Chip MacGregor .com

Proposals and Getting Started

I've got a backlog of questions to work through, so let's jump right in...

Bethany wrote to ask, "Since publishers are struggling in this bad economy, is it better to submit a completed manuscript with your proposal, rather than a proposal, outline, and sample chapter?"

In my opinion, it is always better to tell the publisher your manuscript is complete. That reveals to the publisher that you're serious about this business, and it means they have less risk -- they don't have to wonder if you're going to hit your deadline, or if you're up to the task of completing the book. Of course, I don't particularly like the fact that you could spend months crafting a manuscript that won't sell, and it may not be fair to you as the author... but there's no question that having a manuscript completed makes it easier to sell. (And, of course, if you're writing a novel, you pretty much HAVE to have your manuscript complete.)

Deonne asked, "What with these hard economic times, and publishers cutting the number of titles they are doing, wouldn't it make sense that an author seriously consider self-publishing?"

The short answer: It only makes sense to self-publish if you know how to sell the book. So, yeah, you can go ahead and self-pub your title. It will cost you a lot of money to get it edited, jacketed, designed, printed, and shipped. Then you've got to warehouse the copies somewhere and THEN you've got to spend money to market and sell it. But if you have the money, and you know how to reach your readership, then you might find this pays off. (In fact, for people who know how to market and sell their books, they find they make much more money than those who sell books through a regular royalty-paying publishing house.) Still, most people who self-pub lose money because once the book is printed, they don't actually know how to market and sell it. So that's the litmus test. I've found the people who do best with self-pubbing are the speaker types who have a speciality niche. They print their books, go around and speak at conferences, then sell them in the back of the room. Or they are well known in their field, and know how to market the books through magazines and websites. But aside from those scenarios, I think an author will find it very hard to sell enough copies of their book to make it financially viable. This is especially true for novelists -- I'd be willing to bet more than 90% of self-pubbed novelists lose money. (And yes, the author of The Shack is the exception to the rule. He self-published his novel and made money. But that's a fascinating story because he succeeded when most people fail, and he spent money on advertising through e-zines.)

Jeanette wrote this: "An author friend spoke with an editor at a writers' conference. The editor asked my friend to send in her manuscript. She seems to think that it's now a done deal -- that she's about to get a contract. I've tried to tell her that's not true. What do you think?"

I think your friend needs to sit down and take her reality tablets. Editors ask for proposals at conferences because (1) they don't have time to actually read stuff in the fifteen minute appointments authors are given, (2) they are fatigued and it's easier to say "no thanks" later in an email than to say it face-to-face, or (3) they are weenies. (And there is #4 option: that the author misunderstood. I regularly have authors tell me things like "the editor at Random House insisted I send this to her," when in fact the editor from Random House had said something like, "I don't know, and I'm racing off to teach my workshop, but it you want to send it, go ahead.") So no, having an editor ask to have a proposal sent them is NOT a sure sign that a contract is coming. Even if the editor says something cool like, "I think this has merit -- why don't you send it to me and I'll take a closer look," that doesn't mean she is going to like it enough to make an offer, or that the rest of the pub team is going to endorse the idea. Don't get me wrong -- I think having an editor ask you to send your proposal is better than having an editor tell you to drop dead or go away or consider giving up writing for a career in dry cleaning (ESAD, as we used to say in the business). But no, it's not tantamount to receiving a contract offer.

Beverly asked, "Do agents write the proposal for an author, or does the author write it and the agent tweaks it and sends it?"

You're the author. You're the expert. It's going to be your book. So YOU write the proposal. Sure, you can expect me to tweak it, and make it fit a house's preferences, and sprinkle my fairy dust on it so that it really stands out. But the author is the one who does the hard work of creating the proposal. If you need a good resource to help you with that, take a look at Terry Whalin's Book Proposals that Sell, a really well done handbook for writers. You can also see some sample book proposals on my business website.

Stan said this: "I've had a couple agents turn down my proposal, but offer to help me rewrite it (or introduce me to their editor who will rewrite it) for a fee. Should I take them up on their offer?"

No, you should get up and walk away. Then you should turn them in to Writer Beware and Predators and Editors. As I noted in my previous post, any agent who tries to cross-sell you his editorial services is in violation of the agent's Code of Conduct. They aren't trying to help you sell your book and make money, they are simply trying to make money off of you. No legitimate agent does this. Stay away.

Darice wrote to say, "A friend of mine posted chapters of her novel on her blog. Do you think that will hurt her chances of landing a deal with a publisher?"

 I doubt it will hurt her chances, Darice. There's some evidence that giving away chapters to increase your readership will actually help you. And while there are still some houses that frown on this sort of thing (they're afraid readers will feel as though the book is already out there on the web), for the most part I'd say your friend won't hurt her chances too much if she posts a couple chapters, garners some attention, and can say to a publisher, "Hey -- I've already had 25,000 people stop by and read the first two chapters of my novel!"

Daniel asked, "What do you know about www.christianmanuscriptsubmissions.com?"

That's the big electronic slushpile put together by ECPA publishers to help writers get their manuscripts in front of editors. You pay $99 and submit an overview, table of contents, and sample chapter. It goes into a database that editors at religious publishing houses can peruse. On the one hand, you could argue that it's one of those "by any means necessary" tactics for authors. On the other hand, it could be $99 wasted, since most editors already have plenty of submissions flowing onto their desks from agents. I'm afraid of looking like I'm defending agents by bashing the competition, and I really want to be fair here, so let me just say I see VERY few deals coming out of this service. Editors have plenty of submission to look at, so asking them to spend a few hours wandering around a huge electronic slushpile -- well, it just doesn't seem terribly effective. One man's opinion.

Jocelyn sent me this: "I'm not sure if you're familiar with bookendslitagency.blogspot.com, but they just opened up their blog to allow writers to say everything that drives them crazy about agents. (This came after they opened it up for agents to complain about what drives them crazy about proposals.) Have you checked out what authors had to say?"

The folks at Bookends Literary have a wonderful blog for authors, and they sometimes have something fun like this. I was a bit disappointed in the reactions of writers, to tell you the truth. There was a ton of negativity, and it reflected a bit on the fact that some writers seem to think an agent is obligated to respond to them. As an agent, I try to be polite to people, and to respond to serious queries. But... look, I get some really stupid stuff sent to me. I put on my business website (www.MacGregorLiterary.com) that I generally represent established authors, yet I'm regularly beseiged with unpublished wannabes who haven't even given a cursory glance to my site. I don't represent pornographic novels, or children's books, or science fiction stuff, and I say that clearly on my site, yet every month I can count on somebody sending me a proposal that is a pornographic children's sci-fi novel. (Okay, not really, but you get the idea.) Where is it written that I need to give these people my time and energy?

I've had some people write in to say that I'm not being fair, that I shouldn't reveal bad proposal ideas sent me, since it makes it look like I'm picking on certain ones. Um... I am. I don't poke fun at the legitimate projects I am sent to review -- not even if I reject them. But the fact is, if somebody sends me something unsolicited that is truly awful, I don't owe them anything. If somebody can barely write, or blindly sends in a project that is outrageously bad, or has spent no time figuring out how to do a good proposal, that means they aren't really serious about this business. They haven't gone to a conference, or read books, or researched this stuff on the internet, or even read this (and many other good) blogs. Frankly, it's hard for me to treat that sort of person as a professional. I wouldn't show up at an investment guy's office and say, "You need to listen to me, because I had a brainstorm -- I insist you invest all your money into Enron stocks!" I'd be tossed out of the building. So why am I expected to take everybody who sends in a crappy idea seriously?

If you haven't read this before, I like to use a bakery analogy. If I ran a bakery, I might occasionally bring you into the back room, show you how things work, and give you a tour of the bakery. I'd answer your questions. If you were obviously knowledgable about my industry, I'd be happy to talk about the business. And who knows -- I might even invite you to work with me in some capacity. But my full-time job is running a bakery, not giving bakery tours, or listening to all the crazy recipe ideas people have ("Have you considered salmon-flavored muffins?"). So at some point I just say, "Enough. I've got a business to run. I don't owe every person who wants to know about bakeries an interview."

Understand me -- I don't revel in being rude, and as much as possible, I try to be respectful of peole who are trying to learn this craft and grow and maybe get something published. But there's a feeling of entitlement that comes across in the responses on that Bookends blog that rubs me the wrong way. It seems to assume that an agent OWES an author a response; that an agent MUST reply to every query sent them. Sorry, but I don't agree with that thinking at all. I won't show up at your job and tell you how to do it, and insist you give me a bunch of your time -- so I just expect the same courtesy, I guess.

Please feel free to comment on this topic. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how people respond. And if you've got a publishing, question, feel free to send it in. I'll do my best to answer it.

Talking Compilations and Agents

Jacob wrote to me and said, "I submitted to one of those compilation books, and the company requested I put my social security number on all my submissions. I wrote to ask them about the practice, since my submission had not yet been accepted, and was told by one of the people who helps with the project that he 'puts his SSN on everything' he submits. What's your advice on this subject?"

My advice is clear: DO NOT PUT YOUR SSN ON YOUR PROPOSALS. In fact, my guess is that anybody who routinely sticks that sort of confidential information on all his proposals is a dipstick. Don't take career advice from that individual. Yikes.

Belinda wrote and noted, "I have been accepted into a compilation book, but their contract has an endless non-compete. When I asked them about it, I was told they 'don't mean it like that.' What should I do?"

Sticking with the dipstick theme, if the editor said to you, "I know the contract only calls for you to make a 2% royalty, but we don't mean it -- we'll pay you 15%," would you agree to sign? No way. The reason you have a written contract is to clarify exactly what the deal is. If they want to offer a broader non-complete clause, get it written down, or suggest some wording for them to insert into the contract. Basically a non-compete is there to protect a publisher from an unscrupulous author writing a book with one house, then writing a very similar book and producing it with another house, thereby cannibalizing sales. An author who regularly writes and speaks on a particular topic needs to gain some freedom, so as not to be prohibited from ever writing on that topic again. A good contract strikes a balance between the publisher's protection and the author's calling to speak to a certain issue.

Timothy asked, "How long does a publishing house normally hold a submission before they make a decision?"

I don't think there is a "normal" period of time, but generally if a house likes a project, you figure they're probably going to get back in touch with the agent with a decision within two or three months. S0metimes it's much faster. But if a publisher has had a project for four or five months, they most likely don't have a lot of enthusiasm for it.

Stephanie wants to know, "How long does an agent wait after they've queried a publisher before they check back with that publisher?"

That depends on a myriad of factors -- what's the project? who's the author? what's my relationship to the editor? how much interest am I getting on this project? how big of a hurry are we in? It's not uncommon for me to check back within a couple weeks on a normal project, just so I get a feel for how a submission is being perceived by the publisher.

Shanielle asked, "Assuming someone approaching you is a great writer, would you take them on as a client if he or she was not yet a full-time writer? And would you take on a person who has no plans to become a full-time writer?"

Most agents I know would be thrilled to take on a great writer, whether the author is full-time or part-time. But I'd say the goal with many writers is to move toward being full-time. Not everyone shares this dream -- I represent a novelist who has clearly said to me she doesn't have the desire to move toward a full-time writing career. But she's probably in the minority.

Chris wrote to ask, "How can I find a listing of reputable agents who will accept queries from unpublished writers?"

There are four books you should review... You can look at Chuck Sambuchino's comprehensive Guide to Literary Agents, from Writers Digest Books; or try Writers Market, the  guide to the industry also published by Writers Digest each year; or Sally Stuart's Christian Writers Market Guide, published by Random House each year; or Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents, an annual from Three Dog Press. You can also go online to numerous sources in order to research literary agents -- try the Association of Author Representatives site, or simply begin to do some googling.

Two sites every author should be aware of include Writer Beware and Predators & Editors. Both are sites aimed at protecting authors by offering advice and pointing out unscrupulous agents. They serve an important function in an industry that sometimes attracts some bad characters.

Got a publishing or writing question? Send it in and I'll try to get you an answer.

Resources for Writers

I've got a bunch of notes and questions regarding writer resources, so let me try to get to several of them today...

On MONEY: Patricia wrote to say, "Thanks for your recent blog post about earning money. So if a book doesn't 'earn out' its advance, is the balance applied against the next book?"

It is if your contract is cross-collateralized -- that is, if all your various book advances are "basketed" into one deal. If not -- if each book is on a separate contract -- then no, your advance cannot be applied to your next book. 

On REMAINDERS: DeeAnn wrote me to ask, "What does it mean to 'remainder' a book?"

That's when the publisher sells the remaining copies of your book to a book wholesaler for less than the cost of printing. It commonly happens when your book is going out of print, or when they're down to the last 1000 copies or so, and the publisher wants to be rid of them. The books might have cost $2 to print, but they'll sell them for $1 apiece to somebody who will buy the entire remaining stock, just to get them out of the warehouse.   

On SELF-PUBLISHING: Gene wants to note, "The latest issue of Writers Digest is filled with ads for self-publishing. I'm on my second agent, still trying to get  published, but it takes SOOOO long. How can you convince me not to go to lulu.com and have my book for sale on Amazon tomorrow morning? When will the traditionalists speed up the process?"

You're right -- there are a ton of self-publishing companies. Some are good, some are not. Be careful. The problem with self-publishing is not the speed, it's the sales. If you write a book, you have to make sure the book is good (and if publishers are all turning you down, there could be a message there, Gene). You also want to ensure the cover is good, the editing is good, the title is good, and that you know how to sell it. The biggest problem with self-pubbing is that usually the author doesn't know how to market and sell his own book. Listing it on Amazon isn't really a marketing strategy -- there are two million books on Amazon. If you can't market and sell your self-pubbed book, don't go that route -- you'll lose a lot of money. As for the speed of traditional publishing, it's not the production side that is slow -- it's the retail side. It's March as I write this, and right now book sales people are walking into bookstores to show everyone the coming Christmas titles. The catalogs they're using were put together a couple months ago, so they could be used as sales tools, so that stores could order the books and get them in time for Christmas, AND the marketing people can begin their push before the book actually arrive. All that takes time. Publishing is a slow business.

On PROPOSALS: Martha wrote, "I've been told it's customary for a nonfiction proposal to include two sample chapters. So why has a publisher asked me to send all the material I have finished? I've sent 9 of the 12 chapters and have still not heard a decision."

It's true that a standard nonfiction proposal generally included a thorough description of the project, table of contents, author bio, and two sample chapters. But standards can change. In these competitive times, we're often seeing publishers ask for more of the writing. They want to see if you have enough to say, if your message can carry a manuscript, and if you're close to being done. The fact that a publisher has asked to see more of your work is a good sign, Martha. There's certainly a risk that you could complete the work and the publisher still says no -- but that's true with any book. In fact, if you're so close to being done, I'd probably encourage you to finish the book so that you have the added selling point of being able to tell publishers, "The manuscript is complete."

On CONFERENCES: Lee Ann wrote and asked, "What are the best Christian writers' conferences?"

Christian writers these days have a plethora of great conferences they can attend, and I'm a big fan of them. I think conferences are a great place to network with other writers, hear from experts, and get face-to-face with editors and agents. My favorite conference is probably the one put on by the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). It floats, but this September will be in Minneapolis. The Write-to-Publish conference at Wheaton College is a good choice -- it takes place the first week of June (and though the ads say I'll be there, I had to cancel due to my daughter's college graduation). Other good options include the Blue Ridge Writers' Conference in Asheville, NC, and the Colorado Christian Writers Conference up in scenic Estes Park -- both of these take place in May, and both offer excellent speakers in beautiful settings. There are a bunch of other big ones with good opportunities to learn and network -- Florida, Philadelphia, Oregon, Glorieta (NM). Jerry Jenkins' Christian Writers Guild puts on a conference that I'm told is very strong (though pricey), but I've never attended. The Mount Hermon conference in California is coming up in a week, and, though expensive, is one of the good ones. Reg Forder's American Christian Writers organization puts on smaller one-day conferences in cities around the nation, and many colleges will have excellent writing conferences in the summer (I'm speaking at the Harriette Austin Writer's Conference at the University of Georgia this summer, for example).  There are also many excellent general conferences not focused on CBA, and a couple of speciality conferences to consider. Next month Calvin College will be hosting their bi-annual Festival of Faith and Writing, and ACT ONE out in Hollywood offers a special conference for Christian screenwriters. Finally, there are retreats and smaller gatherings going on all the time. There's really no reason for a writer to not find a conference where he or she can learn, network, and get inspired.

On NON-CONFERENCE RESOURCES: Bev wrote to ask, "Aside from a writing conference, what sort of other resources can you recommend to those of us who want to learn more about writing and marketing?'

I encourage you to check out Randy Ingermanson's material at www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com. He has some great things to say about writing articles to promote your books, and offers a teleseminar on how to promote your writing through speaking. And a newer site to visit is www.wannabepublished.blogspot.com, created by my friend Mary DeMuth. Some good stuff for those looking to break into the business. If you're looking to network with other writers, novelists should connect with the afore-mentioned ACFW, and many writers would appreciate a yahoo group called "The Writers View." You'll probably want to be reading Publisher's Weekly to find out about the industry, and the web-based Publisher's Lunch and Publisher's Marketplace are two sources I cannot live without. If you really want to stay on top of the CBA market, you should be looking at Christian Retailing magazine and buying a copy of Sally Stuart's excellent book with Random House, Christian Writers Market Guide. Finally, consider Writer's Digest Magazine, and especially their annual Writers Market, which tells you everything you probably need to know about book publishers. Hope this helps.

The Four Best Words

Today marks the four best words in the English language... And I don't mean "Happy Valentine's Day, Darling" (though there's nothing wrong with those sentiments -- I got engaged on Valentine's Day way back in 1982). No, the four best words are these: "Pitchers and Catchers report." You see, for those of us who are diehard baseball fans, today marks the start of a new season. Nobody has any losses, everybody has hopes for the future, and there are people across America who believe that this could be our year. (Not everywhere, of course. My apologies to the people of Kansas City.) So on this happy occasion, I thought we should take a bundle of new publishing questions people have sent in...

Rhonda wrote to say, "I had a book published several years ago with a small press. It's now out of print, but I'd love to get it back into print. Do you think that's possible?"

The hard truth? Unlikely. I'm sorry, Rhonda, but the facts are there's almost no market for books that have been in print once before. Publishers have a tendency to look at them and say, "Um...if that other publisher couldn't sell this, what makes you think we could?" It happens occasionally, but most often with a successful author revisiting an old book, or repackaging a book that can now be tied to an event in the newspapers.

Keep in mind that a book is like a man's suit. It's in style for a while, maybe even a long while, but eventually it seems dated. The culture isn't static -- things are moving forward all the time. The world is changing. It's why parenting or relationship or health books that your parents read won't speak to our contemporary world. So when your book releases, assume it's going to be in style about as long as a new suit. In a while, it will start to show some wear. With time, it'll seem dated. In a few years, it'll be well out of date. And, most likely, out of print.

On a related note, Rachel asked, "Have you noticed how authors seem to lack staying power? A few years ago, some people were the biggest names in Christian fiction. Now they're gone. What is it about contemporary writers that keeps them from sticking around?

If you think it's bad for writers, consider the fate of musicians. Their music is all the rage one day, and the next day it's considered a joke. I once heard a fading pop-star say that "nearly every successful musician has about a three-year run -- anyone who stays longer than that is an icon." (Note: It was David Cassidy who said that. Anyone remember him? He fronted for The Partridge Family, then did sort of a bad single act. Three years and out. Yet he still performs, and still wears groovy sunglasses...even though he's roughly the age of your grandfather.) But just so you know, publishing has always followed a similar pattern. An author will become all the rage for a few years, sell a lot of books, then suddenly find himself published but not popular. There aren't many Charles Dickens or Mark Twains. And that means many of the popular novelists today may be a bit out of fashion in a few years. The culture is always looking for what's new.

Ralph wrote and asked, "Is it ethical to have a short quote from another author at the start of my book? I have a quote from C.S. Lewis at the beginning of my new techno-thriller I'm about to market. Do I need to get permission?"

Um... you're using a C.S. Lewis quote at the start of a techno-thriller? That's not a combination I'd normally put together. Okay, I'm not a lawyer, so I'm not giving you legal advice. But fair use laws allow you to cite portions of another author's work without getting written permission, so long as you provide an adequate reference to the original source. There are some limitations: You can cite prose, but not poetry or song lyrics. And you can't repeat the author's core idea (for example, if I wrote a book entitled "The Biggest Secret to Investing," you would not be allowed to quote the one sentence that reveals the one big secret). You also have to keep it short -- there's flexibility here, but you generally want to stay under 100 words or three lines of text. Anything else and you really need to write the publisher and seek permission -- and they will charge you for the privilege of using someone else's work. But no, there's not generally an ethical problem with doing so.

Ami wants to know, "What do you think of creating a website for a novel that's in progress? I'm also thinking about links to the main character's blogs, and maybe having the characters post entries and leave comments on other blogs."

I think you're asking two different questions, Ami. First, you want to now what I think about authors who establish a blog as a way to sell their unpublished novel. I guess I'm not a huge fan of that practice -- who really visits those blogs? I haven't seen them create a stampede of readers awaiting the book. I doubt agents and editors read them very often. But second, it sounds like you're tossing out a marketing idea -- could you have your characters create blogs, and pretend to visit other sites? That's an interesting idea. I don't know if it would work, or if the creators of those other blogs would simply find it annoying. (I often have people pretend to leave "comments" on this blog that are really nothing more than advertisements for their sites and services. I hate that, and I generally race to delete them.) Still, it's certainly a creative idea. Maybe you could pull it off successfully.

Patty writes to say, "I have a submissions question. Let's say I submit a query to an agent, who responds favorably and asks for three chapters and a synopsis. Two months later she says she's read the first chapter and will get to the others soon. Three months after that, there's silence. Do I take that as a rejection? I've followed up, and even had a couple email conversations with her, but I'm puzzled by her lack of communication because she seemed to like my story."

Well, if an agent has had your proposal for months and isn't saying "yes," then he probably isn't enamored with it. You've got to admit, if he loved it, he'd be talking with you about it. (And if he hated it, you'd have already heard the rejection.) This sort of thing happens -- I'll read a proposal, think it has merit, and set it aside to ruminate for a while. Later I might come back to it and realize I was out of my mind that day. So... a thought. Maybe the agent, who no doubt sees hundreds of "pretty good" proposals crossing his desk every year, sees that there are good and bad parts to your writing. Maybe he's trying to talk himself into it. Maybe he likes you but isn't crazy about your writing on this piece. Maybe he is sitting on a half-dozen "maybe's" and is trying to figure out which ones to say yes to. The best thing you can to do is to keep working at it. Make your proposal better. If the agent suggests revisions, try them out. Keep the dialogue going. If the agent is continuing an email exchange with you, he obviously has some interest, Patty. (And if the agent is female, feel free to go back and replace the word "he" with the word "she" in this answer. I try to use non-sexist language, but when I did so in this response, it was almost unreadable. Sorry.)

Tony sent me this: "I'm a published novelist, with my third book coming out soon, and suddenly I find myself bombarded with requests for endorsements. It seems as though every author or author-wannabe is sending me their manuscript and asking me to read it and say something nice. Help, Chip! What do I do?"

Lots of successful writers get these requests. When you think about it, the answer really isn't that hard, because you've only got a limited number of responses. First, you can simply say, "Sorry, but I've been encouraged not to do any endorsements." That may not win you any friends, but it certainly offers a ready answer. Second, you can say, "Because of the number of requests I get, I can only endorse a handful of novels each year. This year I might do three or four, and I've already committed myself to a couple friends' books." Third, you can do what I tell my authors to do: "I ask that all these requests go through my agent." Then simply tell your agent which ones you want to endorse, or that you don't want to endorse any at all -- that saves you from having to deliver the bad news, and forces that deadbeat agent of yours to finally earn his keep. Fourth, you can do the hard thing: You can say something like "send it to me and we'll see," and then force yourself to look at a bunch of manuscripts. Many authors do this. But make sure you warn people up front that you aren't guaranteeing an endorsement. Because you need to hear a work of caution: Don't endorse anything you haven't read fully, and don't endorse anything you don't really like. If you've agreed to look at someone's manuscript, only to find it's not any good, you've got to go back to that author and say, "I'm flattered that you asked me, but I just don't think I can do this after all." Hard words to say -- but much better than endorsing some stupid book and having your readers feel you swindled them into buying something bad.

And let me close with something fascinating that my buddy Dennis Hensley discovered. He found that The Astrological Magazine had ceased operations, which isn't a big surprise to me, since I think people who follow horoscopes are a bit weak in the bean. However, this one must have really scraped bottom. On their web site are these words: We regret to announce that, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the publication of The Astrological Magazine will cease with the December 2007 issue." Uh... shouldn't their star sign have revealed that something was up? I'm just saying...

Proposals and Conferences

Camille wrote to say, "I enjoyed your answers to the question about the worst proposals you've ever seen. But I wonder, at the risk of being gypped out of a wonderfully sarcastic answer, what are some examples of the BEST proposals and submissions you've seen?"

The best proposal I've ever had cross my desk cold was from Mary DeMuth, who at the time was an unpublished author living somewhere in a godforsaken place like Texas. She had spent countless hours researching her stuff, had refined her writing, and sent in a proposal that was so good I don't think I had to do much of anything except show it to publishers and wait for the offers. (However, I DID try to help her out by taking all the credit for it.) Not only did we sell that book, but Mary has gone on to create a half-dozen others. I'll check with her and see if she'd be willing to post a sample proposal somewhere.

Sometimes I've been totally surprised by proposals. I recently saw a proposal from collaborative writer Donna Wallace that was so good I called her about it before I'd even gotten to the last page. Susan Page Davis can whip up a strong proposal in no time -- the words just seem to flow out of her. And, of course, sometimes the best thing a novelist can do is to complete a strong draft of their work, so that an editor who picks it up can't stop reading and simply has to buy the book. I can think of three novelists I represent (Chris Coppernoll, Jenny Jones, and Kimberly Stuart) who all created such strong images I knew their work would sell right away (and they all did).

Alive Communications, an industry-leading literary agency where I used to work, has a couple of great sample proposals posted on their site. This is a huge benefit to beginning authors, and I'm always surprised it doesn't get talked about more often among people at writer conferences and email loops. They keep the Lisa Beamer LET'S ROLL proposal up (it was a collaborative effort, created by writer Ken Abraham and myself). That's a book that hit #1 on the NYT bestseller list, and the proposal is really strong -- one of the best I ever represented. Alive also has a great fiction proposal on their site -- Neta Jackson's THE YADDA YADDA PRAYER GROUP, a bestselling novel I represented for them. And I believe they now have a strong nonfiction proposal for a book my buddy Beth Jusino represented. You may think it's odd that I'd steer you to another agency's web site, but I love the team at Alive and have always appreciated the benefit they offer writers by sharing proposals for free.

On my own agency web site (www.MacGregorLiterary.com), I've got a couple of very nice sample proposals. One is from Sandra Glahn, who puts together these extraordinarily well done proposals and sends them to me complete, so that I have to do very little in terms of getting them ready for disseminating to publishers. The other sample proposal on my site is from Andy Andrews, who works with his genius manager, Robert Smith, to craft interesting, thorough proposals that offer a publisher no reason to decline publication. Either one should get your mind moving in some creative directions when it comes to crafting a nice proposal.

Gloria wrote me to note, "I had an editor request a proposal at a writers' conference. He had looked it over and told me he liked it. I sent the proposal, but got back a form rejection just a week later. Now I've been told by several friends not to get my hopes up when an editor requests a copy of my proposal. So my question is simply, how much stock can we put into requests for proposals from editors at conferences? Would writers be better served just meeting with agents?"

Let me begin by stating that the author of this question requested I tell everyone her name is "Gloria," even though it isn't. I have no idea why...but I find it interesting that people are now requesting fake names of me. If YOU need a good fake name, send me your request and I'll do my best, for a very reasonable fee. Anyway, as I've noted before, it's nice for an editor at a conference to request a proposal from you (better they request it than they reject it on the spot). But a request at a conference doesn't mean all that much. I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble, but too many editors will simply say "send this to me" because they're such weenies they can't make themselves say, "This isn't good enough." So don't put a huge amount of stock in an editor's request. Be happy they agreed to take a second look. Put together a great proposal and send it directly to the editor. But don't be picking out that new Lexus based on such a request.

Think of the book publishing process as being a series of steps: You've got to learn to write; come up with a salable idea; establish a platform; create a great proposal; select an agent who is a good fit for you; research publishers; convince an editor to take a close look at your proposal; etc. There's a lot of work to do in between the first stage (where you say, "Hey, Mickey! Let's write a book!") and the last stage (where you get arrested for partying in Vegas with Lindsey Lohan and wind up spending your royalties on repairs to your Masseratti and doctor bills for your rehab session in the Betty Ford Clinic). So, somewhere in between Mickey and Betty, you're going to want to establish healthy relationships with people in the industry. Conferences are a great way to do that.

A proposal shown to an editor at a conference is a way to make contact. Maybe they like your idea. Maybe they like your writing. Maybe they're not crazy about your idea or your writing, but you hit it off personally and they like YOU. You're setting the bar too high if you think you're going to show a proposal to an editor at a 15-minute appointment and expect him or her to make you an offer. Still, the whole relationship dance in publishing is part of the process, so don't give up on the concept of meeting editors, showing them your work, making a good impression, and perhaps starting a professional relationship.

At the same time, I highly encourage authors to meet as many agents as they can at writing conferences. Far too many authors sign up with the first agent who expresses interest in their work, rather than researching to find out if the agent is a fit, believes in their work, and has the track record to sell their work. So, yes, I'd encourage you to focus on agents. We've seen huge growth in the number of people calling themselves Christian Literary Agents, and, in my humble opinion, some of them are awful. They just don't know what they're doing, and they cannot offer an author the sort of advice or professional relationships that are needed to succeed in the long term. Meeting people, getting to know them, checking references and asking questions are the right steps in determining the best agent for you.

But let me state this plainly: I'm not trying to get you to sign with me. I'm happy with the authors I'm representing, don't want to build a huge list of authors (it's not really my style), and besides, I'm not a fit for everybody. Some authors will be happy with me, others will be much happier signing on with someone else. But signing on with a bad agent can kill your career. So check people out carefully.

If you've got a question about writing or publishing, send it my way and I'll offer my miscellaneous meanderings.

chip

Your Attention Please

You wouldn't believe the stupid ideas that get sent me. I've tried really hard not to present too many of them here on this blog, since I don't want to hurt the feelings of those sincere-yet-misguided souls who feel God led them to send me their crummy book idea. I'm always afraid that some nice Baptist boy is going to send me a proposal for a book his mother told him was excellent, but then he's going to see me making fun of it on my blog, become agitated and -- I don't know...Attend a dance or something. Maybe order a beer with his burger. Even (gasp!) check out the latest Harry Potter book in order to start casting spells on me. Still, sometimes the bad ideas come in and grab my attention, so that I just can't help from being snarky.

Like, um, the guy who recently sent me Harry Potter Visits Vedaland, an interesting romp about the boy wizard apparently becoming a Hindu and having merry mixups in India, including jumping in the Ganges with his clothes on. I pondered explaining the minor legal problems the author might run into, stealing one of the best-selling characters in publishing history in order to promote Eastern mysticism. But I didn't. Instead, I sent the proposal to my friend and fellow agent Steve Laube, with a comment that I was too busy, but a man of his fine tastes would appreciate the deep wisdom contained, etc.

Other recent proposals incude a lesbian's guide to God, someone wanting to know if God speaks through farm animals, and a project entitled "Naked Poker" that I didn't feel old enough to actually examine. All of these made me think of the late, lamented Miss Snark -- a literary agent who had a great blog on blogspot for a couple years. She retired from blogging earlier this year, sad to say, leaving devoted fans like myself to have to wade through old posts in order to get a laugh. If you're in the mood, feel free to check out the old ones by googling "Miss Snark." (And, so long as I'm tossing out compliments, make sure to drop by Mike Hyatt's blog, since he admitted to actually reading my last one, and he's now my closest and dearest friend in the business. Gina Holmes' Novel Journey site is good too, and she is no doubt also my closest and dearest friend in the business. So is anybody else who publicly admits to reading my miscellaneous meanderings.)

Anyway, bad proposals lead me to think of bad writing. And Dave wrote to ask me, "What's the worst thing you've ever seen in a proposal?" The worst thing may have been the time an author included a nude photo of himself. It was tipped into a proposal on gambling, and didn't have anything to do with the book idea, so I figured either the author (a) had made a bad  author / agent protocol error, or (b) mistakenly thought I was "the gambling gay agent," or (c) was simply proud of his gambling equipment, if you get my meaning. But here's an interesting item: I was once handed a novel proposal that opened with the words, "Ring! Ring! said the telephone."

Barf! Barf! said the agent.

Continuing on that writing track, Cindy #1 wrote to ask, "How do I begin to find my voice as a writer?" Cindy, do you remember the scene in the movie "Finding Forrester" where Sean Connery gives his young protege a first paragraph from an old article, then tells him to finish writing it? That's a good way to begin thinking about voice. Think about what you sound like, what others around you sound like, and what you want to sound like. Sometimes inspiration and voice are found by exploring others' work. When I read Garrison Keillor's Leaving Home, it helped me find my voice for writing stories about growing up in Witch Hazel, Oregon. (Okay...it's a snotty sort of nasal voice, but still, it's a voice.) Same was true when I read Flannery O'Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge. It happened again when I read Ricky Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin. There was imitation in my writing, at least for a while. But what's wrong with imitation? It allows us to try on a different voice, until we figure out what our own voice sounds like.

I once read that Joan Didion learned to write by retyping Hemingway. It gave her a feel for flow, dialogue, and the rhythm of words. In a biography of the Beatles, I once read George Harrison claim that their early music was little more than a way of copying Chuck Berry, and he noted that all of their music was "derivative," having been built on the musicians who influenced them. Writing works that same way. If you took writing classes at a college in the US, you were probably influenced by the style of Sherwood Anderson, even if you don't know who he is. You asked how to begin -- that's a great way to begin. Look at writing that moves you, that helps you grow, that sounds like you. Find a writer who writes the way you want to write. Or take the opening of someone else's piece and complete it. That's a good place to start. In time, you'll begin to find your own voice.

Cindy #2 wrote to ask, "Who are the authors who have influenced you the most?" In terms of just enjoying their writing, it would be Tom Pynchon, Mark Twain, Haven Kimmel, Ross Thomas...there may be too many to count. Among contemporary writers, I like the storytelling ability of Rick Bragg. If we were to talk about old timers, I'm still a huge fan of Mark Twain and John Steinbeck. In the more little-known world of Christian writing, I love the work of Lauren Winner and Brennan Manning. And, if I can say this without it sounding like a commercial, I'm a fan of all the writers I represent. I keep it a fairly small list, since I want to work with people who can actually write, but take a look at the novels of Lisa Samson and Penelope Wilcock and Susan Meissner and Bette Nordberg. Good writers all.

Fiction, Queries, and Voice

I had a bunch of questions come to me the past few days -- I'll try to handle several of them briefly. (And please know you're always welcome to email me questions you'd like explored on this blog.)

1. Gwynne wrote to say, "When working on historical fiction, if an author is using real people from history and not created characters, what is the author's responsibility to the character? I sometimes admit to feeling guilty of slander -- I'm using real people, but my judgments of their deeds and motivations is quite different than that of historians. What is the ethical line between historical fiction and history?"

I don't think there is a line connecting them. A novelist who is creating a story and weaving in actual people and events probably owes a debt to the reader to try and get the facts correct, I suppose (though even that is a questionable supposition, and many authors have altered facts and dates in order to tell a better story), but a novel isn't a textbook. It doesn't have a restriction that "you must have all your facts correct" or "you must accept the commonly held notions about a character's motivations."  The author is inventing a story to entertain, maybe to explore themes and motivations, not to teach history. So, while I wouldn't create a story in which the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor on July 11, I see nothing wrong with an author creating a story depicting an interesting twist -- that Roosevelt knew about the attack ahead of time, or that it was the attack was a rogue group of Japanese military, or that it was all a mistake. With fiction, it's the story that counts, not the accuracy of the events. Besides, if we all knew the deeds and motivations of historical events, there would be no need to explore them further. A novel allows us to consider alternative interpretations -- that Richard III was actually a good guy, or that Sir Thomas More was a self-absorbed twit, or that Robert E. Lee wasn't the military genius he's been made out to be. Sometimes those ideas are daft (Oliver Stone's movie JFK was filled with tripe and innuendo), other times the ideas can be reasonable (take a look at Elizabeth Peter's Murders of Richard III). But what your readers care about most is that the story is interesting, emotional, and readable.

2. Mary wrote to ask, "What are you looking for in a query?"

Every time I open a query letter, I'm hoping to see something I fall in love with. I want to see a great idea, supported by great writing, from an author with a great platform. I want to read an idea that makes me go, "Fabulous! Why didn't I think of that?!" An author platform that shrieks, "I can help support this book!" Writing that hooks me from the first line. It's rare, but it happens. On the flip side, the thing that makes me immediately plop the query into my "reject" pile is seeing a variation on a theme -- something that's trying to ride the coattails of a project that's already been done in a big way. (Examples include, "I was thinking we could turn the Book of Revelation into a novel" and "What about a book on making your life more purpose driven?" I've seen them both. Recently.) 

3. Denise wrote to ask me, "What's the worst query you ever received?"

This one is easy. All of us have pet peeves -- I happen to hate it when an author uses a query letter to sing his or her own praises: "This life-changing book will make you laugh, make you cry, make you quit your job and move to Toledo so you worship at my feet." Fer cryin out loud -- let somebody else sing your praises. (The same holds true for competitive analyses in which the author basically bashes everybody else's book on the topic. Nothing will make you look more like a self-absorbed jerk than to suggest "Jerry Jenkins got it wrong but I'm doing it right.") However, the worst query letter I ever received was from some prophecy nutjob in the Midwest. He claimed (and I swear I'm not making this up) that he and his son were "the two prophets foretold in the Book of Revelation." He informed me that I needed to send him "a contract and a sizable check," and warned that if I didn't do so, I was incurring God's wrath. He went on to say I could expect "severe weather patterns" and that God was "going to kick [my] ass." Really. Needless to say, I immediately leaped into action by suggesting he write to Steve Laube.

4. Judy Mikalonis, noting that I often talk about author's voice in my writings, wrote to share a wonderful quote from a book about voice for singers:

"The singers we love...allow themselves to emerge through their voices. We love to listen to them in part because they teach us to be ourselves, by supplying us with an example of genuine emotion expressed through song. By teaching us acceptance and speaking for us when we feel mute, they effectively unite us with ourselves. These great singers prove that powerful singing is about individuality, separateness, and even courage -- it is not about a perfect voice. A singer needs to be a warrior."

This is taken from Carolyn Sloan's wonderful book Finding Your Voice (Hyperion, 2006). Insert the word "author" for "singer" and she has offered incredible wisdom. Sloan goes on to say,

"We must balance our need to control with a necessity to let go so our true voices can surface. We do not create the voice. The voice is and creates us. It teaches us that we must be open to being stimulated and to experiencing our lives without inhibition... Along with courage and an ability to question, a singer also must have an unfailing persistence and desire to solve what may seem to be unsolvable mysteries."

Fabulous.

Quick Questions

People have been sending in a bunch of questions regarding writing and publishing, so I thought I'd try to hit several of them quickly...

1. About how many novels do you sell in a year?

--I spent several years as a literary agent with Alive Communications. We were the big dog on the CBA book scene -- the oldest and, arguably, the most successful literary agency working in Christian publishing. (Great people at Alive, by the way.) While I was there, I focused more on nonfiction titles, but I sold about 35 to 40 novels in a year.

2. How many queries or actual proposals do you receive?

--Queries? Tons. Proposals...fewer. When I was at Alive, we received something like 300 novel proposals in a year, plus another 1000 or 1200 nonfiction proposals. Now that I'm on my own, that number has dropped. In the past couple of months I've received a total of 100 proposals -- and interestingly enough they run about 70% fiction.

3. Of the queries you receive, how many make you want to ask for more?

--If the book is coming in completely cold (that is, I don't know anything about the project or the author, not did I request to see it), I probably ask to see something on fifteen percent of them.

4. Of the novel proposals you receive, how  many make you want to ask for the entire book?

--Again, if it's completely cold, I'd say I might ask to see one per month. If I know the author, or have some sort of relationship with the work prior to the proposal coming in, that number is much higher -- at least half.

5. After having looked at your slush pile, about how many clients do you expect to take on?

--I don't have a set number in mind. The fact is, I represent really good writers and I'm happy with the folks I've got. But if I see something I love, I've got the margin in my life to be able to take it on. That just happened, by the way -- somebody sent me an idea, I asked to see the manuscript, and I think we're going to work together. It was a situation where I loved the idea, and the actual words didn't disappoint.

6. What are agents really looking for with fiction?

--That's a huge question, of course, because I can't speak for all the agents. But here's a thought: The best fictioin I ever read MOVED me. I was never the same after I read Tom Pynchon's GRAVITY'S RAINBOW or Gabriel Garcia Marquez's ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE or Leif Enger's PEACE LIKE A RIVER. I love to pick up a novel and feel changed by it. It's a rare event. For that matter, sometimes I feel like I'd love to pick up a novel and feel anything. Too many novels seem to be exercises in angst ("I've had a hard life!") or narcissism ("Look at me!") or merely creative  crap ("I'm going to try something completely different, just to show you I can do it!"). They don't move me toward knowledge or emotion or growth. But that's what I'm always looking for -- a novel that moves me, that leaves me changed. I think every agent is on the lookout for the "wow" moment, when some writer's work smacks them as fun, moving, fresh, and well-crafted.

7. What makes a novel move from the midlist graveyard to the bestseller list?

--GREAT question! Of course, most early novelists would be perfectly happy to be in that midlist graveyard, as you call it. There are plenty of writers who make a good living in that midlist. But while most folks would probably answer you with words like "a great story" or "incredible ability," I don't know if I can point to many common denominators that automatically move a novelist to the bestseller lists. I've seen dynamite stories go nowhere, and I've seen really crummy writing sell extremely well. (So...this isn't an exact science.) But since I don't want to answer with something like "a great marketing effort and a committed sales staff," I'll encourage you to do one thing: improve your craft. An author doesn't always have control over some of the things that will happen to his or her book (store placement, which chains pick it up, who chooses to review it, etc), but the one thing an author DOES control is the quality of the manuscript. I'm convinced that greatness will out -- a great writer WILL get discovered. That's been proven time after time. So if you're feeling a bit stuck, consider what you could do to improve your writing. It's still the best investment an author can make.