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

Ask An Agent - Part Three

This week we're doing a quick run-through of questions authors have of literary agents...

I'm a beginning author, have written a novel, and want to start submitting query letters. What advice would you have for me?

First, make sure your novel is well done. Have some other writers read it, get feedback from some experienced writers, and if possible talk with an editor about your work. The #1 reason projects get rejected is because the book isn't really done -- it might be a good idea, but it's basically 70% completed. Second, do some research on literary agents. Don't do a mass sending to a bunch of agents -- find out who represents the type of book you write, who among that list is taking new clients, then try to get some sort of introduction. Publishing, like all businesses in this country, is a relationship business. If you can meet and talk to an agent (perhaps at a conference, or simply through an introduction from a mutual friend), you'll be much further down the path in the submission process. Third, research what makes a good query letter. I sometimes laugh when I see an author has spent two years writing a book, and two minutes banging out a query letter. 

I'm interested in getting an agent. How do you know which agent will work hard for you? For that matter, how can an author know which agents the publishers view as legit?

If you want to know about an agent, you can always start by asking around. Ask publishers and editors in confidence what they think. Go onto the agency website and check the agent out. Check with "Predators & Editors" and "Writer Beware" to see which agents are not considered legit. Look into "Agent Query" and the other agency-ranking organizations. Pick up a copy of Chuck Sambuccino's Guide to Literary Agents so you can do some research into the agent. In my opinion, you should look for an agent that's a member of the Association of Author Representatives (AAR), the professional organization for literary agents. To see if the agent will work hard for you, all you have to do is to see which authors are happy and which agents are doing deals -- you can find information on the number of deals done by an agent in the "Dealmakers" section of Publishers Marketplace (um... sorry to brag, but that would be the place that currently has me listed as the #1 agent for all of 2009). A lot of people will just tell you to "talk with authors," but I find that less than helpful. First, most people don't want to say bad things about an agent, or worry that saying something honest will lead to a lawsuit. Second, many authors don't often know a good agent from a bad one -- if their agent got them a deal, they're happy. I know some authors who have a lousy literary agent, but they're completely satisfied because they don't have anything to judge it against. 

What word count should I shoot for with a light romance? I heard one agent say if a novel gets over 115,000 words, she gets nervous. Are some of the long bestselling novels (Redeeming Love, DaVinci Code, etc) exceptions? 

The genre romance houses are basically asking for 55,000 words for contemporary novels, and 75,000 words for historical novels. If you move away from a genre house and begin talking to more of a general lines publisher, you'll find this lousy economy demands more from writers -- so novels are often in the 90,000 to 100,000 word range. But yes, I am VERY reluctant to take on someone who has written 120,000 words. The investment by the publisher is huge, it takes extra work, the production costs are higher, and the final price point will be higher... so publishers find it easier to reject a book like that. They have to fall in love with a longer novel to contract it. (Pointing to mega-bestsellers like Redeeming Love and DaVinci Code is an exercise in futility. Better to look at the norms, not the exceptions.) 

I recently won a writing contest, then saw how many "winners" there were... It felt like I had "bought" the win with my entry fee. How do agents and publishers feel about writing contest winners? 

I realize the people managing contests want to have happy customers, so they name a lot of "winners." But in my experience, agents and publishers still like to see authors who can tell them they won a national writing contest. There's still a prestige associated with that. 

I have published a novel, but now want to do a nonfiction book. What advice would you have for me? 

A nonfiction book is a completely different animal than a novel. A novel basically offers entertainment -- a nonfiction book offers a solution to a problem or an answer to a question. It requires a different writing style. You'll need to think about scope and sequence, strong principles with clear solutions, and good, illustrative stories. Don't expect your fiction readers will cross the aisle and read your nonfiction book -- they won't. If you're just trying your hand at NF, my best advice would be to study the basics of writing again. It's not easy to slide from fic to NF. 

I have a work that has promise, but needs a good, literary editor. Are there any grants or programs available to help Christian authors fine-tune a work? 

I am not aware of any grants, however joining an online writing group or a critique group might prove helpful. It gets your writing in front of other eyes, so that you gain from the perspectives of others. 

It seems like the information about "platforms" is always geared to nonfiction authors. What steps would you suggest for a fiction writer to start building a platform? 

That will depend on your novel, of course. The core of marketing is to figure out where the readers who would be interested in your story are gathering, then go stand in front of them. So if you're writing Amish fiction, it would be good to figure out where people who love Amish gather -- what sites do they visit, what 'zines to they read, what programs do they follow. You want to figure out how to get in front of those folks. I've said this before, but think of "platform" as a number -- the number of people you can say read your words and have some sort of investment in you, so they're strong possibilities to buy your book. If you have a blog, do articles in your local newspaper, write things in your church or denominational newsletter, contribute to an online e'zine, speak to groups, teach classes, and appear in the media, all of those activities have a number of potential readers associated with them. You build your platform by participating in those activities, getting your words in front of people, and making sure they know the words are from you. You do your best to capture that audience, so you can approach them with your novel when it releases. 

I hope you're finding this helpful. Happy to answer your lingering questions on the last of the ASK AN AGENT segments...

Ask An Agent - Part Two

What have you always wanted to ask a literary agent?

Must a novel always be 100% finished before an agent will want to take a look at it? Or if you spotted great voice in an unfinished work, would you take a look and offer encouragement?

If I absolutely love the voice, I might sign an author based on the writing. That happens on occasion. More often, I will look at a project and offer encouragement to the writer if I like his or her writing voice and think it has potential, but still think it needs to be completed. Right now the market is more or less demanding a novel be completed if a publisher is going to take a risk on a new or newer author. So yes, an agent might very well say he likes your work, but put off a decision to sign you until you complete your novel.

What is "voice" in writing?  

Voice is the personality of the author, expressed through words on the page. When you write your word choices, phrasing, structure, thinking, and themes all help establish your personality as a writer. So the way I talk about writing is different from the way someone else talks about writing -- my personality needs to come through, and show how I'm different and unique as a writer. (An example: Stephen King and William Faulkner both like long sentences, psychological implications, semicolons, and the use of the word "and" in their works... but nobody ever picked up a Stephen King novel and mistook it for a William Faulkner novel. Each writer has his own personality, and that comes through on the page.) Of course, not every writing voice is good -- just as not every singing voice is good. A great writer has a voice that is appealing and interesting. 

How does a writer know when he has established a strong voice in his work? 

It takes time. I've always thought a writer recognizes his or her own voice as it becomes clear there is personality on the page. Your words don't sound like mine. Your stories don't sound like mine. I was in the air on Sept 11 -- the way I tell the story of that day will be different from the way YOU might tell it. The writers we love best express themselves through their voices, and we love hearing those voices because they are individual, and, in the words of Carolyn Sloan, "they teach us to be ourselves by supplying us with an example of genuine emotion..." Great voice in writing is a unique and courageous act. And I don't think it can be created -- I believe it rises up from the soul of the writer. 

Is there home in religious publishing for a strong Christian story, but with rough patches of reality along the way? 

Of course there is. Publishing is replete with examples. If you unfamiliar, read the works of Lisa Samson, Flannery O'Connor, Claudia Burney, Susan Meissner, Elizabeth Musser, and Charles Martin. 

Do Christian publishers really have such overly strict requirements that they cannot use such words as "priest" without being dismissed?

No. At least, not in my extensive experience. Sure, if you're doing a sweet romance, you can't use racy language -- but that sort of expectation is extant in ANY publishing line. You write to your audience. What I think you're referring to is a recent blog post from Ted Dekker, in which he cited a long-out-of-date document from Harlequin that listed certain words they didn't want used in their religious fiction (in order to keep from sounding sectarian). But Harlequin has since taken down that document, and the discussion has moved on. (Check out my posts of Nov 14, 16, and 23 for more on that situation.)

I'm entered in the Writers Digest Short Story competition, which states that Writers Digest has one-time publishing rights for the top 25 entries. So if I've entered, have I given up my publication rights? And as an agent, would you chew me out for being a bonehead? I just want to know if I've made a mistake in giving up my non-exlusive rights.

You might very well be a bonehead (I'm reserving judgment), but you're pretty safe with the WD contest. First, if it's really "non-exclusive" rights, you're free to re-sell those rights. And if this is a one-time agreement, it's similar to any other print publication article. I doubt I'd chew you out... especially in the short story market, which is a tough, tough place to get published. 

What have you always wanted to ASK AN AGENT? Send it in and I'll get you an answer! 

Ask An Agent - Part One

Okay, we're going to spend this week doing ASK AN AGENT -- where YOU write in whatever question you've always wanted to ask a literary agent, and I'll do my best to give you a good answer. Here are a bunch of the questions I've already received...

What do you think of POETS & WRITERS magazine? Do you subscribe? Why/why not? And if you used to, why don't you now?

I think Poets and Writers is a wonderful magazine. It offers very good information on writing and the industry, incorporates a lot of event and academic stuff, and has always worked to get writers connected to one another. There's not much else like it. I used to subscribe, but I no longer do. That has nothing to do with the quality of the magazine, but instead with the fact that I can't stay up with so many publications. A couple years ago I took steps to simplify my life, and that included giving up some of the magazines that were good, but that I didn't have time to adequately read. (I took further steps this year, cutting out even more magazines, axing TV news, and moving to a small town.) For those writers interested in the literary side of the industry, Poets and Writers is an excellent resource.

How much of a difference does it make to an agent to hear I've been referred by one of their current clients? And how does that compare to a face-to-face with an agent at a conference?

It always makes a difference to me when one of the authors I already represents sends a talented writer my way. I figure the writers I represent are already my friends -- we understand one another, so they're probably going to send people my way who would likely be a fit. So consider that a good start. That said, it still takes a face-to-face for me to really get to know someone. A conference meeting is often too short (sometimes ten minutes), but it's a start as well. In both cases, it will need to be followed up by great writing and a long talk or two, where we both get a feel for whether or not we're a fit for one another. 

How are royalties paid out? Why it is the contract says you get 10%, but the author never sees that much?

The standard ABA contract pays the author 10% of whatever a book sells for (on the first 5000 copies -- then it rises to 12.5% on the next 5000 copies). The standard CBA contract will pay the author somewhere in the 12-to-18% of net (that is, it pays not on the retail price of the book, but on the amount of money received by the publisher). The publisher keeps tabs on how many copies are sold, and quarterly or semi-annually pays that amount to the author. For subsidiary projects (that is, the words sold in another format, such as an audio book or an e-book), there will be a separate royalty amount. Sometimes a large company (read: "Wal-Mart") will purchase a big quantity of books, but to do so they'll insist on a huge discount. In a case like that, the author will be paid a discounted royalty. That's why it can be hard to track a book's exact earnings. I recently had an author on the bestsellers list receive a very disappointing check -- the bulk of the sales were done through big box stores like Sam's Club and Costco, so while the number of books sold was high, the discounts made the royalties lower than expected. (Does that adequately answer your question?)

I sent something out to an agent prematurely. The agent rejected my project, but was nice enough to make suggestions for improving/finishing it. Now that I've taken her advice to heart, would it be reasonable to re-send to her? How unusual is it for an agent to reconsider an author they've already rejected? 

While it's fairly rare for an agent to want to see a project he or she has already rejected, the situation you're describing is a type of exception you'll occasionally find. I wouldn't make a habit of re-sending rejected proposals, for fear of establishing a bad reputation with agents. But if an agent has offered helpful advice, and you've really taken those words and improved your work, it wouldn't be considered impolite to at least go back and ask if that agent would like to see the better, polished version. But be careful... Make sure it's REALLY better. Nobody is going to look at it a third time. 

I've quered a few agents who said they liked my writing, but there was no market for memoirs. Is there no market for memoir? Should I try to pitch the book as something else?

Well, if the agents you're approaching are saying there's no market for memoir, then there's no market for memoir. So you either have to look for other agents (who perhaps work in a different field), or alter your book. My guess is you've written something that YOU see as memoir, but agents see as just a personal story -- something that doesn't have the broad appeal it needs, but is simply a cool story about something that happened to you. That's the sort of thing I see ALL THE TIME, and there's no market for it. That type of story fits best as a magazine or e-zine piece. If you want to reshape it into another book, you may want to think about the lessons you've learned -- how can you turn your story into a self-help book, where you focus on the principles for living more effectively, and use your personal story as backstory to buttress your points. That might hold more appeal. OR you could leave it alone and do it as a magazine article, which will garner you more readers anyway. 

I'm a finalist in a writing contest. I'm also talking with an agent. If I win and get published, would if be customary for my agent to take 15% of the book? Or part of that 15%?

I love a question that's off the beaten path. I don't know that I've ever heard this before, so let me try my hand at it... If you came to me, and already had a publishing deal in hand, I would probably not take 15% of the deal. Since I didn't help you shape the piece, or help you improve it, or shop it to publishers, it wouldn't feel right to me to do so. I would probably offer to negotiate the contract for you, and hope to improve it, and perhaps suggest taking half my usual commission. (And, if you think I'm simply posing, I invite you to talk with some of the publishers. I've done exactly this in the past, so this isn't some sort of empty windmill-chasing.) That said, other agents may disagree with me entirely. A good agent is going to help you shape your career, not just land one book deal, so they may feel entirely comfortable participating fully in the deal via a 15% commission. Depends on the individual. Don't let it be a surprise -- ask this question up front, in a non-combative way. No sense letting this create a headache for you later.  

You do many Christian books. Is there a website that connects Christian writers specifically with Christian agents? If not, do you think there's a market for one? 

I do not know of a website that connects Christian writers and agents. That doesn't mean there isn't one, it just means I don't know of one. There are websites that attempt to connect Christian writers and publishers, including ChristianManuscriptSubmissions.com, but I don't know if there's one aimed at agents. Would there be a market for one? Probably -- my sense is there's a market for just about everything. The questions would be "is it any good?" and "is it better than what we currently have?" The industry is rapidly changing, which means the role of agents is going to have to change with it. Some well-meaning sorts tried to create a Christian literary agent association last year. I thought it was a noble effort, but I also wasn't in favor of joining... I just didn't feel it was set up appropriately. You'd have to think through things like "how are you going to define Christian?" and "what sort of guidelines are we going to have?" I have no doubts about the salvation of a couple Christian agents -- I just doubt their business practices, so I'd be uncomfortable being lumped in with them. (And I don't toss out that criticism lightly. One agent I know is a great guy, but, in my humble opinion, is a boob when it comes to this job. Another is an upstanding Christian leader, but he runs his business in clear violation of the code of ethics of AAR, so I can't recommend him.) If you were going to have a site like this, you'd have to consider those sorts of qualifiers in setting it up. 

What have you always wanted to ASK AN AGENT? Send us your question, and we'll get you answer!

Creating a Critique Group

This email came from Jess: "You once said we should get all our words down on paper, in order to create a crappy draft. I know you're talking about writing a nonfiction book here, but I've heard the same thing about fiction. My question: Where do our critique partners come in? I sure don't want to pass along a crappy first chapter or two to them...so I write and rewrite, trying to make it perfect before moving on. Any advice on how to make a critique group faster and more productive?"

Sure. First, let me explain to everybody what a critique group is: A collection of fellow writers who come together to improve each other's writing. (And, yeah, occasionally they come together to smack down the arrogant, or to make themselves feel better by criticizing someone else...but the GOAL of the group is to help everyone improve.) Sometimes you'll just have one or two people who are your crit partners; other times you might be part of a group that gathers on a weekly or monthly basis. You pass your work around ahead of time, the others make notes, then they come and share them with you.

Second, let me take issue with a couple things you said. I'm talking both fiction AND nonfiction. In my experience, nearly every writer benefits from having crit partners. And I think you may be stressing too much on showing people your bad work. Everybody has some bad work now and then. The point of the group is to IMPROVE. So get it out there -- let your partners see your work. It will help them as much as it helps you, since they'll be able to see how you handle certain writing problems.

Years ago, in another life, I made my living doing dopey magic tricks and telling jokes. (Really.) I played some nice places (the Comedy & Magic Club of Hermosa Beach was one), and I played some awful places (insert the name of any smoky bar where the customers are more interested in Budweisers, Camels, and the opposite sex). One thing I noticed about the venues: Even if the place was a dive, I learned lessons. Being in front of a living, breathing audience forces you to change your act. You have to work really hard to get people to laugh. All the rehearsal in the world wasn't going to cause me to perfect my act -- for that, I had to go be bad in front of people.

There's a lesson there for writers... A lot of potential writers are simply too sensitive. As a writer, you need a place to bad, so that you can learn to be good. So if your ego is too fragile to allow someone else to read your work, it's time to learn this lesson. Allow yourself to be bad. Give somebody else (preferably not your mom, your spouse, or your best friend) the permission to be honest with you about your writing.

Yes, this takes courage. And it means you're going to have to find a couple people you trust. If you get into a large crit group, chances are you're going to have one person you don't like, who always hammers you for something. Learn to live with it. Paste a smile on your face, say "thanks very much," and move on to somebody whose opinion you actually care about. BUT somewhere, in the midst of all that fake niceness, be willing to at least hear what that individual has to say about your writing. A fresh set of eyes is exactly why you joined the group, so at least listen to the criticisms others have, even if you think they're all wrong and you're above this sort of thing.

Scottish people have a saying: Learn to unpack a rebuke. In other words, don't reject a criticism out of hand. You don't have to like it. You don't have to agree with it. But give it a little time. Take it and play with it. Be willing to at least examine the criticism and see if, just maybe, there's an ounce of truth in it.

I recently had somebody challenge me on this blog -- they basically snarled at me, "You're playing it too safe! Where's the edgy Chip I've seen on other sites? You've pulled it all in, hoping this 'nice' Chip will be more appealing!" My first response? I slapped her. (No, not really. There I go again, playing it safe.) My first reaction was to defend myself. "No, that's not true." Then I offered a bunch of reasons why I was Mr. Edgy. Except...she was right. I've felt the same thing -- that I was toning it all down. I don't know why, but I felt it, and when I read back over my replies, I could see it. So I unpacked the rebuke. And now...um...I don't know. I'm not going to become Mr. Snotty, but I probably need to cut loose a bit more. I don't want people checking my site at bedtime in order to help them nod off.

Of course, sometimes you'll get a rebuke that's wrong. Somebody will tell you "that idea will never sell" or "you shouldn't do that novel in first person," and your only response is to smile, say thanks, and ignore the moron. That's okay. At least you got another perspective. But you gain an immense amount of wisdom when you allow other people you respect to look at your words.

Okay, so third (and yes, this is really "third" -- look way up there and you'll see there was a "first" and a "second"), I want to suggest that handing around a bad first draft is EXACTLY the point of a crit group. Let them see what you're doing and offer some direction for your writing. You may not agree with all of it, but the point is that you're getting another set of eyes to review your work. I've seen thousands of pages of paper wasted on under-written book proposals. Sometimes these were good ideas, they just needed more work. But I rarely seen an over-written book proposal -- one the author simply over-designed, over-thought, and over-wrote. So my sense is that you probably need to spend more time on your project.

Having a critique group can help you move forward. Besides, having writing friends gives you somebody to share your success and failure with. When those rejections come in, they'll pat you on the back and tell you that, yes, you're a fine writer, you just need to stick with it. Maybe they'll go buy you a Guinness. (Another reason to like critique groups!)

Fourth, you asked how to make them faster and more productive. As for "faster," send the writings out one week  and talk about them the next week. (That said, I don't know that making a group faster is the goal. But I know how frustrating it is to get into a group where one person dominates all the needs.) In terms of making things more productive, I encourage groups to WRITE their comments. It's too easy to weasel out of a tough criticism when we're all sitting around the living room, drinking tea and commenting on Daphne's stupid prairie romance. ("Um...I don't know...but since this is set in the 1830's, maybe you shouldn't have your heroine eaten by intergallactic space aliens.") Instead, ask people to write their criticisms onto the page, then you can talk through them, and hand them to the author, before giving her (a) a kleenex to wipe her eyes, and (b) the number of a good suicide prevention counselor.

Fifth and last, don't think about trying to make it perfect. Seeking perfection in writing is what freezes people up and keeps them from writing (or from participating in an honest crit group). Look for progress, not perfection. You ain't going to make it perfect. So try to make it "better than last week."

Hope that helps. (And yes, I said this before, about three years ago. I thought the topic needed to be covered again.) 

This, That, and the Other Funny Thing

There's a ton of information to report in publishing these days, so let me catch you up...

First, it looks like the Google settlement could be tossed out. Too many arguments among the various parties. If you're an author, and you spent all that time filling out those arcane rights sheets so that you could get paid... sorry! 

Second, Bill Anderson suddenly resigned as the Prez of CBA. It happened after a stormy board meeting. He's been president since the mid-80's, and was a gracious man with a positive attitude. (Bill was always nice to me, even though I sometimes said some things on my blog that made him mad. In my view, I was just reporting the truth -- that CBA is in a world of hurt.) We had our differences (I thought the organization was slow to let charismatics and Catholics really be a part of the organization, and I still think they've done a terrible job involving African-Americans, meaning the core of CBA is still middle-class white conservative evangelical... but they'd argue that's just demographics). Still, the industry came a long way with Bill at the helm. I think he'll be missed, and it'll be interesting to see what direction the organization goes now.  

Third, self-publisher Lulu announced they're now doing e-books, and paying ten bucks on a $13.99 e-book. Wow. If you can actually SELL your books, that's a nice deal.  

Fourth, in case you haven't heard, Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon are in a price war. Honest. They're each trying to drive the others out of business by charging less for hardcover novels. (I don't think I've heard the words "price war" since Shell and Texaco had one back in the 1960's. Imagine... paying 29 cents a gallon for gas.) And yes, that's just another nail in the coffin for good bookstores everywhere.  

Fifth, in response, Thomas Nelson has talked of staging a rollout with new books (that means having them available only in bookstores first, and in Wal-Mart and on Amazon later) and having a minimum advertised price (a concept that is much debated -- some don't think it's legal, others question if it's enforceable). This will be fascinating to watch -- but it's nice to see a publisher side with actual bookstores instead of the big retailers. 

Sixth, in honor of Dan Brown's newest book release, British newspaper The Telegraph put together a list of what they considered to be the 20 worst Dan Brown sentences. You can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/r6tye2.  Thought you'd enjoy marvelling at how such a lousy writer can sell so many copies of his books.

Seventh, I've had a couple people write to ask, "Are there any humor writers who also write about the church?"

There are a few. Jon Acuff, who runs the fabulous website Stuff Christians Like. Perhaps the funniest thing on religion in America you can find (and currently one of the most-read religious websites in the world). You can find him at http://stuffchristianslike.net/ 

Others would include Mark Twain (his "The Diaries of Adam and Eve" has some touchy humor about the church, but some is laugh-out-loud funny -- if you're interested in this topic, check out McCullough and Baetzhold's The Bible and Mark Twain), Dave Meurer (a very funny storyteller with a nice voice in his writing), Dave Barry (you may not know this, but his father was a Presbyterian minister, and his writings on religion are generally insightful, over-the-top, and hilarious), and Garrison Keillor (his faith stories are warm and funny). Two similar writers are Michael Lindvall's The Good News from North Haven and Haven Kimmel's A Girl Named Zippy.

I suppose we could talk about  Anita Renfroe (humor for women that's actually funny, whereas many of the women trying to be funny in CBA are simply boring...so it's time we all admit that Barbara Johnson is not funny) and Phil Callaway (he's a funny guy, but he always pulls his punches so as not to offend) and Becky Freeman Johnson (some of her tales of life with family are a riot).  If you like funny stories about those of us who grew up in church, read Todd and Jedd Hafer (Snickers from the Front Pew and Mischief from the Back Pew) and Charles Marshall (I'm Not Crazy But I Might Be a Carrier). Finally, Patricia Klein's Growing Up Born Again is a great book from twenty years ago, and if you haven't seen Joel Fitzpatrick's A Field Guide to Evangelicals and their Habitat, by all means pick yourself up a copy. If you have any ability to laugh at yourself (something MANY Christians are unable to do, seeing how they're serious people who need to set the world straight on this whole end-of-the-world scenario), you'll find page after page of laugh-out-loud humor.

That should get you started...

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. 

Getting back to your publishing questions...

Back to a bunch of generic questions about the book publishing biz...

Sharon wrote to say, "While perusing Amazon yesterday, I filtered my search by 'date published' and noticed several pages of books listed for pre-orders due out in late '09 or early '10. Is this a sales strategy? Is it common? Is it effective? And how far out is realistic to get a worthwhile response?"

The practice of directing friends and readers to pre-order your book on Amazon has become popular in the past two years. Yes, it's a sales strategy, and yes, it's becoming much more common for the savvy author. Here's why: If you push everyone you to know pre-order your upcoming book, all those orders go into effective THE DAY OF RELEASE. So if you've done a lot of groundwork, and really get a bunch of folks to pre-order your book, it looks like a ton of people logged on and ordered your book that first day. Your title shoots up near the top of the Amazon rankings, since those are built on order velocity. As for its effectiveness, it seems to work best with authors who really beat the bushes and convince people to pre-order a book (not an easy thing to do in these days of immediate gratification). Store orders may be just okay, but a sudden hit of two or three thousand books on its release day can really grab the attention of the publisher. 

As to how far in advance you can do this... that's a tough question. I see some bestselling authors working this six months out, but my guess is that for most authors it's really hard to move beyond a 90 day window -- and, in fact, I'd argue that getting people to pre-order within 30 days might be the best strategy. 

Marin wrote to ask, "Can you give me an exact definition of edgy fiction writing? I've got a vague idea of what constitutes 'edgy' in CBA, but it needs clarifying."

An exact definition? Nope. One person's "edgy" is another person's "tame." But certainly the hot button issues that make retailers consider a novel edgy would include language (i.e., Do the characters use foul language of any kind?), sex (is there overt sensuality in the story?), violence (is there graphic violence or bloodshed in the story?), and cultural choices (are there gay characters? does anyone get an abortion? do the characters drink?). I happen to think the popular argument about "Christian worldview" is frequently a cop-out for people who don't want to think this through. (Can you really argue there is one appropriate worldview for believers? And does yours match up with mine?)

Evelyn wrote to say she is working on her novel proposal, and wants to know, 'How do I find out if there are similar books in print? Do I look by content? By topic?"

In your proposal, it's important you have a section offering comparable titles. The purpose for that is NOT to show how your apocalyptic novel is better than Left Behind, but instead to help the publisher know how to categorize your proposed book. ("Oh! THIS book is similar to THAT book!") That means spending some time doing some research. First, you should know your genre by having read widely, so some obvious titles will come to mind. Second, you can find comparable titles by going into Barnes & Noble and hunting up other projects that are similar. Third, you can talk to other writers and editors, in order to solicit their suggestions. And fourth, you can go onto Amazon.com and wander through the titles by keywords or genre or author. For that matter, you can do some other general searches on the web by content, though you may not find that as effective. 

A couple reminders as you look at comp titles: Don't select The Purpose Driven Life, or Blue Like Jazz, or some other book that has sold a million copies. You end up looking silly when you compare your unpublished work to a huge hit. At the same time, don't select some completely unknown book that bombed -- it leaves the publisher with the impression "this other book bombed, and mine is just like it!" Instead, choose books in the middle, and focus most on audience ("the readers who like THAT will like THIS"). If you're going to, say, HarperCollins, it's always nice to use a successful HarperCollins title in your comparables -- it isn't essential, but it offers a positive reinforcement to the editor. And one last thought, don't spend time explaining what's wrong with those other books. I see that quite a bit (sometimes with really stupid comments like "My book is much better than Huckleberry Finn, since it doesn't have all ugly racial overtones"). This isn't a competition -- it's a way to give the publisher an advance organizer while considering your work. 

The Dark File: I just got in a proposal in which the author sets up his story by saying he's going to dig into the mysterious death of Michael Jackson. He's claiming Michael faked his death in order to get out from under his debts... He's no doubt living in Arkansas, working on a road crew with Elvis. What is it about conspiracy nuts? 

One More Look at Basic Basic Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Randy Ingermanson's www.advancedfictionwriting.com

-Michael Hyatt's www.michaelhyatt.com

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

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

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

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

-Gina Holmes' www.noveljourney.blogspot.com

-Maria Schneider's www.editorunleashed.com

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

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

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

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

More on the Basic Basics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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