Chip MacGregor .com

Ask an Agent - Part Four (and last!)

Merry Christmas! We've taken this week to get through a bunch of questions writers have of literary agents. Let me try and blast through the last batch...

At what point in the process does an agent want to see a book proposal? After the book is completed? 

Most agents will look at a nonfiction book proposal before the book is completed, but after the author has figured out what he or she wants to say. That is, the author has figured out the question and the answer, and has tried to put some structure (in terms of an outline or table of contents) to the material. With a fiction proposal, most agents want to see a synopsis or overview, just to know what the basic story is, then the first five to fifty pages. If the agent reads a portion and likes it, he or she will probably ask for the rest of the manuscript. 

Is nonfiction really dead? It seems like all the questions have to do with fiction.

My wife was cooking an East Indian dish the other day, and needed a recipe. Where did she go? To a cookbook? Nope, she went online. I was looking for the answer to a port wine question yesterday. Did I look at one of my wine books? Nope, I went to the web. The internet has made basic information available on every topic to anyone with a computer. That puts the core of nonfiction at risk. I think this points to a major shift we're seeing in publishing -- away from most nonfiction in traditional print form. There will still be plenty of nonfiction that sees print (history, memoir, and much of the "literary" side of writing), but much of the how-to side is quickly shifting to an electronic format. People still love and buy nonfiction books, but only when they NEED to or the material is not readily available in a digital format. 

Is it the agent's job to tell the publisher they're being too slow, or to withdraw a project from a house, or is that the author's job? 

If the agent sent a project to a publishing house, it's the agent's responsibility to follow up on that project. That said, I don't often tell a publisher they're being "too slow." Publishing is a slow business. I will often check on a project, to make sure it's being reviewed and hasn't fallen through the cracks, but I don't often push them to make a decision. (Why? Because when pushed, the easiest answer is "no.")

If I regularly read an agent's blog, should I mention that when I query them? 

I would. It establishes a connection. 

You've often encouraged authors to promote themselves, yet you do a lot of Christian books. How do you reconcile self-promotion with the Christian teachings on pride and being self-effacing? 

I was just asked this question on the Novel Journey website recently, so let me share the response I gave to them: "Promotion" and "overweening pride" are two separate things. The Bible tells believers to beware of pride -- not to have too high an opinion of oneself, or to take all the credit for something, lord your success over others, or brag about how wonderful you are. When we do that, we lose our perspective as to where our talent comes from. But "promotion" is different than "pride." It simply means we are encouraging or advancing something (and with a clear conscience, it's promoting something we actually believe in). Move this out of the realm of books for a moment... If you were selling vacuum cleaners, would your faith keep you from advertising them? ("I can't tell anyone about my vacuum cleaners -- they're really good, but it would look like I'm too proud of them.") That's crazy. If you work hard, have confidence in your work, and feel your product is helpful to others, should you feel awkward about telling others about it? I don't think so. An author is creating art, so would we ask a singer not to sing in public, or a painter not hang her art in a gallery for fear others will notice their gifts? Of course not. Similarly, I think authors can promote the books they create in good conscience. Sure, that can cross over into the realm of unhealthy pride -- any business where people are publicly successful holds that trap. So an individual take steps to make sure that doesn't happen. I see nothing in my religious faith that tells me not to share the products I believe in with others. (And by the way, there are some really insightful comments on the site I referenced. Visit www.noveljourney.blogspot.com )

Will self-publishing my novel help me or hurt me when I approach a traditional publisher? 

Most likely, the answer is "neither." Self-publishing WON'T help you land a deal with a traditional publisher unless you sell a bajillion copies. Yeah, yeah... The Shack did exactly that, but that's news because it's so rare -- for every Shack there are ten thousand other self-pubbed novels that did nothing. And besides, if you sell a bajillion copies, you may not need that traditional publisher. But I don't think self-publishing will actually HURT you, unless your book is so horrendously bad that it becomes an insider joke. 

I wrote a story that is being produced as a play. A friend suggested I invite an agent to come see it. Is that common? Would it help me in any way? 

It's not common, but I don't see how it could hurt (assuming the play is good, of course). My suggestion: contact the agent, introduce yourself, explain the situation, invite him or her, then leave two good tickets at the door. Who knows? 

How difficult is it for an author to break into more than one genre? 

If you're a fiction genre writer (that is, you're basically writing romances, or historicals, or mysteries, or westerns, or romantic suspense novels, etc), then each time you switch genres, you have to start over. If you're a literary fiction writer, it's a bit easier, since you don't have a genre-specific readership. However, be aware that if you have a loyal following in one genre, your readers might view your move to another genre as breaking your promise ("You ALWAYS write legal thrillers! And now you're writing boring novels about poor people painting their house?!"). As I stated earlier, moving from fiction to nonfiction is exceedingly, abundantly difficult. Fiction readers won't cross over to read your nonfiction, and the skills used in the genres are very different. 

One last thing: In my last blog post, I noted that I was the #1 agent for all of 2009 in terms of the Publishers Marketplace ranking. Just so you know, my good friend Steve Laube was #2, I believe, and I know that Janet Grant and Natasha Kern were also in their top ten. A remarkable showing for Christian literary agents. If you go just a bit further down their list, you'd find Sandra Bishop (who works with me here at MacGregor LIterary), Greg Johnson, Karen Solem, Deidre Knight, and others. It's not perfect (it begins by having agents self-report their deals), but it's one of the few measures of how busy an agent is. I didn't want to bring it up to toot my own horn, but to answer the very legit question of "how can an author know that an agent will keep busy and do a good job?" Thanks to all who noticed and said something nice (including Michael Hyatt, the President of Thomas Nelson, who continues to amaze me with his ability to apparently read everything that relates to publishing!). 

Okay, I'm out of time. Thanks to all who participated in our ASK AN AGENT discussion. Here is wishing you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! May the joy and peace of the season fill your home. 

Chip MacGregor

Questions about the Publishing World

A bunch of quick questions and answers on the world of publishing today...

Mike wrote to ask, "Would you recommend an aspiring writer attend a seminar like 'Story' by Robert McKee?"

Absolutely. I think attending a good writing seminar or conference is one of the best investments a newer writer can make.

Tim wants to know, "What do you make of Kirkus Reviews closing down?'

Hate to see it. If you haven't heard, Nielsen Business, the owner, is not only shutting down Kirkus Reviews, but selling off Adweek, Billboard, and The Hollywood Reporter. Kirkus has been around since the Great Depression, and while it had a reputation for savaging a lot of books, it was also an influential source for writers and publishers. But reviews have moved to the web, so that's the place to go if you want info on books these days. 

Wanda asked this: "Are digital books going to ruin the book publishing business?"

Nope. They're just the latest form of books. I would note that this week some of the big publishers (Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Thomas Nelson) announced they would delay some of their e-books until after the hardcover has had its own sales season. Some reviewers saw that as a mistake, as though publishers were caving into author and agent demands. Baloney. They're doing it to try and bring perspective back to the industry. Amazon does everything in secret, demands exclusivity, and has been no friend to authors with its financial demands. Everyone is waiting to see what happens when Apple releases their e-reader next year, since word is they're going to be much more publisher-friendly. 

Marvin asked, "What is the best website you read?"

There are several, and I've mentioned them in the past (Mike Hyatt, Rachelle Gardner, NovelJourney, Writers Digest, Absolute Write, Publishers Marketplace, etc). But let me steer you in another direction... If you come to this site and you've got a church background, by all means check out Stuff Christians Like. It's one of the ten-most-read religious websites in the country, and it's a hoot. The author, Jon Acuff, has a book coming out with Zondervan next spring, and people have already ordered thousands of copies... for a book that is five months away from being printed. Amazing stuff. Funny and insightful, and the author is being asked to speak at conferences everywhere. Check it out at www.stuffchristianslike.net

Amy wants to know, "Is the market glutted with YA fantasy right now?"

There's certainly a lot, and most of it fueled by TWILIGHT (for a market that, in my view, was begun by the success of the Harry Potter books). So, yeah, there's a lot of YA fantasy right now. A glut? Depends on your perspective. As long as it keeps selling, there's not a glut. 

Timothy asked, "Does the movement of traditional publishers into self-publishing mean that the publishers are all destitute?"

No. But this economy sucks, and books, which traditionally have been recession-resistant, have been hit hard. Publishers are in business to make money, and the technology and distribution of books has changed significantly in recent years. So some of them (notably Thomas Nelson and Harlequin) have announced they're opening up a self-publishing division. (And, in case you're wondering, MacGregor Literary is in business to make money as well. If I saw an idea that could produce good income, and I thought it fit with my skills and the vision of my company, I'd have to explore it as well.) Correction: Michael Hyatt, the president at Thomas Nelson, wrote to say they are NOT delaying the release of e-books.

And some notes from the world of publishing...

--I think it's cool that David C Cook Publishing is starting a debt-relief plan to help out small Christian retailers. You don't see THAT sort of ministry-minded thinking in this business very often, so it should not be overlooked. 

--The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow is number 6 on the Kindle bestsellers list... which is amazing since the book was one of the first novels ever released by Abingdon Press, the book publishing arm of the United Methodist Church. Library Journal just named this novel from Joyce Magnin as one of the top five Christian books of the year, so Abingdon is giving it away FOR FREE. If you've got a Kindle, drop by Amazon.com and download it. (If you don't own a Kindle, they've even got a free software download that will let you put it on your computer. How sweet is that?!)

--And as long as I'm bragging about the authors I represent, I want to add that Ann Tatlock's The Returning also made the LIbrary Journal list. So TWO of the top FIVE Christian novels this past year are books we represented. Time to celebrate! 

--Wayne Pollard is a cartoonist who creates a funny world where people discuss books over their coffee cups. If you're unfamiliar, check it out at: http://boscafelife.wordpress.com/

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

I've got this GREAT personal story...

I frequently get proposals telling me about someone's cool personal story. Right now, I'm looking at a New York cop who busted several organized crime figures, a missionary who spent his life in the bush, the child of an on-the-road professional musician, a former Islamic soldier who became a Christian, and a very talented poet and songwriter who survived breast cancer. These are all fairly interesting stories, and I doubt very much I'll take any of them on. Why? Because there's no market for personal story books. 

Here's what I consider to be a hard truth: You may have led a fascinating life, seen incredible things, and even had miracles happen to you. But in today's market, there's not much interest in publishing this information in book form. And while you may not like that truth, the fact is, it's where we are in today's publishing economy. No matter how successful these books used to be, or how interesting your story is to you, publishers just aren't selling enough copies of personal story books to make it worthwhile anymore. 

I mention this because I've been seeing more and more personal story proposals cross my desk. (In hard economic times, MORE people create proposals, apparently thinking they're going to cash in and make some easy money. Ha!) But right now network television is filled with reality shows -- and these are basically personal stories. There are 20 million blogs -- many of them people sharing their stories. In fact, the web is filled with people who want to tell the world about their stories. So there are cool personal stories everywhere, and they're free. And that's taken away the incentive people have to purchase a personal story book, unless there is a great sense of celebrity or media associated with the book. I represented Lisa Beamer's post-9/11 memoir, LET'S ROLL, a few years ago, then did Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis' UP, UP AND AWAY, and last year sold THROUGH THE STORM, which was authored by Britney Spears' mom, Lynne. All of those books did well, but the latter had major celebrities tied to them, and the former was simply one of the biggest media stories in our nation's history. Would anyone have published Lisa's account of her life with Todd if he hadn't been killed while heroically trying to take back a plane from Islamic terrorists? No, they wouldn't. Would a publisher be willing to listen to a Louisiana mom talk about the lessons she's learned if her eldest child hadn't become one of the world's biggest music stars? No way. 

You see, in our contemporary culture, there are a million great stories. It's rare for one of them to stand out enough that it needs a book to share that story with the world. It's why I've rejected at least a dozen books from finalists on various reality TV shows (Biggest Loser, Survivor, America's Next Top Model, etc). In the market's view, someone who has come close on one of those shows has HAD their fifteen minutes of fame. A book isn't going to put any extra time on that clock. If you have a great story, you may want to share it in other venues (such as the internet) in order to get your message out. 

Speakers seem to have the hardest time hearing this lesson -- "But I've got a GREAT story! People who hear me speak at a conference all rave about me. Their lives change! They're never the same! They bark like dogs and wet their pants in excitement!" Uh-huh. I think that's great. But unless you're going to be there, to tell your story to potential readers and hand-sell each copy, that doesn't do the publisher any good. And that's why even busy speakers these days are finding it tough to get a deal on their personal story book. (That's why I routinely encourage busy speakers to consider self-publishing. An audience in a room CAN be persuaded to buy a book... and the speaker will make more on those self-pubbed copies than if he were getting a royalty anyway.) 

Instead, if you've got this cool story that needs to be told, consider turning it inside out. In other words, don't focus on your personal story -- focus on the principles for living that come out of your story. Don't just use the book to tell what happened -- use the book to share the principles for living you've learned, and use your story to illustrate those principles. You see, people still want to live effectively. They want to learn how to lose weight, or make money, or be successful, or find peace with God. But they don't want to have to buy your book and hear about your life in order to do so. That said, they're still willing to buy a book that offers a big promise, that answers their questions, that solves the big problems of life. So if you feel you've got some sort of dynamite story, don't focus on re-telling everyone what happened in your life. Instead, focus on the lessons learned, write about them, and use some of your story as examples in your text. A MUCH more effective method these days -- and, if you have a platform, far more likely to help you land a publishing deal. 

And one more word... What's clear recently is that the internet is killing nonfiction book sales. People have discovered they can find those same answers on the web for free, so nonfiction sales are in the toilet right now. Publishers, authors, and agents are trying to stay ahead of that curve by figuring out what nonfiction books readers ARE willing to buy... but the prospects in nonfiction self-help are pretty sketchy. People still want answers to the evergreen questions (how can I be healthy? how can I make money money? how can I be at peace? how can I know God? how can I ever be as cool as Chip if I'm not Scottish?), but we're not sure they're going to continue buying those answers in book form if they can get something just as good for free.  

So before you decide to pen that cool personal story about how you kicked drugs, lost weight, found your muse, made a fortune, and learned to glow in the dark, be aware that there may not be anyone interested in reading it in a book. 

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

BOOK REPORT: What Sandra Learned This Summer

Okay, so summer isn't the vacation it used to be, is it? I'm still in denial about that. When my kid gets out of school in June, I'm still of the mindset that life should be should be all about popsicles, flip flops (I did not call them thongs, you'll note), searching for the perfect swimming hole, and lazing around in the hammock. Not only for him, but for me, too!

However, I think I work harder during the summer just to keep up than I do during the rest of the year. It's okay though. I love fall, too. Though the ubiquitous roar of leaf blowers (grrr... get a rake, people!) has replaced the more pleasant ka-chink wop-wop-wop of sprinklers, it's good to be back at work and thinking through what I learned this summer.

This summer I met editors and authors at conferences in Philadelphia, Oregon, Denver (twice), and Seattle. And I learned a lot. I think, though, I can distill my most important summer lesson into a quick three point report. Hopefully I'll get a good grade.

AUTHOR BE READY, BE WILLING, BE ABLE

Be Ready

If there ever really was one, the age of selling book ideas is practically over. Even well published authors are now having to work harder to get commitments from publishers than ever before. Considering this, if you have a semi-completed novel and are a first-time author, my advice to you is to not bother working on marketing it until it is complete, edited, and polished to a high gloss. Spend your energy doing the hardest thing first - finishing it! I talked with several authors over the summer who had great ideas for novels, but I can't sell ideas. Certainly not for first timers, and unfortunately, it's getting difficult to do for well established authors also.

The thing is, publishers (and therefore acquisition editors) are looking for a sure thing. Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, if they don't know you, nothing feels sure to them. If they have heard of you and you are represented by a well-known, reputable agent, it can help. BUT, the first question out of every editor's mouth these days is "What is the author's sales history?" The second question? "Is it finished?"

Be Willing

I'm working with a published novelist whose third book sold over 20,000 copies in the general market in the first six months. But when her agent went part-time, her editor left on maternity leave and decided not to come back, she and her book were more or less orphaned. When we started talking about a year ago, we decided it was best to keep her options open regarding her next project and try marketing it in both CBA and the general market. She reworked the proposal some, and I got to work pitching it, and her.

With her track record, writing experience, and work ethic, I thought it would be a slam dunk to find this author a new home. The proposed (finished) novel received lots of interesting feedback, but no commitments. After about six months of trying, we decided it was time to take a new approach. A year and at least six full-length synopses and dozens of sample chapters later, we have just received a commitment from a publisher. Given the current state of things in publishing, she may be looking at the smallest advance of her career, but this author understands the importance of keeping in the game for the long haul and she's willing to do what it takes to begin building her career again.

During the time we were looking for the right publisher to help her relaunch, she worked hard to respond to the suggestions and recommendations of several editors and was open to discussing other possibilities. Never once did she complain that she was too good (though I thought so), too busy (which I know she was), or too important to do what it took to get published. I don't like that I had to ask her to jump through so many hoops to get her here, but that is the reality and what it took in her case. The good news is that I'm certain her hard work and willingness will pay off.

Be Able

I see bad writing all the time. Given all the books, websites, conferences, lectures, and generous authors who lead critique groups and spend their time mentoring junior authors, there is simply no excuse for it.

After seeing lists and lists of workshops and classes offered at conferences, meeting successful authors who also freelance edit, hearing story after story of authors who spent years honing their craft before getting published, it's clear to me that while it may be more difficult for some than for others, writing is something which can be learned, practiced, honed, and constantly improved. I'll admit that the ability to write well is an innate talent for some. But, it is still hard work for every author. Some may say it comes naturally, or that not writing is not an option for them. But I don't think I've ever heard or read an author say "writing is easy". If so, I'd wonder who they were plagiarizing.

Being ready takes time. Being willing takes sacrifice. Being able requires resources. Becoming ready, willing, and able demands all three.

Perhaps now is a good time to head back to school in one area or another? Good news is, flip flops are optional.

Sandra writes about the "L" word ...

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

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

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

Gina asked:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandra

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

Anyone have any suggestions, I'm game!

From the Grab-bag of Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good News from a Trade Show

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

What? Good news? In publishing?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More on Digital Books (and Digital Ideas)

Is giving away free books a good idea? Bestselling author Paul Coelho has been a huge proponent of giving away digital text, arguing that it was one of the biggest reasons behind his worldwide success. A recent study undertaken by Random House, O'Reilly Media, and Magellan Media has explored the idea, and found that giving away the digital book seems to help promote sales of e-books a bit, but, according to a report in Publishers Marketplace, all that free text didn't create a huge upturn in traditional book sales. (If you want the whole schlamozzle, you can find the report here: www.toccon.com/toc2009/public/schedule/detail/7582.)

The concern about piracy continues to worry authors. In the early days of MP3 players, all those stolen songs created a lot of controversy over pirated music -- in essence, "If you copy a song and send it to all your friends, aren't you defrauding the singer his royalties?" (Hint: the correct answer is "yes.") There are two ways to view the outcome of that debate in music circles ten years ago. One view is to say that people who copied and sent music files could also be shown to become bigger music buyers, thus helping grow the market. A second view is that aggressive industry steps to protect author copyrights prevented wholesale theft, and helped usher in the current music culture.

In simple terms, the concern in publishing is that "if you receive a Word or PDF file with the downloaded text of a book, there is the possibility you'll pass it along to others, thereby cheating the author out of a royalty." I was always careful to tell my kids that, while their friends may give away music, they won't be doing so. I work in a copyright business, and I won't stand for people being cheated. Then I was sent a really interesting book last week, and found myself starting to forward it along to a friend. Oops. I stopped before hitting "send." Wait a minute -- is this fair? Is it legal? I was amazed how quickly I began to do it before common sense stopped me. We all appreciate free things in this culture. And it makes me wonder about the problems of piracy with book texts. BUT studies have shown that piracy with books is a minor problem so far. And if free texts actually increases book sales... well, we'll see where this goes. There's going to be a lot of study on this before it gets resolved. Are you worried about your words being stolen?

More on digital books: If you haven't heard, the folks at Amazon announced that you can now have any of their 250,000 Kindle e-books delivered to your iPhone. Seems like a small screen to me for reading a book, but I've got a friend who tried it immediately and says he loves it.

And an interesting study on the cost of e-books: While it's been suggested that e-books are considerably cheaper to produce (there are no ink/paper/binding costs, no shipping, no warehousing), one would think they would be cheaper to buy. A recent study of Kindle titles show that while there are roughly 7000 public domain books available, and 28,000 titles that sell for less than $2, about 13,000 titles sell in the normal book range of between $10 and $20. And the surprising thing is that nearly 56,000 of the e-book titles sell for more than $20.

The folks at Publishers Lunch made a point of noting that Amazon Prez Jeff Bezos claimed on TV last week (he was a guest on Jon Stewart's program) that the books for Kindle "are $9.99 each." But they pointed out that any reasonable study of Amazon's site will reveal there is no fixed price-point for e-books. They explained, for example, that Stephanie Meyer's Breaking Dawn is selling for $11.38 on Kindle, while the hard copy is $12.64, and the iPhone version is $19.99. It just goes to show that there's still a lot of miscommunication on e-books. Publishers have always used a variety of formats and price-points with books... we were just hoping the cost of digital books would be lower.

The Authors Guild recently got the people at Amazon to stop incorporating the text-to-speech format on the Kindle, by the way. They claimed it made each book a free audio book, and that was a violation of author contracts that either grant or withhold recorded rights. It's an interesting argument that I'm not sure I agree with -- I recognize the Guild is trying to protect author royalties, but the book isn't actually "recorded." It's a computer voice, reading the text (arguably the same as having a friend read you the book). To me, it seems like a handy feature to have when you want to keep going on a book but can't actually hold it and read it. A couple bloggers (Seth Godin is one, Mike Hyatt is another) argued that trade associations seem intent on protecting the status quo, but the current status of publishing is in a world of hurt. I tend to agree with them.

Speaking of Mr. Hyatt: The folks at Thomas Nelson have announced what they are calling "NelsonFree" -- an offer to give book-buyers more than one book format in a single purchase. The idea basically looks like this: When a reader buys a traditionally bound book, he or she is given the option of also receiving an e-book file sent to their email account, plus a ditial audio book. It's an aggressive, forward-thinking approach for a company that has really been on the cutting edge in recent years. I happen to be one of the people who subscribes to the notion that one of the best ways to build a readership is to give away books.

But... one aspect of this bugs me. If you buy a book, give it to your mom (who likes traditional books), then read the book on your e-reader, then give the audio book to your friend at the office (who listens to books but won't read them), it certainly gets the title a wider readership. But it also seems like the author of that book has lost two potential sales. Or at least the author has not been paid a royalty for two more products. So while I see the possible value in doing this, I worry that writers are going to see even less money (and I wonder if that means the publisher needs to negotiate a higher initial royalty for the author). This is a voluntary program, and Nelson is just trying it to see how people respond. Again, I'm not negative toward it, since I think the end result could actually mean more sales of the book. But I represent authors, and I want to make sure their interests are protected, and on its face it seems like everyone would opt for getting both a hard copy and a digital copy of a book if it were offered to them. That would eventually mean less money to authors, who are already being squeezed. Your thoughts?

And the dumb stuff...

Unsolicited proposals have skyrocketed lately -- apparently hard economic times inspire everyone to assume they can write a book and make a pile of money. Recent submissions include:

1. A book described as "Santa Claus meets Interview with the Vampire." And no, I don't have any idea what that could possibly mean either.

2. A guy who wrote to me because he "knows I'm religious" and he is "channeling notes from God regularly."

3. A book proposal entitled "Jesus Is a Republican." Which I doubt, since the Lord wasn't able to run up gigantic deficits or get his followers involved in a never-ending, pointless war.

4. Several projects from people who want to send me "fiction novels." Those are the best kind, of course.

5. An "action-adventure romantic spy thriller with religious overtones that takes place in another galaxy that's not our own." This book according to the author, would "not only appeal to adults, but to YA and to Republicans." Honest. I can hardly wait.

6. And I'm having an email fight with this guy who thinks he is a deep thinker (lots of mentions of his feelings and impressions, and in love with words like "missional" and "my journey"). He decides to do a book proposal, but instead of researching the industry, he creates an email and cc's it to a dozen agents. (That's right. My name is there on the send line, along with several other agent friends. A sure way to impress us all, as you can imagine.) I write him back to say, "Do yourself a favor and spend ten minutes in research, for crying out loud." His response? "Acting like an ass to a prospective client is no way to run your business!" Um... prospective client? Why is it that anybody who can recognize the difference between a verb and a noun thinks he can be a writer?

Hey, I discovered a really good blog screated by a Christian bookseller. If you want to see what a retailer thinks about the industry, check out bookshoptalk.wordpress.com. Fun to get the take from the other side of the store shelves.

Got a question about publishing or writing? Send it along and we'll get to it.