Chip MacGregor .com

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!

How do Agents Work?

I've had a number of questions about literary agents in the past month...

Seth asked, "What's the first thing you look for in a proposal?"

My reply: Voice. I'm a sucker for great voice in a writer. If I see great voice, I'm almost always willing to take the next step with an author. 

Daryl wrote to ask, "As an agent, do you ever 'go after' an author? I mean, do you see a person you think has good book potential, then try to track them down?"

Very rarely. I mean, it happens occasionally, but not often. I was in the air on September 11, had to make an emergency landing, saw first-hand the things going on in the air and at airports, and was emotionally impacted by the events of that day. So a couple days later, when Patti and I were watching the President speak, we saw him introduce the very poised Lisa Beamer. I turned to Patti and said, "She could do a great book." So I started trying to connect with her, spoke to her pastor about how to handle media requests, and put her in touch with B&B Media to help her manage all the people approaching her. Eventually Lisa and I met at her home, talked things through, and started shaping a book. I brought in Kenny Abraham, who did a fabulous job working with Lisa on her manuscript. That book hit #1 on the New York Times list, and was the bestselling nonfiction book of the year. So, yeah, having an agent seek out an individual can happen... but not often. People with the platform of a Lisa Beamer don't show up every day (the Lord just worked out the circumstances on that one). Besides, most of us are seeing pretty good proposals on a regular basis, so there isn't much of a need to chase anyone down. 

Anne asked, "Doesn't it seem like most literary agents work in either the CBA market exclusively, or the general market exclusively? Why is that?"

I suppose it's that way because this business, like every business, is based on relationships. If an agent has a bunch of relationships with CBA editors, that agent is most likely going to do a lot of CBA deals. But not all agents work exclusively in one market. Some of us do plenty of deals in both markets (though it depends on the year -- I've found myself doing a TON of CBA deals this year, meaning I was contracting books in CBA far more than I was last year). Still, there isn't anything keeping an agent who does the majority of work in CBA from landing some projects in the general market. It just requires a bit more research, stretching the network a little wider. The best thing to do is to simply ask the agent -- "Would you be interested in a general market novel?"

Alice wrote this: "Don't get mad, but I publish poetry. Why is it that agents don't want to see any poetry submissions?"

Hey, I don't get mad at those types of questions, Alice. I think that's a legit question. The answer is simple: there's no money in poetry. I love good poetry (also intentionally bad poetry, if you're a regular reader). If I could make money representing poetry, I would. But I can't. There's no market for poetry, no way to make a living at it, and since I'm not independently wealthy, I have to choose to represent projects that pay me money. 

Ginger wants to know, "As an agent, what do you think is the best way a writer can improve his or her writing, without actually writing? (I'm serious about this question.)"

My response: By reading great writing. I think a writer can improve, get ideas, and be inspired by seeing what a great writer is doing -- how he or she handles the text, what words are chosen, how the story unfolds. Too many writers ONLY write, or only read in their genre. Most of the great writers I know read widely. 

Dom sent this: "You haven't been picking on anybody lately. I know you're trying to be nice, but... well, what is currently driving you crazy? We'd all like to know."

I received a proposal today that was addressed to 17 agents. All of our names and emails were in the "to" line. I've received at least a dozen of those recently. I'm blaming it on the rampant use of hallucinogenic drugs in this country. I mean, come on... The author is cc'ing his proposal to a bunch of us, then expecting us to take it seriously? Like I'm going to fight other agents to grab this one crappy proposal? All of us had the same response: hit "delete." That's the current thing that's driving my crazy.

Wait... it gets worse. So I read this one, then sent the author a note, explaining that cc'ing a proposal to a bunch of agents at once makes it look like Amateur Hour, and that he should study the industry, figure out how to create and pitch a proposal, then approach an agent he feels might be a fit. Isn't that how you'd approach any other line of work? Do a bit of research on it, to make sure you didn't look like a moron? I took time out of my day to try and help this guy. And what was his response? To send me a nasty note, complaining about the fact that i was scolding him for not doing it right. 

That gets him put into my Black File, of course. What is it about the fact that some people simply can't admit they don't know everything? Just assume you've screwed up, learn from your mistake, and do it better next time. Don't get defensive. I've pretty much stopped going to a couple popular online writing groups for that reason. I had originally been involved because I thought the participants were there to learn, and after a few decades in this business, I figure I've got something to share. But it began to feel like pearls before swine after a while. People want to share their ignorance, then HATE to get corrected when they say something stupid. So I'm just not even reading those any more -- I figure if writers want to read the advice of the uninformed, it's not my job to police it. There you go, Dom. Happy? 

Good grief... where's the Christmas spirit?

Hey, we're going to do an ASK THE AGENT week next week. Anything you want to know, send it in and ask the agent. We'll try to do a BUNCH of questions, and I promise to keep my answers (relatively) short. Send it along - HO HO HO!

Keeping Up the Conversation

Back to the questions you're asking... On recent blogs, we've had some people ask questions in the "comments" section that I felt would be helpful for everyone to read. 

Lea Anne asked, "With publishers facing such a tough publishing environment, are advances going to be a thing of the past? Do you see publishers moving toward book-on-demand systems, and paying authors with royalties only?"

It's true that advances are down (I've heard several agents use the joke "Fifteen is the new thirty" when talking about the deals they're doing). And yes, we're seeing some elements of publishing move away from paying any advance, relying strictly on royalties to compensate authors. There's some fairness to that, I suppose, since it mitigates the risk for publishers. But no, I don't see advances going away. Here's why... publishing is a competitive environment. Every company is looking to sell more books than the other guy. And publishing is very much an 80/20 business (that is, 80% of the income comes from 20% of the books). In fact, publishing might well have become a 90/10 business in recent years. The big, breakout books are what pays the bills. And to keep signing up bestselling authors, publishers are going to have to pay advances, because an author routinely hitting the bestseller lists is going to get offers from other publishers. So if one house decides not to pay an advance, you can be sure somebody else will. 

Things are definitely changing, of course. Publishers are getting squeezed by bookstores, who want to be able to return any unsold books. That's not how it works in most industries -- you purchase product, and if you can't sell it, you discount it and sell it for less, or use it as a loss leader, or give it away. With books, if a store hasn't sold them in 90 days, they can return them for full credit, so the publisher has unique financial pitfalls to deal with. And publishers are taking steps to put more of the burden on the authors -- Random House's decision to try and withhold one-quarter of the advance until a year after a book releases is one very unfair example. (I'll bet they aren't asking the printer to wait a year to be paid 1/4 of their fee, or UPS to wait a year to be paid 1/4 of the deliver charge.) We're seeing publishers try new avenues for making money (the recent decisions by Thomas Nelson and Harlequin to get into self-publishing is just one example). But do I think all advances will disappear? Nope, I don't. At least not anytime soon. An author understands that, at some point, he or she needs some sort of guarantee that they're going to make SOMEthing for their work. 

On a related note, Cecelia asked, "Is it true some big-time, bestselling authors don't earn out their advance? They get a huge advance, and the publisher knows they won't earn it out, and that's okay? Why would a publisher do that -- just to make the author happy?"

Actually, the majority of books don't earn out their advances. And yes, sometimes a publisher will pay a huge advance on a book because they know they can sell enough to make money even if the book never earns out. But this gets to a truth many authors miss: just because a book doesn't earn out its advance, that does NOT mean the publisher lost money. Some writers just don't understand this. An unearned advance means the publisher made less, but it does not equate to a "loss." If you did a book with Acme Publishers, they paid you a $10,000 advance, and you earned back $9000 of it, the overall numbers don't equate to a publisher "losing" $1000. Why? Because you, as the author, were paid 10% of the retail price as your royalty. Where does the other 90% go? To the publisher. 

That's not a bad thing, of course. The publisher is the one who put up all the money to edit, design, cover, produce, and ship your book. They've got big costs, even on a small book. But they've gauged your advance by the number of copies they think they can sell. If your book tanks, sure, they might lose money. But more than half of all books don't earn back their advance, and they couldn't stay in business if they were constantly losing money on each title. 

Let's look at some numbers... A 256-page hardcover book costs about $3 in ink/paper/binding costs. There's another dollar in overhead costs, maybe some money in marketing. So the publisher is into your book somewhere between four and five bucks. The book retails for $21.99, and they sell it to Borders for a bit less than ten bucks. They pay you a royalty of $2.20, and keep the remaining $7.50. So their profit after all expenses is maybe $2.50 per book. If a book breaks out, the production costs go down and the profits go up. They try to plan out a strategy where they won't actually LOSE money on the book. A publisher will argue that they "lose" money if an advance doesn't earn out -- but in the big picture that's not correct. What really happened is that they didn't make as much profit (which is different from losing money). 

And Susanne asked, "How does an author working with a smaller publisher wrangle a good contract without an agent? I'm on my fifth book contract, but because I work with smaller publishers, I've had agents say, 'You're not worth my time.'"

There's nothing wrong with an author choosing to work with a small house -- I did it myself when I was making my living as a writer, Susanne. The best thing to do is to become self-taught at things like contracts and marketing, since you're going to have to negotiate your own deal AND become your own marketing manager. If you want to wrangle a good contract, you're going to have to learn how to negotiate, and that means learning the economics of publishing (so that you make it a financial win for both sides) as well as learning how to talk through the process and stand up for yourself. You should definitely study up on book contracts (Mark Levine and Jonathan Kirsch both have good books on the subject), and maybe do some study on the art of negotiation (there are dozens of good books on the topic). The biggest thing I've found when negotiating with a small publisher is to understand their economy of scale -- what is reasonable and workable for their size company? what added value can I bring? what is and is not important to me? 

As for having agents tell you you're not worth their time... well, I'm sorry, and I sincerely hope they were more polite about it. But do understand the cost-to-value equation. If you're doing small deals, and their commission is 15%, it may NOT be worth their time. Let's say I help an author do a $1000 deal... my commission on that is only $150, but it takes just as much time as a $10,000 deal. Frankly, I could earn more doing something else, so the cost-to-value isn't there for me. I might help answer some questions just to be nice, but... well, I'm not sure it would be worth it to me to take it on, then face doing several more $1000 contracts. You could try talking to newer agents, who are often willing to do smaller deals just to get their foot in the door. But you've got to balance that by making sure that agent knows what he or she is doing, so ask questions. You don't want to get stuck with some Bozo who locks you into a bad deal because he doesn't understand the business. 

Let's Talk Turkey

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone (note the word "turkey" in my title), I know we're all starting to think about that joyous season that's just around the corner... A time when men and woman think deep thoughts and spend too much money. I'm speaking, of course, about tax season. You see, you're about to spend a ton of money on gifts at Christmas, then you'll be facing all those one-time expenditures like life insurance that arrive at the start of the year, then right after that Uncle Sam will come with his hand out, wondering where HIS little bit of income is. Really puts you in the holiday gift-giving mood, doesn't it? So let's talk about money in publishing for a few minutes.

Diane wrote to say, , "I can't seem to figure out when I'm getting paid on my publishing contract. it's driving me crazy!" 

One of the things I've noticed about many of the writers I've met with over the past several years at writer's conferences is that they often aren't clear WHEN they are paid. For the record, most contracts I negotiate are paid half-n-half -- that is, half the advance is paid within 30 days of signing the contract, and the other half is paid upon completion of the writing assignment. Some publishers will pay in thirds, with the last third being sent upon publication of the manuscript. And, in fact, that's probably going to become more popular with publishes, as they try to spread out the risk more and more. 

That said, there are a number of variations to this. I once did a contract that was paid in sixths (signing, upon creation of an extended outline, the rough draft, the completed draft, publication, and...um...Lindsay Lohan's birthday or something -- it was pretty stupid). The POINT is that a writer wants to get as much money as possible, as soon as possible. That's why we agents fight having a check delayed. And it leads into the next question...

Ben wrote and said, "I had a big-name author tell me she never takes and advance. Why should I?"

You should because you worked to produce the book, Ben, and you should be paid for your work. Sometimes a big-name author doesn't ask for an advance because they don't need the money. If that's your situation, wonderful (and can you loan me twenty bucks?). But think of it this way: If a publisher makes you an offer in January 2010, you may not see a contract until March. Then you spend six months writing the book, so you turn it in by September. They take a year to produce it, and finally get copies on bookstore shelves in August 2011. You're now into it more than a year-and-a-half. Without at advance, you've earned nothing. On top of that, the publisher is going to take EVERY STINKIN' DAY ALLOWED before he pays you. (If the contract says you'll get a check within 90 days, you can bet he won't be sending it until the 90th day.) AND if the publisher tried to talk you into doing a cheap deal because "you'll get the money on the back end," that means you have to wait until the book has been out there for a selling season, so the accounting on your royalties isn't done until December 31, 2011. THEN they'll wait their 90 days to send you your check. And that means that great book contract you sold in January of 2010 won't actually put any money into your pocket until March of 2012. And no, your publisher, who has been selling your books and collecting your money, doesn't plan to pay you any interest on the money they took in months ago.

I'm not saying it's unfair, I'm just saying advances are not an evil, or even a necessary evil. They're part of the business, and they help writers survive while creating their art. NOW do you see why agents have a tendency to clamour for advance dollars?

Carol wants to know, "What can I do about a publisher who hasn't sent me my completion money?" 

Technically, your completion money is due when you turn in your manuscript. But publishers have slowed that down in  recent years by saying your manuscript has to be turned in, edited, and approved -- which sounds fair in practice, but it sometimes seems as though projects have approval withheld just to keep the publisher from paying on them. (Note that I said "sometimes." Not "frequently.") What can you do? You can have your agent call them and ask the hard question. Of you can do it yourself. You're all in a legally-binding contract, so this probably says something about understanding what you're signing when offered a contract, Carol. 

When I was a free-lance writer, I noticed that publishers (both magazine and book) tended to put me on the bottom of the pay ladder. I once called a publisher to complain that I hadn't been paid, and the response was, "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Guess we'll get you next quarter." The measley $1500 they owed me meant little to them -- but it was MY HOUSE PAYMENT FOR TWO MONTHS. So, yeah, I eventually got over my reluctance to talk money with publishers. (I'm not nearly as nice as some, I suppose, but I make up for it with consistency.)

And this is a good time to face facts: If you're uncomfortable talking about money, or you can't be bothered nagging that publisher who keeps forgetting to pay you (and there are a couple who are really slow), then you need to find an agent you're comfortable with, who is competent with both numbers and negotiation, and talk to him or her about handling this for you. You'll find it's worth it to you.

Got a question about money and publishing? Send it along...

-Chip MacGregor

 

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. 

Thinking about Careers

I was at a big writing conference a couple years ago, and there was a glob of literary agents yakking it up on a panel. We were asked about the role agents play in the contemporary publishing industry, and one of the agents who spoke made a point of saying, "The most important thing we do is career planning for authors."

I almost laughed out loud. She happened to be an agent who...um...I want to put this delicately: She has no idea what she's doing. One of those people who can't seem to figure out what this job actually entails, besides sending emails and collecting checks. So to hear her talking about "career management" made me smile. It's not that I disagreed -- I happen to think that assisting authors with their careers is probably the most important piece of what I do. It's just that I believe to some agents "career planning" is nothing more than "find a deal for my author." In other words, a writer who doesn't have a book contract simply needs a deal in place, and he or she will have a "writing career." But anybody with a lick of sense could figure out that a book contract is sort of expected if you're going to make a living as a writer of books. I mean, every author who signs on with an agent expects to land a deal.

So, for an agent, there's a bit more to it. In my view, a career plan for an author is created by helping the author figure out (1) where they are now, and (2) where they want to be in the future. Because, you see, "success" is going to be defined differently for each author. There's no one rung we reach that equates to "success" for every writer. Some people really want to make their living writing; others don't care about the money so much as that they write regularly. One author may see success as making just enough to be financially feasible (say $2000 per month on average), while another author defines success as replacing her corporate job (making a minimum of $5000 per month). So part of this first stage is to simply figure out where you are and begin to define where you want to go.

It can take a while to get to that place -- you have to think about your past, your desires, your schedule, your personality, your platform, your calling. What's the message you feel God has given you? What are the books you simply HAVE to write? Do you know your voice? Do you know yourself well enough to recognize what your strengths and weaknesses as a writer are? 

An author also needs to think about keeping life in balance -- having a career is more than just making money. Sure, you have to consider how much you'd like to earn and where it will come from, but you also have to think about how you can maintain a healthy marriage, stay physically fit, and have friends and a vibrant spiritual life. All of this has to get written down somewhere, so the author has a document from which to work.

THEN you start thinking about the steps to take in order to move forward. Sure, if you're unpublished or between contracts, most likely the first thing you need is a deal. But that's not the ONLY thing an author needs. One of the reasons I've tried to get the authors I represent to think through a written career plan is so that they can begin the process of noodling on their writing careers. A couple people have emailed their plans back to me with a note that said they've come to realize they don't want to be full-time writers. That's fine -- it's just nice that they have clarity. Others have found that writing things down has helped them get a better picture of where they are weak. An author with no platform is hoping the salability of her idea and quality of her craft will carry her to success...but that's become tough to do in today's market, so taking steps to build a platform may be necessary in order to move forward.

I think God has a unique calling for each of us. (I think that's true even if you don't believe in Him.) But I look around, and I see that this business allows one writer to have modest success and another to make a million dollars. Sometimes that can be traced back to a great idea or a great title or great writing or great marketing -- but other times it seems to be nothing more than a sovereignty of God issue. Maybe that's why He calls one guy to pastor a church of ten thousand, and another to pastor a church of fifty. I don't believe the pastor of a thousand necessarily has better talent, or received a greater blessing, or is any more or less obedient...sometimes God just calls people to different things. There have been far greater preachers than Billy Graham who are toiling obediently in small-town churches around the world. I happen to represent some remarkable writers -- some of whom haven't had huge sales yet. But God isn't just calling people to success; He's calling people to obedience. He wants us to use our gifts, whether we sell 5000 copies or 50,000.

My reason for writing all of this is just to encourage you to think carefully about your career. As an agent, I really want the authors I represent to feel as though they've got a plan in place -- something more than "I owe my publisher another book." Clarify where you are and where you want to be, and think through the steps to get there. On this blog, let's talk through things like how many books you ought to write in a year, and how much money you need to make, and what concrete steps you could take to improve your sales and visibility. Think about what you need to study or improve or build in order to move your writing career forward. Think about keeping things in balance, since God has called us to be more than writers -- He wants us to be strong, healthy Christians who minister to those around us and leave an impact on the world.

Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching. I was just going over notes to myself from some recent conferences, and had to ruminate on this issue a bit. I want the authors I'm working with to know they've got some sort of plan in place. When a fellow writer asks one of the authors I work with if they have a career path, I want my author to feel comfortable saying, "Yes, I do." Maybe I'm just tired of hearing people talk about writing as a career without stating clearly what that means. 

So, in case you're not sure, a career writer, in my view, is one who makes a living from writing. You probably need to figure out what it means to make a living in your world, taking your community, your family, and your financial needs into consideration. And having a career plan means you've got a step-by-step plan in mind to move there from where you are now (or, if you really don't see yourself making a living at writing, at least you've figured out where you DO want to be, and what steps you'll take to get there). 

It ain't simple. But maybe we could use less general talk about "careers for authors" and more concrete help with establishing those careers. 

Some thoughts.

Chip

How an Author should Think about Money

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Questions from Novelists

I've been away at a writing conference, and have fallen behind in my Q&A work. So let's get back up to speed with a heapin' hunk o' fiction questions...

Heidi asked, "In your opinion, is it better to see first-person or third-person POV novels for a first-time novelist?"

I'm not one who gets too worked up about first-or-third POV, Heidi. A good novelist can use either one. However, I can tell you from experience that many first-person novels from beginning writers suffer from an overuse of the "I-verb" syndrome. ("I started... I walked... I ate... I moved... I handed... I answered...") That endless parade of I-verbs creates a really dull novel. First-person fiction can be great, but in my view it's harder to master than third person. 

On a related note, Dana wrote, "Is it true most publishers don't want first-person novels?"

No, I don't think it's true. Again, writing an excellent first-person novel is simply harder to do well, so publishers probably have set the bar a bit higher. But some of the best fiction on the market is done in first person, and publishers still buy first-person novels. (Two favorite authors of mine, Ross Thomas and John D. MacDonald, wrote nearly everything from the first-person point of view. Bridget Jones Diary was a wildly successful first-person novel.) 

Cara sent in this: "How many POV's should a new novelist have in women's contemporary fiction? I've heard we should use two for romance and one or two for general fiction. (I'm asking because my work in progress has one main character, but three other storylines that each require chapters from their POV. I'm wondering if that will make my novel harder to sell.)"

Interesting question, since it seems to suggest there are hard and fast rules to be followed in contemporary fiction. While there are certainly rules to follow in genre literature (for example, if you're writing contemporary romance, you've got to have your woman meet her man early; if you're writing a cozy mystery, the crime needs to take place early in the novel; etc.), in general fiction you don't have all those same strictures. I've read contemporary fiction that had several POV's working. However, let's get real: The more POV's in the novel, the harder it is to make it work. In my view, it will take an experienced hand to craft a great novel with multiple points of view. Having four POV's in one novel might be a lot to ask a new novelist to do. So, yeah, in the big picture, that might make your novel harder to sell. That doesn't mean I think you should give up on the idea (I haven't seen your work, so I have no idea how well you handle it), it just means you should be aware that you've given yourself a tough task. 

Kathy wrote to ask, "At the beginning of many novels, I see the author often state 'this is a work of fiction, and any similarities to real events is coincidental.' Since writers don't live in a vacuum, and often write about what they know, how important is this disclaimer? If I write about the donut shop in my hometown, am I in danger of being sued?"

You ever watch "Law and Order" on TV? At the beginning of every episode, they offer a warning that the story you're about to see is a work of fiction, and any similarities to persons or events in the real world is strictly coincidental. The writers are clearly inspired by what they see in the newspaper headlines, but they take some basic plot ideas and weave a completely fictional story around them. If they simply stole someone else's ideas, they would be violating the individual's right to privacy, as well as infringing on another's copyright. Your novel has the same limitations. We've all written stories with people or places or events that had some connection to our past, and you're free to include places and events that are genuine and bring a dose of reality to your book. But if you were to interview your friend, steal her story, and create a novelized account of her life, you would be in violation of the law. You need her expressed permission to tell her personal story. Instead you take that character and you reshape it a bit. You make sure not to slander anyone, or make a real person look bad. You change the details so that nobody could explore your story and know immediately who you were talking about. (I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not giving legal advice here. If you need legal advice, by all means consult an attorney. I've had more than one lawyer explain the argument of reasonability in novels -- If a reasonable person were to read the story, would they know who you were talking about? And would they assume you were trying to assassinate that individual's character?) I doubt the donut shop is going to sue you, since you're free to include such details in your novel. But I'd stay away from using the real names of the owners, and having them poison customers with cyanide-laced donuts. That's the sort of thing donut-shop owners frown upon. 

Melissa asked, "When will CBA publishers get away from having their covers filled with young women looking forlorn, bereft, and staring off into the distance? Whenever I step into the Christian fiction aisle at my local bookstore, I have a sea of young women staring at me desperately."

Covers are like women's suits -- one style will come in, gain popularity, and suddenly everybody wants to look that way. But in a while the whole "sameness" problem will make them seem passe', and a new look will come along. You're right -- there are a lot of forlorn-looking young women gracing the covers of religious novels right now. That will pass. Of course, some of us wouldn't mind having a sea of beautiful young women staring at us longingly...

Anton wants to know, "Do you think it helps a novelist to enter a contest or win an award?"

Hard to say. Certainly it can't hurt that an author wins a Faulkner Award, or a short story writer is handed an O. Henry Prize. Doubtless it causes the publisher to pay a bit more attention to the proposal, assuming the contest is widely respected. But does it actually help the publisher decide whether or not to publish your novel? I doubt it. That work will have to stand on its own. Still, it's not a bad thing for a  debut novelist to read "Winner of the ____ Prize" on the cover. Perhaps one of the issues is the award itself -- I know a number of writers are thrilled with the Genesis Award handed out by ACFW. I'm a huge fan of ACFW as an organization, and think they put on a wonderful conference, but I don't think publishers take the Genesis competition seriously. It's too new. Perhaps that will change in the future, but right now I don't think winning the Genesis does much to enhance an author's career. Of course, that doesn't mean an author should refrain from entering. Entering a contest might be exactly what a writer needs to get over the hump and finish the manuscript. It's no doubt a great form of self-motivation. But does it help in terms of getting a deal? I don't think so. 

Vera asked, "I just finished writing a manuscript set in 12th-century Europe, but my friends have told me it's a waste of time. Are medieval books selling?"

You wouldn't write a book just because somebody said it was a hot category, right? I mean, just because somebody said to you, "Amish books are hot, vampire books are selling like crazy, and sci-fi is growing, " I doubt you'd race out of the room to create a novel about an Amish girl sent into space and attacked by vampires. You don't spend a lot of time chasing the market. Instead, you write the story you've been given. So if you feel passionate about a medieval novel, then you should probably write the medieval novel. No, that's not a particularly hot time period at the moment, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Perhaps, if your novel is very strong, you'll stand out for being different. (And yes, there's a limit to this advice. If all the publishers are saying, "Don't send me biblical fiction," then don't expect to get a contract for your novel about Noah and the Ark. I think there's a difference between "being true to your calling" and "banging your head against the wall." I just don't see publishers being adamant about hating all things medieval.) 

Don sent me this: "I'm a novelist, trying to land my debut book. The first publisher I sent it to called me back to say they were interested. They are a small, independent house with a good track record in my genre. The editor said they were in the midst of producing several books, and that he'd call me in six weeks. It's been about eight weeks and I haven't heard from him. Would I seem too eager if I were to drop a note and ask for an update?"

Nothing wrong with that, Don. Asking for an update after a couple months seems reasonable enough. I'd drop them a friendly email that says, "Well, it's been a few weeks, so I just thought I'd check back to see if you need anything else from me." Keep it friendly. Don't whine. Things take time, especially in this lousy economy. And don't threaten ("I'm thinking of taking my book elsewhere"). That's a sure way to turn off a publisher. 

Anna asked, "What do you think of a novelist posting the first chapter on a blog, in order to try and attract reader attention?"

I think it's better in theory than it is in practice. I keep hearing about authors doing this, but I'm not sure it really builds their readership. In many ways, it's like self-publishing -- you only do it if you know how to sell the book. If you've got some fantastic method of getting readers to visit your site, then I don't see what it would hurt to post a chapter. It might get some readers clamoring for more. But if you don't have a plan for attracting readers, the chapter just sits there, unread, and offers publishers the message "nobody wants to read this." 

Daniel wrote, "I've heard about the importance of nonfiction authors developing media platforms to support their work. How does a novelist develop a platform?"

I used to never get publishers asking about novelist platforms. Now it happens frequently. Times are hard, and they're looking for every angle they can get. I'd like to think a novelist will still be judged solely on his or her words, but the reality is that publishers want novelists who have a lot of touchpoints with potential readers. So if you speak to groups, or appear on TV, or host a radio show, or have a newspaper column, or write a popular blog, or regularly have a column on a website or e-zine -- all those things put you in touch with potential readers. If you are part of a big organization, or have ties to celebrities, those relationships can help you get noticed. As a novelist, you have to think like a publisher, capture names and emails, and be in touch with people. That sort of thing is no longer limited to nonfiction writers. As a novelist, a long list of potential readers will move you ahead of other fiction writers who can't demonstrate a platform. 

Got a question about publishing or writing? Send it along and I'll try to answer it. 

Ten Things Going On Right Now

1. The facts are in, and the CBE (Christian Book Expo) lost $250,000, according to sources. As I've said here before, I loved the idea, but it didn't work, and that type of loss means the organization won't be doing it again. Dang. (It should also be noted that the leadership is approaching member publishers and asking them for donations to meet the deficit. One word: Yikes. It's a brutal time in publishing to be asking publishers to donate money for something that was such a bust.) I'm sorry this failed. [Correction: Mike Hyatt, the Prez at Thomas Nelson, wrote to say that ECPA announced they won't do the Book Expo next year. Once they clear out the debt, they're going to explore options, maybe partner with somebody else. You can read his note in the "comments" section.]

2. Today Amazon bought Stanza -- the software that makes digital books available on an iPhone. The previous software on your iPhone did okay with reading digital books, but it was clunky and not really made to "read" many books. That problem is solved, and the solution now belongs to Amazon. (And here's an interesting thing: The e-book store that provided books for those with Stanza software was Fictionwise... which is now owned by Barnes & Noble.  something tells me Fictionwise will no longer be selling those Stanza titles.)

3. If you haven't heard about the big Google settlement... well, then you're really out of touch. The Author's Guild settled a suit with Google that would basically grant that company electronic rights to every book that's out of print. It's an interesting idea, and it will either be a boon for authors (who can get their oop books back onto the market) or a boondoggle (since we don't really know if this is going to work or what sort of money it might generate). But today the courts put the whole thing on hold, since it was argued that authors were being forced to hurry into a decision. You can go to the website ( www.googlebooksettlement.com ), and either opt in or opt out -- but be aware: the site is a pain. You'll have to do a new form for every book you've had published prior to this year. They could have made this much easier. [A judge yesterday postponed the decision for four months, AND the justice department is reviewing the whole schlamozzle to see if it violates US anti-trust laws.]

4. There's a very funny project you should know about: www.unshelved.com/publisherconfidential.pdf . It's a bunch of wisdom gleaned from booksellers, authors, and librarians at Book Expo America, presented in a comic-book form... and it's a hoot. They asked people a simple question: What do you wish publishers knew? The answers and cartoons are great. Stop by and get a laugh. 

5. On the not-so-funny side, retailers report that religious book sales were off 19% in the month of February. That's the biggest drop in years. Overall book sales were down 12%. 

6. Endeavor and the William Morris agency joined forces this week, creating the second-largest representational group in the business, behind only Creative Artists Agency. The LA Times called it "easily the most talked-about hookup in town since Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt." Hey, we have mega-churches, mega-businesses, mega-publishers... why not a mega-agency? 

7. Some authors have written to ask about getting their self-published or out-of-print books available on Kindle. I could be wrong, but I don't think there's a way to sell your e-book-only on Kindle. Or you can go to a website my friend and fellow agent Steve Laube turned me on to... www.ljndawson.com. For a thousand bucks you can get your manuscript turned into an e-book and made available in all forms and in all places where e-books are sold. Sounds like a deal. (And thanks for the tip, Steve.) 

8. A great interview over at www.genreality.net/the-reality-of-a-times-bestseller. Bestselling author S.L. Viehl offers facts and figures at to (1) what she sold, (2) what she made, and (3) how she got to the bestseller list in the first place. It's a fascinating, honest look into the business of writing. I highly recommend you visit. 

9. It's official: Random House is now making contract offers in quarters. That breaks down to 1/4 of the advance on signing, 1/4 on delivery and acceptance of the manuscript, 1/4 on release of the hardcover, and the last 1/4 a year after that release. As bad ideas go, I rank this one right up there with the Edsel, hip-hop pants that have the crotch at the knees, and putting poisonous chemicals in cute bottles and making it the same color as Kool-Aid. A year after the book releases? Can you imagine the fights we're going to have when an expensive book tanks? Good Lord. Hey, let's no longer call this an "advance." Let's call it a "delay." 

10. I've been scorched by Christians lately for making a joke about George W. Bush on this blog. Some really vile things sent to me. Um... Look, I voted for the guy twice. I'm sure he's undoubtedly a nice guy who loves his wife and goes to church. But what is keeping Christians from admitting what is abundantly obvious -- that W was one really lousy president. Lousy oversight, terrible fiscal management, and an expensive war that has drug on forever and cost a trillion dollars. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to see this guy was a disaster. I'm no fan of Bill Clinton, but next to W, he looks like a flippin' genius. Good grief, people...

A Grab Bag of Publishing Questions

Time to get back to answering your writing and publishing questions...

Denise wrote, "I've had a few friends ask me to recommend an agent. Where can they check out an agent's reputation if they are just starting out?"

The first place to go is Publishers Marketplace, which lists which agents have done deals, how many deals, and at what houses. That's a start. There are also two websites (Writer Beware and Predators and Editors) that both try to track bad agent activity, so you can check out those resources. You can always check to see which agents are in good standing with the Association of Author Representatives. And you can ask around through writing contacts among some of the online writing communities. You can try asking editors, though sometimes they'll feel constrained not to say anything bad about anyone. Still, the best thing to do is to research an agent -- try to meet face-to-face, get a feel for the individual, find out who he or she represents, who they do business with, what sort of books they represent, and what others have to say about them.

Bonnie asked, "If a writer were to get a publishing deal, could they hire you to look over your contract and pay you a one-time fee? Or is it worth it to hire an agent when you've already got a contract offer?"

If an author has a contract in hand, there are contract review companies that will read and respond to your contract wording for a basic fee (usually somewhere in the $200-to-$500 range). I know that Sally Stuart (who does an annual industry guide) and Susan Osborne both offer this service. There are doubtless others. No, they aren't as thorough as a good literary agent, and they won't offer any long-term advice, but they may very well offer you what you need. If you've got a big deal, you can talk with an entertainment lawyer, but realize the clock will be ticking. (Most lawyers are paid for the increments of time spent on reviewing a contract, so they have a built-in motivation to keep the clock moving. If you're going to see a lawyer, try to get a fee negotiated up front.) I don't normally do much "review for fee" work. It's not beneficial to my business in the long-term, so the few times I've done it is because a friend has asked, and I've looked it over to make sure they were protected. I guess I'd be cautious about this -- I'm not going to be dogmatic about this issue, but it seems like a literary agent who is spending his time offering contract reviews is really not all that busy with books, so maybe he isn't such a great agent.

I'm frequently asked the question about "should I get an agent now that I have a deal?," and it's not an easy one to answer. Most agents will be happy to represent you if you already have a deal in place -- they haven't had to invest anything in you, didn't help ready the proposal, didn't offer editing to your work, and didn't have to shop it for you... so being handed 15% of a deal is a gift for them. Should you do it? I'd suggest you keep three questions in mind: First, would a contract evaluation service do the same work for less money? It may not make sense to pay $1500 if a good review service could do it adequately for one-fifth that amount. Second, is the agent going to add any value? I had an author come to me with a deal in hand, but it was frankly a bad deal. We landed the same book with a much better publisher for considerably more money. Third, is this really the agent for you? I happen to think an author is better off with NO agent than a BAD agent. So don't sign up with someone just because she says she'll take you on. Check her out. Don't be in a hurry. The agent you sign with should be able to offer you long-term career advice as well as do a solid review of the current contract offer.

John wrote this: "When we see a print run of multiple thousands of copies (for example, this week on Publishers Lunch I noticed a publisher announcing they're going to print 100,000 copies of a book), where are all those copies going?"

A publisher is only doing a big print run when they've spoken to accounts and they know they are going to see a lot of big orders for a book. So those books are printed and sent to accounts to fulfill orders, or they are shipped to warehouses in order to be ready to fill re-orders when the book starts selling quickly.

Elizabeth sent me this question: "As online retailers are selling more and more books, have distribution and ordering practices changed much? Are things different from when you started?"

Things are significantly different from when I first started in the book business. (Dinosaurs no longer roam the earth, for example. And the whole "movable type" idea has speeded things up.) In my view, the change in book distribution has been the biggest shift I've seen in my twenty-some years in book publishing. First, book readers moved from independent bookstores to mega-stores. That led to the decline of indies and created the rise of Barnes & Noble (and Borders, who I'm praying survives). Second, they began buying books at Big Box stores, so Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, and Costco suddenly become players  in the industry (even though you wander through the aisles and can find few employees who know how to read, let alone answer anything about books). Third, Amazon came along and created the online bookstore, so that now you don't need to leave home to buy books. And fourth, the advent of e-books has begun to reshape the patterns again, as Kindle and Sony owners simply have books downloaded digitally to their devices. So the business isn't the same at all. There are fewer people to ask about books, and more pooled ignorance on Amazon reviews. There's much more of a willingness to order and wait for the books to be shipped to your home. Publishers are now selling directly to consumers, which they used to eschew, and they've had to realign their thinking about book sales. As I said, it's not the same business at all as when I started.

Tammy asked, "You've mentioned you Skype your daughter in Europe, so the two of you can see and talk to each other -- do you ever Skype your authors?"

Hmmm. You know, I've never done that. But it's an excellent suggestion, Tammy. Thanks.

Steve noted, "I just read a nonfiction book that would make a fantastic novel. Must I contact the author to him know I intend to dramatize the story? Or because it is a national story and a true event, do I not need to contact anyone? Do publishers care where ideas come from? Can I simply consider the work reference material?"

You're on dangerous ground here, so let me begin by saying I'm not a lawyer, and I'm not giving legal advice. If you need legal advice, by all means contact a lawyer. I asked a lawyer informally about this question, and he said a writer should be aware of the source of his or her information. If the nonfiction book is basically your complete source for the novel you're planning, then yes, you are legally obligated to talk with the author about your novel idea. But if this is, as you say, a national story that everyone knows about, you might have several sources that you rely on to create a story. The example he gave me: there will soon be a nonfiction book out on the Bernie Madoff scandal. If you base your novel on that upcoming book, so that it is the basis of the bulk of your research, then you could be sued for copyright infringement. But there have been thousands of stories written on the Madoff case, and there are hundreds of people who could be interviewed. If you spent time reading those, talked with people involved, and created a fictionalized account of a guy who created a Ponzi scheme and ripped off millions of dollars, you would probably not be violating that nonfiction author's rights. Does that make sense?

Jennie wrote this: "I notice there are numerous writing contests going on, and I always go back and forth about entering. How important to an editor is winning or finaling in a contest? Will winning help me land a book deal?"

I think a contest can be good for a writer because it forces her to really focus and improve her craft, and puts her in competition with other writers. And I suppose publishers appreciate knowing that some editors reviewed the author's work and decided it was the best in a particular contest. There is certainly prestige in knowing a writer has won the Daphne or the Golden Heart. But no, I haven't ever found that winning a contest will actually help you land a book deal.

Joseph asked, "Do Christian readers read general market books, or do they eschew anything not CBA-friendly? Do agents handle both CBA and general market books?"

I've got to admit, I am sick of this question. YES, Christian readers buy and read both religious books and non-religious books. Right now I'm reading A Thousand Splendid Suns and re-reading Gravity's Rainbow. Next up is The Brothers K. None of those are Christian books. Like most Christians, I have wider interests than "the Bible" and "religious books." And yes, like many agents, I handle both Christian books as well as books that are not Christian (or not religious at all). I've done deals with Christian publishers as well as general market publishers. There are some agents who only work in CBA, just like there are agents who only work in the general market and never do CBA books. And that's fine -- everybody gets to choose what they do. But I think we need to declare a moratorium on this question, since I've answered it at least a dozen times, and I'm going to slug the next person who asks me.

Got any (other, non-sluggable) questions? Ask away.