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I wanted to clarify this tweet a bit. So, as you might know, I'm an enthusiast. Sometimes when I'm super excited about a new novel that crosses my desk, I might get second reads or talk to agency colleagues about it before I even sign it. If I know it is up some editor's alley, I might tease them with it -- "I'm about to offer on an aweeeesome super-secret new space opera with dragons... you want to be on the list when I go out with it?" Or "ooooh have you seen this website, what do you think?"*
There's a difference between being a fan of something, having enthusiasm and seeing if other people share that enthusiasm, and actually submitting a person's intellectual property for publication and acting on their behalf when they haven't given you permission to do so.
If you query an agent with your novel** and they tell you they're going to "shop your manuscript around to editors"... and that IF they get an offer, THEN they'll sign you up*** (but they won't otherwise?):
HUGE RED FLAG. THIS IS PROBLEMATIC.
* If they shop your manuscript, and you aren't their actual client, how do you know what they are doing, who they are talking to, what they are saying on your behalf?
* If they shop your manuscript and end up with an offer... it will probably not be the best offer. Why? Because this type of schmagent is unlikely to have primo publishing connections. There are times that going with a small press or an e-book only press or a no-advance press or a start-up press might be a fine idea... but do you really want that to be your ONLY option?
* If they shop your manuscript, and end up never getting an offer and never signing you (which is quite likely, since they will have no particular pressing interest in trying hard, since you aren't a client) -- then let's say you get another agent? A real one? ALL THOSE BRIDGES ARE BURNED. Your new agent won't be able to send your manuscript to any of the editors that already declined it. Assuming you can even find out who those editors were.
An agent isn't just a person who likes books and puts a website up. They SHOULD have a ton of contacts in the publishing industry... and when they talk to those contacts, they REPRESENT YOU. That means they are meant to be acting on your behalf and speaking for you. (Not to mention they have access to your finances and potentially your financial future and career!) -- you definitely don't want somebody you don't trust in that position. Do your homework.
This isn't a game, or a joke. Don't treat it that way. And don't let anyone else treat it that way, either.
-- * Mind you, this wouldn't affect MY feelings about it. If somebody was like "ew dragons are dumb" -- I'd think "Oh, they are stupid", not "Oh, I am wrong."
** ETA: I'm talking specifically about NOVELS here, and note that my expertise is in kids and YA. Pop culture nonfiction or other works you sell on proposal might be different, I have no idea. And as some point out... publishers themselves may do some "pre-shopping" to their retail clients when deciding what to acquire. Sadly, there's nothing much you can do about that.
*** ETA ETA: I'm also not talking about people who are legit agents you've agreed will represent you on a "handshake" basis but who don't have a formal written agency agreement, or who only make a formal written agency agreement when money is going to change hands. While this isn't how my agency works, I know some legit agencies that don't have a formal "agreement" per se -- but they will ASK YOU before they start REPPING YOU!
9 Comments on Agent Ethics: Schmagents and "Pre-shopping", last added: 1/24/2013
Nice to hear the professionals in the biz discussing this as I'm hearing more and more about these kinds of scams all over the place. I'll be sure to point someone to this link the next time I hear someone is offered this type of deal and asks, "So, what do you think? Should I do it?"
On a minor note, when one submits a query to your agency, do you get an automatic conformation email? Or do you simply wait? (I queried and got no conformation so I wanted to make sure my server didn't eat it.)
Looking back at my spreadsheets and lists, it is SCARY how many "Young, Hungry Agents" are no longer agenting, after only a few years.
Agents are SALESMEN. You don't want somebody who understands how you feel, you want somebody who understands what you write and has contacts. Lots of contacts. Or is apprenticed to and mentored by someone with lots of contacts.
You give on-the-nose good advice. Always. Representing myself, I figured that if by chance I misjudged a publisher I had submitted to and publisher makes an offer and I realize I can't go with them- I can reject the offer. This happened a few times, mostly because I was a novice, or because of outright misrepresentation. (Two publishers listed in a market Guide that says it sifts out subsidy, and back then not listed on P&E, turned out to make offers that could only be called subsidy.)
But how to weed out the not-so-all-right agents? Confidentially, I have heard some hard to swallow stories from writing friends. These were about well established agents. When I represent myself I know I will do it with integrity and taste that honors my work. But having someone else do it requires a lot of trust that they too will be honorable. So any and all "tips" are valuable.
Great advice. It's interesting to know that some legit agents do handshake agreements, but I think I would be uncomfortable without a formal agreement. Heck, if I were an agent, I would still be uncomfortable without a formal agreement.
WE GO TOGETHER! (A Curious Selection of Affectionate Verse) is a perfectly charming collection of whimsical and wonderful love and friendship poems from NYT bestselling author-illustrator, Calef Brown.
It's the perfect Valentine's present to share with a friend or loved one of ANY age. It's a cute small size and under $10, so it makes a great gift. And while kids will certainly delight at the fun words and bright illustrations, the poems are even a little bit extra-charming for grownups.
Need a Valentine for your daughter, son, bestie, westie, sister, brother, "Significant Other", BF, GF, BFF, or super secret crush? Look no further!
Seriously, buy several, they're small. ;-)
Review Quotes: "In a collection that celebrates loving friendship, Brown artfully captures the comforting, sometimes odd moments of true affection." --Kirkus
"The cheerful, rhythmic rhymes help make this book perfect for reading aloud, and it would be an ideal choice for two friends to share." --School Library Journal
"Brown... pairs a heaping spoonful of nonsense with unexpected yet genuine observations about the joy of companionship." --Publishers Weekly STARRED review
Publisher Description: In Calef Brown's poem "We Go Together," he jubilantly decrees: "We go together / like fingers and thumbs. / Basses and drums. / Pastries and crumbs." In "You Are Two (Kiwis)," he muses, "I am quite frequently, / reminded by thee / of a kiwi. / Either kind." Yes, silliness and sentimentality have free rein in this "curious selection" of childlike poems about love and friendship, each accompanied by an equally absurd, stylized acrylic painting. Like Sandol Stoddard's I Like You, WE GO TOGETHER! makes an offbeat Valentine's gift for anyone with a good sense of humor and a penchant for wordplay.
1 Comments on WE GO TOGETHER! by Calef Brown, last added: 1/15/2013
I don't buy it when people say online friendships are not "real." I haveplenty of online friendships that have developed into real life friendships; there is a lot of fluidity and crossover. I love to meet "twitter peeps" when I'm traveling to conferences and the like. In fact, some of the people I like most in the world are ones that I met online first.
I talk to the people inside the twitterbox more than, well, anyone else besides the dog. And probably because I'm chatty, I do tend to feel like I KNOW these people. Like, personally know them. Even the ones I don't know personally at all. Maybe I just have a clingy personality or something - or maybe it is natural that humans like to make connections. I don't know. Who am I, Oliver Sacks? (No.)
So my confession is: A few times I've noticed that people I follow and admire on twitter (and in some cases, even have met or know IRL) don't follow me, or worse, have unfollowed me. And it causes me a sharp pain not unlike grief. Micro-grief, if you will.
THIS IS RIDICULOUS.
If you've ever felt this twinge of micro-grief when you realize somebody isn't following you... SNAP OUT OF IT. If you've ever gotten upset that somebody didn't retweet you or respond to you... GET OVER IT. If you expect "auto-follows" or that somebody should follow or always converse with you or RT you or whatever just because you follow them... GTFO.
Everyone uses twitter in different ways. MOST people are not on there 15 hours a day like I am (because it is in the corner of my screen while I am working, which is almost always). Some people only want to follow a very small number of folks, or people they know IRL, or nobody they know IRL, or whatever. Some people have strict limits with themselves about how often they can check in, and so limit their "follow list" to ones they can keep up with easily. Some people unfollow people who tweet too much, or who curse, or post pet pictures, or don't post pet pictures, or who only talk about books, or who never talk about books, or who the hell knows.
The point is, how other people choose to use it or not use it is not a judgement about us, and is also not our beezwax.
If you're only following somebody because you have the expectation they'll follow you back, you're doing yourself a disservice. Yes, twitter is a lot about conversations and connections... but you can't control what other people do. And vice-versa. So hey, feel free to keep following people you enjoy and have the bandwidth for... and stop following if you don't want to anymore. No need to make a big to-do about it. No need to announce it to anyone. It's not an insult to not follow somebody or to stop following somebody, it's just you choosing how to spend your own time and energy.
Spend it well!
17 Comments on The Twitter Confessional, last added: 1/17/2013
Oh gosh! I know! I felt even a tinge of a tear the other day when someone I deeply respect on Twitter unfollowed me.
"What did I do?!" I moaned. "I must have clogged up his feed! I must have said something stupid!" And I searched and searched my timeline, but found nothing overtly offensive--which was actually worse than finding a culprit.
And then I realized it was Twitter and it doesn't matter at all. But it does, to some peer-acceptance-seeking part of my brain. Hard to deny that.
Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels invested in some aspects of twitter. When awesome productive people I pay attention to follow me on Twitter I get some kind of warm fuzzies.
I never read my Timeline. I just can't subject myself to so much static and noise and fighting and pet pics. Too distracting. I don't follow a lot of people back because my reason for being on Twitter is to talk to the people who want to talk to me. I only read @ replies.
Me too on the @replies, mostly. When I first log on I'll look at my timeline - like at the first page that appears - and if something is interesting, will dive in. But I certainly don't scroll backwards and READ it. That would be a nightmare, I follow like a brazillion people! ;)
Yes, people connect! I felt bad for you when you were stranded (my word, not yours) in Lancaster following Fall Fest. My ride and I split when the conference ended.
Also, Twitter has developed a nasty habit wherein it tries to decide who you should be friends with, so it unfollows people without permission. Then like a day later, it's all "Oh, look at your suggested follower list. Doesn't that person look friendly?" And it's added the people it unfollowed into your suggestions.
I'm new to Twitter and get really worried that I don't know the etiquette! I don't want to follow everyone who follows me. I tend to follow writers and agents and people like that because they interest me, but other people I don't automatically follow without checking out their twitter stream first. I hadn't realised it even might be seen as offensive not to follow back! (Oh, but I follow you of course!)
Gah, I really do try not to let this stuff get to me. I don't mind not being followed back - I'm the same way in that I don't follow tons of people but basically just leave the Interaction tab open rather than my Timeline - but I have the hardest time not feeling stung by people who perpetually don't reply. Maybe my 2013 resolution will be to get the hell over it.
My twitter has randomly unfollowed friends for me before--and they asked, and I was glad they let me know! But, other than that, I rarely even look at who's following me. Unless they've asked me to DM. I can't follow everyone. I like READING the links people share, not watching my number go up. So I clean house all the time, so that I'm getting the conversations and info I want. Not for any other reason :)
I have made amazing friends, through twitter and online. Some of them know me best than anyone else. Pleople can think I'm crazy but you can really connect con people online. Of course you can't force anyone to follow or like you. But I think everyone wants to know why when someone unfollows, is human nature. Great post! Anabel
I keep a couple different private lists that allow me to catch up with the folks I enjoy following most. Rather than reading my timeline I read my @s and depending on my time I'll read the lists of folks who I love but consider infrequent posters & the just the most recent posts from my favorite tweeps. The best way for new people to get on my lists is to RT or @me. :-)
I have a confession too when agents respond to me via tweets I feel so stoked but that too I must get over because it doesn't mean that it will lead to me getting signed, I have had couple agents tell me via tweets to resend my mss when its polished but I realize they may forget me even if I mention it in the query, I agree with you how a person chooses to spend their energy on twitter is their choice and also the choice of the people that follow or choose to not follow them. Great post.
Best thing you can ever do is deactivate the "unfollow" option, so you never see it. Then you don't have to wonder WHY someone did that. Of course, I'm on tumblr the most, so I don't know if you can turn off notifications on twitter or not...
I like Twitter, but sometimes I feel really voyeuristic. Does anyone else? For example, I love following you, Jennifer, and I like all of the stories about your home and everything, but then I feel a little creepy because you don't know me and I know incredibly random things from your day-to-day world. I know that there are whole news networks and magazines devoted to supporting voyeurism of celebrity that have never intrigued me, but the lit world... I'm hooked. Does anyone else ever feel embarrassed for following people you don't know and enjoying it?
Dionna said, on 1/17/2013 11:20:00 AM
How do you figure out what people are talking about on Twitter? All I see is @somebody and maybe some squigglies then a few words. Is there more to these tweets than what meets the eye on the page?
I get asked this question many times a week via twitter, in emails, at conferences, at the bookstore... Here's how it goes:
[scene: a podium in a random hotel conference room in Anytown USA]
Stranger [raises hand]: OK, SO, PEOPLE SAY I SHOULD LOOK FOR AN AGENT. BUT MY QUESTION IS, DO I NEED AN AGENT?
Me: Probably. Depends what you want from your career. I'd get one, personally... but of course, I'm an agent, naturally I'd say that.
Stranger [impatiently]: NO. I MEAN DO I REALLY NEED AN AGENT?
Me: Oh man. Since you asked with that inflection... wow. I guess I have to give it to you straight. You got me. There's a little something that everyone else knows except you. Every time somebody suggests you "query agents" they are really trying to TRICK you. Because they don't want you to know the secret! *Muwhahaha!* <!------>
Oh. You can tell I'm poking fun, and you don't like it. Sorry. I'm going to be totally serious now. When you ask that question, it sounds to me like "but I don't want to read the manual, instructions are for suckers, I'm gonna find the shortcut and do this the fast and dirty way!"
And I get that. I'm impatient too. The fact is, much like putting together the elaborate entertainment center from Ikea, getting an agent is usually difficult, or at least inconvenient on some level. There are almost always some bruised egos and frustrations along the way. It can take a long time. It can be a lot of work. And even when you have it figured out, that is only the beginning. Ugh what a pain in the ass.
So look. It DOES depend on what you want from your career.
* If you want to go the self-publishing route and would never consider traditional publishing... you may not need an agent. (You'll find that it is a lot of work to be successful at this game, but hey -- it happens. Elbow grease, baby!)
* If you have a very "niche" type of work -- highly technical, educational, religious, or specialty-type content... novellas, chapbooks, and other things that are not usually found in regular bookstores... you may not need an agent.
* If you want to be traditionally published and are a super-type A personality, know a ton about the vagaries of publishing, have lots of insider publishing connections, know contracts well, understand the market for your work specifically, enjoy talking about money and don't mind things like asking for a raise, know how to sell subrights and foreign rights, want to spend time pounding the pavement on your own behalf... you may be not need an agent.*
Otherwise? An agent is going to be hugely helpful to you.
In fact, here's the secret. As big a pain as it is? GETTING AN AGENT IS THE SHORTCUT.
Recognize this? It's called an allen wrench, or a hex key.
You can put the Ikea entertainment center without it, but dear god, it's a hell of a lot easier with it.
Consider an agent your hex key.
* (Though I do know people like this, and after a certain number of books... guess what, they got an agent. Because it is a huge time-suck to do all these things for yourself, the time-suck gets exponentially worse the more books you have out, and that is time you could be spending writing. Or, you know, lounging in a hammock drinking mocktails. Whatever.)
10 Comments on On Shortcuts, or, Do I REALLY Need an Agent?, last added: 2/6/2013
The actual secret they don't tell people is that most (you know, like 99.99999%) writers who try to get an agent will not succeed. Of course, this is not really a secret if you read enough agents' blogs and tweets and realize what a long-shot traditional publishing actually is, vis a vis the number of writers who want in.
This is a good thing, I believe. I am all in favor of gatekeepers, frankly. I don't want bookstores--online or off--to become giant slush piles for the average consumer to wade alone.
But I feel for the many writers out there who simply aren't going to make it in that particular corner of publishing.
So maybe the real answer is "yes, you REALLY need an agent to do this the traditional way. But if you have tried and tried and can't get an agent, maybe traditional is just not going to work for you and it's time to shift your career plans/hopes."
Hex key?? I've never heard that phrase before. I like it. I mean, you pretty much do need to perform black magic to put together Ikea furniture. (Excellent post as usual, agree with it all :)
I love your posts, thanks for taking the time to answer a question that you have answered many times before. We really do appreciate it, and sometimes it's good to hear it again when we've spent too long in the query trenches.
In my case, one other thing is like Ikea: one person working, sad face. Two people working, thumbs-up! Everything is so much more manageable with a partner. <3
Fantastic post! I am a first time author in the process of trying to get the word out about my book as well as get the attention of that perfect agent for my story. Your post is wonderful and I have sent you a query letter. Thank you.
I agree, Literaticat. When I began writing with the idea to publish, the CW was that for PBs you may be better off subbing directly. But things have changed, and continue to change as we type. I've come to see that a *good* agents is a *good* way to go about the business side of this, well, business. No, you don't NEED and agent to write and write well. Agents are about selling.
When I started writing many years ago, I tried very hard to get an agent. Most of them didn't even have the courtesy to reply, though I did all the right things you're supposed to do when you send an inquiry. Those few who did said their books were full. Then I did get one for about six months, till she closed down to concentrate on her own writing - and by the way, the only printed slip I ever got for that manuscript was when she was representing me. ( I eventually sold it myself, without an agent) So I gave up. I did have some help from a writer friend who introduced me to an editor at Allen and Unwin, when they were looking for writers for a non fiction children's series. After that, publishers were willing to look at my manuscripts without an agent. Now I am back to looking for someone to act as an overseas agent for an existing book, because my publishers haven't gotten very far with this - and again I am receiving a dead silence in response to my inquiries. What would you suggest, Jennifer? And by the way, how do I follow this blog on my Blogger dashboard? There doesn't seem to be a "follow" option, even a contact email! :-)
So you know, I've already done the wordy thing. This year I did a bit of number-crunching instead. Depending on your POV, this'll be either deadly boring or geekily interesting - if the former, forgive me, please do skip it. Here's 2012 by the numbers:
In 2012, I got approximately 4200 queries (an average of 80 per week). I didn't actually count this part, butI'm gonna take an educated guess and say about half were not even in genres I represent, were not addressed to me, were barely in English, had attachments or otherwise didn't follow submission guidelines, and thus were automatic deletes. (In other words: if you are following guidelines and subbing the correct material, you're already in the top 50%!)
So let's call it about 2000 viable queries. Of those, I took on seven new clients (aka, .35%).Of those, two were total slush-puppies and debuts (one of which I signed right away, one after a revise-and-resubmit). Two were referrals (one previously published, one not). One I knew in real life from SCBWI (previously published). One I met on twitter, then in real life, before she queried me (previously published). One, another debut, I knew in real life from my old bookstore job! Of the seven new clients, four are debuts, six have have deals done or in progress, and one I haven't yet sent out.
In 2012, I sold 14 YA, 9 MG, 6 PB.
Of these, seven were debuts: Three YA and two each MG and PB.
This also marked the year I sold my 100th* title. I'm at 103 now (46 of which have been released), and the breakdown is:
Total: 44 YA, 32 MG, 27 PB
WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN?
I guess that I work with totally awesome authors and illustrators, that books are still selling, that good stories are still finding readers, and that it was a very busy and very productive 2012. So let's do it again in 2013!
Wishing you time to read, inspiration to write, and much happiness in the coming year. :-)
*I'm not counting foreign sales, subrights sales or sales where I rep both the author and illustrator - that would get way too complicated. Each book only counts once.
8 Comments on 5th Agentversary + 2012 by the numbers, last added: 1/13/2013
The hottest non-book item in the bookstore this holiday season was probably Spikeletz. They are awesome and weird bracelets made of this spiky-looking (but actually ultra-soft) plastic, in all kinds of wild color combos. Kinda like having a neon caterpillar around your wrist.
Most people like the Spikeletz. Some adults are sort of weirded out by them, because their texture is so unexpected compared to how they look. Girls and boys seem to appreciate them fairly equally. But one parent was overheard to say to a son, "Bracelets are for girls."
I wish I had been there. Because I would have said ok first of all WHAT and second of all NO and also CALL THEM WRISTBANDS THEN and by the way YOUR KID LIKES SOMETHING WHY ARE YOU GONNA RUIN IT and also SPIKELETZ ARE FOR AWESOME PEOPLE! Actually I probably would have said none of that, but I might have slipped the kid a wink and a sticker or something at least. Ugh.
So then today I was reading my twitter feed (as one does) and I came across this innocuous tweet from @HarperChildrens (a publisher I greatly admire), about the darling new book FOXY:
I have to admit, I was irritated by that tweet. I mean - why say it is a GIRL book? Because the human child in is a girl? But Foxy himself is a boy fox. And MAGICAL FOXES seem to be totally rad regardless of gender. If I was a boy, I'd sure as hell like a book about a cool MAGICAL FOX. Why not?
The thing is, in the kids section, so many picture books scream BOY BOOK or GIRL BOOK from a hundred yards. FANCY NANCY is a "Girl Book" - it's covered in glitter and is bright pink. I STINK is a "Boy Book" - it's got a giant trash truck on it. It is very simple for adults to choose "the one that fits" without even having to read the text. It makes life easy in some ways. But it's also so, soooo irritating.
I mean, OK. If a boy loves trucks, am I gonna say "No, you can only read about Princess Barbies"? Heck no. I'll give him a truck book, and we have plenty of them. But if a boy wants to read about Barbie, I am never going to say he's wrong. And the same goes vice-versa. I'm in the business of getting kids to read and love reading, I'd not want any kid to feel shamed for what they enjoy.
Goodness knows, pink glittery books don't need my help to sell! Nor would I want them to. I know that the masses of money a publisher makes from something like PINKALICIOUS may well go to buy some less obvious texts... maybe even one of mine. And heck, I loved pink and purple and glitter* when I was little, and I know I would have adored stuff like Lego Friends: Treasure Hunt in Heartlake City even though I may find it gagworthy now. (For the record, I loved firetrucks too!)
I can't stop publishers from producing and marketing books the way they do. Hey, they are companies, they are doing what makes the most money for them, and I get it.
But what I CAN do on a day-to-day level is, make even more of a point to seek out less-discovered gems, books that reflect all kinds of experiences, and try to push THOSE as much as possible. And I can stop using language like "Boy Book" and "Girl Book", and try to get others to stop using it too. It's shorthand, and it's lazy, and if it makes any kid feel bad or NOT want to read something, then it's a terrible shame.
*full disclosure: I STILL LOVE PINK AND PURPLE AND GLITTER!
21 Comments on Boy Books, Girl Books, or JUST PLAIN GREAT BOOKS?, last added: 1/28/2013
Amen - A good book is a good book, period, that can be enjoyed by readers of both genders. A good story in any form - song, book, play, film, TV show, poem, anything - can be shared with and enjoyed by people of both genders. I've written about this time and time again at my blog (exhibit A: http://slayground.livejournal.com/313095.html Just Say No to Gender Bias post) and I encourage readers to just look for the good in things, not to assume things on characters in books or people in real life simply based on gender. Look for the good. Share the good.
I wonder if the exodus of boys from older children's literature has a lot to do with the stereotypical "boy subjects" found in "boy books." To me it's like a pair of skinny jeans labelled one-size-fits-all. I know a lot of teenaged boys and their interests are a heck of a lot more diverse than trucks, trains and football.
Yes, exactly! Thank you for this post. I am always annoyed when I hear someone refer to a "boy book" or "girl book"...or when I walk in to the children's section at Chapters to find an entire display of such complete with signs reading "Books for Girls" and "Books for Boys". Ugh.
Books are books are books and they are for everyone :)
I 100% agree. We need to stop labeling and just be excited that kids are reading. Books are to be enjoyed by all and who are some people to say no to that?
Yes, yes, yes! Things were tough on my daughter when she was a kid because she didn't like dolls or dresses or pink or flowers or princesses or fairies. It was hard to find clothes for her, and she got teased for not being girlie enough.
It's ridiculous that now that women are graduating from law school and med school at the same rate as men, and more men than ever are staying home with the kids and cooking and cleaning, we act like girls and boys are from different planets.
hear hear. this is why i toss the scholastic catalogue in the bin when my son brings it home - the gendering of everything is crazy. blecch. but, in my own burst of sexism, i totally support him reading the disney fairy chapter books, even though i know that if i had a daughter i would totally steer her away from them.
Don't get me started on this. And lord knows, it's not limited to picture books. Or kids' books. Or YA. Almost everything I write tries to tackle gender preconceptions in a big way, and my publisher re-covered all my books with pretty girlies. Sometimes you just want to shoot yourself. Or them.
As a former teacher and mom to two boys, I feel the same way. I have to confess I do slip and call certain stories "boy books" -- those I know would strongly appeal to boys. Still, it's unfair to kids in general to define things this way.
During school visits, I am especially impressed with the fifth or sixth-grade boy who tells me (in front of his classmates) how much he liked my book. Like it or not, boys do get the message around third or fourth grade that they can only read about male protagonists. Boys that buck this are especially comfortable in their own skin.
It's the 21st century and blue/pink stereotypes are still going strong in the good ol' USA. Why anyone would advertise their products in a way that dismisses half their potential market is beyond my comprehension. (Besides these publishing examples, see Hasbro's "Easy Bake Oven.")
well said... i work as a school librarian in a co-ed school and the issue of 'girl books' and 'boy books' crops up quite regularly... i find though that it's more acceptable for a girl to read anthony horowitz than it is for a boy to read jacqueline wilson - it's ok for a girl to be 'tough' but not for a boy to be 'sentimental'... unfortunately such a blinkered outlook is more often than not engendered by some parents and educators who should know better...
I love this post! We have a pink dollhouse in the attic and I found the video of my son on the Christmas morning he opened it! Priceless! The roof of the house is a lovely gender neutral pink and many of the X-men and ninja turtles were happy to call it home. I wish toy stores weren't divided by boy-girl and I don't like books to be divided that way either and I am thankful there are smart and clever book sellers taking the side of the kids! Thank you!
On Christmas, my two year old girl received a stroller and a baby doll from my parents while her boy cousins received a pirate ship and a remote control car. She pushed the buggy around for about a minute then stole the remote for the car and played with it for an hour. I just laughed and let her.
It's unfortunate, but many consumers are bovine-like when it comes to selecting books for children. Moo... Especially around the holidays.
I propose pink, glittery dump trucks and Ninja love stories. Also, Lego Friends are an awesome fusion of construction and imaginative doll play. Love them!
Thank you for this. As the father of three girls who'll just as soon read "Wolves of the Beyond" as "Ramona's World", and as the husband of a woman who writes articles like "Reconstructing orthogonal polyhedra from putative vertex sets", I share your exasperation with color-coded girly and boyish books. And toys. And clothes. And movies. Would that publishers thought as you do.
YES to all of this! I am sort of the go-to person in my family for finding great new books for all of our teen boy family members. Is it because I have some odd link to the teenage boy mind? (No, thank goodness!) It's because I read a lot of MG and YA and will put Seraphina or Croak into a boy's hand just as quickly as I Hunt Killers or Ender's Game. I will admit to being more picky about finding female-lead books for my daughter, simply because there are so few books with strong female protagonists, and I don't want her to feel like strong, smart, awesome girls are only able to be in the sidelines. That doesn't mead she isn't going to be reading "boy books" too, though.
Anonymous said, on 1/14/2013 7:07:00 AM
I get really annoyed when people call my books "boy books" - even if they are otherwise really complimentary (both Uncle Flynn and George goes to Mars have had great reviews). George goes to Mars in particular features some really strong female characters, and loads of girls have told me they really loved Uncle Flynn. Just because both are adventure stories doesn't mean girls won't enjoy them! Grrrr....
Word. This is something I'm so much more aware of now that I have a little girl of my own. The severe gender pressure -- the most recent example is that Gerber training pants ONLY come in the pink/flower/buterfly/kitty "girl" packets OR the blue/baseball/dinosaur "boy" packets. My daughter happens to LOVE dinosaurs, AND kitties, AND baseball, AND butterflies. And though I bought her both packets, I can't help but think that she is being told over and over, in big ways and small, that baseball and dinosaurs are not for her, and her male counterparts are being told that kitties and flowers are beneath them.
I totally agree. I know this is an older post, but I just had to put my 2 cents in--I make a point of throwing all sorts of books at my kids (two boys and a girl), and I took all three to the Fight Like a Girl, Boston Glow event, because I think that boys and girls both should read books containing strong girl characters.
#MyBoysReadGirlBooks and #MyGirlReadsBoyBooks #ThereAreNoBoyOrGirlBooks
In fact, after I took my oldest son to a book reading by *cough* one of your clients, her book (with a girl and some leaves on the cover) became his go-to birthday present for his 11-year-old guy friends. I didn't say a word. Now that he is a teen, he is still open to reading books with any gender main character.
Totally with you & other commenters. A good book is a good book. End of. v happy my daughter is into Mr Gum at the moment. Equally she adores rainbow fairies and is attracted to other similar girlie covers (but not indiscriminately, which I find interesting). I find it interesting that so many bloggers seem to feel the same way about books by gender, and yet we must still be in the minority given most books available are styled so gender-specifically?
Sometimes I'm asked why agents talk about Picture Books but almost never about Board Books. Maybe I can shed some light.
BOARD BOOKS, aka Baby Books, are those chunky little books generally made of thick cardboard, for about ages 0-2. They're what kids get before they have the manual dexterity to turn the thin pages of picture books, when they would still rather drool on, chew, or tear up paper than delicately peruse it.
Board books are almost always small and made of cardboard. Their covers can be flat or puffy or shaped like something. They can be stories (basically small versions of regular picture books) but they are also often concept books or novelty books. Subspecies:
CONCEPTBOOKS are board books that teach about things like ABC, 123, Up/Down, Colors, Animals, etc. in an extremely simple way.
NOVELTYBOOKS have some sort of special interactive element like lift-the-flap, textured touch-and-feel, sliding panels, a spinning wheel, etc.
Because they are brightly colored, printed on thick cardboard, and often have special elements to them, board books are very expensive to produce compared to their retail price. This means there is a very small profit margin. Which means publishers really need to both keep costs down and sell a lot for these books to be successful. They are unlikely to take big risks in acquisitions for this market. For these reasons, you will typically find books that are either:
Written in-house with an artist hired on a work-for-hire basis (so they only have to pay one person, and that, usually for much less than for regular picture books), or better yet, written AND designed in-house, AND/OR
Board book versions of existing picture books (in other words, the SAMEALREADYSUCCESSFULBOOK, just shrunk).
There are a few artists who produce simple and bright board book originals, like Sandra Boynton and Leslie Patricelli. There are fewer still who are masters of the novelty board book. Salina Yoon and Matthew van Fleet come to mind. But it's much less likely that you'd find a non-artist author of these types of books. In fact, I can't think of ANY text-onlys bought specifically to be board books*. I'm totally willing to be corrected about this, but every board book I can think of off the top of my head was either written by the artist or editor, or is a spin-off or shrunken version of an existing picture book property.
If you are a terrific artist/designer, and you have an awesome idea for a fun baby book or set of novelty books, there is a (slim) possibility you might break in this way. As an author who is NOT an artist, though, I'd think it would be VERY DIFFICULT INDEED to sell your text as a board book.
Not impossible, I suppose. Almost nothing is impossible, and there may be exceptions to every rule. But as the dear departed Editorial Anonymous said in her post on the subject (which explains what I just explained but in an even clearer way): "Take my advice and don't present a manuscript as a board book just because you think it'd be cuter that way. Starting a book off as a hardcover picture book is always more profitable for the publisher, which means the acquisition pulls more weight for the editor, the book gets more attention, and it's more profitable for you."
* ETA: I stand corrected! I couldn't think of any board book originals, but the lovely Emily Jenkins reminds me that she wrote an original board book series, "Bea and Haha", illustrated by Tomek Bogacki - sadly out of print, though. And Laurel Snyder wrote one "Nosh Schlep Schluff" - but there were special circumstances. And Lawrence Schimel has a series called "Little Pirate" from Innovative Kids. But I still say these are highly unusual in the board book realm.
10 Comments on On Board Books, last added: 1/13/2013
I love Marla Frazee too, but EVERYWHERE BABIES is a good example of a regular picture book that was "shrunk" -- not a board book original. (though it is arguably better as a board book).
All true. Even Good Night Moon was a hard cover book PB before its huge resurrection as THE board book of twenty years ago. But- (correct me) Isn't every market observation just a made-up rule to be broken? The next mega-marketing success brings a flood of imitations of what only last year was a no-no. I would still represent a potential board Book (text only) as a PB for all the reasons you & Ed Anon mentioned. I just wrote one of these, and plan not a whiff of a hint of its cardboard affinity in my queries ;)
"Isn't every market observation just a made-up rule to be broken? The next mega-marketing success brings a flood of imitations of what only last year was a no-no."
Mmmm yes and no? In terms of THEMES or TYPES of books, sure. Like, when something new such as a new format of novelty book or something becomes a big hit, you'll certainly see imitators. But the board book world has additional hurdles because of the cost of manufacture, etc, so I think again they'd be imitators created by the publishers... not that they'd be acquiring more original work.
IMO the best way for a text-PB writer to get a board book made is to have a successful PB first! Believe me, if you have a smash PB, they'll be falling over themselves to make a board book and/or spinoff books. :-)
I actually sold First Steps as a picture book. But my editor at Harper decided it would work better if I trimmed 450 words from the 500-word text, and turn it into a board book. (I complied, cutting 451!) At the time, Harper was trying to tap into the baby/toddler market by publishing original board books under the imprint 'Growing Tree'. First Steps won a number of awards, and garnered great reviews, but the Growing Tree line was not a financial success, and the book went OP after a couple of years. So, yeah, this proves your point! I really dislike it, though, when successful picture books are turned into board books. The depth and scope of picture book illustrations just doesn't look great when smushed into a board book format. Too, the texts don't often work for that younger age, either. But, it's probably the only way bb's make any money.
This is very interesting! I often write and illustrate rhyming board book style posts on my blog (example... http://www.amazon.com/First-Steps-Growing-Tree-Wardlaw/dp/0694012939/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1356737728&sr=1-1) I have a lot of fun with it and have wondered about publishing. Makes me wonder (as I am a product designer by background) if there could be a way to make board books less expensive. Maybe like the way Babybug magazine is constructed. Because as Lee points out, scaling down a PB doesn't always make an ideal board book.
I wrote a series of board books a few years back called What's That Sound? They were illustrated by Kim Lafave and published by Fitzhenry & Whtieside. I loved writing them, but it is a tough market. Here's the link. http://tinyurl.com/bemu69n
Every year at Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, we "adopt" several classrooms of kids who don't get books as presents, and we make sure that they DO. Each star on the tree represents one local child and is labeled with their age, reading level and interests.
Last year went smashingly thanks to our neighborhood shoppers... and also thanks, in no small part, to friends from the Twitterverse and blog readers who also chipped in to make the holidays a bit more special for some kids in need.
This year we challenged ourselves to the biggest Book Angel project yet. We just about doubled the number of kids we're helping, and we've added a batch of high schoolers - which means the Book Angel project now officially spans 100 local Hudson Valley kids of all ages, K-12. ALL these 100 kids will get great new books this year!
*** UPDATE:WE REACHED OUR GOAL!!! As of last night, we'd taken care of about half the kids on the list... but there were still so many stars left! So at 7pm eastern time, I threw the challenge down on this blog and on twitter. I'm so proud and excited to tell you that thanks to YOU we reached our goal in ONE HOUR. Each of the 100 kids on our list will receive at least TWO* brand-new, hand-chosen (and if I may say so, superb) books. That is four classrooms of kids who may have never had a new book of their very own before. I am beyond delighted. You are all amazing. Suzanna at Oblong Books and I stayed until 10pm running around the store like mad selecting all the titles. This part is both the most thrilling, especially when one of the children seems like a kindred spirit so you can gift a personal favorite and know they will LOVE it... and the most challenging, when you have to find the PERFECT books for the kid whose star says something like "1st Grade: Dirt bikes and wrestling!" Anyway, it was fun and exhausting and I loved it, and I might have cried a little from happiness, and today we have a lot of presents to wrap. :-) If you still want to be a Book Angel, consider a donation to FirstBook -- they do this all year long: http://www.firstbook.org/
* "At least two" because in the case of early readers which are so short and slim we chose 3, or a pb/early reader combo. YA and MG novels got 2 each, a mixture of hardcover and paperback. Our goal is to give books that are both appropriate and that they'll adore based on the interests and level they shared with us.
0 Comments on The Book Angel Project: 2012 - UPDATE as of 1/1/1900
Let's be honest: We all want to work with people we personally enjoy. I'm not saying you need to be BFFs with your co-workers, but if given the choice, we'd all want colleagues who are not only good at their jobs, but are also kind and pleasant to communicate with.
Luckily for us as agents and authors: We often ARE given the choice.
I have an amazing group of authors who I love hearing from and talking to... and I got to choose them (and they, me). There are certainly people I haven't offered representation because, based on my communication with them and/or their online presence, I felt like they might be a thorn in my side. I don't WANT a thorn in my side, thanks.
To that point: Yes, your professional and courteous communication matters. And yes, even if your blog or twitter gets very little traffic, if it exists as a public thing, it isn't invisible. Agents and editors will look you up and see what you say online. If you come off as an negative jerk who can't stop complaining about life or how dumb agents are or how unfair the publishing industry is (for example)... well, it's just not very inspiring. It doesn't make me think "oh wow that person would be a pleasure to work with."
Everyone has a bad day, I get it. And I do believe that there is value in "telling it like it is" and not being a freakin' Pollyanna every minute if that is not your style. But come on. If EVERY SINGLE TWEET OR POST is horribly grim/depressing/ranty/unkind... what will the personal conversations be like?
(This cuts the other way, as well -- If authors don't like the advice an agent gives on their blog, or the way an agent treats people on social media, or whatever, they should certainly avoid querying that agent!)
I don't want this to seem like a conspiracy theory. Agents aren't lurking around SPYING on you or anything. But if I'm interested in possibly repping somebody, I sure as heck look them up online. If I see an interesting, generally upbeat, sane, smart and fun-seeming individual, I'm more likely to want to take the conversation to the next level than if I see an awful crabby complainer (or drunken Nazi, or similar).
Even if somebody is a good writer, I'd never want to take them on if I thought I'd dread getting emails from them, that'd be a nightmare. There is enough drama and heartache in the world (and in this business) without purposely inviting emotional vampires in.
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The best time of year swiftly approaches - the time for the Big Sur Children's Writer's Workshop! And guess what? There are still a few places available Nov 30-Dec 2.
This conference is truly amazing. First of all, the location is just stunning - in a redwood forest, on cliffs above the Pacific, surrounded by nature... It's a retreat from the distractions of everyday life that allows writers to really focus on getting deep into their manuscripts and doing that hard work that will take them to the next level. It is a combo of small critique groups led by stellar faculty (editors, agents, award-winning writers), plus time to actually REVISE based on the feedback. And the high faculty-to-writer ratio plus casual and family-like atmosphere means you'll get plenty of time to hang out with editors and agents and writers without feeling "on the spot" or nervous.
It sounds cliche but it is true: I've seen miracles at this conference. The difference in work from the first workshop on Friday to the last on Sunday can be truly astonishing. I just can't say enough good things about it. If you can join us this time around, you SHOULD! Here's the registration page.
If you can't, do keep it on your radar, as we do this twice a year. March is in Monterey, December is in Big Sur. Hope to see you there!
1 Comments on Big Sur December 2012, last added: 12/1/2012
For anyone thinking of signing up, they should! It's a great workshop, and one of those experiences where everything they say about it ends up being true. The agents are so nice and the small critique groups are so helpful. And I also saw amazing advances happen over the course of the weekend.
PRETTIESTDOLL is three weeks in the life of Liv Tatum, who is 13 years old and already a veteran of the beauty-pageant circuit. Though she's as pretty and successful as can be on the outside, on the inside Liv is struggling to cope with the death of her father, the demands of her mother, her pageant coach's insistent criticism, and her own ambivalence about her looks.
When she up and runs away with 15 year old Danny Jacobson, a troubled Texan on his way to Chicago, she'll have to rely on her own resourcefulness and courage, rather than on her fake eyelashes and singing, to make it back in one piece.
PRETTIEST DOLL is somehow simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, zeitgeisty and timeless.Gina Willer-Pardo is a master at writing realistic stories with a pitch-perfect middle school voice. I love this book!
"Willner-Pardo deftly captures the complexity of adolescence as these resilient teens endeavor to define their identities and establish control over their lives."--Kirkus "Willner-Pardo gives Olivia a realistically conflicted narrative voice . . . [Olivia's] growth is organic and genuine."--Publishers Weekly
You'll probably be hearing about this a lot from me in the coming days, and my... well, not apologies... just warning.
As we all know by now, Hurricane Sandy has had a devastating effect on many of our friends and neighbors in NYC and beyond. My author Kate Messner has come up with a very awesome fundraiser which will allow you to help those who REALLY need it right now, and at the same time, GET STUFF.
And so many more. Such talented and amazing authors, editors and agents are donating their time, talent and resources. PLEASE check it out and bid! Bid!
I'm so excited to tell you that Jill Pinkwater's classic CLOUD HORSE, out of print for years, is now back in shiny e-book form! Huzzah! It is the story of two girls, one a Viking maiden, the other a modern American -- separated by a thousand years, but brought together by their love of horses.
Best part: To celebrate the book release, for the next couple of days, it is FREE. FREE. ZERO DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS. Only through midnight tomorrow, then it goes up (to a whopping $2.99).
"Wait a minute, is this a CHILDREN'S BOOK???" -- Nah. Well, OK, kinda. But I think it is suitable for all ages. There's a little romance, a little magic, a witch, a pinch of time travel, plenty of wild ponies... what's not to like? "Is this a trick? What's the gag? Why are you giving the book away? Grrr!" -- Relax! Consider it a gift. Or... well, I would love to request a favor. If you feel like it, press "like" on the book page. This doesn't go to Facebook or anything, it just makes things rise higher in Amazon's own search algorithm. And if you enjoy the read and are so moved, please do write a review of the book on the Amazon site.
No pressure! Just these simple things help enormously when it comes to helping other readers discover books. All the pony magic in the world does not help as much as a great review. :-)
"But I don't have an e-reader!" -- Welp, the good news is, you can download and read the book "in the cloud" online, straight off the Amazon website. Or download a free Kindle app to your phone, iPad or other device.
"But I hate shopping on A**zon!" -- Hey, I feel you, friend. The book will be available in other formats soon. Meanwhile, this is your chance to download it for FREE, which is almost the same as STEALING from them. Stick it to the man! "Will there be OTHER Pinkwater books in e-book format?" -- We're working on it. We'll be rolling out a few more Jill P. books in the next few months. And after that, who knows. If you have particular hard-to-find favorites, let me know. :-)
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I've seen a lot of people online opine recently that agents who say they are looking for something they "love" are basically idiots. Agents shouldn't be looking for something they LOVE - what are they, giggling teenagers? This is a BUSINESS! Etc.
I also got an email response to a rejection today that basically said the same thing (though much more nicely) and, while it was not meant in a bad way, it was surprising to me. Very nice writer, nothing against them, but the fact is, I take on so few projects, out of thousands of submissions. Damn straight I have to love them.
As a writer, you write things that you love and are fascinated by, no? Isn't that one of the glorious things about being a writer? You might have unsteady income, you might not know if the next thing will sell, you might win the lotto with one project and strike out with the next... but you still get to write the stories you are passionate about. Sure you might make some concessions for "the market" - or sometimes you might be a 'pen for hire' and need to suit the company you're writing for - but you can still decide NOT to write something that makes you miserable, if you want.
You wouldn't spend a year or more writing and revising some project you don't believe in or enjoy (especially with no guarantee you'd get paid for it!) unless you were a masochist. I'm not a masochist. I'm in the business I'm in specifically because I love books, and I love the freedom to choose the projects I work on and rep the stuff I love. If I wanted to work hard on something I don't enjoy, I could get paid more for it in another line of work.
Anyway, would you really want an agent who DOESN'T love your writing? Really? Come on. If I don't believe in a project or an author, I can't be an effective advocate for it. Full stop.
Thing is, of course, the things I love and the things I think I can sell tend to be one and the same. And in my career (knock wood) my intuition about the sort of projects I should take on has been very right. FOR ME. That is no reflection about what the greater world will think, or what any other editor or agent will think. I absolutely would have turned down TWILIGHT or 50 SHADES or DA VINCI CODE, with no regrets... because it would have been a misery for me to work on them. I'm glad they exist, I'm not jealous of their success... they just aren't for me.
For me, rejections and acceptances are entirely down to my personal weird quirky taste, and the fact that I only take on three or so new things a year. Very occasionally there is some concrete point I can give the author, and I try to do so when it is easy to see. But I advise against replying to a rejection with a plaintive "Whyyy??", because you probably won't like the answer: "I didn't like it enough."
Which totally sounds mean, right? But think about it this way: I also don't like the color yellow. Or the flavor of clove. Or Irish Wolfhounds. Or the way birds legs look like dinosaur legs. Or messy food. Or summertime. So what? Are any of those things bad? No! They just aren't for me.
So there. While I do agree it's a business, and I want to find the things that I think will do well... I also really do think that any publishing endeavor is much more likely to be successful if everyone involved is invested in the project. What do you think? Could you work on something you don't care for? Would you? Ugh.
11 Comments on What's LOVE got to do with it?, last added: 10/26/2012
I completely agree. If I don't love a story enough... then I'll never invest the time and effort necessary to re-work and edit the thing until it's at publishable standards. I think it's the same with an agent. You guys have to read and re-read and pitch and re-pitch the same story over and over again, countless times. I know I couldn't do it (and sound sincere) if it was something I didn't love.
If an agent isn't enthusiastic about my work, I want to know that up front.
...and I don't like summer either. Autumn is my season. Love those brightly coloured maple leaves and crisp, clean air.
Dionna said, on 10/24/2012 1:41:00 PM
As a freelance writer, I have written on topics per editors' request on subjects I do not love. I do not love lacrosse. I do not love biking. I do not love boarding schools or performing fetal surgeries...
But I do LOVE writing. I do LOVE seeing my work in print on those glossy pages with beautiful graphics. I do LOVE hearing someone say, “I LOVED your article!” And I do LOVE getting paid!
So I think, sometimes, our love must be placed on something beyond the topic, something beyond the “ME”.
That said, I totally agree that writing on a subject that you love or that you feel passionately about is so much easier.
When I write for children, for example, I have a smile on my face. I can't wait to write the next scene. I love to feel my heartstrings being pulled by the characters I find skipping upon the page before me.
So you make a good point. If we can afford to do so, why not let our work be that which brings us pleasure?
As an unagented author, who is currently querying, even I agree. I want the agent who reps me (and my books) to LOVE LOVE LOVE my work. I want them to wax poetic about it and be able to dream big with me about how far it can/will go. If s/he doesn't feel strongly about it, then they aren't a good fit for me.
That's okay, if it's meant to be, the agent who will FALL IN LOVE with my characters and my story will discover me, in a contest, the slush pile, under a rock. If it's meant to be it will happen with an AGENT IN LOVE with my work.
I think of it like whether you're a writer, editor, or agent, chances are you will have to read the books you work with repeatedly. That's tough to do if you don't LOVE the material.
Two things - LOVE that you work on only what you love - sounds right to me. And. Summertime. God almighty, I don't like it either - I'm a bouncing ball of happiness now that Autumn's here - maybe it's time to get the ball rolling and expose the myth of everyone loving Summer!!!
Any writer who'd suggest you take on a project that you don't like (or as you say- makes you miserable) may be, as you put it, “nice.” But to me they are *way off the mark.* We work for passion, and you do too. I wonder, though, if you've ever LOVED a manuscript but turned it down because of marketability concerns.
Hmm... I am working on an early MG (along the lines of Judy Moody) and I have often wondered how many adults (agents included) can actually fall in love with writing intended for this lower (age 6-9) MG age-group. I think this is an age range where silliness prevails and while yes I would want an agent to love it, more so I would want an agent to know that the target audience will love it and to know that the book will sell. Thoughts?
I can totally see why you would need to love a longer, genre-specific manuscript.
Having recently come face-to-foot with a dead chicken I can honestly say it's not an experience I ever want to repeat. I can't imagine there are a lot of people who love them... but there's always one, isn't there?! I just hope my writing isn't the equivalent of birds' feet otherwise I'm going to find it tough to get an agent!
Having been rejected by many agents, I actually appreciate those that say "hey, you write well, but this just isn't my speed." I'm with you, I want an agent who is nearly as passionate about my book as I am. Thanks for sharing!
Picture books are often rejected for being "overly didactic." This is a word that gets thrown around a lot by agent-and-editor types, and I know if you aren't familiar, it might sound sort of harsh and insulting (particularly since, as I said, it is normally coupled with a rejection) -- so just what does it mean when an editor or an agent says Didactic?
It isn't meant as an insult. Didactic just means "intending to teach a lesson." (The word is also kin with "moralistic" - which is of course "intending to teach a MORAL lesson.") These words can have a negative connotation (like if I were to say "my neighbor came over and hollered at me for playing rock music instead of hymns - what a moralistic jerk")... but neither of them is inherently a negative word.
They are just negative words to an agent or editor because they are so very rarely are used in the same breath as "HOT!" "HILARIOUS!" "WOW!" or "AWESOME!"
Many stories are meant to be didactic or moralistic. Fables are meant to teach a lesson (and in fact that lesson or moral is very clearly spelled out at the end!) Some nursery stories, rhymes and famous old tales are meant to teach a specific lesson. Some sorts of modern "issue books" (like HANDS ARE NOT FOR HITTING or HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES or DOG HEAVEN or MIND YOUR MANNERS, BB WOLF or even EVERYBODY POOPS) are meant to leave the audience with a specific message at the end. Some of these books are so successful at their job that they are at this point classics and will be found in nearly every bookstore or library, and stay in print for ages.
These stories definitely have their place.
That "place" is usually one shelf in the bookstore or library. Probably labeled "special issues."
While the demand for them might be consistent, it is also comparatively rather small, which means they can be tough to sell unless they are REALLY well done, and the advances may be on the low side. The exception might be for a book by a well-established author or illustrator, or something featuring an already popular character, or on a "hot topic" possibly that can break it out of niche-ville... but I digress. The point is, because the market for them is limited, I believe very few (if any) agents would ever say that they are ACTIVELY SEEKING didactic picture book texts.
So if agents aren't looking for "teachy" -- what ARE they looking for?
Stories that are intended to entertain and delight first and foremost. Punchy, funny, warm-hearted texts, preferably featuring a great, kid-friendly main character. If funny isn't your thing, hopefully you've mastered beautifully spare and elegant writing. (Even straight-up nonfiction should be a joy and a pleasure to read!)
Hey, if the character has some entertaining experience and happens to learn a lesson or two organically along the way, fine, but the book should be about the EXPERIENCE -- if the resulting lessons overpower the story, that's a problem.
And if your query SAYS the book "is meant to teach a lesson about ______", that's a huge red flag that signals amateur.
Yeah, you gotta be clever and funny in your didacticism. The thing is, punchy, warm-hearted or funny texts carry messages, too. They're teachy. They're didactic. They're not necessarily SEEN that way because the message is "the norm". Case in point: dressing up like Indians at Halloween? That, in my view, is an organic way for the dominant power structure to retain its power, and its ability to dehumanize American Indians.
Didactic = Dejection... :( {D words are fun to play with. Sorry to be Distracting.}
Anonymous said, on 10/22/2012 10:04:00 AM
I love today's post, Jennifer. I was talking with a new writer this weekend about didactic. He asked, "What happened to the books I love as a kid? Why isn't anyone publishing books like that anymore?" Which led to the question, "Would a series like Berenstain Bears be published today?" Now THOSE are didactic books (the lessons are even in the titles! "Pressure", "The In-Crowd", etc.), but kids still love them today. What's changed? Wouldn't you also put someone else (especially an adult) solving a character's problem in the same no-no category?
I took a children's book writing class with a person near me known for her expertise with PB. The don't be preachy part seemed so obvious when she reminded us that kids are constantly told what to do, when to do it, and what not to do. They have little power in and over their lives. I liked that she reminded us that the PB should give the protagonist power. Using what you've described, I'd say the lessons may be there, but do it through the experience that give the protagonist power.
Debra, I soooo agree with your blogpost! I wonder if we are talking of the same person, or if not, then even more reason to believe what is being said...Newbery Honor Winner, Marion Dane Bauer, gave an incredible teleseminar with Writing for Children Live on picture book writing and said the same thing!!!! Such great advice Jennifer!!!!!
I was thinking of Berenstain Bears too. Oh, how my husband and I hated reading them for their banal prose and hit-you-over-the head obvious lessons. Oh, how both our kids loved to hear them again and again. Made me think that kids find those "lessons" reassuring.
In MG, there are brilliant writers who teach so subtly you don't even know what you're learning. E.L. Konigsburg comes to mind. She somehow brings Savanorola into a contemporary story about -- among many other things -- a vending cart battle. (and that's just one example!)
Oh I definitely know B-Bears is big for kids - still sells like crazy (and I personally remember LOOOOVING them as a kid). There is always going to be a place for this kind of preachy stuff. But the thing is... it exists already, you know? That is the kind of stuff that publishers churn out in their "merch" catalog -- mass market paperbacks, e-z readers, lessony books, books they sell in a bin in the supermarket... often written by editorial assistants under false names. There's nothing WRONG with these books per se, but they are not exactly art, and they aren't the sort of books that agents often rep.
HEY! YOU THERE! PAY ATTENTION, THERE'S A NEW PINKWATER BOOK OUT:
Bushman Lives! tells the tale of Harold Knishke, an ordinary Chicago kid with a special place in his heart for Bushman, the famed departed gorilla of the Lincoln Park Zoo (who now lives in the Field Museum in Chicago).
After a chance encounter at the art museum, Harold decides to change his life. He's not going to be some schlub schoolkid - he's going to be a Great Artist. Also, he's going to figure out why and how he became the object of a famous folk song. Along the way he'll run into magic and mystery and some very weird people.
Another title for this book could have been "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Ape." In his very nice BoingBoing review, Cory Doctorow wrote: "Bushman Lives is, more than anything, a book about art, and a very good one. I'd read Pinkwater all day long even if his absurdist fairy tales were nothing more than odd little stories, but as Bushman Lives proves, Pinkwater's absurdism is a delivery system for profound and important insight that stay with you for years and decades"
Here's the thing about Daniel Pinkwater's books. You have no idea what will be in them. You may know how normal stories unfold, and often while reading you can predict what will happen next and even how the whole thing will come out. I promise you THAT IS NOT THE CASE HERE.
This story will come at you from all angles like some sort of literary starburst. You'll find yourself thinking about it long after it is over. You'll realize after the fact that some of the things you found most absurd in the book are, in fact, totally true. You'll begin to see coincidences and strange occurrences everywhere around you. It may even change the way your mind works forever.
Enjoy. Have fun. Relax. Don't be too freaked out.
BUSHMAN LIVES!
2 Comments on BUSHMAN LIVES!, last added: 10/11/2012
But doesn't half of Daniel Pinkwater's success come from having the last name 'Pinkwater'? Of course kids are going to love an author named Pinkwater. When I decided to become a writer I wanted to change my name to Pinkwater but he'd already taken it.
Dionna said, on 10/11/2012 8:15:00 PM
Can't wait to read it!
Is The One and Only Ivan based on this same gorilla? That book is AMAZING!
Surely, Pinkwater's Bushman Lives will not only be amazing, it'll be REALLY FUNNY, too!!!
I've hosted a LOT of bookstore events over the years, and while most authors do fine, there is still a lot of angst about the reading portion of the event. Authors can be shy-boots or nervous-nellies who are amazing at strutting their stuff on the page, but are afraid to read aloud in front of people.
Deep breathing helps, as does finding friendly faces in the audience and trying to talk to them, as does practicing at home. But there is also something technical you can do beforehand to make sure you are totally prepared and ready to bring the awesome.
One of the biggest problems when reading aloud is that when people are nervous and confused, they rush. If you are rushing, mumbling or fumbling, you will lose your audience. This EXCELLENT advice on slowing down was given to me by the very sensible Bella Stander, founder of Book Promotion 101. (For the record, Bella herself got this advice from her son's bar mitzvah coach. So it is not only useful, but approved by G-d!)
* Decide the section(s) you want to read ahead of time. 90% of authors seem to be seeing their books for the first time when they are asked to read. Confusion reigns - what should I read? Where should I start? What who where wha???! Remember, your goal here is to get people to buy the book, not just read it aloud to them - short and sweet is better than long and disjointed, and it's GREAT to end the section with a cliffhanger "and then what happens?" moment. * Type this selection (or cut and paste) into a clean document. This will also give you the opportunity to edit anything you don't want to include - like if there are references to something that the audience won't understand at this point, or story spoilers. You don't want to have to interrupt your own reading to explain what so-and-so meant by such-and-such, and the audience won't know or care that you skipped a bit.
* Make the font BIG - 18 point type or so, and give each paragraph its own page. The big font and space means you'll be able to see very clearly, you'll be able to look at the audience more and keep your notes further from your face, and you'll be forced to slow down to at least go to a new page between paragraphs. * Now take these pages and put them in plastic sleeves in a loose-leaf binder, and read from THAT. The binder and plastic sleeves mean the notes won't get mixed up and you won't have to fumble for the section you want, and it will be ready for you at a moment's notice... and use anti-glare plastic in case there's a spotlight on you at a podium.
Personally, I love it when people read a few SHORT selections, as I tend to drift off/get bored after a few minutes of straight reading. Luckily, your nifty new Reading Binder can include a variety of selections from the book. Also, if there are fans who know your work well in the audience, you might consider not just reading from the new book, but also giving a sneak peek at whatever you are working on next -- no spoilers of course, but teases can be great fun.
Now go make that binder - don't forget to breathe - and happy eventing!
9 Comments on Author Event Tips: THE READING (of dooooom!), last added: 10/13/2012
I'm unpubbed, but I've done a couple reading events--two for my MFA program and one at the local library--and that's what I've done, except instead of the binder I use my iPad. It's nice not to have to turn pages, and to have the text big enough that you can glance out at your audience more often!
Yes, the iPad can be super helpful. If I am giving a speech, I always have my basic notes on the iPad.
However... I have also had my iPad freak out in the middle of a talk - run out of juice or suddenly flash to a different app when I flick the page wrong or something. I'm used to giving talks and I can get back on track easily, but if I were a truly freaked out author, that might be a problem!
Good advice! I'm horrible at speaking in public. Even just introducing film makers at the cinema I run, or announcing a Q & A freaks me out. I don't know how I'll cope if I ever have to read from my own work. When I read it to myself to see how it sounds I have to put on a phony accent so it doesn't sound like me...
Argh can you please put a Twitter share button after your posts?? Makes it so much easier to share! Lockerz makes a good one (google Lockerz share button for blogger). Just copy the HTML from Lockerz (or whomever) go to you blogger dashboard, to "Layout," click "Add a Gadget," paste the HTML into a blank HTML/JavaScript gadget window, click save, and then drag it to the space below the "Blog Posts."
Just a suggestion. I love your blog. @heidhorch
Dionna said, on 10/13/2012 5:58:00 AM
Tomorrow is my debut book launch! I've copied and pasted my book selection, as you suggested--short but hopefully appetizing! I also put in the selection red double dashes for pausing, different color font for who is talking, and have been practicing out loud, focusing on fluency and naturalness. Thanks for your suggestions!(Still...SO NERVOUS!)
I just did a stirring round of 10 Queries in 10 Tweets (this meme shamelessly stolen from the brilliant Sara Megibow) where I go through the slush pile and tweet my reaction - what the category is, if I am passing or requesting, and why.
I don't do this in "real time" exactly, so it is pointless to try and figure out if I'm talking about you specifically. (I'm not.) I sometimes conflate multiple queries and I do NOT quote directly from query letters, and if there is a point to be made that would require a quote, I invent one to prove the point. I'm not interested in shaming any writers or being snarky or making people feel personally "dissed" -- the point of the exercise is to see the general tenor of the slush pile, the ratio of requests to passes (and the amount of it that's nothing I rep, etc.) I try to be helpful. And it is just MY perspective, I cannot say what any other agents' reactions would be to the exact same query. All that said, here are my takeaways:
* I knew this already, but now it is confirmed: At least half my slush pile is stuff I don't represent or it doesn't follow query guidelines. This is a waste of my time and your own.
* It's been said before, but seriously, if you don't follow query guidelines, or you write a messy letter, you're only hurting yourself. I don't ask for much... what's the problem? Pick one agent at the agency. Put Query in the subject line. Query and first 10 pages in the body of the email. Still, many people don't paste pages in, even though we specifically ask for them. A lot of that is forgetfulness, I reckon, and I realize everyone makes mistakes. Same goes for typos - one, OK sure. More than that? Come on. This is possibly one of the more important emails you can write. Double check spelling, grammar, agent name, and that you've followed guidelines before pressing send!
* Every day I have at least one querier who makes a point of mentioning that they will not share their work unless I reach out and contact them. I guess it's like the writers version of Stranger Danger? They are afraid random agents are going to ... steal their ideas? Or something? This is my best guess. But I don't have the time or inclination to chase after you. And if you're that unclear about how publishing works, I'm afraid we probably won't be a great fit for each other anyway. I can't assess your work if you don't show it to me.
* Of the viable queries that are left, 90% are YA. The thing is, I already represent lots of amazing YA books. This means I am not "hungry" for YA and I am VERY picky. I tend to go through these teen queries very quickly and am less inclined to give a second read or request a full unless it is very much up my alley or something extremely fresh that I've not seen before. It's just chemistry, baby, you know it when you read it. (But to start: GREAT VOICE and AWESOME PREMISE, along with some combo of smarts, wit, tension, high stakes, emotion, terrific writing? Likely to get my attention.) There's a glut, which means YA queries have to really spark, or they aren't going to be requested. Seriously. In fact, I don't just want a spark, I want FIREWORKS.
* Conversely, because I get relatively few Middle Grade queries (and because I really WANT MG) - I tend to consider each MG extra-favorably. These queries very often end up in my "think about" file for a closer and more thoughtful read, and are more likely to end up as full requests. (That doesn't mean I'm taking them all on - just that I'm looking a bit harder at them and giving them an extra chance.)
Is this helpful? I don't know. What would make it more helpful?
11 Comments on 10 Queries in 10 Tweets recap, last added: 10/25/2012
I have nothing to add since this post is brilliant except to reiterate how important double checking your query is. When I queried my first ms a few years ago, I had accidentally typed in the phrase 'highly retarded agent' instead of 'highly regarded agent'. Spellcheck did not catch this. READ YOUR QUERY OUT LOUD.
I found this helpful. So much of the query process on the agent end is a mystery. It made me hopeful as I followed the directions correctly (I'm in the top 50%), but down as my query is for YA. What do you mean by fireworks? A spirited voice? A unique concept?
Again, it's not meant to be dispiriting. It's just a fact: I have a ton of YA. I don't need YA. I can afford to be extremely picky, and so I am.
As for what I'd fall for... I don't know. What makes anyone like anything? It's like, I can say "I like guys who are between 5'8-5'10 with brown hair and green eyes." But I certainly don't like ALL guys who fit that description, and I may like guys who don't fit that description at all. In fact, the chances are quite good that the person I'd fall most in love with would not fit into what I consider "my type" at all. And just like every person is unique, every book is unique. But my fancy is more likely to be struck by something that is not only unique but has some combo of the characteristics I describe in the post.
Dionna said, on 9/30/2012 12:27:00 PM
I've received typos in letters from awesome editors, another author's name in rejections from amazing agents, a different manuscript other than mine named in a contract, seen grammatical errors on respected publishers' websites... All I can say is, I expected the land of publishing to be the hallmark for accuracy of the written word, but have not always found it so, (though it generally is). I've concluded that all this hurried multi-tasking we do makes us ALL mistake-prone. At least, that makes me feel better when I blunder (though I try hard not to!).
I found this EXTREMELY helpful, especially since my query to be coming your way very soon is for MG. It also took a lot of the not so mysterious mystery out of the life of an agent. Simple- do your homework, follow the rules, cross your T's, dot your I's, and you stand a fare chance. Not hard. The easier you make the agent's job, the easier it will be to make it through the slush pile. :)
Marsha, you made me laugh out loud. Comedy = tragedy + time.
Anonymous said, on 10/16/2012 2:44:00 PM
I have a query question: If the submission guidelines say that you will get an automatic email confirming receipt (of your query) but you don't, should you re-query the agent? Or should you just pray to the internet gods and hope for the best? Thanks!
Well, I can only answer for myself. For MYSELF, I know for a fact my auto-responder is on and everyone gets it if their query worked.
So if you DIDN'T get it - your query didn't work, it went into spam or something. Could be you have an email address my spam filter doesn't like (too many numbers or something like that) - you might try again from a different email.
ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick is out in paperback today, with a brand-new look. This is a completely addictive apocalyptic thriller that will leave you breathless... and sleepless. Buy it and read it so you can be ready for the sequel SHADOWS next month!
Gripped me from beginning to end – dark, creepy and suspenseful. -- James Dashner, New York Times Best-Selling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials
A haunting and epic story of survival in a shattered world, ASHES is a must read. -- Michael Grant, New York Times Best-Selling author of Gone
HUNGER GAMES, Schmunger Games! -- me
When an electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky it zaps every electronic device we rely on and kills the vast majority of adults. Those who haven't had their brains fried have certainly had them scrambled and pretty much everyone who is left has changed considerably. (Change can be for good, as in "now has super-human-spidey-sense"... or bad, as in "now has taste for human flesh".)
A few teenagers and children are spared. Among them are Alex, a resourceful teen who was running from her own demons, and now is running for her life; Tom, who left the war in Afghanistan only to find something much worse at home, and Ellie, the angry eight-year-old girl that the two have to rescue. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive.
IF YOU ALREADY READ ASHES BUT NEED A REFRESHER BEFORE SHADOWS COMES OUT, CLICK HERE. WARNING: MASSIVE, MASSIVE, MASSIVE SPOILERS.
2 Comments on ASHES in paperback!, last added: 9/8/2012
This one is arriving on shelves tomorrow from our friends at Feiwel and Friends. So keep your eyes peeled, mateys!
Are you brave enough— and bold enough— for the adventure of your life?
The award-winning author and illustrator team of Eric A. Kimmel and Andrew Glass introduce a new generation of readers to a magnificent and memorable retelling of Herman Melville’s masterpiece, Moby Dick.
A lonely 423-pound boy everyone calls “Butter” is about to make history. This New Year's Eve, he’s going to eat himself to death live on the Internet – and everyone will watch.
When he makes this announcement online, he expects pity, insults, or possibly sheer indifference. Instead, his classmates become morbid cheerleaders for his deadly plan. When that encouragement tips the scales into popularity, Butter has a reason to live. But if he doesn’t go through with his plan, he’ll lose everything.
BUTTER has the relentless immediacy of THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (talk about a ticking clock!), but the keen observations and dark humor of the main character keep the book from becoming grim. I think that the thing that freaked me out most about BUTTER was that I could identify so well with both the bullied... and the bullies. And though I was disturbed by some of the content, I found myself thinking about the book long after I'd turned the last page.
"A gripping debut about J.P. (aka "Butter") who, tired of being the fat kid at school, decides to binge-eat himself to death live on his website, butterslastmeal.com, on New Year's Eve. When Butter is suddenly swept into the 'cool' crowd, he must decide if popularity is worth dying for." --Brandi Stewart, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ
“When does an Internet dare go too far? Erin Jade Lange tackles a timely topic with a hefty dose of in-your-face intensity, tempered by the droll sense of humor from an unexpectedly fierce narrator. Butter’s voice is loud, funny and unapologetic. I cared deeply for him and found myself rooting for him to find a way out of the mess he’d made.” - Daisy Whitney, author of THE MOCKINGBIRDS
“A clever, tender and emotional page-turner! Butter’s sharp and witty narrative had me laughing out loud on one page and broke my heart just as easily on the next. Debut author Erin Jade Lange proves she knows how to tell a story and this is one I won’t be forgetting any time soon.” - Courtney Summers, author of SOME GIRLS ARE and THIS IS NOT A TEST
7 Comments on Happy Book Birthday: BUTTER, last added: 9/20/2012
What an interesting concept. I think people will have to read this one just to see if he goes through with it. I want to know! On the one hand I think how could the author go through with killing this boy off, but on the other hand what an ending that would be and one not soon forgotten. Hmmm...
I love the term "book birhtday." Such a happy little phrase!
Loved this book so much. Since the day I heard you mention it (at the OCCBWW?) I clamored for a chance to get my hot little hands on it. And it was well worth the wait!
And yet more amazing book release news! Wooo! Welcome to the world BLACKWOOD by Gwenda Bond.
On Roanoke Island, the legend of the 114 people who mysteriously vanished from the Lost Colony hundreds of years ago is just an outdoor drama for the tourists, a story people tell. But when the island faces the sudden disappearance of 114 people now, an unlikely pair of 17-year-olds may be the only hope of bringing them back.
Miranda, a misfit girl from the island's most infamous family, and Phillips, an exiled teen criminal who hears the voices of the dead, must dodge everyone from federal agents to long-dead alchemists as they work to uncover the secrets of the new Lost Colony. The one thing they can't dodge is each other.
BLACKWOOD is a dark, witty coming of age story that combines America’s oldest mystery with a thoroughly contemporary romance.
"With whip-smart, instantly likable characters and a gothic small-town setting, Bond weaves a dark and gorgeous tapestry from America's oldest mystery." - Scott Westerfeld, New York Times bestselling author of the Leviathan series
"This haunting, romantic mystery intrigues, chills, and captivates." - Cynthia Leitich Smith, New York Times bestselling author of the Tantalize series
"Miranda Blackwood's battle against her own history is utterly modern—and utterly marvelous. She's truly a heroine all readers can rally behind." - Micol Ostow, author of family and So Punk Rock
"A deft and clever debut! Bond takes some reliably great elements—a family curse, the mark of Cain, the old and endlessly fascinating mystery of the Roanoke Colony—and makes them into something delightfully, surprisingly new. How does she do that? I suspect witchcraft." - Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club
0 Comments on Happy Book Birthday: BLACKWOOD as of 9/4/2012 5:01:00 PM
A couple of years ago I wrote The Big Ol' Genre Glossary. This blog post was intended to be "the last word" on the subject of genre identification, etc. Ha ha, is all I have to say to that.
As you might know if you ever go on internet writing fora, there are some genres and sub-genres that are just fuzzy, and there is a lot of overlap. Five different people might have five very different ideas about what constitutes "paranormal" versus "supernatural" versus "urban fantasy" versus WHATEVER. People can get very anxious about how to categorize their own work. I've had writers say to me, in tones of deadly seriousness, that they know agents will look for any reason to reject, and if they get the sub-genre of their own work "wrong," they will never be taken seriously and agents will hate them. That getting this bit of information "wrong" will be cause for an auto-reject.
Yes! Those terrible, dragon-like AGENTS. Always keen for any small reason to run writers through with a pike and roast them alive, the better for the feasting! Oh you didn't know we get younger every time a writer screams? Yes! Your agony is our elixir! Our blood is thrumming with your pain!
Oh, the guild tells me I was not supposed to say that last part aloud. Please strike it from the record. Also disregard the cackling. Now. In all seriousness.
For the most part... Agents are just people. People who love books, and who want to help facilitate the making of books. People whose job it is to advocate for authors. (That FOR is quite important!). We work with a lot of authors. We LOVE authors. We recognize that authors can sometimes be neurotic. We are not trying to drive authors crazy (or crazier, anyway).
This drama that the internet has cooked up about agents declining you because there was a typo in your query, or because you formatted an email query letter as a business letter complete with home address (or failed to do so), or double-spaced when you meant to single-space... or because you said "dark fantasy" when you meant "urban fantasy" or "paranormal" when you meant "supernatural"? Is just not true.
* First of all, as I mentioned, there is a lot of overlap, and different people have different definitions. If an agent was to decline your work based on that alone? They are not somebody you'd want to work with.
* Tying yourself in knots because of this kind of minutia may be keeping you from looking at the bigger picture, and at things that actually WILL cause agents to accept or decline your work. Things like having a killer pitch and tight, great, polished writing in the actual ms. This is truly what the agent cares about most.
* Some of the most interesting books defy easy categorization. If you have a book that is gorgeously written but also highly commercial, that is a GOOD THING. If as a genre it is something that lies on the crossroads between mystery, romance and fantasy (or whatever) -- that too is probably a GOOD thing, not a bad thing.
* If you have a magical story and you just call it "fantasy" I won't even blink an eye. The default "big category" of Fiction, SF/F, Mystery or YA is actually sufficient information. If you want to get more specific, that's fine. But if you go nuts with it and decide to make up a genre like "high-urban-splatter-steam-rotica"...well if it seems like you're joking, I'll chuckle. If it seems like you are being serious, I'll rollmy eyes. But if the book sounds interesting, even that bit of silliness wouldn't stop me from continuing.
* IN fact I'll go further and contend that "overcategorizing" is self-limiting. If you've written what you consider to be "high-urban-splatter-steam-rotica"... you'll never find an agent who reps that, no matter how much research you do. If you consider your work a "Steampunk inspired paranormal-mystery" you might find a couple of agents who rep all of those categories. But if you just call it FANTASY, wow, suddenly you have a ton of potential people to query, and you can pick and choose who seems like might be the best fit from this larger pool. * So sure, absolutely, give categorizing your best shot. But if you find yourself freaking out over which sub- or sub-sub-genre your work falls into, understand that this is of little concern to agents at the query stage. They care that the story sounds cool and the writing is excellent. And that is where you should be putting your energy.
11 Comments on On Categorization, last added: 9/21/2012
Thanks for this! I know agents are good willed people as a whole, or at least I like to think they are, but this and the query letter in general have been a subject of stress for me.
I'll take your advice and go for the broader category and just call mine YA SF/F. Though I've been told by so&so and whosit my MS cannot be called fantasy because there are aliens and it can't really be sci-fi because there's not enough science in it.
Whatever, I'll let the agents and editors figure it out. Hopefully they'll be bitin' at the bit to read the thing and won't worry about what category it falls into.
Now if I can only figure out how detailed my synopsis should be, b/c THAT actually gives me nightmares. How the hell do I fit a 92,000 wd novel onto one damn page?
I had not thought of sub genre until I read this. So I am glad it is not something to worry about. There is enough out there to bring on the shaky sweats without adding to it. Thank you for sharing this, it was a interesting read and prepared me for the just in cases.
Yeah in that kind of case I'd just call it YA. Good luck!
(And I don't think many people expect a synopsis to be one page, do they? Most that I see are more like 2-3.) (But I am not a synopsis expert because I hate them.)
Lots of fun reading this, Literaticat. Considering my first submission ions ago, a four-thousand word story replete with illustrations, which I labeled "a picture book," it would have been tempting to say it was rejected because of this 'trivial' faux-pas. But I never went there. I learned. As to typos, they're a fact of typing. Any editor or agent that dismisses a query when they spot one will probably miss a whole lot more. Or maybe not. We should be roasted with BBQ sauce for that. So onward, everybody. Just do good work.
Great post, the only thing I am worried about these days is polishing my novel so I beat the odds so to speak, and yes I did print put the list of various genres, sub-genres that was awesome of you to do so, it helps me when I start a new project.
Ten points to anyone who visits their local bookstore today and asks where the high-urban-splatter-steam-rotica is shelved. Bonus points for keeping a straight face.
Thanks for this great post, Jennifer. "Agents are people, too"- how novel!
Definite relief to those of us with a high concept fantasy - especially when we are told it's the most misunderstand/misused term around. I can breathe a sigh of relief and just stick to fantasy. :P
Thanks so much for a lovely post - it's true, agents are human and you find that out from their blogs and following them on twitter (and they have some very funny stories to tell sometimes, too).
And by you passing it along, I got to read it and see that this humorous agent reps picture book authors and that perhaps I just might submit to her! It seems it would be to anyone's advantage to have an agent with a sense of humor.
The interwebs have been abuzz this morning with talk of the attack on agent Pam van Hylckama, allegedly by a writer whose work she'd rejected. (Pam is an agent-pal and I have no reason to doubt her story, btw, but I say "allegedly" because obviously we don't know all the facts in the case and presumably the investigation etc is ongoing and nobody has been found guilty, so. ANYWAY....)
Scary stuff, for sure. My initial reaction is, thank god Pam is ok, and seems to have no more severe injuries than a bruise (and some shattered nerves!) -- and her little dog deserves a huge reward. Hugs to Pam and family.
My second reaction is more selfish. How could this have been avoided? How, indeed, can I personally avoid a situation like this?
It's true that agents do get a lot of crap. I've had authors show up outside my house, authors drop off notes in my home mailbox or at the bookstore (with no postmark - in other words, delivered by hand) authors come talk to me while I am at an event or show up while I am working at the bookstore to ask for advice, authors follow me way too closely in conference hotels, and authors call me on my cell phone. All of which very much freaked me out, but always ended up just being genuinely nice but clueless people who I could explain "look, this is inappropriate" and they get it, or if they don't get it, they at least go away.
I've also certainly gotten my share of thoroughly weird queries and responses to rejections. The query for a thriller about a dude who kills literary agents comes to mind. (eep!) I do not respond to such queries, and I save them in a "In Case I'm Murdered" file. Yanno, to be on the safe side. I've had people snap back and accuse me of being racist or hating men, etc, when I reject them. But I myself have never gotten actual threats, thank god. And 99% of the many, many authors I interact with on a daily basis are delightful and non-freaky.
Let's be clear: The dude who attacked Pam is not a "disgruntled author." He's a CRIMINAL. I'm trying to avoid the obvious word, because I hate when people just say "he's crazy" - (is that a diagnoses, Doctor Internet?)... but the behavior is certainly crazy, whether or not the person is. If the allegations are true, he didn't attack Pam "because she rejected him" -- he attacked her BECAUSE HE HAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM. And, though I don't know him personally and I am not trying to diagnose what that "something wrong" is, it's safe to assume he has emotional and/or psychological disturbances of some kind. This isn't really a case of "authors behaving badly" as it is "unbalanced individuals behaving erratically."
So what to do? Like most people, I try to keep my personal address and phone number off the internet (though strangers still find them with disconcerting regularity). I don't have phone or address on my business cards or website. I don't use 4Square or Facebook "check-in" apps. But still, like many people, I live my life online. I tweet or facebook about places I visit and things I do. And as a semi-public figure, where I work is common knowledge. Because I work all the time, it is easy to figure out where I am, pretty much all the time. Even if I unplugged completely, I still live in a small village, and if you know the name of the village (which is no big secret), you can find me - because I am usually visibly standing somewhere near the center of it! (Of course it is also no big secret that I have a dog who craves the taste of human flesh and would love to bite a stranger on my behalf, and honestly I pity anyone who breaks into my house, so I have little fear on that front.)
I guess the point is -- writers, agents, anyone who lives part of their life in public (which is an ever increasing number of people) -- ALL OF US need to be vigilant. ALL OF US need to watch how much info goes online, and use a certain amount of discretion.
Also, ALL OF US need to be considerate about personal space bubbles -- just as you wouldn't ask a stranger to examine you in line at the supermarket if you found out he was a gynecologist, don't creep around a literary agents house and wait for her to go outside to water the plants so you can ask her questions about your work. There's a time and a place. Don't be a creep.
But you can't really predict or protect against a stranger snapping on you. And you can't live your life in fear. I guess the most we can do is just be as nice as we can to each other?
What do you think?
37 Comments on Semi-rant about Internet Safety, Personal Space Bubbles, etc., last added: 9/25/2012
At some level, crazy and criminal go hand in hand. I don't think they can be separated. I was mugged once, and it takes a long time to get over it. Visibility wasn't an issue. My thoughts go out to Pam.
"Also, ALL OF US need to be considerate about personal space bubbles -- just as you wouldn't ask a stranger to examine you in line at the supermarket if you found out he was a gynecologist, don't creep around a literary agents house and wait for her to go outside to water the plants so you can ask her questions about your work. There's a time and a place. Don't be a creep."
Very well said, Jenn. (I knew you couldn't resist.) Pam's assailant had prior convictions. He IS a criminal. (I really object to the term "author" in headlines for stories about the attack.) And we all need to be careful.
This is such a frightening incident - thankfully, Pam is okay, but you're right, it's an important lesson in being more vigilant.
At RWA Nationals in NYC last year, I WAS the author behaving badly. I was in an elevator and saw a name on a woman's nametag - she was the very first agent who'd ever requested my work. She ended up passing and I went on to sign with another agent. But the thrill of actually meeting the first agent who'd ever said "I want to see more" to me sent me zipping into fangirl mode and I started the "Oh-my-god-it's-you" squealing.
But!
And I emphasize the but...
I saw IMMEDIATELY that I was making her uneasy. She lost her smile. She took a step away from me in an elevator.
I scared her.
I reeled myself in, turned my back and said nothing else. I don't care if that was rude. I was responding to the fear on her face.
It's okay to get excited and even giddy about meeting an agent that may be the one to sign you. It's NOT okay to ever make anyone afraid.
How do you do? My name is Julie. I will not stalk you. I promise. I know that 'no means no'. As a writer, I appreciate you making the distinction between bat-spit crazy and the rest of us. (My interwebs doctorate is forthcoming.)
Thank you. Nicely written. I hope Pam is feeling better today and can feel safe again soon.
Aww - I am sure she understood. It is too easy to slip into fangirl mode! (When I've had a drink, ask me to tell you about the time I accosted Nathan Lane at a theatre and made him freeze like a deer in the headlights!)
I was on twitter when Pam's tweets came through. Truly horrible. This kind of nastiness, or even the lower grade stalking you describe is so damaging to everybody. Because I have been on the receiving end in my otherwise life, I've been shy of interacting with agents/editors even when it is appropriate to do so (in conferences).
BTW - thank you for making the distinction about why the wingnut attacked. I am aghast at some of the "Writers! Don't physically assault agents!" rhetoric flying around.
MaryAnn a.k.a JAustenwannabe said, on 9/14/2012 11:06:00 AM
What do I think? I think what happened to your friend is just awful, and I'm so sorry. You should not have to live your life in fear, simply because of your job. The person who attacked her is nuts and/or a real dirt ball.
Tell her, for what it's worth, MaryAnn says--stay strong and don't let the boneheads of the world keep you from living your life exactly the way you want to.
The gynecologist in the grocery store isn't going to "help make me **famous**" (<-- you have to picture this with glitter, sparkles, and rainbow unicorns), but many people think an agent will.
Likewise, TV and movies have never shown persistence paying off when random characters stalk their gynecologist, but if the "determined" individual dogs the judge, agent, school official demanding another chance at greatness until the other person inevitably capitulates, then they're showing moxie. They're praised for not giving up until they find the perfect approach that will convince the other person of their greatness.
You and a few other agents spoke about this at LeakyCon and that was the first time I realized just how much crap you guys have to put up with! It's scary stuff. I'm glad she's okay and hope nothing like this happens again.
Toni said, on 9/14/2012 11:11:00 AM
This is truly horrifying. Thoughts and prayers to Pam.
But it does open a conversation about how much we know about the digital footprints we leave behind every single time we're online. Whether just logging into a network (personal or public) and interacting with others online, there is a trace left behind. And anyone can pick up that trace and follow it. Scary.
I may be researching this very topic for my current WIP and have become rather paranoid. I'm making some changes ASAP.
I am very careful not to mix business and pleasure. When I was on the lookout for an agent, I never, NEVER pitched my book to them outside of proper pitching channels (e.g., query), even though I met them in various places. Pam is a professional who continued business as usual even right after this incident. I'm glad they caught the crazy who assaulted my agent!
Thank you, thank you! I've been wound up all morning about how he, as an "author," is being compared to the rest us. What really gets to me are the tweets that say, generally, "Authors! Don't attack agents!" Um, we don't! *sigh* Anyway, I'm so glad its not just me.
Mara said, on 9/14/2012 11:31:00 AM
Someone broke into my house and all my dog did was pee on the floor. (Okay, the someone was my friend using the spare key to leave me cookies on my birthday, but still . . .)
This was a great post and I absolutely agree! This was so horrible, but there just wasn't something right with this man. I think most of the authors/writers I know would NEVER EVER think of doing something like this!
Sometimes I do wonder where common sense goes, though...
LOVED this: "ALL OF US need to be considerate about personal space bubbles -- just as you wouldn't ask a stranger to examine you in line at the supermarket if you found out he was a gynecologist, don't creep around a literary agents house and wait for her to go outside to water the plants so you can ask her questions about your work. There's a time and a place. Don't be a creep."
It's so true. I have my doctor's cell phone because we've become friends, but I refuse to harass her when I have questions! I should say also this is one of those reasons I don't give my students my cell phone either.
Thanks for posting this!
Anonymous said, on 9/14/2012 11:47:00 AM
I was a small gift shop owner in a renovated downtown area. Not far from my shop was an old hotel that housed many who were, unfortunately, mentally ill. I dealt with them daily. Most were on their meds and were okay. But once in a while, someone came in, off their meds, sometimes hallucinating (it was obvious), and it was scary as hell. The point I'm making, though it isn't a politically correct notion, is that there isn't a place for those who are truly dangerous and mentally unstable to go. Being rejected was just a catalyst for this “author” guy to "go off." Normal people (and I use the term loosely) do NOT stalk other people, and as writers, do NOT go off the deep end because of a rejection.--Sharon Davidson
I've wondered about "living your life out online" before -- on one hand, it's great to have publicity, and build relationship circles that could help in later book promotions, etc., but... it's also dangerous! One has to wonder, which do you choose -- the easier route to having a platform, or the safer one of being relatively unknown?
Most immediately, thank goodness Pam is fine. It certainly is a grim reminder of the dangers of living too openly online. But I especially love your call for all of us to be as nice as we can be to one another, I agree.
I feel so very sorry for this agent. I wish the solution was for everyone to just be nice, but some people don't need much to set them off, whether you're nice or not. Sometimes being nice is seen as an invitation for people to be creepier and cross the line. I'm not saying everyone should be cold and mean, but it's important to be professional and set boundaries. It is also important to respect other people's boundaries and try not to take it as a personal affront.
I had a stalker in college (this was before 4square) who tried to break into my house (my dog was also the hero), and it was the scariest day of my life. I think any agent--or any person for that matter--who receives a death threat or encounters behavior that leaves a bad feeling in the pit of their stomach, should report it to the police. Most of all, I hope Pam realizes this was not her fault.
Truly frightening. So glad she contacted the police, and so glad they didn't assume it was random.
I really like the distinctions you made here -- this isn't a problem with authors, it's a problem with unbalanced individuals. And it didn't happen because she rejected him - it's because of the choice HE made.
Yes, yes, ma'am. Threw a few tips about social media safety on my blog today, especially about domain names leading to your home address--a whole lot of people don't know about that one.
The bigger issue is HOLY COW calling this guy a rejected author. It is to laugh. He's a felon. (Allegedly.)
We take reasonable precautions, we draw boundaries, then we live. I'm not going to cut myself off from the ability to interact with Laurie Halse Anderson, David Lubar, Steven Malk, and surprisingly, Deepak Chopra. All of whom I've talked with on Twitter.
Also The Original Old Spice Guy, but we won't go there. *sigh*
I love how resilient Pam has been about this, and how pragmatic you are.
I'm so glad she's okay. When I first read the twitters on what happened, I was concerned for her safety. Now, I'm not really anyone but I once had someone email a letter asking for my opinion on this one scene. This person knew I was an author. I still remember the sick feeling in my stomach as I read the details on how to kidnap a child around my son's age. Even the police said it was creepy as this person described my son in detail. I don't usually post any info on him and after this experience I try not to give any info on him.
Pam's experience really is scary. And you are so right. The guy who did this is a criminal.
I'm so glad she's okay and kuddo to her dog who protected her.
A change in perception is definitely necessary. Agents aren't our besties, our all-purpose resources, or our "gateways" to fortune and fame. They are professionals doing their job and they need to be treated as such.
This scenario was obviously a severe one, but the sense of entitlement among a lot of aspiring authors needs to be continually addressed. I'm so glad Pam is okay, and we can all definitely benefit from being aware of our surroundings, how much we post and where, but none of this is her fault. It's the fault of the person who *chose* to stalk and attack her. And that behavior needs to stop on the stalker's end, just like angry email responses need to stop on the writer's end.
You guys are professionals. We need to be professionals too.
This is part of the reason why I prefer a penname (or two). Sure, the super-duper-hacker-stalker can probably figure out who you really are and find you, but at least it's not just all right there on peoplefinder.com or whatever. You just never know what you random thing you write about or tweet about or what decision you make might end up flipping someone's crazy switch.
Be strong. Be smart. Be safe. And/or own a killer dog.
Social media bothers me because it's constantly defaulted to show waaaaay too much about you on line to random strangers. I think reasonable caution is important (although I know that all kinds of creepy info is out there, even if YOU aren't the person who put it out there.) So...be careful about what you post, but also get a dog with big teeth, like you have?
I'm sorry to hear about the attack--I was rather horrified when I heard about it. I hope she's able to feel safe again soon.
First of all I am so dismayed by what happened to Pam. I'm so very glad she's (mostly) okay.
My general feeling about life on the Internet has always been that crazy people are crazy people. They can find you online or they can follow you home from the grocery store. I don't see any extra danger in living online.
I still can't believe someone did that. I've heard stories of authors sliding pages under the doors in bathroom stalls, and stuff like that, but this, literally made me want to find the guy and punch him in the face and say YOU'RE GIVING AUTHORS A BAD NAME! His actions ARE crazy.
Please protect yourself, and be safe. I love all you agents (even when you reject me). You guys offer so much knowledge, and giveaways, and you're so cool at conferences. I'm so glad Pam was okay!
Oh my God, that story is really freaking me out! I'm so sorry for Pam, that must have been incredibly traumatizing.
How are these people getting this personal home address information? That's what boggles my mind. I've never seen any agent put that kind of information online so I'm assuming it must be hackers, but I still don't understand how they're doing that. It's terrifying, and the fact that people have showed up on your doorstep raises all the hairs on the back of my neck.
"Criminal" is a better word. I wrote an article about this at The Indie Times. http://www.theindietimes.com/2012/09/take-rejection-well/
Anonymous said, on 9/24/2012 2:16:00 PM
It is hard to get a rejection letter, but there are so many industries where people are going through the same things writers are. Singers, songwriters, actors are just a few and in this economy, the word no is heard a lot. Thick skin is needed. I agree this person is a criminal and should be treated as such. He just happens to be a criminal who is a writer.
While some of you wonder how you can be found, it is not hard. It is scary, but in reality if someone wants to find you, they will. And that goes for anyone. Not just people who deal with the public. While I keep a P.O. Box for my book website, I also have a full time job. Every company has their own websites with addresses, etc. So you're out there with your bio, picture and right where someone can find you. Everyone gets warned about Facebook and Twitter, but I think poor decisions about what you say and how you represent your brand is what I am more personally worried about. I've found websites without telephone numbers and while it's frustrating if you really need to speak with someone, you can Google and find an address and telephone number through rating companies and local address and map companies. We need to protect ourselves and our families as much as we can. Unfortunately, there is always going to be people who'll try to hurt us.
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1 Comments on Happy Book Birthday to SHADOWS by Ilsa J Bick, last added: 9/25/2012
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0 Comments on Drama Llama Rejectorama as of 1/1/1900
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Yup.
Nice to hear the professionals in the biz discussing this as I'm hearing more and more about these kinds of scams all over the place. I'll be sure to point someone to this link the next time I hear someone is offered this type of deal and asks, "So, what do you think? Should I do it?"
This is very good to know- thanks for posting it.
Good advice!
On a minor note, when one submits a query to your agency, do you get an automatic conformation email? Or do you simply wait? (I queried and got no conformation so I wanted to make sure my server didn't eat it.)
Never would have expected this. Thanks for the warning.
Would think this is common sense if you've done your industry research, but sadly, that's not true. Thanks for posting!
Looking back at my spreadsheets and lists, it is SCARY how many "Young, Hungry Agents" are no longer agenting, after only a few years.
Agents are SALESMEN. You don't want somebody who understands how you feel, you want somebody who understands what you write and has contacts. Lots of contacts. Or is apprenticed to and mentored by someone with lots of contacts.
Thanks for this post. SO IMPORTANT.
You give on-the-nose good advice. Always.
Representing myself, I figured that if by chance I misjudged a publisher I had submitted to and publisher makes an offer and I realize I can't go with them- I can reject the offer. This happened a few times, mostly because I was a novice, or because of outright misrepresentation. (Two publishers listed in a market Guide that says it sifts out subsidy, and back then not listed on P&E, turned out to make offers that could only be called subsidy.)
But how to weed out the not-so-all-right agents? Confidentially, I have heard some hard to swallow stories from writing friends. These were about well established agents. When I represent myself I know I will do it with integrity and taste that honors my work. But having someone else do it requires a lot of trust that they too will be honorable.
So any and all "tips" are valuable.
Great advice. It's interesting to know that some legit agents do handshake agreements, but I think I would be uncomfortable without a formal agreement. Heck, if I were an agent, I would still be uncomfortable without a formal agreement.