By: VictoriaD,
on 11/19/2015
Oxford is thrilled to welcome Dr. Kathy Battista as the new Editor in Chief of the Benezit Dictionary of Artists. Get to know Dr. Battista with our Q/A session.
The post Meet Dr. Kathy Battista, Benezit’s new Editor in Chief appeared first on OUPblog.
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 7/24/2012
STATUS: Working though 245 emails in the inbox. You can't hide from me!
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? DON'T STOP by Foster The People
An yet, writers always have some confusion on what is the difference between a pitch and a query. Seems like a good topic to tackle (as I can already see a myriad list of sub-questions within this topic).
Let's start with the basics.
A query is a professional business letter that introduces your work to an agent or editor. These days, this letter is sent by email rather than snail mail. In the query letter, you will have something called a pitch paragraph. The query letter will also contain an introduction and the author's bio or credentials. It will be one-page long.
A pitch is the verbal delivery of the main pitch paragraph from your query letter. In other words, you need to have a quick way to sum up the opening plot catalyst of your novel in a sentence or two while talking to someone. That way your audience gets a clear and immediate gist of what your novel is about.
Here's a great example from a novel I just sold by David Ramirez called MINCEMEAT. It's a good example because in this instance, I actually did something unique. I pulled out the pitch from the main pitch paragraph. I don't always do that but I did so in this instance. Also, when I was in New York in May, I verbally PITCHED this work to editors using the one sentence pitch highlighted in pink.
Here's my submit letter to editors--which in essence is the agent's QUERY letter to editors (to draw a comparison to what writers are doing when they approach agents):
Hello XXX,
It's pretty rare that I send an email about a manuscript submission that I can sum up in a one sentence pitch. Trust me, I tend to be wordier than that!
But here it is:
All that is left of humanity is on a thousand-year journey to a new home aboard one ship, The Noah, and this ship is carrying a dangerous serial killer.
Intrigued? I hope so. At its heart, the concept for this SF novel MINCEMEAT by David Ramirez is quite simple but what unfolds is layer after layer of complexity.
Since most editors prefer I don't leave it at one sentence, here's a little bit more about the manuscript:
Priss Dempsey is a City Planning Administrator on the Noah, a vessel carrying the last survivors of Earth on a thousand-year journey to a new home. She is equal parts psychic, economist, hacker and bureaucrat, a vital part of the mission, but her life seems to lose purpose after she experiences Breeding Duty. Kept asleep through the impregnation and birthing that all women are obligated to undergo, she still feels a lost connection to the child she will never be permitted to know.
Policeman Leonard Barrens approaches her with a request for hacking support in the unofficial investigation of his mentor's violent death. Only Barrens knows that a crime has been committed because he came across the mutilated remains before Information Security could cover it up. To everyone else, the missing man was merely "Retired," nothing unusual.
Their investigation takes them through the lost dataspaces in the Nth Web and deep into the uninhabited regions of the ship, where they discover that the answer may not be as simple as a Mincemeat Killer after all. And what they do with that answer will determine the fate of all humanity.
May
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 2/24/2012
STATUS: It's Friday. Over and out!
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? YOU MAKE LOVING FUN by Jewel
In Episode 5, I tackle the #1 question when it comes to young adult and middle grade!
I'd say "enjoy" but technical difficulties are making it impossible to upload!
I'll try again tomorrow. We might have Fridays With Kristin on Monday. LOL.
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 2/17/2012
STATUS: Looking forward to Monday. Sounds odd, I know, but it's a holiday in Publishing so it will be nice and quiet. No emails.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? IN THE MOOD by Glenn Miller Orchestra
In Episode 4, I identify what I see as the three different age levels within middle grade and how those levels dictate the appropriate word count and page length for a middle grade work.
This is the first video I filmed in the evening. Boy does that make a difference in lighting! I also need to work on the appropriate length of time for transition stills. *grin*
It's all a work in process.
Enjoy!
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 2/3/2012
STATUS: We folks here in Denver like to take the Groundhog seriously. If he says 6 more weeks of winter, we say let's kick it off with 2 feet of snow. Bring on the winter. I'm the only who made it in today. Of course I have an advantage. I walk to work.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? WE ARE YOUNG by Fun.
Invariably when I'm at a writing conference, I always get asked this question. So last weekend, I sat down and organized my thoughts on what I believe to be the core difference between the two.
And today's entry is simply the first in a couple of videos I've recorded on this topic. Enjoy!
By: Jessamyn West,
on 6/15/2011
I went out to Oregon to give a talk to the people who staff L-net, the 24/7 virtual reference service for the state of Oregon. They have a yearly conference which is a lot of fun. Video from the talks will be available at some point, but I figured I’d link to my talk now. I talked about Ask MetaFilter and a little bit about what we do there and how it is and is not like other forms of virtual reference. Lots of stats. Lots of anecdotes and sample questions. The Slideshare version doesn’t seem to have the notes attached and functional, so while I hammer that out from them, you can also go to the talk’s page on librarian.net and download whichever version you want. Thanks to all who attended on Friday.
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 2/8/2011
Status: Doing Client reading.
What’s Playing on the XM or iPod right now? IS THIS LOVE by Bob Marley
1) What happens if you can’t sell a book to a publisher?
If we have exhausted all possibilities, I’ll put aside and concentrate on the author’s next work. If the next sells, that always allows us to revisit the prior novel. Sometimes the decision is made to let the past be the past and simply move forward.
2) How do you know if a writer’s idea is a good one?
Not a clue really. All I know is what I like and what really resonates with me. I’ve had the good fortune of having what I like generally match up with what editors like and are willing to buy. Just like every other agent in the world, I’m not 100% right all the time. Sometimes I love a book and can’t sell it.
3) If Hollywood has bought the film rights, does the author get a share in the profit?
The sad news is that in general, the author does not get a share in the profit. Although all film deals will have the standard “5% of 100% of net,” most Hollywood films will never show a profit because of how studios manipulate the accounting. It’s worse than the mafia. So agents often build in a lot of ways for the author to make money on the film deal that aren’t tied to “profit” so loosely defined. The option price, the purchase price, bestseller bonuses, box office bonuses etc. These are payments that are not contingent on the film making money.
However, some authors do get a share in the profit. That is not a percentage based on net but a percentage based on a cashbreak point on gross.
A very different thing. Also, it is possible to put merchandizing in a separate pool with a separate percentage. Good money to potentially be made there as well.
4) Can you publish your book yourself or do you have to have a publisher?
Of course you can publish a book yourself! That’s not the right question though. Anyone can self publish; the question is distribution and how to get folks to read what you self publish.
5) How do you decide if the cover art is good?
I have to say that cover art is not my strength as an agent. I have no background in art and not much of a creative vision. However, I do know what I like and what I don’t like. If I don’t like it and neither does the author, I fight like crazy to get it changed.
6) Do publishers show animation for cover concepts?
No. But wouldn’t that be cool?
7) What happens if more than one publisher wants the book?
Then you have an auction my friend! As an author, it’s always the best place to be. However, I do think that writers have a misconception that all auctions equal big money. That is not necessarily true. You can have modest auctions that are in low five figures.
By: Jessamyn West,
on 9/2/2010
A few folks have been buzzing about the proposal over on Stack Exchange to build a stack overflow-type site for library Q&A stuff. I was wondering about this, since we already have Unshelved Answers. A little Googling and I figured out that the software they’re using won’t be available to them after 4/11 [irony!], so they’re trying to get people together to support a hosted model. Go vote!
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 6/22/2010
STATUS: A nice and productive day. I think I want summer hours though. Leave by 1. Play in the sunshine. I know Chutney is all for it.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? DO YOU SLEEP by Lisa Loeb
Today let’s tackle the single book contract. What are the advantages and disadvantages to doing just a one-book deal? Considering what we discussed yesterday, it seems ludicrous to sell just one book!
Well, not really. Most one-book deals are for literary fiction and occasionally for what we would call the “big” commercial literary fiction. Commercial literary fiction is really just literary fiction that has a commercial hook or slant. For example, WATER FOR ELEPHANTS is a good example of commercial literary. Or TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE. Or HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET.
Does this make sense?
And there are lots of reasons to do a one-book deal.
1. Literary fiction takes longer to write. Sometimes it’s not feasible to write a second book on a prescribed deadline so authors will contract one book at a time. Wally Lamb (SHE COMES UNDONE) is kind of known for never selling a book until it’s written and then he sells that one book only.
2. A one-book contract can alleviate the pressure on the author. The sophomore effort can be a tricky thing. I know from experience that every author hits a stumbling block with that second novel and it really doesn’t matter the genre you write in.
3. Literary fiction—especially those that lean commercial—often get undersold initially and then break out big later. If there is a sense that that could happen, why lock the author in for a certain amount of money?
4. The author might not have a second novel to propose and he/she just doesn’t want to throw ideas at the wall and see what sticks. And the author might take 10 years to write next literary novel. It happens.
5. If the author’s editor leaves and there is just a one-book contract, it can make it cleaner for the author to follow his/her editor to a new house. One’s editor tends to be really important in literary fiction. There is a certain trust that can be very beneficial to the literary writer.
Now having mentioned these things, you can kind of see the flipside to the argument.
1. A two-book contract might be preferred if there is a lot of hype and a book sells for a lot of money and then doesn’t perform. How nice would it be to have a commitment to two books already lined up if that’s the case? A chance of redemption or getting those numbers back up.
2. A Publisher may delay acquisition of a future book until they have sales figures for the first book. Since books easily take 18 months to publish, it’s a long time to wait to get a new contract—especially if the author is trying to earn a living here.
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 6/21/2010
STATUS: I was “this close” to getting to everything on my TO DO list today.
What’s playing on the XM or iPod right now? MY WAY by Frank Sinatra and Willie Nelson
Last year, a fellow agent friend and I gave a workshop on doing a single-book contract versus a multi-book contract. I was a little surprised at how many writers showed up for it. Hey, maybe these would make a few good blog entries.
First Q: When is doing a single-book contract ideal and when is a multi-book contract best?
Answering this question takes into consideration a lot of different factors. Let’s start with the obvious. If you write genre fiction, it’s almost always to an author’s advantage to do a multi-book contract.
For example, if you write fantasy and the first book being sold is the first in an envisioned trilogy, well, it would be better to have the publisher commit to three books. That way the entire series has a shot of being published. It often takes several books for a series to pick up momentum. What’s important is the publisher commitment—even if in the end a series does well and it was “undersold” initially in terms of the advance.
More common case is that a series has to build over time with the subsequent books and then the books start to earn out. Besides, who wants to sell book 1 in a trilogy only to be left in a lurch if the publisher doesn’t pick up the other books? It’s not easy (read "nearly impossible) to sell books 2 & 3 to another house. If sales are sluggish, it’s really unlikely another house will pick it up.
For another genre such as romance, careers build best if an author can release books within 6 to 8 months from each other. That means really tight schedules/deadlines for the author to make that work so doing multi-book contracts make sense. It’s also best to do multi if the stories are “linked” (as in they stand alone but have characters that might have been introduced in first novel).
Is there an advantage or disadvantage for doing 2 books vs. 3 or 4? Sure. Lots of agents differ on their opinion of this so I can only speak for myself. In general for me, the number of books sold at one time depends on the author (how fast he/she can write), on the project (how many books envisioned) and whether I think the author was undervalued. What I mean by that is if the offer was initially too low for a 3 or 4 book deal or if I thought the monies should have been higher in the auction and I don’t want to lock the author in for too many books at the lower rate. Obviously, reverse is true. If the monies are good, then why not lock in for more books as the commitment is strong from the publisher.
As you can see, lots of factors at play. How does an agent know? We’ve been doing this long enough that we pretty much use our gut sense of what feels right as the offer unfolds. I’ve yet to be wrong.
I’ll talk about single-book contract tomorrow.
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 5/6/2010
STATUS: I had a terrific day but can’t blog about why quite yet. So just know I’m in a great mood.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? BROKEN HEARTED HOOVER FIXER SUCKER GUY by Glen Hansard
Life would be good if people would quit asking me impossible questions. *grin*
And yes, I’ve taken the admonishment to do my emoticons correctly.
So this is the situation. Last week we asked for a full manuscript from a partial we had read. The writer emailed to say he was contemplating a big revision shifting POV.
Did I think first person or third person would work best for the story?
My answer? Not the faintest idea.
For some genres, like romance, a first person POV is always a tough sell so in that case, I’d probably recommend third. But for this instant, the manuscript was young adult.
There have certainly been bestsellers in this genre in the first person POV and bestsellers in the third person POV. The real answer is what POV best fits the story and best illustrates the main characters.
If we need to be inside the main character’s head, then first person POV. If the story would benefit from being able to head hop (as you can do in third person), well, then there you have it. But honestly, I can’t read the first 30 pages of a submission and tell you which I think would work better. Perhaps if I saw both submission side-by-side I could make a judgment but it’s very unlikely I would go to that trouble (unless we were talking about a current client).
I heard, and I have no idea if it’s true or not, that Suzanne Collins did the HUNGER GAMES first 50 to 100 pages both ways before choosing the final direction. Makes sense that a writer would need to explore both before making a final decision but ultimately, it’s the writer who will know best what feels right for the story.
At least that’s how I see it.
By: Kristin Nelson,
on 12/15/2009
STATUS: It’s obvious that I need to rule the world. I couldn’t BELIEVE that the judges dismissed FACE from the Sing-Off. Are they nuts? Not to disparage the other performers but FACE is doing something different with a cappella. Surely an audience might like to see more of what they can do. Now it’s just the same old same old for the remaining groups with the exception of Nota (who were outstanding). Go and buy FACE's new album Momentum anyway. Take that Sing-off.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? COLORADO CHRISTMAS by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
I’m getting an early start to my blog or I’m just going to get buried. I was very happy to see the Author Guild speak out. In a message to members, they basically rejected RH’s argument that its older contracts that grant rights to publish “in book form” or “in all editions” is a grant of electronic rights.
RH politely disagreed with their stance. Surprise I know. Put on your boxing gloves. Here we go.
But back to Q&A.
Anonymous asked:
Ask them - are mid-list authors dead in the water? What do you expect from mid-list to say yes to future projects?
I don’t believe that midlist authors are dead in the water but it also depends on where they are in the midlist. There are different levels—the consistently-selling midlister versus the midlister who is now having declining sales for each subsequent project.
If the author is a solid seller, publishers are still buying new projects—however, they may be offering less money than they have in the past or they are sticking with the same terms as previous contract. There’s not a lot of negotiating leverage for the midlist author.
In order to say yes to a future project from a midlist author (looking to change representation), I would have to believe that the new project or proposal is strong enough to bump the sales numbers or will take the author in a new, stronger direction from which the author can build.
Anonymous asked:
I was wondering if you have ever fallen in love with a manuscript and then never found a home for it?
Sadly yes. It always amazes me when I’m not able to sell a project. There’s obviously something wrong with the editors. Grin.
Rebecca Knight asked:
Hmmmm. My question for an editor would have to be what direction they think e-book pricing and the royalty structure is going to go in the next few years.
Actually, individual editors have no idea. All changes to eBook pricing and royalty structures are set by corporate policy. In fact, in negotiations, they have to toe the party line.
From my perspective? I think eBook pricing and royalty structure is going to be a huge battle. Publishers are seeing squeezed profit margins and they are clearly on notice about how third parties such as Amazon are controlling the perception of what pricing should be for eBooks (with their $9.99 price point or lower).
On Mike Shatzkin’s blog, he speculated that the publishers' decision to delay the e-book versions of some major upcoming titles isn't "a battle to rescue hardcover books from price perception issues caused by inexpensive ebooks" so much as it is about "wresting control of their ebook destinies back from Amazon." I don’t disagree. His insights are worth reading.
Because of fear, publishers are all jumpin
By: Jessamyn West,
on 8/24/2008
Brian has a few suggestions for other places to go online to ask questions or read other people’s answers. As you probably know, I work for Ask MetaFilter and I’m pretty happy with how it all works out, getting people answers to their questions. I’ve asked thirty questions there myself.
By: Jessamyn West,
on 2/18/2008
donnagirl asks MetaFilter: “I have two weeks to learn PHP. Help me make a plan! Because my library job is ridiculously awesome, I’m being given two weeks to devote myself to learning php.” Good advice follows from the hive mind.
By: Jessamyn West,
on 12/10/2007
I don’t know about you, but my worst nightmare is more along the lines of someone vomiting (or worse!) in the overnight book drop, but Slate has an article about Yahoo Answers and how librarians hate it. Of course the writer doesn’t seem to have talked to any librarians, he just likes to rail against the wisdom of crowds — with some valid points, certainly — and make fun of stupid answers on YA which is of coruse the opposite of what any decent librarian would do. There is a lively back and forth in the disucssion section which is hard to follow and hard to find but if the topic is as near and dear to your heart as it is to mine, I suggest you dig it out. I commented. [thanks alexandra]
By: Jessamyn West,
on 1/5/2007
I am intrigued by nownow.com, Amazon’s answers-like service that allows you to ask questions via your phone [or otehr web enabled device] and they’ll email you back three answers, fast. Looks like the answers come from people working for mturk.com and, if I’m not mistaken these answers generally take a minute or two and answerers get paid a few cents. The answers I’ve seen are your standard concise copy/paste web answers, they seem pretty good for factual type questions. Here are some examples
Is faceted indexing the future of social tagging?
What fast birds start with the letter A?
Where is the closest public bathroom to 3 Hanover Square NY NY 10004….um like NOW!
At some level it’s like being able to email someone to have them do a web search for you, I bet it becomes very popular and I’m curious to see how it fits in with Amazon’s other qanda prduct, Askville.
Contrast this to library email reference. In this example (which coincidentally came in to my inbox this week for an unrelated reason) where someone is trying to remember a book from their childhood (which, as wel know, is a really typical reference query). The librarian, while excruciatingly thorough with the resources, does the standard librarian thing and teaches as he or she tries to answer the question. For an opening line to a response to a “what’s this book” question, this one is sort of…. daunting?
Fiction is usually cataloged by author and title, not by subject or plot line, which makes identifying books by their plot an often difficult endeavor. One of the best ways to find books for which you know only the plot is to ask other knowledgeable and well-read people for help. There are several resources you can consult to do this.
The answer is amazing if, like librarians, you look up books for people as your job, but telling someone to subscribe to a listserv just to answer a “what’s this book” question seems a bit like overkill. n any case, names have been removed and tis is not a “tut tut” post, just an interesting observation on the divergence of serious ref and ready ref.
amazon, askville, mturk, nownow, qanda
Thanks for clarifying this, and MINCEMEAT sounds intriguing. I'll definitely have to read this one!
Now I want to read that book!
http://spiritofseattle.blogspot.com
Thanks for an informative post. It is interesting to read your submit letter to the editor.
An interesting premise. I'll have to keep an eye out for that one. I have to say, I'm not that strong at teasing out the quick pitch paragraph so far.
Hi, Kristin.
What subject line would you suggest an unsolicited agent query letter use?
Thanks for the advice!
Ooh. The intrigue. I'll have to check this one out. I can't say no to serial killers :)
No matter how many query- and pitch-related posts I read, they continue to be helpful. If nothing else, I get a good example and some commentary on why something did or didn't work. Let's hope I can successfully apply that knowledge when my turn comes!
Also, I am really glad you just sold this novel, because I want to read it!
I love the premise of this novel! A serial killer trapped aboard a ship with all that remains of humanity? That was enough to make me buy this book. Throw in the rest of the pitch, and I'm hooked for sure. Looking forward to reading Mincemeat!
Hmm. I'll be curious to see how this sells when the premise is nearly identical to Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I always wonder how publishers decide on a book that is similar to a book that's already polular in the marketplace.
I know that no two stories are the same, but this is something I think writers legitimately worry about when thinking of whether they want to spend a lot of time writing a book that's been done. I'd love to hear your advice on that topic someday.
Thanks for posting. :)
It's nice to see my story in your post =)
Thanks again for all your past and future work, Kristin!
@Daniel, you had me worried for a minute, but I checked the wikipedia entry for Across the Universe and it's more different than it may seem from the pitch =) Thanks too, by the way--it helps me answer one of the items I've been struggling with on the author questionnaire.
@David, that's good to hear. I enjoyed Across the Universe and I'm sure I'll like your story. Actually, when Kristin backs a YA book, I know it's going to be amazing so I will eagerly look forward to the day yours is picked up and published.
If there is a good way to follow your progress, let me know. You must be very excited to be in such good hands.
Thank-you! I was confused by the two and there is a great deal of conflicting information out there, leaving me to make an educated guess. Nice to have my guess confirmed. Thanks again!
@Daniel, it's all exciting!
So, among the differences I can talk about is that Mincemeat is not YA and though I haven't read Across the Universe, I suspect my story is considerably darker based on some of the reviews I've read of ATU.
Hopefully, that doesn't change your interest =)
Just sold ... so when can we expect to find it in the stores? (I am interested.)
@David, I just found you on The Writing Caterpillar so now I can follow your progress. Very excited for you.