Chip MacGregor .com

How does my book get selected by a publisher?

Cheryl wrote to ask, "What is the process of getting your proposal selected by a publishing house?"

Think of a publishing house as being an actual building. Your proposal probably isn't walking in the front door. More than likely it's sliding into the building by way of a window known as an acquisitions editor (often an acquaintance of your agent, sometimes a person you met at a conference, or maybe a guy who lost a bet). He or she will read through it, make some suggestions, talk it over with your agent, and eventually make a decision on whether or not they think it's worth pursuing.

Most publishers are relying on agents to do the initial filtering of junk, so the slush pile has sort of moved from the publishing house to the agent's office...which means you're going to have to sell it to an agent first, therefore adding one more step to this process.

Once it's in the building, if the acquisitions editor likes it he or she will take it to some sort of editorial committee, where they sit around grousing about their pay and making editorial jokes. ("I'm having a DICKENS of a time with this one!" "Yeah, let's catch a TWAIN out of town!" Editorial types love this sort of humor. That's why they're editors and not writers.) Eventually they'll run out of bad puns and be forced to discuss the merits of your proposal. If it's a non-fiction book, is it unique? Does it answer a question people are asking? Is there a perceived market for it? Does the writing feel fresh and offer genuine solutions to the question that's posed? If it's a novel, does the story have a clear hook? Is there a well-defined audience for it? Does it feel new, or as though it's a story that's been told a million times? (The fact is, it probably HAS been told a million times. There are only so many stories. The question is really if the author can make it feel as though he or she has a fresh take on the story.) If the whole package passes muster, it moves to the next step...

The Publishing Committee, which is a group generally made up of folks from editorial, marketing, sales, accounting, and administration. They'll meet somewhere between once a  week to once a month, and they'll have an agenda of books to talk through each time, with the various representatives offering their own perspectives -- the editors will talk about the merits of the words; the accountants will figure out the costs and potential dollars in play; the sales guys will begin discussing who they can sell copies to; and the marketing people will sit around trying to think of how to cover their sorry hind ends. They'll talk about the market for the book, if it fits with the rest of the books on their list, the author's platform, what it would cost to print the book, what the marketing costs would be, and how many sales they think they could generate. This is the group that will explore the feasibility of doing your book. They may send it back to the acquisitions editor to do some work.

At that point, the editor has to run a Profit & Loss sheet or pro forma, in which they'll take wild surmises as to how many copies they can expect to sell in the first year, what the hard costs of ink/paper/binding will be, how much money they'll have to throw at the money-grubbing author, who, if she really loved words, would write her damn books for free, since we all know the publishers are only in it for the joy of reading and to serve humanity. The editor will take all this information back to the publishing committee, who by now has had all sorts of time to think up new reasons why they shouldn't do the book. They'll talk about it again, this time with hard numbers attached. Eventually the pub board will be forced to make an actual decision, so they'll probably throw the Urim and Thummim, maybe pull out an Ouija board, and make a decision.

I've heard people say there are a series of "sales" to get to this point. The author sells the agent. The agent sells the editor. The editor sells the editorial team. The editorial team sells the pub board. Once they make a decision to actually contract the book, they have to negotiate a deal, then put it on a list and make it part of the process -- because the sales guys are going to have to sell it to retail accounts, who will attempt to sell it to the reading public. It's a lot of work. And all of that points to one thing: It's tough to get published. Each step along the way is an investment, so even the books they say "no" to have had dollars spent on them.

A publishing house has all those filters in place so that they can do the easy thing and say "no" to you. (Really.) The purpose of the process is to say "no" to most everything. Therefore create proposals they can't say "no" to. Yes, that's easier said than done, and we're going to start talking about creating great proposals in the next few weeks, but that's the basic mindset -- work on your proposal so that it piques their interest, provides a clear hook, and answers any objections. If you do that, your proposal is much more apt to be selected by a publishing house. 

 

How do you negotiate a book contract?

Kevin wrote to say, "I'm about to negotiate my own book contract! What is important for me to know?"

If you're at the stage of negotiating your own publishing contract, congratulations. It means you've created a strong proposal, shopped it to publishing houses, and found an editor interested in your work. Those are huge hurdles, so you've already done well. Now what's going to happen is that the publisher is going to approach you with some details and numbers. Let me offer a handful of thoughts for you...

1. Have a Plan. A contract negotiation isn't just a bunch of random conversations, helping two people move things forward. It's one piece of a larger discussion about your book -- how both sides view its value, what it will pay, how it's going to be produced and marketed, etc. Therefore, do your homework before you go into the negotiation. You should have researched what the market is paying (so you get a fair deal, but you don't ask for the moon), you should know what rights you want to keep or give away, and you should have a familiarity with the issues that will be involved in a publishing contract. All of this takes time (and all of this is why authors get agents who, presumably, know this stuff).

2. Take a Positive Approach. Too many people seem to have learned all their negotiation strategies from watching television dramas -- the two high-powered lawyers point fingers, pound the table, make demands, and generally act like jerks. That's not an approach that's going to work very often in publishing. From my point of view, you have to develop a relationship with the person you're going to negotiate with. That way there's a sense of trust on both sides. You really want to establish some rapport with the person you're negotiating with, so that you both keep in mind the big picture of making this a successful book. Think of it this way: would you rather buy insurance from a trusted friend who happens to sell insurance, or from some stranger who shows up at your door? All of us prefer doing business with people we know. So approach your contract negotiation in a spirit of cooperation, rather than a spirit of confrontation.

3. Think Win/Win. The publishing of books is a business, so put away all your thoughts about just being helpful or friendly, and approach this as strictly business. Believe me, the publisher will take this approach. The goal isn't just to "win," but to help both sides feel as if they're winning. The publisher needs to be able to sell the book at a profit. The author needs to be able to make a living. From the start of your discussions, let both sides be thinking of winning, of doing well, of making this project succeed. Again, television dramas have a tendency to make it seem as though one side must win and the other must lose. In the real world, that doesn't work. I want every publisher I deal with to be successful. I want them to make money, to sell lots of books, and to want to work with me on other projects. So as you're putting your plan together, don't just focus on "how can I get this deal to my advantage?", but think of "how I can help the publisher succeed?" If both of you come out of this negotiation feeling good, you've set yourself up for a healthy long-term relationship.

More on this topic tomorrow... but feel free to ask questions about negotiations. 

 

What does an author need to ask about book contracts? (Part 3)

We've been exploring what you need to know when you approach a book contract. Here are five more questions to ask...

11. Are there restrictions on the sale of the contract? Check to see if your publisher has the right to sell the entire deal to another house. This doesn't happen often, but it can happen, especially with smaller houses, and you need to be aware of the possibility. It would mean you go through the entire process of negotiating a deal with one house, then suddenly you find yourself working with another house. I once had a sleaze-ball publisher sign a well-known personality to a book, then immediately start shopping the contract... In other words, he never had any intention of publishing the book; he just wanted to sign a lowball deal and flip it to a bigger house. (This is something he admitted to me, but denied to the author. Mr. Sleazeball is now an agent, by the way.)

12. If it all goes south, who pays for the lawyers? Remember that a contract is put in place to clarify two things: what will happen if everything goes well, and what will happen if everything goes to hell. A good contract covers both scenarios. In case of the latter, check to see who covers the cost of the lawyers. True story: A short while back I was sent a contract that called for the publisher to pick the lawyer, but the author to pay for it. Um... we suggested a minor wording change to keep the author from getting hosed.  

13. Does your contract clarify what constitutes "out of print"? It should be simple: When the publisher is no longer selling your book, it's out of print. Don't get caught up in windy explanations of why publishing-on-demand titles constitute a book for sale. (Years ago, I worked on a deal where a publisher claimed a popular author's book was still "in print" because they still were offering an audio version to libraries, so they still controlled rights.) Get a clear definition that includes having regular books commercially available. This has gotten much more complicated since ebooks became popular, so you're going to have to figure out if a digital book qualifies. Most publishers will say it does... so WHEN do you have a chance to actually get those rights reverted? Possibly never. So read your contract carefully. 

14. Does your contract have an option clause? There are various forms of options -- everything from "you promise us your next book" to "we'd like you to give us a first look at your next one." Options aren't necessarily evil (they can reveal a commitment on the part of the publisher to an author's career), but you should know the risks and rewards of a proposed option clause. (True Item: In days of yore, one publisher used to insert an option clause that promised two books for every one you published... so an author could never actually get out from under the contract. For every book he wrote, he owed two additional titles. Ugh. That's no longer the case at that house, by the way.)

15. Is this a perfect contract? The answer, for those who aren't sure, is "nope." In a perfect world, you'd get a perfect contract. But, in case you haven't been paying attention to the war in Afghanistan and the Republican primaries, we don't live in a perfect world. So while you'll sometimes hear people make declarations about all contracts (things like "You should NEVER sign a multi-book deal!" and "I MUST have approval of my cover!" and "I would NEVER allow them to cross collateralize my contract!"), be aware that a contract is a negotiated settlement. You ask for some things, you give up other things. That's the nature of the business. Every good agent understands that. And it's why you might be best served having somebody negotiate on your behalf. Nobody gets everything they want, so learn to compromise and you'll find yourself more at peace with the process.  If you approach a book contract as a sort of partnership between author and publisher, rather than as a battle to be won, you'll be happier with the results. I'll talk more about how to negotiate a contract next week. 

What are your lingering contract questions?

 

What does an author need to ask about book contracts? (Part 2)

Okay, so you've got a book contract, and you're wondering what you don't know. Here are a few more questions to ask...

6. When will the book be published? In most book contracts there is a window that explains your book will be made available for sale within two years. I recently saw a contract that had a five-year window on it, and another contract that didn't limit the publishing time at all. The danger (and it's happened to others) is that you'll turn in a book the publisher keeps forever but never actually publishes. Generally you want wording where the publisher makes a legal promise to produce your print book in an 18-to-24 month window, your ebook faster. 

7. When are advances paid? Make sure you know when you're getting paid. Traditionally an author received half the advance on signing and the other half on completion. Many of the New York houses now pay one-third on signing, one-third on delivery, and one-third on publication. Random House has this author-unfriendly clause that calls for one quarter of the advance to be paid a year after the book releases (so it's not really an "advance," it's more like a "delay"). And HarperCollins pays a portion of the advance after the author has filled out a marketing questionnaire -- their way of making sure they get their information. I recently saw a contract that called for the advance to be broken into eighths (signing, completion of a questionnaire, after an interview with marketing, completion of the manuscript, completion of typesetting... um...the next full moon, etc.)

8. When are royalties paid? Many publishing houses pay twice per year. Some of the larger houses pay quarterly. I still see some contracts that call for royalty payments to authors once per year... and no, that publisher won't be offering to pay you interest on that money they've been holding for you. And your ebook publisher might pay you monthly. Find out when you're getting paid, and if it's less than twice per year, request they send you your money more frequently. 

9. If you're doing a novel, who owns the subsidiary rights? Publishers are in the business of licensing and selling rights, so they'll ask for the dramatic rights to your story. But check something out -- Has this publisher ever sold dramatic rights? Do they actively pursue movie and TV deals? If not, you might be wasting your time granting them to the house. Nothing frustrates an author more than having rights that could be generating income tied up with a house doing nothing. 

10. If you're doing a nonfiction book, what's your buy-back discount? The publisher's boilerplate contract will call for you to receive about ten copies of your printed book, and allow you to purchase your own book at about a 40% discount. But if you speak to large groups, you'll want to negotiate for a better deal. You don't want to be in competition with your publisher, but if you regularly have a captive audience listening to you speak, selling books is a sure money-maker for you, and your publisher isn't losing money on the deal, so ask for more copies and a better buy-back rate. 

What questions are you asking when negotiating a contract? 

 

Does the publisher lose money if my book doesn't earn out?

Brynn asked, "Does a publisher lose money if a book doesn't earn out?"

I get this question a lot, and to answer it I need to beg your forebearance... Let me answer this with hard numbers, so that I can make my case. It will take a couple minutes to run the numbers.

Remember, every business can lose money. Retail shops, service business, even publishers. I mean, if you own a shoe store, you order in shoes that don't sell, and you have to drastically reduce prices, you can lose money on each pair of shoes sold. Publishing is no different. The publishing house pays out advances, they pay an editor, hire a cover designer, buy ink and paper, then pay a printer, and cover overhead such as the light bill and the editor's long distance phone calls. A lot of expenses are involved in every book. I like and respect publishers, and as a longtime agent, I WANT them to make money and stay in business. So I'm just answering a question, not writing a polemic. 

That said, the argument put forth that an unearned advance equals a loss for a publisher just isn't true. (Or at least not the whole truth.) All you have to do is look at some math...

Let's take some big book the publisher is doing with a celebrity. She's created a $25 hardcover book, and the publisher has paid her a $100,000 advance. The average discount a bookstore gets when ordering a book is roughly 50% -- so they're paying the publisher $12.50 for that book. (In reality, it could be less, and there are a thousand factors determining that amount, but let's use a conservative 50% for the sake of clarity). From that amount, you have to subtract the author royalty on the first 5000 copies (the author will be paid $2.50 per book), the next 5000 copies ($3.125 per book), and thereafter ($3.75 per book). Of course, the publisher has to pay for the actual hard costs of the book (ink-paper-binding). That $25 book probably cost about $3 to produce. The more copies they printed, the cheaper each copy becomes. And there are plenty of things, such as cover features, that can boost the price of a book. But somewhere around $3 per book is about right. Some of the publishers state right in their contracts that anything sold at an 85% discount is considered "at cost," so they're assuming a hard cost of $3.75 for a $25 book. At several publishing houses, they have a standard "overhead" charge of about $2 per book, or $50,000 per title. So take the $12.50 the publisher received for the book and subtract author royalties ($2.50), hard costs ($3.75) and overhead ($2). Conservatively, the publisher is left with $4.25 per book after paying all the bills. In essence, the publisher is making more money per book than the author is making. (And no, there's nothing wrong with that.)

Still with me? Okay, since this is a big book, let's say the publisher printed fifty thousand copies and sold half of them. They received $312,500 from bookstores ($12.50 x 25,000 copies sold). They credit the author her royalty of $84,375 ($2.50 x 5000; $3.125 x 5000; $3.75 x 15,000). The author hasn't earned out -- she's still in the red $15,625. The publisher is left with $228,125. Out of that they pay $150,000 on printing ($3 x 50,000) and $50,000 in overhead. So the publisher is left with a profit of $28,125. Even if they write off the rest of advance, they're sitting on $12,500. Maybe they remainder the rest of the books for a dollar each , so they just got in another $25,000 (and royalties aren't paid on remaindered books), so now the publisher has $37,500. Did you follow that? The book did NOT earn out, but the publisher still made money.

Oh, and they also sold the e-book, which didn't have any ink/paper/binding costs, or shipping, or warehousing. The royalty they pay on the e-book will be greater, but the lack of costs means the publisher actually makes MORE per book sold. If they sell foreign rights, they're keeping half that money as well. Over time, the overhead number shrinks considerably, so the per-book profit increases. And this model was created for a book with a relatively high advance -- if we'd looked at a $25,000 advance, these costs would swing toward the publisher's side of the ledger. (Just to make sure you know I'm not pulling numbers out of a hat, I used to be an associate publisher with one of the Big Six in New York, and I had to fill out a P&L form for each book we acquired -- so I know what the numbers look like.)

A couple years ago, a publisher paid huge money to the Clintons for a book. The advance was in the millions, and the book never came close to earning out. The publisher still made money -- and admits having done so. Why? Because they sold a bunch of books. So don't accept the  myth that a book must earn out or the publisher is losing money -- it's just not true. I have a good friend who works for a publishing house and has pointed out on my blog before that the publisher did indeed lose money -- they lost the outstanding $15,625 in unearned advance. I think that's semantics. They didn't actually LOSE money on the book... what they did was MAKE LESS money. Does that make sense? 

Another publishing friend likes to point out to me that the author made $84,375, while the publisher only made $28,125. But that's a skewed way of viewing it... Because the publisher also made enough to pay all their bills and keep themselves in business. The $28,125 is purely profit -- the money left over after everyone has been paid. A better way to view it is to say the author made $84K, and the publisher made $228k. And I'd be glad to compare the hourly rate of any writer, who sits in her chair for days on end, trying to crank out a good novel. Let's face it -- the hourly pay for any writer sucks. 

Again, I'm not saying a publisher should lose money, or that I'm opposed to publishers making money -- I'm not. I am ALL FOR publishers making a profit, so that they stay in business and keep buying books from our agency. And, in fairness, I should add that publishers DO lose money on some projects. If they paid a huge advance and the book tanked, they lost money. If they spent a fortune on full-page ads in USA Today and nobody bought copies, they lost money. But my point is simple: the majority of books do not earn out their advance, yet publishers stay in business... that alone should help you realize that "failing to earn out" does not equal "the publisher lost money." I hope that helps clear up the question. 

 

Who REALLY Needs a Publisher? (A guest blog)

Let’s talk about the word publisher for a moment. The notion of a publisher has changed recently. We used to think of the Big Six -- the old-school thinking, where they pay you a pittance, take on 1-to-4 new authors a year, and rely on their current bestselling novelists to pay all the bills. Their attitude is frequently, "No platform? No past sales? Then no deal."  They focus on retailers, not readers. They dread having "midlist" authors. Isn't there another way to think of a publisher?  

The last few years have brought us the "new model" publisher -- an indie publisher who is more of a publishing partner than a publishing boss. They do both print books and e-books, and they don't think anything to do with digital books are evil. They've learned to sell to readers, not just to retailers. And they understand that the huge majority of authors are mid-listers -- people who have another job because they don't really make enough from their books to be full-time writers. Best of all, they've figured out that a "midlist" author might actually be able to make a living at this writing thing, if only the writer learns how to work the online game. 

Let me tell you my own story: I went full time at writing with only two books to my name. My first book (Sweet Dreams) came out in all its unedited glory, in December of 2008. By the time my next book was out and I starting to figure out this business, I had hit the Amazon bestseller list. I was #1 in three categories for over two years. I went full time at this in November 2009, and started my own company, StoneHouse Ink. We now have about 40 authors and are blessed to have around 10 bestsellers with us. I speak all over the country about publishing, online marketing, creating eBooks, and the future of the industry.

Why the brag list? I figure after beating up some people in my last post, you might want to know that I am pretty good at what I do. I'm not special, I just did not know that there were rules to publishing books -- so I broke them all and found a new way to do it. And it's all working so far.

I also am the co-founder of the Idaho Book Extravaganza, which meets every October in Boise Idaho. It's a combination trade show and "future of the industry" conference, and we had over 5000 people this last year. We teach classes and hold workshops and tell you what you need to know in the changing world, and we also share the behind-the scenes stuff that the big publishers don’t want you to know. This part is my favorite subject (in case you couldn't figure that out on your own...). 

StoneHouse Ink also just started StoneHouse University, a series of online and local classes on different subjects related to publishing. How to Market on Amazon, What is a Blog Tour, and How to write a Book People Can’t Put Down are three of our recent titles. As one of the "new model" publishers, we want to be more than just a publishing house —we want to be a resource center for writers. If you want more information about what we are doing check out my list below.

Thanks for having me on, Chip. And I thank you for being one of the good agents that get it!

Aaron 

***

Aaron Patterson is the publisher of StoneHouse Ink and the author of the best-selling WJA series, as well as two digital shorts: 19 and The Craigslist Killer. He was home-schooled, grew up in the west, and loved to read. As a small child he would often be found behind a book, and this love drove him to want to write his own books. His wife Karissa prodded him to try it, and with this encouragement he created Sweet Dreams, the first book in the WJA series, in 2008. Airel is his first teen series, and it is already climbing the bestseller charts. He lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife and children, Soleil, Kale, and Klayton. 

Twitter: @Mstersmith

Facebook: HERE

Blog: HERE

Aaron's Books

Sweet Dreams

Dream On

In Your Dreams

Airel

Michael (coming soon)

The Craigslist killer (Digital Short)

19 (Digital Short)

Sweet Dreams (UNCUT Edition)

 

StoneHouse Ink

Twitter: @StoneHouseInk

Facebook: HERE

Blog: HERE

Website: HERE

StoneHouse University: HERE

 

Who Needs a Publisher?

In these times of self-publishing, ebooks, bookstore closures, agents turning into publishers, and the crumbling of the traditional publishing model—who needs a publisher?

May I offer an indie publisher’s perspective on that question?

First: Ask yourself if you know the industry. Many writers seem to have no clue about the changes in the publishing market. You need to do your research, learn book marketing, and educate yourself. One day your publisher is going to ask you, “What is your marketing plan?”, and if you say, “I can email my friends and do a book signing…”, there is a good chance your book will fail. No matter what path you take to publish, you will be responsible to market your book. Not the publisher—you.

Second: Ask yourself if want a publisher. You may feel you don’t need a publisher these days, as you can do much on your own. But a publisher can do it faster and better, and brings expertise to the process… so do you want a publisher? (And when I say “publisher” I mean the indie publisher, the new model publisher, the partner publisher, or someone who is not stuck in the old way of doing business. I do not mean the Big 6 or old-school, dying on the vine publishers who seem to think eBooks and news of thinking are evil.)

The fact is, a good publisher can do a few things for you that you can’t do on your own. But that will cost you something. You will give up part of your royalty to cover their services. Think of a publisher as someone who knows 50 people that you need to meet in order to get your book into reader’s hands. All a publisher does is make the introductions:

·      A publisher can get your book into bookstores. To sell with Ingram you need 10 titles before they will even talk to you. You can go through a third party to get in, but it will cost you 10-15% of your sales. Why do you need to be with Ingram? Because they are the big dog in distribution. Most stores buy from them.

·      A publisher can sell special rights, foreign rights, movie rights, mass market rights, blah blah blah… Now to be fair, you could do this on your own, but the publisher knows who to talk to and who is buying. It is all about contacts. Remember when your dad said it is not what you know but who you know? It turns out, he was right.

·      A publisher can work to get you into a better deal through an agent. I know I am going to open a can of worms here, but the agent’s job is changing. They are almost not needed for a book deal with an indie publisher. Why would you give up 15% when you can talk directly to the publisher and hire someone to look over your contract? Most charge a one-time fee for things like that. I use Chip and other agents to sell subsidiary rights—they work and get paid based on the deals they bring in. This works out well for the agents, as they are free to use their contacts to make money without being tied up with the time it takes to sell a book to big OLD publishers.

·      A publisher can put out a better product. Some of the books going up on Amazon are awful. Covers that make your eyes bleed,  no editing, poor layout. With the changes in the industry, many cover artists and editors are leaving or getting fired. Most can be hired as freelancers or go to work with a small press. If you doubt what I am saying, look around Smashwords or Amazon.

·      A publisher can help you market. Notice I did not say, “they will market for you”? They know how to market, so they can hold your hand and show you the ropes. Most publishers market their line of books, not just one book or one author, so they have learned where to go and what to do.

·      A publisher can make the process easy. I can’t tell you how many writers I have worked with that are happy to have someone on their side who knows what to do. Selling books can be like a giant puzzle, but once the various pieces are put together, it gets easier with every try. Why invent the wheel all over again? Besides the industry is changing so fast that if you create a new design it can be outdated as soon as you are finished.

·      A publisher can make you more money. A small press or new publisher usually pays higher royalties than the big guys, (40-60% vs 12-25%). This means you make more money per sale and can make a living on fewer books with lower sales.

Who needs a publisher? If you’re an author trying to make some money writing books, the chances are YOU do.

 

Aaron Patterson is the publisher at StoneHouse Ink, which has sold more than a quarter of a million books in the past two years.

Twitter: @StoneHouseInk

Facebook: HERE

Blog: HERE

Website: HERE

StoneHouse University: HERE

 

 

 

NEWSDAY TUESDAY ...

Okay, so it's nearly Wednesday. We brought our new puppy (as opposed to "old puppy?") home today, so I've been writing this between other things as well as helping with trips to the appointed piddle spot and throwing treat parties when Digby succeeds doing his business. 

(Digby's the cute one on the far left.)

IN OTHER (far more relevant) NEWS:

In case you haven't heard, we've added a new agent to our rolls here at MacGregor Literary. Amanda Luedeke made her conference debut this past week with us here at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference. All signs are pointing to her potentially having signed her first author already! 

Our fabulous friend and local author Hillary Manton Lodge simply couldn't take it anymore. While at the conference last week she took professional quality photos and headshots for all of us - keep your eye out soon for new photos of us all -- even if I am doing "that funny thing with my head" I'm sure our new pics will help us all appear far more professional.

 LIST AND REVIEW NEWS:

Gina Holmes' CROSSING OCEANS, her novel published by Tyndale, is on the August CBA bestseller list.
John Wilson, the editor of Books & Culture magazine (an online publication of Christianity Today) gave J. Mark Bertrand's BACK ON MURDER high marks.
http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2010/august/wilson081010.html

UPCOMING RELEASES:

Susan Meissner's next novel, LADY IN WAITING, is releasing this week with Waterbrook. It weaves the story of a contemporary couple with that of Lady Jane Grey, and has been very much anticipated by those who enjoyed THE SHAPE OF MERCY and WHITE PICKET FENCES.

Chad Gibbs' GOD AND FOOTBALL is releasing this week from Zondervan. It's his look at the both faith and fanaticism with people who follow SEC football.

Keep an eye out for Serena Miller's historical Amish tale, LOVE FINDS YOU IN SUGARCREEK, OHIO.

Julie Cannon is busy at work on her next title, a contemporary southern novel, TWANG, which will be coming out from Abingdon Press.

AUTHOR EVENTS:

Jim Rubart went on a national book tour for his novel ROOMS, published by B&H. The tour took a small group of suspense novelists around the country, ending in New York for "Thrillerfest."

Carla Stewart is participating in this year's Books Alive 2010 Conference in Jefferson Texas on November 12-14th. This conference is hosted by Beauty and the Book - The Only Hair Salon/Bookstore in the World and headquarters of the Pulpwood Queens and Timber Guys Book Clubs founded by Kathy L. Patrick, Author of " The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara Wearing, Book Sharing Guide to Life". Interestingly, Ms. Patrick has recently taken over facilitation of A GOOD BLOG IS HARD TO FIND, a fun and informative blog to which MacGregor Literary author Julie Cannon is a regular contributor.

NEW DEALS:

Michael Hingson, who is blind and was high up in the World Trade Center on 9/11, will tell his personal story of being led down more than 70 flights to safety by his guide dog. He's just signed to do a book with Thomas Nelson. He's working with writer Susy Flory.

Pastor Mel Lawrenz, the longtime executive at Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin, is writing a new book on "spiritual leadership" for Zondervan.

Melanie Dobson will be writing her next book with Summerside Press.

JUST FOR FUN:

Some great descriptions of common maladies which plague writers on  Nathan Bransford's blog today. You may never again regard stilted dialogue so casually. http://blog.nathanbransford.com/

Ten Notes for Today's Writer

1. Lots of big news this week, including something nobody seemed to have sniffed... THOMAS NELSON WAS BOUGHT OUT by an equity company, Kohlberg and Company. Remember, Thomas Nelson is one of the largest Christian publishers in the world, and they were sold just a few years ago to the guys at InterMedia (one of the pioneers in cable TV, InterMedia made the interesting step of pulling the company out of being publicly traded, and went back to being a private company). Anyway, the previous owners had financed a big chunk of the purchase, and Kohlberg must have seen Thomas Nelson was going to make them money, since they paid off the $219 million loan (go ahead and read that figure again) and took control of the company. 

2. Wow. And it didn't stop there -- they had the good sense to keep Michael Hyatt, perhaps the brightest mind in CBA, and the man who has restructured the company and made it both leaner and more focused, AND they brought on Jane Friedman as a board member. Some CBA people may not recognize the importance of that, but Jane used to be the boss at HarperCollins, the owner of Zondervan, before that was the Executive VP of Random House, and before that Publisher at Vintage . I'll tell you there isn't a publishing professional who doesn't respect Jane -- she's one of the best, most experienced minds in contemporary publishing. An incredible addition, frankly.

3. Novelist (and longtime friend) Joyce Magnin, best known for her wonderful "Bright's Pond" novels with Abingdon, has started a company to help new novelists get their manuscripts ready. This isn't just another editorial service -- take a look at her website. You'll come away totally impressed:  www.joycemagnin.com/Site/Narrative_Destiny.html

4. If you're a married woman (or you have any married women in your life), they can be part of a research project on intimacy being done by respected CBA speaker/writer Sheila Gregoire of Canada. If you’re willing to participate, it’s right here:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VBGHVGV... I think it's an important study that is going to turn into a book, but I want you to be aware it is a little, shall we say, intimate.

5. Mark wrote in to ask, “In 100 words or less, what is the best writing advice you ever received?”

For me, that's easy... On page 71 of Strunk & White's "Elements of Style" (3rd Edition), they give this advice: "Write with nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs." In the words of E.B. White, it is nouns and verbs that "give to good writing its toughness and color." In his insightful work "On Writing," novelist Stephen King goes into great detail on this advice, pointing out that any reader can understand a combination of a noun and a verb: "Mary sighs." "Computers crash." "Books illuminate."

In my experience, authors (particularly novelists, but ALL authors) tend to use adjectives and adverbs to dress things up when they can't find the right word. But that's nothing more than lipstick on a pig. The right word is what good writing is all about. If you want punch and strength in your writing, write with nouns and verbs.

6. In light of my blog yesterday on collaborative writing, Danny wants to know, “What should a collaborative writer be paid on a project?”

 It depends on the project. In the annual WRITERS MARKET book produced by Writers Digest Books, they have an annual report on what collaborative writers, editors, copyeditors, and all those other freelance publishing jobs should be paid. It’s usually near the front of the book. Do yourself a favor and check the most recent edition so you’re up to date.

7. And Dale asked, “As a collaborative writers, should I ask for a 50/50 split on the income from the book?”

Again, that depends on the project. In terms of splits, I've seen everything from a straight work-for-hire (in which I'm paid a flat fee to do the work, with no percentage of advance and royalties) to a 60/40 split (I got the 60% because the "author" didn't have any actual facts or stories or material or message... he was, on the other hand, cuter than all get out, so I wrote the book and he talked about it). I keep seeing people say "fifty-fifty is the norm," but collaborative authors should be aware that there is a huge range of alternatives. (And, let's face it, I love getting questions from someone named "Dale," since it allows me to make "Chip and Dale" jokes.)

8. One other thought: On some high-end projects, the collaborator might be asked to have a cap on his or her money. For example, I once did a deal where I was paid 33% of advance and royalties, but my earnings would cap at $100,000. (It fell just short of that, unfortunately. Another $90,000 and I would have hit the cap.) My advice: Don't agree to a cap unless it's high.

9. And Toni asked, “As an agent, how do you deal with the idea of hearing ‘no, this isn't what we want’ all the time?”

A thought to keep in mind: EVERYBODY experiences rejection. And all of us feel a bit deflated when we hear someone say "no thanks," even if it turns out to be a project we didn't really want to do anyway! As an agent, I face rejection nearly every day. I'll send out a bunch of proposals for authors I represent, and it could be that the majority of publishers who look at those proposals will say "nope." That doesn't matter...I'm just looking for ONE publisher who will say "yes!" What I've found is that the more time I take making sure the proposal is strong, that there's a market for the project, and that it's a fit for the people I'm sending it to, my percentage of "yes's" goes up dramatically. 

The thing about rejection is that a writer has to divorce the emotion from the decision. A publisher didn't reject your idea because they disliked you, they rejected it because they don't like your idea, or they don't see the need, or they don't think the writing is quite ready, or they already have a similar item in the works, or... or maybe because they're all too stupid to see the obvious timeless quality of your work. (But probably not.) So divorce yourself from the notion that "the publisher doesn't like me" and start thinking about "how can I make this work?"

10. And a word of encouragement in this busy writing week: I think writers often give up too easy. The fact is, writing is hard work, and it generally doesn't come easy, and I find far too many writers who, upon discovering the work involved, simply give up. You know what? If you don't want to work hard, get a job at Wendy's. And if you can't take any rejection, you should probably stay out of publishing. Just write in your journal and occasionally turn something in to your church newsletter. That way your feelings will be protected and you'll never get hurt. (You'll also never get published, but that's the choice you're making.)

Chip

More on the industry

Mark sent me this: “It seems that slowly the CBA is selling out. Is this true? Is it the ABA getting greedy? What does this signal for the future?”

It signals that the general market has recognized the value of Christian books, Christian writers, and Christian readers. And, yes, it probably means that more CBA houses will be sold (or come under the influence of) large ABA houses. As to the question "are they greedy?" -- good grief, they're running a for-profit enterprise. If "greedy" means "are they focused on making a profit," of course they're greedy. But I'd argue that CBA houses, for all the carefully-couched terms about having "ministry" and "doing the Lord's work," are also focused on profit. So maybe we should view this as a greater partnership, rather than a sell-out. Sure, there are some questions to face down the road – who will do commentaries and reference tools that aren't necessarily commercial but still have value to believers? What happens when a company faces a decision to publish a book at odds with believers? How will Christians respond when a company publishes some heretical tome? But, for those not in the know, those very questions are faced by some of us every day. Time Warner Book Group was a marvelous company that did many wonderful books when I was there (as well as before I came and after I left). We probably also published some books Christians would find offensive. But you know what? I was not responsible for every decision in the company. I was responsible to do good books with solid Christian content that will sell in the marketplace. I was comfortable with that role, and I believed in the company. So no, I don't find the blending of Christian and general markets a "sell out."

Suzy asked, “How do you handle it when you have a change of editors (and editor styles) in mid-contract?”

This business is all about relationships. Editors move around quite a bit in the publishing world -- even more than in most industries (the reasons can be discussed in another post). So authors can expect this to happen to them occasionally. How to respond? Be polite, be positive, try to establish a new relationship with the new editor. Say hello. Send Starbucks. Show him or her that you're easy-going. Keep a positive attitude. Don't give the editor any reason to lose enthusiasm for your book, because every new person in a role is looking for projects that will succeed and make them look good.

Tim wrote and said, “What can we do as writers to stay current on industry news?”

For CBA, read Christian Retailing, Outreach magazine, World, CT, maybe the CBA retailer's magazine if you can locate it. For ABA, read Publisher's Weekly, subscribe to Publisher's Lunch, keep tabs on book news. There are a bunch of blogs that stay current with things -- Rachelle Gardner's CBA Ramblings are Michael Hyatt's excellent blog are two I find important and helpful. Also check out the Writers Digest list of 101 Best Blogs for Writers -- a great overview of where to find good information. Have conversations with other authors and editors. Rarely do things come as a surprise to the industry. Generally, any big changes are talked about for months. By keeping up with some of these sources, you’ll be more prepared for the industry shifts.

Carl said, “Why is it important to be aware of this news?”

To impress girls at author signings and cocktail parties, of course. And, I suppose, to make wise decisions in your writing career (should you find that important).