project if you don't agree with the basic premise. I'm one of those people who has done a lot of faith & spirituality titles, so I have a pretty big tent when it comes to accepting differing theologies. I don't have to agree with you on every issue, since I figure we're all wrong on some small point (meaning, at best, we're all probably heretics). But if the basic premise of the book is whacked, say no. I used to write for Adrian Rogers, a wonderful Southern Baptist pastor down in Memphis who had a big radio ministry and a lot of good things to say. I respected the man very much, but he once hired me to write an article for him in which he claimed that Jesus didn't really drink wine. I thought it was a bad idea to begin with, but once I heard his sermon, I couldn't believe it. One of the hokiest, most contrived mis-uses of Scripture I'd ever heard. ("What about Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding feast?" "That was just grape juice." "But wasn't the bridegroom praised for having saved the best wine until after the guests were drunk?" "It might have been a non-alcoholic form of strong drink.") Okay, so I wrote it anyway. And I've always felt guilty for perpetrating this tripe on other people. Save yourself the trouble. If somebody asks you to write rot, say no.

9. Don't write like they talk -- write like they ought to talk. There's a myth surrounding collaborators, that they sort of transcribe what the author says, then clean it up a bit. That's not collaborative writing. Quick -- what was the last book of speeches you bought? (Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?) Right. Nobody buys books of speeches. The spoken word and the written word are two very different forms of communication. So don't just write down what they said -- find a way to transition it into well-written prose.

10. If you're asked to ghostwrite something, ask for a reason. I've been at this for years, and I've yet to hear a reasonable explanation why a writer should not be credited. So if you're asked to ghost something, ask them why. It's been proven that listing a collaborative author doesn't hurt book sales. Look at any celebrity or sports star who authors a book, and the collaborator is always listed. Why the change when it comes to pastors, politicians, and speakers? Let's face it, there's only one basic reason for requesting the collaborative writer's name not be on the book or title page: To stroke the author's ego. (Success and money aren't enough -- they also need to pretend they wrote a book.) And to that I can only say "rot." (Another true tale: I once worked with a woman who had a huge TV ministry. She would always ask for a collaborative writer, tell them they'd get credit, then try to back out of that commitment at the last moment. Apparently she couldn't live with the idea of her followers thinking she would stoop so low as to let someone help her write coherent sentences. There's a lesson: if you're going to get credit, get the commitment in writing.)

11. Don't insist on becoming best friends. Sure, when you spend several weeks helping someone craft his or her personal story, you'll develop a bond. But it's just a temporary one.  You don't need to be best friends -- instead, you need to write well so that you get the best book possible, get paid, and get another author to hire you for the next project. Sometimes a little distance can actually help you write a more honest, compelling story.

12. "I've got this great personal story!" Sooner or later, you're going to be approached by somebody with a tale that sounds like this: "I've had the most incredible things happen. You won't believe it. God moved. Miracles happened. Whenever I share my story in church, old ladies cry and men slap my back. I want you to come write it for me. I won't be able to pay you much, but it's a dynamite story, and soon we're going to sell it to a publisher, who will get it onto store shelves, where it will hit the bestseller lists. They'll make a movie out of it, probably starring Tom Cruise. We'll be rich. I can't wait. Come join me." The individual saying this will be nice. He or she will be earnest. They may even tug at your heartstrings.

Say no. Don't explain, just say no and walk away. Trust me on this. If you want to do it as a ministry, fine. If you have a couple weeks to waste on this sort of project, by all means go ahead and leave the real jobs to other writers. But listen carefullly to this bit of wisdom: There is no market for personal stories. None. Nada. Zero Zip. Zilch-a-rooni. Yeah, yeah -- personal stories used to be big. It's fun to hear some guy stand up and tell you his amazing tale of miracles and whodathunkits and God at Work in the Lives of Men. Maybe if you could transport that person around the country, so that he or she could explain the story to every potential book buyer, it would work.

But probably not. So forget it. Sure, there's a market for movie stars and the coach of the winning Super Bowl team. Every once in a while a Lisa Beamer will come along and offer an incredibly moving story, touching lives with her grace and poise. But that happens about once every five years or so. I just checked Poor Richard's Almanac, and it says that's not scheduled to happen this year. So forget it. Say no. Put down the keyboard and walk away.

Chip MacGregor (who was chosen "Boy of the Year" by his high school graduating class of 1976...really! Hey, wouldn't that make a great book?)

Help Me Write My Story

Lots of questions today about writing and writing-with-others...

Jennifer wrote to me and said, "We've got some people in our church who just returned from years away as missionaries. When they heard I was doing some writing, they suggested I help them write their story as a book. Do you think that's a good idea for someone trying to break into the market?"

If a person walks up to you and invites you to write a book that tells their interesting personal story, my advice is to look them straight in the eye, smile, and pretend you've gone deaf. Maybe start talking about the 1962 Mets. Or begin to babble incoherently, flail your arms, and, if necessary, wet your pants. Anything to make them go away. As an alternative, you could simply say "no," or even, "No...and by the way I don't like your shirt," which works even better. I'm not negating the power of personal story, but there is simply NO market for personal story books these days. Oh, sure, occasionally there will be some incredible tale of overcoming the odds that makes it to print (this year we've got "Why I Jumped," last year brought us "90 Minutes in Heaven," and the year before was "The Last Dance but Not the Last Song"). But they're rare. Even great stories of personal triumph are a hard sell and generally don't do well in stores (so while "90 Minutes" is selling like crazy, neither of those other two books, though given lots of marketing attention, really hit the big time).  The idea of people racing out to buy somebody else's tale of woe or success (or both) is pretty far fetched in this day of 24/7 entertainment. You want a great personal story? Turn on the talk shows or watch Hallmark or Oxygen or CourtTV and you can find a dozen of them, every day, in  medium that requires far less work than reading a book. From my perspective, there's simply no sense in using your limited writing hours to create a book that nobody is going to buy.  I'm not saying it will be a bad story -- only that you'll find it's an uphill climb just to get it sold to a publisher. And on the off chance you do sell it, you then face a sheer cliff in trying to gain your book any attention in today's marketplace. 

Cara noted a related problem: "I have a chance to do a book with someone who received a lot of media attention recently. The problem is simply that I don't know if his story is big enough to sustain a book."

Don't assume that because a situation has received media attention, the stories of the people involved will also. It might, but it doesn't always happen. I represented Lisa Beamer's Let's Roll, a book that hit #1 on the New York Times list -- but the media was incredible in those days after 9/11. Lisa was on Larry King more than a dozen times in the year after the tragedy, so her "personal story" resonated with a public eager to learn more about what allowed her to be so poised in the face of such tragegy. On the other hand, I helped Nancy Mankins tell her story, about her missionary husband taken captive and eventually killed by Columbian terrorists. It's a well-told tale that received tremendous media attention, so it seemed a good risk at the time...but it languished in stores. Even a huge story, with lots of media attention behind it, can fail to capture an audience. And you can bet a personal story without that sort of attention has almost no chance. Lisa was on every TV show on the planet. Her husband Todd was a genuine hero, coining the phrase "Let's roll!" and undoubtedly helping save lives by participating in a desperate attempt to re-take Flight 93 from terrorist nutjobs. Lisa was standing next to Laura Bush during the President's address to the nation a few nights later. It was a great American story -- but that doesn't mean anyone is going to be interested in what somebody else was doing on September 11. Let's face it, we were inundated with crummy books from people who wanted to write poetry about the World Trade Center, tell about getting stuck in the Holland Tunnel, and emote about watching it all on television. Who cares? Hey, Lisa's book has been written. Find something else.

Jim sent this question: "I have a chance to do a book with a celebrity. Does a project like that really help my writing career?"

I purposefully linked this question to the topic because it illustrates the exception to the rule: If you come across a story that involves celebrity or heavy media attention, you might want to listen to the idea...but don't fall in love with celebrity. These are about the only personal story books with a chance of actually creating a payday for you, but it's not automatic. A buddy of mine was approached by a guy who owns a famous chain of fast food restaurants, and was invited to "tell the story" behind their success. He wrote the book, which was self-published and sent to all the franchise owners and managers (plus they sell a few in their restaurants). I don't believe the book ever made it into bookstores, but the restaurants and personnel combined to make it a profitable venture. Still, it didn't break out, didn't really move the writer's career forward, and didn't make him a lot of money. So be wary of saying "yes" just because someone is a celebrity. And...well, I happen to know the person you're talking about is a former professional athlete, and I can tell you first hand that (A) nobody cares one bit about an athlete the moment after he retires, and (B) nearly every professional athlete on the planet is a pompous ass. Sorry. I think it has something to do with being treated as royalty from the time they hit puberty -- they don't live in the same world you and I do. They'll tell you it's because of living life in the fishbowl, blah-blah-blah. From my perspective, it's because they make an obscene amount of money playing a game, soon mistake that for actually having to work for a living, and can never leave behind those heady days when they were heroes and everybody told them how wonderful they were. Be very wary of agreeing to do a book with a former athlete, Jim.

I've had more than one person write to ask about "helping my pastor do a book." Again, if you feel God is telling you to do the project...well, He outranks me. But be aware you don't have to do a book with your pastor just because he (or she) is in a position of authority.  It's easy to get caught in the trap of "helping" people who have no ability with words -- and nothing is more frustrating to a writer.

My solution: If somebody comes up and asks you to "help" them write their book, learn to keep it businesslike: "Well, I charge $300 to review your manuscript, and I'm paid a minimum of $1500 to help you with manuscript development. Which sounds like it would be better for you?" That line, said with all politeness and sincerity, will usually drive away the beggars and wannabes. (And I apologize if it sounds cold...but I approach this as a business, not as "Chip's Helpful Writing Service for the Poor and Orphaned.") If it doesn't work for you to help, suggest they get in touch with a professional editorial or critique service -- they'll pay a couple hundred bucks and get lots of good writing advice.

And one additional question: Jim also mentioned he'd been "invited to do a family reunion book" and wanted to know what I thought.

ACK! In the words of medieval cartographers, Here dragons dwell. NEVER take on a "family writing project" if you can possibly help it. These are books done for family reunions, 50th wedding anniversaries, 75th birthdays, and the like. I did two of these, was well paid both times, created two beautiful hardbound books, and proceeded to get yelled at by just about everybody involved. Why? Because the principals are old, and memory is a creative thing. So Grandpa Joe's recollection of events won't jibe with Aunt Sarah's. And Uncle Henry's reminices about the family might be colored by time (or by Jack Daniels, depending on the family). And you can bet that Cousin Bob ain't gonna like you revealing that his mama got married in April but had her first baby in October. Yikes. When asked to do one of these, run the other way.

Gee...this all sounds overly negative. The fact is, you may stumble upon a personal story and want to tell it. That's fine...just be aware that the probability of even a great personal story seeing print is fairly small. Our world is filled with funny, exciting, and hopeful stories of people -- they're just hard to sell in book form these days. If you're a newer writer looking for good experience, consider interviewing these folks and writing them up in a magazine article. Because while telling these in books is a tough market, the world of magazines and newspapers are filled with great personal stories, usually with a strong undercurrent of humor or romance, and an ending filled with hope and joy. Besides, the process of interviewing, finding a voice, and boiling a long story down to 500 or 1000 words will prove invaluable to your writing future.

Happy writing!