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STATUS: I'm feeling this strange desire to belt out Men At Work songs. Wait, that's because I'm jet lagged and actually in Australia!
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK by Sting
Last Thursday, Angie and I got a chance to do informational interviews at the Denver Publishing Institute. As 2002 grads (and I can't believe it's been that long!), we were happy to give back by chatting with the graduating students looking for careers in publishing and specifically those who were interested in agenting.
I did about 15 interviews and during the day, I have to say that something completely crystalized for me.
Q: What does it take to be a good literary agent? A: The ability to handle conflict.
Q: What does it take be a happy literary agent? A: The ability to be sanguine about all the conflict you deal with on a daily basis.
I know. This should have been obvious but I had never boiled it down to the above. Ninety percent of agenting is troubleshooting and do conflict resolution.
And I'm not exaggerating.
An agent's job is to be the author's advocate. Plain and simple. And that means it's the agent's job to sometimes be the "bad guy" so the author can have a warm and fuzzy relationship with his/her editor and publisher.
The agent is the person who says the tough things when they need to be said.
So if you are by nature, a conflict avoider, then being a literary agent is not going to be a happy job for you. It's not like anyone loves conflict (or maybe some folks do!) but some folks are more hard wired to deal with it with equanimity.
Definitely something to keep in mind if you want to pursue this particular career.
16 Comments on Hard Wired For Conflict Equanimity?, last added: 8/11/2011
Yes, this is a great point. It still amazes me how ambitious my agent is, how up-front, direct, and non-fluffy she is when she needs to be. She protects me and I lubs her. I, on the other hand, am Ms. Thank-You-Sir-May-I-Have-Another.
I know you had a post in there somewhere too, but... you know. Australia. We don't get a lot of spiffy visitors, especially of the publishing world variety. Have fun!
What about conflict with clients? I'd hope that it wouldn't come up very often, but if you work with confrontational clients, I imagine interactions get heated at times. How do you handle those clients?
This is SO TRUE and, like you, I'd never crystalized the job in quite this way before. I've linked to this post on my blog today, which is also about the requirements for being a literary agent!
Good points. I think a lot of people think agenting must be this glowing, happy-type job because you get to represent books you love. But the deals don't happen by magic. They don't realize that you're salespeople who must have the ability to push and argue on our behalf. I can't imagine you'd succeed if you were weak-willed or avoided conflict.
I can see from the comments that I'm far from the only one who said, "Ooh! Australia! How exciting!"
Melbourne is a great city - sorry about the rain :) I was there for the Melbourne Writers' Festival last year and it was my habit of eavesdropping on public transport that made me realise how artsy it really is.
Louise Curtis
Lucy said, on 8/10/2011 4:14:00 PM
@ Jessie
The question is answered from time to time on agent blogs, but it hasn't come up for a while, so I'll give you what I remember.
You do not have to have a license, or a degree to become an agent--one of the reasons so many questionable/inexperienced/damaging agents exist is precisely because of the lack of regulation. I'm assuming you don't want to be any of the above.
Most people who go on to become reputable (and respected) agents follow a career track that either begins as an agency intern, or in an entry-level position in a publishing house. With the former, the would-be agent is mentored through the ranks, often moving through an assistant-ship into supervised agenting, and eventual partnership or at least working "on their own." For those who take the publishing track, a corresponding rise through the editorial departments--preferably for a recognized, reputable publisher--is the most common, though experience in sales and marketing shouldn't be overlooked.
Many agents do not make enough sales to have agenting as their only job; those that do, tend to work what probably comes close to 80-hour weeks, if all the query/partial/full manuscript reading is included.
I never realized conflict was such a huge factor. I guess you have to be very skillful in being confrontational, but still remain likable so editors will want to work with you...lol...I met you at Backspace last year and you're certainly pleasant so I know you've got that aspect down to a science :-)
I have a friend who runs a retail store, and in the course of a conversation I asked what her bestselling items were. She laughed and said that until recently she would have been convinced it was the red bracelet, but after running reports just the night before she was shocked to learn that not only was she wrong, but so wrong that the biggest seller wasn't even on her radar.
The only thing she could attribute her mistake to was perception v. reality. Because she had recently sold two red bracelets and heard many other customers comment on how lovely it was, she was convinced it had to be a hot item. Thanks to inventory tracking software, however, she's always able to keep on top of the truth about her business, something that makes the difference, a big difference, in success versus failure. If she had ordered based on perception she would have a backlog of red bracelets and hardly enough yellow necklaces, her true bestseller, to meet demand.
Understanding the importance of reality is important for any business owner to be successful, and that means you too, authors. It's so easy to get caught up in the letters we receive from readers and the good reviews for our books. Those are the things that keep you writing and excited about your work, but five people writing to tell you that your series is amazing and asking for more books does not mean your series is a bona fide success. It's simply your perception of how successful the series is, or should be. The reality can only be seen in your numbers. Five people aren't going to make a book a bestseller. Heck, they aren't even going to make it worthwhile to self-publish. However, it is quite possible that five people could write to you, begging for more, and 50,000 more buy your book. Now you have numbers and numbers are reality.
Let's face it, reality is often one of the hardest things to face, but facing it head-on is what will help you achieve the success you want. Facing reality means you know what your career looks like, and knowing the truth can help you make decisions, the right decisions, about your future.
Jessica
15 Comments on Perception v. Reality, last added: 8/1/2011
I had a similar problem when i had a small side line business selling Amish made items. A few folks would ask for a certain item, id order it and they would never come back. So they stayed with me until i had to reduce them in price to move them out. Richard
At the same time, one person detesting one's novel doesn't mean it stinks. I know people who hate Harry Potter novels. Hate them.
Everyone's boat does not float the same way. However, finding out WHY a book does appeal may help one capitalize on the magic of it eventually, even if the book itself is never published (or is not successful).
With head bent over keyboard it is very hard, when coming up for air, to not have the perceptions of my work, skewed by my immersion in the characters and their lives. It is when I allow readers in I begin the process of understanding - oh is that what I said? Perceiving career is something else again. Sifting through what I want via dreams and what I get from really is often quite different. I have learned, and it has been a tough process, reality is always better simply because it’s real.
The same could be said about e-mails in the other direction, the bad e-mails. In other words, four or five readers write scathing e-mails about something they hated in a book. It happens, even when sales are good. You have to consider the reality of that, too, and never get caught up in it.
Well, I'd much rather bask in the praise my agent and editor give me and believe everyone else thinks like they do. Ha! :)
But seriously, holding on to a positive perception of your work is motivating. It's true you can't delude yourself into thinking your book is all that and a bag of chips just because one reviewer said so, but you CAN hold that glowing review in your heart and continue to savor the warm fuzzy feeling it gives you. That's real, too.
I perceive my jean size to be an eight; reality begs to differ. Elizabeth has a great point; find a writer’s group to review your work. A critical observation or two wrapped in a supportive environment not only strengthens a WIP, but keeps your goal firmly planted in reality.
So true - but, since I have a Vasculitis disease, I would go for the red. Ummm... and even in my reading I go against popular demand. So it is good to have something for everyone. ;-)
Interesting post. I think that's why it's a good idea to get more than one critique and to always be open to concrit. There has to be a balance, but you don't want to live in your own world of supposed perfection.
As Grace reported a few weeks ago, I was promoted to the position of Fiction Editorial Director. I've been asked by different people what this means in terms of my day-to-day job, so I thought I'd briefly outline it here.
-I am now overseeing our Middle Grade and Young Adult lists. The "Fiction" in my title is a bit misleading, as technically I would also oversee MG and YA nonfiction, but as we publish very little nonfiction at Little, Brown in general, we thought it was cleaner to just say "Fiction". This means running the novel portion of editorial meeting, approving which projects go to our acquisitions meetings, and then giving my recommendation at that meeting. Overall, I'm tasked to help shape our fiction list in terms of balance of titles (literary vs commercial, MG vs YA, making sure the books we sign up don't compete directly with each other in terms of subject matter, etc.).
-I will still be editing picture books (I couldn't give that up!), but my focus will be on MG and YA.
-Instead of just one person (my assistant) reporting to me, I have three other editors as direct reports. This means approving more paperwork (expense reports, contract requests, etc.), reviewing copy and P&Ls, etc., more annual performance reviews, responding to MG/YA-related requests/questions/emails, and so on.
-In general, I have more meetings, including attending jacket meeting in its entirety (rather than just for my individual titles), list planning meetings, and weekly updates with each editor.
-Because of my increased administrative duties, I may eventually have to tighten my own title list, and potentially acquire fewer books. I haven't passed any of my books on to other editors yet (I love all my books, so it's hard to give any up!), but I may in the near future. I do want to say that when deciding which projects to pass on, I'm mainly looking at which books are a good fit taste-wise with another editor, and which projects I feel another editor could manage as well or better than myself, especially considering my own increased workload.
I'm excited about the challenges of the new position, but I will say that I never really had this job as a career goal (and those of you who know me know how much I love goal setting!). There are some editors who want to be publisher some day. I've never been one of them. To be perfectly honest, I would have been happy being at the Executive Editor level for a long time--maybe for the rest of my publishing career, because the editing part of my job has always been my favorite. But at the same time, when this opportunity presented itself, I weighed my options, and it felt like a good move for me, a job where I could still do the editing I love, but also learn the business side a little more, to mentor more, and to help shape a list.
We'll see what this new position will bring!
5 Comments on Editorial Director, last added: 7/12/2011
Kidd, who says Brunetti’s relative obscurity is due mainly to the fact that he’s not much of a self-promoter, has been badgering the cartoonist to submit a book proposal for more than a decade. “He doesn’t have a defining book. That’s a big moment for a cartoonist,” Kidd said. “And Ivan has a masterpiece in him; it’s just getting him to do it.”
Yep.
0 Comments on austinkleon:
Cartoonist Ivan Brunetti in his studio
Kidd, who... as of 1/1/1900
Last night my partner brought me flowers and tools: diagonal pliers to replace the ones he broke, and joint pliers because mine do not work very well. Another woman might have offered an evil eye for a gift of tools, but for me it was perfect.
Embrace who you are.
I learned a long time ago that I don’t fit in the usual boxes. To some people, like my sister, my having nine careers in thirty-four years seems flighty and unfocused. Others see my ability and willingness to shift lanes as adventurous. For me, it has just been the natural progression of my life.
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller
So often we become stuck in society’s boxes of what is acceptable or what is required of us to move forward. Almost every writer experiences these judgments at some point. When leaving a well paying corporate job to work from home. The stigma of following a creative passion versus a good business position. The credentials needed to fulfill a dream.
A friend once told me, “If God gave you the inspiration you are already qualified.”
The world is in a topsy-turvy state. We are in a flux where no one decision is the “right” one. Work for yourself or someone else? Stay in the business world or pursue creative drive? Print publications or eBook? What kind of platform works best and is FaceBook really necessary? With the economy constantly shifting, the benefits of long-term employment no longer secured and conventional marketing loosing ground society has no choice but to roll with the shifting sand.
Don’t be stressed, be happy!
This chaotic state offers us the gift of choosing our own way, the space to create new paradigms. It is as if a big, dry-erase pad is sweeping through all the old, tired models and leaving us with a big, blank board. The only question is…
So far this week I’ve covered why people might want to self publish (and when they shouldn’t), and I’ve offered a step-by-step guide to the process. One big question remains—how can you turn a self-published book into a success story?
Since I just released my books, I can’t claim success yet. If you want to follow along with my story, I’ll be reporting updates on my personal blog on Wednesdays.
In the meantime, I can tell you my plan. First though, some comments from experts:
On the Behler Blog, Lynn Price acknowledges changes to the industry, but offers a warning to self-publishers: “The big advance money is drying up and the big guys aren’t buying the kinds of books they did years ago.… [However] It’s one thing to heed the call to the battle cry and chant ‘death to publishers!’ and quite another to actually go out and do it. And be successful.”
Self-pub superstar Amanda Hocking adds her own warning: “Traditional publishing and indie publishing aren’t all that different, and I don’t think people realize that. Some books and authors are best sellers, but most aren’t. It may be easier to self-publish than it is to traditionally publish, but in all honesty, it’s harder to be a best seller self-publishing than it is with a house.”
On the other side, Joe Konrath writes adult mysteries. He started in traditional publishing but has become totally gung ho about self-publishing. He sees no reason why anyone would want a traditional publishing contract today. On the other hand, he fully admits that success takes a big dose of luck. He often features guest authors sharing their success stories. These are primarily adult genre authors, but it’s still interesting to see what people do—and often how little difference a big publicity plan makes.
Along with luck, Joe says you need a well-written book, a great cover, a strong blurb describing it, and a good price point. He considers the e-book ideal $2.99, the lowest price at which you can get Amazon’s 70 percent royalty rate (it drops to 30 percent for cheaper books). You can judge my covers for yourself and check out the description and sample chapters of the writing at my Amazon page. Now let’s run some numbers to figure out that price point.
I can price my work as a $2.99 e-book and make $2 per book with Kindle’s 70 percent royalty rate. My traditionally published books are available on the Kindle, but at $5.99 for each of the Haunted series (the paperback price) and $8.80 for The Well of Sacrifice (hardcover price $16). I don’t get many sales that way, but many people complain that e-books are overpriced. (For an explanation of why, check out this post by former agent Nathan Bransford.) With The Eyes of Pharaoh and Rattled, people may be more likely to try the lower-priced books.
POD copies will be priced higher, because of printing costs. I can price Rattled at $7.99 which earns me $.92 for
2 Comments on Earning Money from Self-Publishing, last added: 3/18/2011
It’ll be interesting to read your updates and see what you think of self publishing as time goes on. Thanks for sharing on this topic that seems like it’s on everyone’s minds right now.
Parker Peevyhouse said, on 3/18/2011 1:35:00 PM
I think so too. Hope this turns out well for you, Chris. Can’t wait to hear more in the future.
Look for an "American Idol" (greatest hits album to drop on March 15, featuring popular singles from stars that got their start on the show — Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, and more…though unfortunately missing is Jennifer... Read the rest of this post
STATUS: I think my telephone’s handset is permanently glued to my left ear. Way too much phone time over the last few days.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? THE LOVECATS by The Cure
Wrapping up the fun facts tonight!
Mari Mancusi—It took me over two years to convince her publisher to buy the fourth book in the Blood Coven Vampire series. Then they did, repackaged the back list with new covers and now the series is doing great and we are up to having recently sold book eight!
Lisa Shearin—who has well over 100,000 copies in print for her Raine Benares series had a ton of passes while on submission for MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND because the editors didn’t like the “fun voice.” It wasn’t the “norm” in fantasy.
Shanna Swendson—Gets regular royalty checks for her Enchanted Inc. series even though the first book published more than 5 years ago. Talk about evergreen!
And I have a ton of other facts that will probably never see the light of day but this has been fun to recap.
Kristin, Kind of off subject, but I just wanted to say thank you. I've been following your blog, taking your advice and I was just signed by an agency in New York! I thought maybe you would enjoy reading what it feels like for the other side here.http://ranunculusadventure.blogspot.com/ Thank you so much for all your advice, humor and encouragement. It really did make a difference.
Kind of sad to read about a publisher complaining that a fantasy book wasn't 'the norm', while mostly what we read is that no one wants the norm anymore and we had better be completely unique.
I've really enjoyed these fun facts. As an aspiring writer, I know there's no "magic" formula to getting published, but I still get a vicarious thrill whenever I hear about how authors signed on with their agent.
And in your case, Agent Kristin, these stories were particularly fascinating!
Fun series! Also this blog is like college, like a degree in publishing. If you want to be an experter in this area, you just have to read it every single day! I was rejected twice by your agency kristin, but I cannot thank you enough for this blog and the free advices. I found a publisher in Portugal. Wish me luck! Tânia
STATUS: Today was a whirlwind of good news and I actually knocked 2 things off my To Do List. I’m flying high tonight.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? THE WEDGE by Dick Dale
Courtney Milan—next to Chutney, Courtney has the cutest dog on the planet! Seriously, most of you know that Courtney came my way via a recommend from Sherry Thomas but then I met her in person and the Chicago Romance Writers Conference. I was impressed on many fronts.
Paula Reed—is the only client where I found her! I read an article about teachers and Columbine High School in the Denver Post and she was profiled. In the article, she mentioned she was writing a romance so I reached out to her. Now she writes literary historical fiction.
Sarah Rees Brennan—I was the only agent she queried for The Demon’s Lexicon series. Every day I’m thrilled and amazed that it was so!
Kim Reid—I met Kim at the Pikes Peak Writers conference and I think I physically groaned when she said she had a memoir to pitch (she won’t let me live that down!). Her memoir NO PLACE SAFE is one good reason why I’m proud to be a literary agent.
I got him as a puppy the day that Kristin held the auction for my first book. When she called me to give me the update, he had never heard my cell phone ring before, and he was so shocked that he peed all over the bed.
I was a little distracted for that call, but I wasn't about to beg off!
So glad to hear these successes of yours; they're very exciting! You represent Jamie Ford, whose book I love, so from that (and from much more that I've learned about you over the years, especially via this blog) I have proof that you are a very good literary agent and deserving of success. CONGRATULATIONS!
These are so cool to read. Now I think my browser is doing something weird, because I see 2 Take 3's, one for the 20th of Jan, and one for today. The one for the 20th starts off with Courtney Milan. I'm sure whatever it is though, is just me.
STATUS: Hey, winter decided to show up, briefly, in Denver today. It snowed. I already miss out near 60 degree weather already.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? GIVE PEACE A CHANCE by John Lennon
The Gals of Killer Fiction (all former Dorchester authors) are giving away free eBooks because finally, it’s their books to give away. (For the history, click on this link.) Two of my authors, Jana DeLeon and Leslie Thompson are participating. Nothing wrong with the word “free” in this case so you might want to check it out.
And that leads me to back to some more fun facts to share.
Lucienne Diver—was already publishing under a pseudonym when I convinced her to do the Vamped Series in her own name.
Carolyn Jewel—has never missed a deadline (which has me convinced that she has mastered the art of cloning)
Leslie Langtry—was skeptical of literary agents and gave me the most detailed questions I’ve ever received when offering representation. And if you know Leslie, who is probably the author most likely to buy you a beer and hug you, you’d realize just how strange that is!
Marie Lu—was an attendee I met at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference. She submitted sample pages to her first novel which I passed on (sensing a theme here!). Then I took her on for a novel that I wasn’t able to sell. Now her debut YA, LEGEND, is one of Penguin’s big books for this fall. Talk about paying some dues.
Thank you so much for the link. I feel like an e-book dinosaur as this is my first experience with Smashwords. My new Kindle will be flexin' its muscles this weekend. :)
Also, I sat in on Sara's Writer's Digest session last week (linked from one of your blog posts). It was an eye opener!
LEGEND couldn't have happened without Kristin's expert editing and advice. Agents who can act as your first editor before submission are worth their weight in gold!
STATUS: Ack! Can’t believe it’s 5 already. Where did the day go?
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? CALLING ALL ANGELS by Train
Once an author is established, it’s kind of hard to think of them as having a beginning but every successful author has a fun fact about their beginning. I thought it might be fun to share today.
Gail Carriger—Four years before she sent me SOULLESS, I had read a YA novel from her, passed on the manuscript but sent along a letter with feedback. She remembered that fondly and so queried me with SOULLESS.
Ally Carter—I signed Ally for a novel (adult) that we’ve never shopped.
Sara Creasy—(who by the way was just nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award—HUGE!!!) I made her revise SONG OF SCARABAEUS twice before I signed her and then went on to sell it.
Jana DeLeon—For her first book, RUMBLE ON THE BAYOU, had an editor who so wanted to buy her. Got shot down at her house. It sold elsewhere but just recently, this editor asked for every book she’s written since so she would have them on her vaca. Oh yes, we obliged@
Simone Elkeles—had only one offer to buy PERFECT CHEMISTRY. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to sell it!
Jamie Ford—When he first submitted HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET, he had the manuscript entitled THE PANAMA HOTEL. Sounds like it’s set in Latin American. We went through about 100 titles before settling on the one it was published with before submitting it to editors. Now people can’t imagine any other title for it. One bad suggestion was Burning Silk—after the one scene where Japanese women start burning their wedding Kimonos after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Janice Hardy—Sold me on her manuscript during the 10-minute pitch session at the Surrey Writers Conference. Right after the pitch appt. I called my assistant (Sara at the time) and asked her to send it to me the minute it came in. She did. I read it and immediately offered rep for it. It’s rare to take on a novel from a pitch session but it happens.
Fun and unique histories--just like the authors! I notice there aren't any stories of someone who re-queried a massively over-hauled manuscript years after a pass. Now I'm wondering if I dare attempt to give you a new data point!
Wow. That's very interesting. Thank you for sharing! Four of the authors on that list are some of my very favorite. The others I just haven't read yet. I'll have to fix that.
I love collecting these kinds of stories, and it's even better when I'm familiar with the authors involved! Can't wait to see more tomorrow (today by this point, I think--so even better).
Interesting to read how things evolve. I can't imagine Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet anything else. And in this case, though I'm not always like this with all books, it was the cover and the title that caught my attention and made me want to read it.
Jen Zeman said, on 1/20/2011 9:24:00 AM
This is so encouraging!! Thanks for sharing.
Anonymous said, on 1/21/2011 4:27:00 PM
"the one scene where Japanese women start burning their wedding Kimonos after the bombing of Pearl Harbor"
I've been seeing this book around, but this is the line that I think has convinced me to pick it up.
I’m curious about the opinion you and Kim have about the rise in e-books and the rights therein. Is this an issue authors should pay closer attention to, or is it strictly agent territory—or perhaps, is it the responsibility of both parties?
There is nothing in this business that is “strictly agent territory.” As the author and owner of your business (your author brand), it is imperative that you learn about the business and keep yourself apprised of what is going on. When I look at those authors who have truly achieved success, there is one thing all of them have in common, and that’s knowledge of publishing as a business. That doesn’t mean they necessarily understand every clause in a contract (a smart author also surrounds herself with smart people), but she does make an effort to understand the contract as a whole, the rights she’s licensing to others, and what the options are for her career. She works as a team with those smart people she’s hired, which means she has conversations with her agent about the contract and the rights that are being licensed, she discusses design and style with her website designer, and she works hand in hand with her publicist to come up with the next brilliant publicity idea.
So the answer is a resounding: It’s the responsibility of both parties to understand and seek knowledge about not just digital rights, but all rights as they pertain to the book.
Jessica
1 Comments on Strictly Agent Territory, last added: 11/29/2010
I'm seeing more of a new model now where a small/medium press will offer new writers an ebook only contract with a 50/50 royalties split, and if it does well enough, a print contract (with advance) is offered.
1) would agents typically be interested in representing authors with this type of contract, or only if there is an up front advance being offered?
and
2) I guess if you can 'sell' the ebook to 1 publisher and the print to a different one, then that's okay, right? As long as the contract doesn't somehow tie up the print rights until performance con be established (can they contractually do that?)
Yesterday I shared some of my thoughts on unpublished authors self-epublishing as a way to launch their careers. Hopefully I was able to present a fair and balanced portrait of my thoughts on the subject. Today I want to continue that discussion by looking at what self-epublishing can do for published authors.
Just as unpublished authors see Kindle and other self-epublishing opportunities as a way to launch a career, published authors see self-epublishing as an opportunity to keep books that might have gone out of print in print or publish books that haven’t yet been published.
There’s no doubt this can be a wonderful opportunity for many, and we’ve seen some of those success stories right here at BookEnds. Angie Fox posted about her own experience in her blog post Taking Charge of Your Career, and author Bella Andre has responded to her readers by self-epublishing some of her erotic romances. That being said, neither of these authors made the decision to self-epublish lightly. Both carefully considered why they were doing it and worked very, very hard to ensure that the product they were putting out was just as good as, if not better than, any book they’d ever written or published traditionally. Most important, they have continued to keep their author brand in mind and are always working to make sure that their next book is always better than the last, whether it’s been self-epublished or traditionally published.
When it comes to readers you are only as good as your last book, and by last book I mean the last book they read. So even if your most recently written title is the one coming out from Big Name Publishing House, the one readers will remember and base future buying decisions on is the one they last purchased. So while self-epublishing can be an exciting way to move those books out from under your bed, you need to consider whether that’s the best decision for your career.
Let’s look at it his way: You have a series of historical romances you’re publishing with Publisher XYZ and they’re doing great. Your career is on the rise and readers love you, so you start thinking of all of those paranormal romances you wrote years ago. You still love those books and why wouldn’t your readers? They’ve made it clear they can’t get enough of you. So you dust them off and send them out to self-epublish. But those books aren’t as good as your historical romances. You might love them, but let’s face it, you’ve grown a lot in the last 10 years and the reason you are having so much success is because you’ve worked hard to perfect your craft. You also have an editor who works hard with you. You constantly praise her for her brilliant mind and editorial eye. You can’t say enough about how good she makes you look, but obviously if you’re self-publishing she won’t be involved with this book. And it shows. Of course readers snatch up your books because they love you, but they’re disappointed. The books aren’t what they’ve come to expect from you, and now they feel like they’ve wasted their hard-earned money and time reading books they found unsatisfying. Your next historical romance is published and sales drop. Your publisher can’t figure it out, they blame it on the cover, but the truth is that the readers have moved on. They don’t want to risk wasting more money or more time so they’ve found another author to follow.
Is this a doomsday scenario? Yes, it is, and I realize that, but it seems we’ve read so many stories lately about authors making millions by self-epublishing that I wanted to use an extreme example to remind you not why self-epublishing is bad, because I don’t think it is, but why you need to carefully consider what you’re putting out. It’s not the fact that you self-epublished your paranormal romances that’s the problem, it’s the fact that you’ve decided to put out a product that simply wasn’t as good a
21 Comments on Building Your Career on Kindle, the Published, last added: 11/24/2010
The various digital retailers are also a pretty good way to place work that doesn't fit well elsewhere because of length: short stories and novellas. I placed a longer short story under my usual pen name that had already been published in a literary journal. I ended up selling about 2,000 copies and getting some very nice reviews. Not a fortune at 35% of the .99 cent price, but certainly good promotion for my novels and my author brand.
And thank you, Jessica, for clarifying the terms you used. ePublishing shouldn't be confused with self-publishing, as I'm sure the nice people at Carina, Samhain and the others would want emphasized. The GOOD ePublishers provide editing, copyediting, coverart and promotion.
Anonymous said, on 11/23/2010 8:37:00 AM
There is also an aspect to this you didn't point out, which is understandable because there are so many new factors to consider.
Up until a few years ago, many erotic romance authors were submitting short stories to print publishers for anthologies. These authors were paid a small flat fee and there were no royalties involved. Which was fine...it was expected...an no one cared. It was more about building publishing credits than making money.
However, when the authors submitted to these publishers the authors had no idea that the print anthologies would one day become kindle e-books. The contracts were worded ambigiously and none of these authors are getting royalties on the e-book sales now. In some cases, the authors have moved on to e-publishers and these back listed books are now competing with their newly released e-books. In my case, they are all listed on goodreads right along with my newer books and readers have no idea they are not supporting the authors when they buy the back listed books.
But thanks to self-publishing e-books, and contracts that read "non-exclusvie" these authors aren't totally screwed. They can now re-release their own short stories as stand alone e-books and collect the royalties they deserve.
Anonymous said, on 11/23/2010 9:02:00 AM
I'm considering e-publishing, but where can one find a list of legit e-publishers? Thanks.
Anonymous said, on 11/23/2010 9:38:00 AM
Anon: Amazon. Who else do you need? Someone to take your royalties in exchange for editing and cover art? Develop your own stable of professionals to handle these things for you. Pay them up front. Publish with Amazon at $2.99 or less and you've got 70% forever, never go out of print.
Anonymous said, on 11/23/2010 9:43:00 AM
To the above anon, I say "forever" or until Amazon changes things up. They cold decide to stop selling ebooks, or to switch to a new model and only feature those under the new model. Never know.
Thanks for this informative series of posts from your perspective. From non-writers I constantly hear: Why do you need an agent or a big publisher? Just e-publish yourself! It's so frustrating.
http://tericarter.wordpress.com
Anonymous said, on 11/23/2010 11:28:00 AM
In response to anon @ 11:37 am
I've experienced this, too. And I'd like to suggest one thing to all new authors who are submitting short stories to traditional publishers who are doing print anthologies:
Don't settle for the flat author fee anymore, and let them know it. These print books are going to become digital, they will be around for a long time gaining new readers, and you should be getting a percentage of the digital royalties you deserve. And if the publisher won't agree, don't submit. There are plenty of reputable e-publishers out there looking for new authors who are willing to pay royalities on e-book sales for short story anthologies...as well as a flat fee up front. I'm not talking about millions of dollars in your pocket. But these publishers are very sneaky and they are making profits now thanks to e-books they never thought they'd make.
At the very least, make sure you sign "non-exclusives," so you can self-publish down the line if you wish.
Jessica, I'd like to repeat my question from yesterday's post, because obviously I'd like to know your thoughts, and because I don't think I'm the only one wondering:
Does e-publishing "ruin" an aspiring writer for agents?
Full question/background info here: http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/2010/11/launching-your-career-via-kindle.html?showComment=1290435653384#c8942652961795586712
Thanks! Kristan
Anonymous said, on 11/23/2010 5:18:00 PM
I can answer the question, Does e-publishing 'ruin' a writer for agents, for you, Kristan:
Answer: Not if your e-book sells! If it doesn't sell, then change your name, cuz Amazon = New Slush Pile, and the Book Buying Public = the new agents.
It's not that agents are going away. Established writers still need them, because the more deals you have, the more help you need. But what's changing is the role of agents for NEW (meaning, as yet unpublished for significant money) writers. New writers no longer need agents to break in. If it sells well enough on Amazon, the agents and publishers will come to YOU. So in my mind, it's a waste of energy for a new writer to worry about an agent, indeed, to worry about anything but writing the best possible book and having it sell.
You know, when we decided to pay royalty shares to authors on anthology inclusions, rather than flat fees, we were given some rather funny looks.
That was a head scratcher. As far as I was concerned, as an author, I'd rather have a share of unlimited digital and POD (which stays on market forever) than a one-time payment.
It's nice to know that authors are coming around to this idea.
This is so interesting. In an age when everyone wants to be published or remain a published author the lure of going it on your own by self-publishing is strong. But as stated there are many issues to consider as there are in any business decision. Thank you for posting this. Stella
One thing I think this post overlooks is actually the most important (to me) aspect of self-pubbing e-books: freedom. I've had ten books published by four big five companies and had a great time with them. But there have also been book ideas that were deemed insufficiently commercial - mostly things outside my normal genre -- that ultimately went unwritten.
What e-pub means to me is that I'm free to write any book I want -- just as a painter is free to paint any picture he wants -- without having to convince a publisher that it'll be worth their very considerable investment. This has been creatively explosive for me. I'm working on one book for commercial publication and two for e-book publication. As a novelist, I've never felt this free.
I have to agree with Timothy. How many times have authors and agents heard the comment from editors, when a manuscript or outline is under consideration, that they are rejecting it because they don't feel it is marketable? I ran across this a few years back, after one of my books (The Iron Rose) was praised by Publisher's Weekly as being one of the top seven fiction books released that year. I write Historical Romance, so that was doubly exciting. Yet when I informed my editor that I planned to write a sequel, which was in response to enthusiastic demands from my readers...I was told it would likely be "unmarketable" that "pirate books" were not selling. Hmmm. Wonder if anyone told Michael Crichton that when he submitted Pirate Latitudes?
Bottom line is I still have the bones of that manuscript and now I'm free to flesh it out and publish it myself.
Timothy Hallinan and Marsha echo my concerns. I have been traditionally published, but as I've started to write stories that veer from the mainstream, and with houses who celebrated less conventional projects (like Tricycle Press) unable to stay in business, I worry that my stories may not find a home among traditional publishers. With self epublishing, I'm free to explore the quirky projects, while still doing other more mainstream work. But quality is also a big concern for me, which is why I have not done it... yet.
Anonymous said, on 11/24/2010 11:20:00 AM
". Wonder if anyone told Michael Crichton that when he submitted Pirate Latitudes?"
Actually, Crichton never did submit PL, it was dredged up posthumously from his computer in order to keep him going.
Tricycle Press--which has published a lot of great books that are out of the mainstream--still exists. Random House acquired it about a year ago but the editorial office remains in California, and at least for now the press is continuing to bring out those types of books that built its reputation, including the recent Americas Award winner in the picture book category, Carmen Tafolla's bilingual What Can You Do with a Paleta?/¿Qué puedes hacer con una paleta?
I finished my first novel, a humorous women's fiction (chick lit), earlier this year and began querying agents. I received my fair share of rejections off the bat, and I began to think that part of my problem is that chick lit has taken a drastic dive in popularity. But, as I had spent a year of my life writing the blasted thing, I persisted. In the meantime, I started and almost finished my second novel, a modern day Bonnie and Clyde that would probably appeal to the YA market.
In recent weeks, I have had several agents respond to my first query, asking to see partials and fulls, and one offer of representation.
My question is this: Should I abandon my second novel for now and start writing some more humorous fiction in order to build a following? Or should I finish my YA ms. and then switch back to chick lit? I hate being confined to one genre, because after spending a year writing in one style, it is very tempting to try something new. But I don't want to confuse my fans (assuming, of course, that I get any).
The simple answer to this question is that you need to talk to your agent if you choose to sign with one. Personally, I think there’s definitely a correlation between what was once chick lit and what people are writing as YA now. We’re seeing a lot of former chick lit authors go in that direction. However, yes, it could be a problem if you’re published as a women’s fiction author and suddenly switch to YA, unless you feel that you could write two books a year, let’s say, and do one of each.
If you choose to sign with an agent, or are considering signing with one, this is a discussion you should have before signing. Find out how the agent envisions your career and what she thinks about your two directions. Having this discussion may help you decide if she’s the right agent for you or what you should be doing.
Jessica
9 Comments on Choosing a Career Path, last added: 11/10/2010
If you think you might like to write both genres, be sure you query only agents who rep both.
While my former agent was shopping my YA ms, I decided to switch gears to women's fiction. She left the business, and no one else in that agency repped commercial women's fiction. In retrospect, I should have either gone with a more diverse agency or else stuck with YA for a few successful books, before trying something new.
I've spent the last two years experimenting with my writing, so as I begin querying again this winter, I'll better understand where my interests and skills lay.
This is something I wonder about. Do some people have different agents for all their different genres? Because, even if you find an agent who likes your work in two genres, you may at some point want to try something else. There are children's book authors who also write for adults, and fiction writers who are also poets. Why limit ourselves, is how I see it.
I'm in that same exact position. Just sold a women's fiction/chick lit book. Then wrote a YA novel which is chick lit-ish. Now I'm writing a sequel to the first, which is WF/CL. The long and short of it is, I've decided to write at least two books a year, one in each genre. But I have fans who are looking forward to the YA as much as they're looking forward to the sequel. So, I don't think they're always mutually exclusive depending on what you write.
Oh to have this problem of deciding what to do with one's career by utilizing your agent. I would love that problem! This was an inspiring post. I need to keep at it!
I don't know if it is great advice as I have never been in the position and would love to be in it, but have you considered writing one genre under one pen name and then the other under another? I can't stand that people feel like they have to write a certain genre because it’s popular or because they found their success with it and now have to stick with it. I love to read everything out there that I am able to get my hands on and in turn I enjoy writing it all too. I think as long as you stay true to your voice then you will stay true to the people that enjoy reading your work.
I think a lot of women read both Chick Lit and YA...I know I do and I really enjoy both. Though I do stick with writing CL/WF....I tried writing Ya, but my themes just get too mature....too much, in my opinion, for 14-16 y/o's to read.
Anonymous said, on 11/10/2010 3:49:00 PM
". . .Find out how the agent envisions your career. . ."
The agent, one would hope, will have useful insight, but don't let the tail wag the dog. Always keep the whip hand.
The 'book a year per genre' deal is problem and you'll have to find a balance between art and career. It's generally doable. As with anything else, there will be some people who can't and some people who won't.
Attempting to build a career out of kids' writing sometimes seems like a folly, especially when I receive a royalty statement like yesterday's. Ack.
But to offset that:
1) The practical, prolific Jan Fields has an excellent article up called,"When You're in This for the Career." It's full of great reminders and tips about being flexible and surviving industry turndowns like the one we're in now. Thanks, Jan!
2) Congratulations to Lisa Willman, who followed the approach in my self-paced workbook, Writing Children's Nonfiction Books for the Educational Market. She's got a contract writing materials for Carson-Dellosa (and with the number of packets she sent out, I won't be surprised if she has more contracts soon). And congratulations to Lisa Amstutz, who took my online class on the same topic and now has two books coming out with Capstone.
3) I recently sat in a bookstore paging through a bunch of great children's magazines, reading all the poetry. So many great pieces, and I was especially pleased to see a lovely one in Cricket called, "When I Knock on the Sister Door, It Opens," by April Halprin Wayland.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Always. But wanting to be a writer is probably a lot like wanting to be a baseball player. Or a movie star. A lot of people want it, but most will settle for something else.
One thing that sets me apart from other people is I’m determined. Some might say stubborn. I’m also relatively patient. When I want something, I go after it. And I don’t give up until I get it.
That doesn’t mean I don’t have doubts. I’ve had a lot of doubts about my writing through the years. There have been times I wondered if I was wasting my time…times I considered giving up…times I wished I could look into a crystal ball and see whether I was ever going to get anywhere. Would I ever get published? Would I ever publish a book? Would I ever publish a book with my name on it rather than someone else’s? Would I ever publish a series? That’s what I really wanted to do…publish a series of my own.
Now that I’m more than twenty years into my writing career, I know the answers to those questions. If I could actually talk to a younger version of myself at various points my life, and offer some advice, this is what I would say:
Dear 21-year-old Dori,
Dori at 21
You’re just starting your adult life. You’re married, but you don’t have any kids yet. You’ve just made the decision not to go on to graduate school. Instead you’re going to be a children’s book author! Part of you is wondering if you’re making the right decision. Don’t worry…you are. But you won’t really know that for a while yet. And even when you do know it, some of the reasons why it was a good decision will surprise you.
So what are you working on? An eight-book picture book series called Plato Goes to Obedience School. Wow. Eight books, huh? All about a cocker spaniel who goes to obedience school. You don’t realize this yet, but you don’t have enough story there to sustain one book, much less eight. You’ve got the start of a character, but no plot. No. I’m sorry, you really don’t.
Let me ask you this: What does Plato want? What is he willing to do to get it? What is he going to DO in each of these eight books to move the story forward? Where’s the conflict? Where’s the adventure? Where are the high stakes? You need to read A LOT more picture books if you think you want to write picture books. You need to learn the elements of a good story. In fact, maybe you should think about writing just one good story at this point. It’s too early to be thinking about a series.
I know you really want to write a series. But trust me, you’re not ready. And Plato Goes to Obedience School is NOT series material. By the way, six-year-olds don’t even know who Plato was, so you might consider changing the name of that dog. Yeah, I know…that’s really your dog’s name, but nobody cares. Please, do me a favor. Don’t send that series proposal out. Just keep reading, keep writing, keep learning. One day you will publish a series of your own. It’ll even be a series about dogs! But it’s not going to be Plato Goes to Obedience School. It’s just not. Put this away and don’t ever show it to ANYONE! You still have so much to learn…
I can’t believe I almost forgot to tell this story!
Two years ago, two and a half actually, we had an intern named Holly. Holly was (is, actually) smart, ambitious and loves publishing. We really enjoyed having Holly around. Even better for us, and hopefully for Holly, she was here at a perfect time. Near the end of Holly’s internship our assistant announced she was leaving for another job. Since Holly was here, graduating, and looking for a job, it seemed only natural to offer it to her. Unfortunately, at the time we couldn’t bring Holly in full-time and, frankly, I’m not sure she wanted to be an agent. While she enjoyed (I hope) working for BookEnds, she really had dreams of working in Manhattan as an editor for one of the bigger houses.
So we made a deal. Holly would take the job part-time while looking for a gig in Manhattan. We would work together, honestly and fairly. She knew we were looking for someone to take on the assistant role and we knew she was looking for something more permanent. And then I heard of an opening at St. Martin’s, so I sent out an email to the editor. I told the editor of Holly’s brilliance and passed along her resume. In just a few short weeks Holly had the job.
Like many interns and assistants, Holly made sure to load up on books before leaving, taking along books by one of her favorite BookEnds clients, Angie Fox. When Holly started her job she told her boss about Angie’s work. The boss read The Accidental Demon Slayer and fell in love. She called and talked about Angie and I promised that when Angie had something new I would keep her in mind. And I did.
Just this summer I finalized a deal between Angie Fox and St. Martin’s for Angie’s fabulous new series (and yes, I’m purposely keeping you in suspense). Even more exciting, we’ve actually done another deal with Holly for another client. I feel like a proud mama watching her little chick leave the nest.
Jessica
16 Comments on A Publishing Tale, last added: 10/7/2010
It just goes to show how much building bridges and personal connections do matter in this business- which IMO is a really really great thing. (There are a lot of businesses where the humanity of the matter is almost null and void). Congrats Holly and Jessica- for delivering your baby bird into brilliant hands!
This is a great example of what happens behind the scenes in publishing. Although I have to tell you that I didn't originally hear this story from Jessica or Holly (modest anyone?) but from my new editor.
And that's why, when I first started my career, I wanted an agent. All I can do as an author is write the best book I can. But an agent can take that work and help bring you to the next level.
What a great story. And what I love most is that you didn't hold Holly back. You supported her even though that meant losing her. That's what true friendship is all about. I'm a big believer in giving back and helping others any way I can. Your actions speak volumes. Thanks for sharing this story and good luck to all of you. And here's something to remember: You just never know who is watching and how you might affect them through your actions. True story. I went to the YMCA the other week and this woman came up to me and said, "I've been watching you and I have to tell you that you have inspired me to lose weight. I see you working hard and you don't care what you look like (I'm usually very sweaty and, umm, look like a wet dog) and I think 'look at her go.' I'm gonna try." And then she thanked me. I was blown away. So whenever I go to the Y and she's there, she tells me how many minutes she's been able to go on the treadmill. Maybe it was 5 minutes and I encourage her to try to add another minute. But the point is that in life, we need to encourage one another. Life's not all about you or me. Anyway, kudos for looking out for others. You made a difference in someone's life and that, my friend, is the true treasure. Have a great day.
Buffy, your story is just as cool as Jessica, Holly and Angie's! And I really do need a few "feel good" stories today--thanks, Jessica. It's really cool to know where Holly landed. And, since I'm a huge Angie Fox fan, I'm really looking forward to her new series! (Though I'm really going to miss her motorcycle-riding gramma witches...)
It almost seems like a touch of good Karma. BookEnds didn't hold Holly back, but instead gave her a platform on which to launch into the industry. And in the end, it sounds like BookEnds and one of its authors benefited.
A great look into the workings of the industry. Thanks so much for sharing!
Small world indeed. An excellent example for how to do business ethicially and kindly. Thanks for sharing. I, too, am a huge fan of Angie and her work. She deserves all good things.
I love this story! I love Buffy's story, too. But what I like the best about your story is that everyone involved did the right thing without thinking of themselves. Unfortunately, out here in Hollywood, doing the right thing only counts when there is someone watching--especially if you're an agent. Everyone in your tale did the right thing because it was the right thing to do. No one was looking for kudos. My favorite part was reading Angie's comment. She didn't even know what you'd done. Thank you for making my day.
Having been in management for many years I have always believed the sign of a good manager is one who is fare, loyal and helps to promote...in that order.
There is nothing more satisfying then watching someone pursue their dream with the mantle of your leadership on their resume.
And...then have that person be a part of your own success...ah the wisdom of decency !
Thank you for sharing. It's another reason I have wanted to write something you guys represent--your humanity. Thanks for blogging and anwering questions as well as sharing the good stuff with us :)
STATUS: First day of fall. Makes me kind of sad. I want summer to stay awhile longer.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? WONDER by Natalie Merchant
…for bankruptcy, what is the best thing an author can do?
My answer? Get your rights reverted before the filing so the books aren’t tied up indefinitely by the court as non-reverted titles will be deemed assets of the company.
By the way, this is true even if you have a bankruptcy clause in your contract specifying that rights automatically revert. Bankruptcy courts don’t perceive it that way and they trump contract clause.
I also suggest you get a full accounting, if you can, of what is owed to you. You want this for several reasons: 1) if you have to file a claim as a creditor in the bankruptcy, you’ll know for how much. 2) you might be able to take the amount loss as a tax deduction (but ask a tax expert first).
Kristen, I don't know much about publishing contracts, so forgive me if this question doesn't make sense. What grounds can the author use in this circumstances to get her rights back? I'm guessing "suspects publisher is going to go bankrupt" isn't grounds enough?
I'm confused--I've heard this a couple of times--What's the point of having a bankruptcy clause if nobody will acknowledge it? I mean, I'm guessing it's important so that you'll eventually be able show proof of ownership--It just seems like the clause should avert all the hassle in the first place...
It says much about the state of the industry to see so many blog posts and articles about publishers going out of business or having lots of financial difficulties.
I guess it's like that everywhere right now; but worse in publishing.
I'm taking a bankruptcy class right now, so these posts on bankruptcy are really interesting.
nymfaux- the clauses are generally put in for one of three reasons- they're either standard and no one has bothered to take them out of the form, one party knows they aren't enforceable, but for whatever reason wants to mislead the other party, or neither party knows they aren't enforceable. There might be other reasons, but those are the main ones I can think of.
Bankruptcy tends be a specialized area, and nonbankruptcy lawyers often don't have any background it it.
Something else to remember--any reversions made within a certain time period before the publisher's bankruptcy filing are deemed void by the bankruptcy court. It used to be six months, but please check with an attorney.
What this means is if the publisher signs the rights back to the author the week before they file, the court looks at it as an attempt by the publisher to defraud his other creditors.
Frequently I receive requests for interviews from writers, newsletters, and students working on papers for class, and I do make an effort to answer as many as I have time for. Luckily, many of the questions are the same from interview to interview, so I can reuse material. Recently, though, I did an interview and wondered why I wasn’t sharing this same information with my blog readers. So from time to time I’m going to post the interviews I’ve been doing here on the blog.
The first is a request I received from a student at Eastern Michigan University. The student was doing a class project on careers and was interested in literary agents and publishing, so here’s what I shared . . .
What's a typical day like for you? I don’t think there is a typical day for me, which is one of the things I love about my job. I don’t think I would do well in a job that was even the least bit predictable.
Each day takes shape depending on the emails and phone calls I need to make or receive. For example, if I get a call from a publisher offering a contract on a book, my entire day, and all my plans, will likely be placed on the back burner as I communicate with the author and editors about the book and begin contract negotiations.
If I receive a panicked email or phone call from a client I could spend the rest of the day working with that client to smooth out the wrinkles in her manuscript or work on revisions.
If I hear from an author who has an offer of representation or a contract offer from another agent or a publisher and I want to get in the game, I will likely have to drop everything to read that material and consider it for representation.
If things go smoothly and I am receiving few emails or phone calls, I could actually spend my day answering interviews like this, reading queries, or catching up on proposals.
Typically, though, I start the day by reading email, checking up on industry news through various different formats like Publishers Weekly, Publishers Marketplace, blogs and Twitter, and then base the rest of the day on what I find there.
What kind of writing do you do as part of your job? I honestly don’t think I do that much writing, but keep in mind I work with writers. It’s hard to say you write when you work with people who write thousands of words a day.
I do keep an almost daily blog, I send emails, I write revision letters to clients and, most important, I write pitch letters to editors to sell the books I represent. These pitch letters, or query letters, are really marketing pieces and can sometimes take hours to craft.
What kind of information do you typically look for on resumes and is there a specific format you prefer candidates to use? I look for experience first. I think one of the biggest mistakes candidates make is assuming their education is the most important thing they’ve done. If you’ve done internships of any kind I would put that at the top of the page; experience shows me that you’re different and more ambitious than anyone else I’m interviewing.
I also look for candidates with an interest in commercial fiction. I think that for many students there’s a prejudice against commercial fiction or genre fiction. You’ve been engrossed in reading literary books or classics for years, which are great, but as an agent who represents commercial fiction I need someone who loves romance and mystery, young adult and anything that’s new and different.
What is your favorite part of the job? Brainstorming with my clients. There’s nothing I love more than helping shape an idea and create a book.
How did you become interested in this field? The love of words. I studied journalism in college and worked on the college newspaper all four years. I really thought I wanted to be a reporter, but by the time I graduated I knew the newspaper business wasn’t for me, but I wasn’t sure where I belonged
11 Comments on Careers in Publishing, an Interview, last added: 9/21/2010
Not only the love of words but what they do, inflame, move, calm,assure. They can break your heart, change your life, even save your life. Yeah, it's the love of them because they do all that and more.
Like piss off my boss because I'm late again because I'm doing this instead of driving to work. I'll tell them I got stuck behind a school bus that always seems to work. ah...I think school started already. Words lie too. Ha !
I particularly liked how you mentioned experience and internships being important.
Could you possibly address in another post what types of experience and internships could be typical for a writer, or that you've seen? Maybe I am overlooking or overthinking it, or missing a whole area for these. I am a stay at home, homeschooling Mama who writes whenever I can, and I'm going to be racking my brain now for good areas of internships or additional experience to throw in the mix.
Anyway, you've given me lots to think about today! Have a great one! :-)
Thank you for letting us come alongside you for a day. The life of an agent is intriguing to me not only as a writer, but as someone who could see himself in the future being an encourager of other writers.
Great interview. I know I got into the right business because it's the love of the words and helping shape a book to its final project that brought be to it. It's nice knowing that experienced agents never lose that love (more for me to look forward to).
Thanks for the interesting background on your career. However, you left me hanging. Your narrative takes you as far as when you entered publishing, but you don't say how you moved into the agent's role. I'm guessing that it wasn't the first job you had in the publishing industry.
I confess to a motive besides curiosity. I'm writing a book about career moves, one of which is moving into brokering or agency. I'm wondering how you acquired the skills and made the transition.
If you explain all this in another blog, please post the link.
Former editor/publisher and now Writers House agent Ken Wright answers any business-related questions from the room. (He notes-he's not a financial advisor.)
Six months before one of his client's book comes out, Ken holds a marketing meeting with his author an their publisher.
There's no rule of thumb on advances. It's market driven. He's not fan of big advances, because of the risk of not earning them out and then not looking like an success to your publisher.
Advances for first time novelists can range from $15,000 to in the hundreds of thousands. He says first-time nonfiction authors would likely get a higher advance than for fiction.
He's a big advocate of promoting your book through school visits, but said that he has a few clients who do a little TOO much of that, which takes away from their writing. Every book and every situation is different, but self-promotion is always important and necessary.
It's OK to take work-for-hire or technical writing or other kinds of gigs if money is an issue. And you don't necessarily need to use a psuedonym--that's on a case-by-case basis.
In addition to the initial negotiation, as an agent, he takes care of sub-rights, flow through (release of money to the author), and contract delays that affect the writer.
Agents definitely increase the response time from publishers. As a rule, he checks in with editors about his submissions every two weeks.
What's a good persentage of your earning to spend on marketing? The rule of thumb is 5%.
0 Comments on Ken Wright: The Financial Realities of Your Career: Frank Questions and Answers as of 1/1/1900
A few weeks ago I had the honor of attending BEA2010 (no not the BEA that happened last week) which was part of the 2010NAB conference. I was there to celebrate the launch of the BBC College of Journalism Website (COJO) a collaboration between OUP and the BBC. The site allows citizens outside of the UK access to the online learning and development materials created for BBC journalists. It is a vast resource filled to the brim with videos, audio clips, discussion pages, interactive modules and text pages covering every aspect of TV, radio, and online journalism. At the conference I had a chance to talk with Kevin Marsh, the Executive Editor of COJO, and I will be sharing clips from our conversation for the next few weeks. This week I have posted a clip in which Kevin shares why he choose journalism as a career. Read Kevin’s blog here. Watch the other videos in this series here and here.
The Naked Viscount Publisher: Kensington Zebra Pub date: June 2010 Agent: Jessica Faust
Before I was published, I thought of writing as a calling. My stories were my art. I still think these things, but now I understand that writing for publication is also very much a business. My stories are products I’m peddling.
Does that sound harsh? It does grate on me a little, but I try very hard to adopt this point of view when I’m dealing with the business side of publishing. Besides making general good sense, it helps cut down on the psychic wear and tear as my “baby” is evaluated and changed by the publishing/review process.
Let’s look at The Call first, shall we? When I got my first offer, I was ecstatic. My life-long dream had come true. A real, live editor wanted to buy my story. I wouldn’t have paid her to publish it, but beyond that I wasn’t much concerned about money.
Mistake number one. Money is very important, as my lovely editor on the other end of that phone line knew very well. If I’d been agented at the time, Jessica would have pointed that out--but if I’d been agented, the editor would have called Jessica, not me. (When I was touring my publisher’s office with my editor and Jessica once, I asked about foreign copies, saying I was more interested in seeing the covers than the money. Jessica politely pointed out that I was also very interested in the money.)
It’s an editor’s job to acquire manuscripts that will sell and make her publishing house buckets of money. Maybe little tiny buckets given the current economy, but the goal is definitely to land in the black. Yes, she should love the story, but chances are--at least in commercial fiction--she’s offering to buy your manuscript because she thinks it will sell well. Jessica or Kim would know better than I since they’ve been editors, but I imagine an editor’s career is on the line somewhat with every book she acquires. Buying one or two manuscripts that sink like a stone when tossed into the bookselling pond probably isn’t the end of the world, but an editor with enough such stones to build an underwater castle will likely soon be looking for other work.
When calling to offer for your book, the editor may well start off telling you what a wonderful writer you are and how wonderful your book is, but before she hangs up, she’ll mention the advance she’s willing to offer and that might not be so very wonderful. This is where the real business fun begins if you’re a good negotiator. (And this is one reason I have Jessica--I’m more like the dog you meet that will just turn over on her back to get her belly scratched. I am NOT a negotiator.) You won’t be talking about character development or pacing, but about such very important business-y things as advance amount and payment schedule, royalty rates on print and e-book formats, delivery dates, and option clauses. If you reach an agreement, then you’ll get a contract in the mail. Chances are reading that will make your head hurt. (And even though I have Jessica, I always do read my contracts very carefully.)
20 Comments on The Business of Writing by Sally MacKenzie, last added: 6/1/2010
Holy Cow! Thank you so much for this insight into the 'business' side of it all. Most of these things had either never occured to me or I just didn't know where to look for information. I found this really really interesting. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for this great post. Most business-related posts come from from agents, with a few from indie publishers. These are informative but often miss the author's POV. Most author posts cover the creative side only. It's nice to see one that balances both sides of what is, after all, a business.
I been in the art world for many years and found some of the most talented artists are still working their day jobs because they are focused 100% on the creative side. Those who learn the business side - just as they had learned the creative side - are financially successful. Beyond that, marketplace demands also forced them to grow as artists. We're all a bit lazy. Having something external hold our noses to the grindstone helps us in the long run.
Thank you
Anonymous said, on 6/1/2010 6:09:00 AM
I learned most of that from being a blogging book reviewer, through observation and interacting with authors.
One thing though. If you've been slugging your way through Queryland for a while and the economy goes into the toilet, you're going to move into the old proverb-
"Beggers can't be choosers."
Then, you're gonna be tempted to grab whatever contract comes your way.
I'm stacking up requests for Fulls right now and it's kinda scary. What if an offer comes from a reputable ePublisher while a Full's still out with an uber-agent? I can't help but think, "Hey, that agent's going to reject anyway, if she responds at all."
Thanks so much for this post. It's always helpful to hear, first hand, what an author has to tackle after their first call. It gives us an invaluable peek at what to expect...especially regarding the business side of things.
I think all college students should be required to take a few business classes, regardless of their major. It doesn't matter if you plan on being an artist, doctor, teacher or writer...there's a business aspect to all professions.
I have to say my business side is constantly evolving. I admire writers who embrace all the business stuff enthusiastically from the get-go, but I'm a little more of a foot dragger. I think everyone has to strike the balance that's right for them. We can't ignore that we are CEOs of our small businesses, but we still have to protect our creative wells. For example, blogging may make good business sense, but I can't maintain a regular blog and still get my contracted writing done. Others can.
Anonymous 9:09, I don't know how it works with offers from epublishers--it used to be that agents rarely were involved in those deals, but that could have changed--but when I got an offer from my NY publisher, I called the agents who had expressed interest in my work. Jessica moved quickly to read my published book and offered representation. If you don't have an agent, I'd suggest having a literary attorney look over any contract before signing as it is possible to severely tie up your career with a legal false step. I didn't do that with my first contract, but I got lucky. Relying on luck is generally not a great business plan.
Thank you so much for all this insight. I'm still a student, and trying to work on my first novel. I'm pursuing an English major but I may consider taking some business classes if I can. Now it's time to decide whether to give up from intimidation or press ahead with this newfound knowledge. I hope to succeed from the latter! Thanks again.
Sally, you have nailed SO MANY important points in this post! I wish I'd seen something just like this before I sold my first book. It's all excellent advice, but when you figure out "stuff management," please let me know what works?
Samantha, don't be intimidated! Write the book--and then write the next one and the next one.
Kate, yeah, I'm drowning here. I'm supposed to get two sets of author copies this month--the antho that's coming out in mass market (it was in trade last year) has arrived, but the Viscount is still missing. And all those books we get at conferences! I'm having to steel my heart and give most of them away unread.
Kristan, the boilerplate thing really twisted my brain around at first until I finally got it sorted out. I was talking to agents and it was like we were both speaking English, but we weren't really speaking the same language. It makes sense, though, now that I get it. An agency takes the publisher's basic contract--the version most favorable to the publisher--and works at changing the clauses to better serve a client. When the next client comes along, agency and publisher don't go back to square one, they start at square two. Unagented author starts at square one and, in my case at least, probably doesn't have have the business sense or experience to even recognize the issues.
Great advice, thank you! I'll probably have to hunt this down years from now when I get published! It's interesting, though, to see what it's like once you're at that point in the road, and it's good to know what I have to look forward to!
Sally, thank you for taking the time to give us a peek at the business end of things. It sure shines a light on the complexity of being successful author.
What you said about looking at your writing from the business point of view is great advice. I was struggling with this exact thing. I started getting back a few rejections from the queries I sent out, and I didn’t handle it like I thought I would.
I knew I would get rejections; I even made a special folder to store them in. It was just a different ballgame when they actually started rolling in. I guess it felt like a direct attack on the material, which did nothing for my confidence in my work.
So I just told myself, “Self. Those agents are way swamped. They don’t have time to read every query, so they have to form reject a few. Just remember, that rejection letter is not a direct attack on your work; it’s a reflection of the agent’s taste, client load, and whether or not they were hung over from drinking wine all night while reading great fulls.”
LOL, that’s what I tell myself anyway. I’d argue with anyone who told me differently, ha ha.
When I was 23 I too 'sold by accident' my first book; without an agent...I was without a clue.
I thought that moment was my brass ring, providing me unending rides, to a writers life. Duh !
With my advance I purchased a used White Cadillac that drank more gas than an uncommitted member of AA and I bought a white German Shepherd dog that ate sticks and bit anything that moved, including me. The car broke down, the dog was hit by a pick-up and died and I did not deliver. The book was never published but Thank God I did not have to pay the advance back. Since then, I've been published many times,(not books.) It has been many ass-kicking years years since my big screw-up. Now, with one book done and another almost finished I am in query-for-an-agent-hell wondering if I should take up knitting.
Sally,thank you for your incite.
To all you young-uns out there heed her words, I just wish she was around when I went to buy my Caddy and Cojo.
Amy, tell yourself anything that gets you to keep writing. I pretty much don't read reviews any more because they mess with my head too much. Yes, we all need to develop a thick skin, but we also need to protect ourselves so we can keep creating.
Wry writer, I probably was around, pecking away at my electric typewriter as clueless as anyone--more clueless that most today as those were the years before the internet. I had a few "almost solds" when my kids were young and I was writing picture book texts--and then I quit writing for publication for about eight years when I was heavy into the carpool scene. I'm thinking very, very few, if any, writers have a smooth, straight path. As far as I can tell, there is no job security in this biz.
Amy Nichols said, on 6/1/2010 6:22:00 PM
Sally,
Thanks so much for the reminder. I'm trying to look at this as a business and start those "business habits" now with writing schedules and such.
Really interesting post, Sally. It is good to know what to do and not to do when it comes to selling a book, especially for me (being only eighteen years old and needing all the hints I can get).
It's great to read posts like these. Especially when you just got a no to your partial *sigh* But I will face it like business and the re-write will make it spectacular and I WILL get published.
About a month ago I got an email from Steve Brodner inviting me to a lecture he was organizing at SVA, where we both teach. He was asking me to participate by sending him images of alternative illustration jobs I’d done. I must confess I was a bit confused, although very flattered, because there was no mention of my actually being a speaker. Soon I found out, indeed I wasn’t a speaker, Steve had emailed me among many other established illustrators to put together a slide show that represented a strong reality of where illustration is going today. Moreover, this lecture, he explained, wasn’t going to be only about the speakers (painter and filmmaker James Blagen; comic artist and designer Mickey Duzyj; and illustrator Alex Juhasz), but also about having an active audience of both strong and new voices in the field.
A couple of days later I get an email from Heidi Younger at FIT inviting me to be a speaker on a panel with Yuko Shimizu, Marcos Chin, Zina Saunders and Fred Harper… the next day after Steve’s panel. Damn! I couldn’t turn down sharing a stage with Yuko and Marcos- I don’t know Zina and Fred- so I accepted. Our lecture is titled How I Got My First Job and focuses pretty much on exactly the same concept as Steve’s.
As excited as I was about going to Steve’s lecture, I’m not sure I can shorten my work hours at this huge restaurant project I just started in Long Island and make both lectures, though I certainly have to make mine, or course. What’s also slightly odd about it, for me at least, is that I have SVA written all over me ( I moved to NY to go to SVA, graduated from SVA, teach at SVA), so I almost feel obligated to be there. Oh well… I’m sure it will be packed anyway.
Steve Brodner’s Lecture: SVA, 209 East 23rd Street, 3rd FL, Amphitheater. Tuesday 3/23, 6.30-8 PM
FIT: How I got My First Job, FIT, 27th St & 7th Ave, C Building, Robert Lagary Board Room, 9th FL.Wednesday 3/24, 6.30-8 PM. FLYER: http://www.fernandacohen.com/content/images/editorial_384.htm
- Fernanda
0 Comments on Illustration Lectures in NY this Week as of 1/1/1900
STATUS: The pre-Bologna must-finish-all-stuff-before-I-leave-town rush has begun.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? MERCY by Duffy
I thought I would have a bit more time to blog tonight so my apologies for not tackling a ton of questions this round.
kimysworld asked: Compared to the first three months of last year, have you received more or less query letters in the first three months of 2010? What are the most common genres? What do you rarely see? Yes, our query inbox has definitely grown from last year. This time in 2009, we were probably seeing 80 to 100 queries a day. Now it’s more like 100-150. I have no explanation for it. Perhaps we are on more people’s radar?
Most common genres? Young adult, romance, women’s fiction.
What I would like to see more of? Well written query letters. Grin. You knew I was going to say that. I’d say that easily 50% of stuff we get is for nonfiction or something else we don’t represent.
I’d love to see more queries for literary fiction with a commercial bent, middle grade, and more sf&f. I’d like to build in these areas (and yes we are still beefing our list in the above stuff as well.)
Anonymous asked: If a writer has gained success in one genre (over twenty novels that have made money, helped build a large fan base, and five contracts for five more books) and he/she wants to switch genres after the contractual obligations have been met because he/she always wanted to write mainstream, is this writer starting from scratch again? But more than that, would this writer be taking a huge chance by walking away from a good thing and trying to pursue another? I’m a little leery about answering this question. There are so many factors that need to be taken into consideration. Also, this is a conversation you really should be having with your current agent. Now having said that, I will try and answer—although my gut tells me that you already know the answers to your questions and perhaps you are simply looking for encouragement or validation as you walk this new path.
Of course the author would be taking a chance by walking away and starting something else. You already know that is the answer. My question is this: does it have to be one or the other? As in do you have to walk away or can you scale back the number of books in that genre in order to give yourself time to work on something mainstream?
Are you no longer passionate about the genre you are established in? If that is the case, then it may not be worth pursuing more books because your heart isn’t in it. What is your financial picture and can you afford to take a risk? Will fans of your current established genre be open to a move in a new direction? Can you live with that fact if the fans aren't willing to follow you?
If you want to be safe, I’d keep a foot in your current genre and then test the waters with a new work that is more mainstream. If your heart isn’t in staying in the old genre than you just have to jump in and try it.
There are many stories where this has been successful for the author and I can probably highlight as many stories of where it hasn’t.
Anonymous asked: How much of your time do you spend reading query letters versus time spent blogging? I'm just wondering because there are several agents who blog every day and I often wonder where they find the time. I actually don’t spend a lot of time reading queries. First off, we’ve hired a wonderful assistant named Anita. Her job is to read all queries that come in as we can get up to 150 a day. She sets aside the ones that Sara and I need to review. Given that, I try and check my query email inbox once a week. It usually takes me 15 mi
STATUS: Today was about foreign rights and taxes. One fun. The other not. I’m sure you can guess which is which…
What’s playing on the iPod right now? HOW TO SAVE A LIFE by The Fray
Last week we got a query from a writer who had published a fantasy series outside of the US. This person was looking for new representation to shop the series in the United States. There was only one problem. It sounded like the writer’s prior agent had already done so.
Just to make sure, I wrote the author to inquire about that. The return response listed a wonderful submission list with all the editors I would have gone to if I had repped the project.
This author is between a rock and hard place. The submit list was good and if it was rejected by all those places, there’s only smaller publishers to try and to be blunt, potentially not worth the agent’s investment of time.
I responded to the author to say so. What advice would I give in this situation? As hard as it may be, it’s time to write something new. Go out with a fresh project in the US. If that book does well, then the agent can always go back to that initial series and rekindle interest in a possible buy. (Good sales can do that.)
Unfortunately, this author did not have anything new to share but I did respond again to say we’d be happy to look at new future work.
I thought your advice was pretty standard form--in almost any industry, not just publishing. If I were that dude, I'd totally be all over writing something new for the American market--I mean, why not? It would be a challenge and an exciting one at that...I kinda feel bad for his previous agent, though. I mean, ouch. If they needed help selling the book across the pond, then they would have called their agenty-friends here, right? That's what I'd do...
I'd think if the guy was doing well outside the US and had a pretty good rep that an agent would want to jump onboard on at least the potential of the author, even if it meant getting his book published at a smaller house. That is, it's a start. If the guy has promise, there will be rewards sooner or later.
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Welcome to Oz :-) I imagine you'll be in my Melbourne for RWA?
yes, Kristin is here for the RWAust conference and we are all happy dancing to have her!!!
Yes, this is a great point. It still amazes me how ambitious my agent is, how up-front, direct, and non-fluffy she is when she needs to be. She protects me and I lubs her. I, on the other hand, am Ms. Thank-You-Sir-May-I-Have-Another.
You agents rock. *sniffles*
Huzzuh! Welcome to Oz.
I know you had a post in there somewhere too, but... you know. Australia. We don't get a lot of spiffy visitors, especially of the publishing world variety. Have fun!
What about conflict with clients? I'd hope that it wouldn't come up very often, but if you work with confrontational clients, I imagine interactions get heated at times. How do you handle those clients?
Hope you have a fantastic conference, Kristin. This is the first Aussie conference I've missed in some time. Can't wait to hear the updates!
See also Rachelle Gardner's kindly tough-talking post today on agenting as a career choice.
Agents have to wear many hats. Conflict seems like a clear-cut deal breaker for anyone interested in diving into being a literary agent as a career.
This is SO TRUE and, like you, I'd never crystalized the job in quite this way before. I've linked to this post on my blog today, which is also about the requirements for being a literary agent!
How does one BECOME a literary agent? A degree in publishing? In media?
Good points. I think a lot of people think agenting must be this glowing, happy-type job because you get to represent books you love. But the deals don't happen by magic. They don't realize that you're salespeople who must have the ability to push and argue on our behalf. I can't imagine you'd succeed if you were weak-willed or avoided conflict.
I can see from the comments that I'm far from the only one who said, "Ooh! Australia! How exciting!"
Melbourne is a great city - sorry about the rain :) I was there for the Melbourne Writers' Festival last year and it was my habit of eavesdropping on public transport that made me realise how artsy it really is.
Louise Curtis
@ Jessie
The question is answered from time to time on agent blogs, but it hasn't come up for a while, so I'll give you what I remember.
You do not have to have a license, or a degree to become an agent--one of the reasons so many questionable/inexperienced/damaging agents exist is precisely because of the lack of regulation. I'm assuming you don't want to be any of the above.
Most people who go on to become reputable (and respected) agents follow a career track that either begins as an agency intern, or in an entry-level position in a publishing house. With the former, the would-be agent is mentored through the ranks, often moving through an assistant-ship into supervised agenting, and eventual partnership or at least working "on their own." For those who take the publishing track, a corresponding rise through the editorial departments--preferably for a recognized, reputable publisher--is the most common, though experience in sales and marketing shouldn't be overlooked.
Many agents do not make enough sales to have agenting as their only job; those that do, tend to work what probably comes close to 80-hour weeks, if all the query/partial/full manuscript reading is included.
Hope this helps! :)
Conflict avoider here. I guess I would be really bad at agenting.
I never realized conflict was such a huge factor. I guess you have to be very skillful in being confrontational, but still remain likable so editors will want to work with you...lol...I met you at Backspace last year and you're certainly pleasant so I know you've got that aspect down to a science :-)
I'd like to disagree with you, but... um... I don't handle that sort of thing well...