The greatest myth I know is that author X was rejected 26 times before he/she made it big.

I compiled a list of 10 authors who were legendarily rejected a mystical 26 times:

http://riddleburger.wordpress.com/2007/09/17/lengle-tops-list-of-top-10-authors-who-got-rejected-26-times/

L'Engle, Seuss,Grisham, Karen Jay Fowler and more!

While this is, of course, a myth, it's my understanding the members of the Church of Latter Day Saints have been encouraged by elders to write literature for children. Certainly a fair number of children's authors are Mormon, and many of them are quite talented (though I personally would not include Ms. Meyer among them). :-) So there's a tiny grain of truth to the legend. Now I'm off to come up with my own rumor.

HAHAHAHAHA! Okay, here goes:

As editorial assistant, I spend my time doing two things. Teaching my Intern the difference between loaded and non-loaded lattes, and going to photo shoots.

You see, once you make it in publishing, all of your family members, friends, and their friends want you to publish their books. No problem! My sister just wrote a book last week called "How to Keep Your Vampire Man Under Control During Your Menstrual Cycle." I told her to lie and say she's Mormon and it worked! She's getting a bunch of money, and giving me half.

Anyway, back to me. The folks in marketing are taking a black and white photo of me coming out of the bathroom for her book cover.

Sometimes there's just not enough time in the day to do all these photo shoots for my family's books. The editor in chief gave me a nice tip to help me manage my time. He said that once a week, I should go to my email inbox and "select all," then "delete." I should alternate the days so nobody gets suspicious. Fridays are the best because I can let all my emails build up and then.... WHOOSH! Once our server got jammed up. I think other assistants must've been doing the same thing at the same time.

Not all books need to have a photo shoot though. Yesterday, my neighbor's kid scribbled something for his art class. We're using it for the cover of the picture book I wrote yesterday after drinking a loaded latte.

I wish I could go on and on. But photo shoots have an extra benefit I hate to miss out on. All those naked editors, at one place at one time. Too bad so many are gay.

*****

EA, I'm never gonna find an agent now... sigh...

I just had my third kid and I'm a Mormom, but dang it! I didn't go to BYU. I went to the University of Utah. I ruined my chances of publication. Oh the follies of youth.

If I had to pick again I would still go to the University of Utah.

Great contest idea.
Thanks

Too funny!! :D

The truth about publishing that they'll never tell you is that looks count. No, no, not the look of your cover art, though truthfully, get a terrible cover and terrible sales are sure to follow... What I'm talking about is the author's appearance. Yep, you really need to be young and vivacious - or at least hot for your age. Sure, there are a few exceptions - I don't know too many people who would classify Stephen King as hot, but he writes horror (and let's be honest, he's a little scary looking). Yep, image is absolutely everything and stunning prose won't make up for yellow crooked teeth and facial moles (unless you're writing witch fiction, then we can maybe spin it as life experience).

So stop wasting so much time in your pajamas writing and working on craft - what you really need to be doing is working on your abs and visiting a good plastic surgeon, and maybe having those teeth capped. Because really, that fantastic plot aint gonna sell nearly as much as a steamy author photo.

(I hope I get points for keeping down the cringe-factor while I was writing that twaddle :-)

Happy Holidays, EA.

Here's my entry:

its plane simple. If your a really really excellent good writer. All you need is a strong voice and a STEUPENDOUS story, Publisher's and Agent's will you're mistakes for you.

Myth: The same midlist nonfiction books can be published as "groundbreaking" and "the untold story" every 10-12 years by different authors, and no one will notice.

Reality: The cycle is actually every 7-9 years.

And yet ... another debut author who is Mormon got a mid-6-figure deal from HarperTeen recently for her YA series...

Go figure.

The Mormon Mafia myth might be more amusing if it wasn't continually reinforced by reality...

Dear Editorial Anonymous, Purrlease, are you trying to purrpetuate the myth that humans actually get published? I thought books were written by machines called computers?
Anything written by a human (or a cat) is automatically excluded from consideration.
Yours truly,
Cat Down Under

You can't get an agent unless you've been published. But you can't get published without having an agent!!!

You should never ask your editor or agent questions, because they might get irritated and drop you or cancel your contract. Instead, rely on internet strangers to answer your questions for you.

In fact, agents and editors are notoriously psychotic and do not understand anything about art or simple human decency. BE CAREFUL AROUND THEM!!

There is an industry-wide cabal that holds mysterious meetings in a place called "The Grove", where members decide which authors will be successful, which will never work again, and which will be sacrificed for their dark rituals.

If you earn out your advance, you should fire your agent because you obviously didn't get paid enough.

How many Baptists got book deals last years? Catholics? Secular Humanists?

I bet no one can provide those facts.

The dirtiest secret among publishing houses is the way they manage their slush. The ugly truth is that when slush piles threaten to overwhelm their offices -- sliding off desks, falling behind the filing cabinet -- rather than read them, savvy editors simply pick up and move the entire house across town, throwing away tons of mss in the process. They then proceed to tell writers who ask for status that their submissions "must have been lost in the move." Wise authors know this and wait until just after a publishing house's latest move is announced before submitting their work.

Not quite a publishing myth but book related:

You should always pay in cash when you buy books from Barnes & Noble and Borders, because they keep records of your credit card transactions and, as a result of the 2001 Patriot Act, have to send all their information on your book-buying habits to the government. In addition, they send that same information to their corporate offices and then bombard you with spam for the rest of your life. The same is true of Amazon, but you don't even have the option of paying cash.

It's okay to pay with a credit card at an independent bookstore, or to check the book out of the library, because the independent bookstores and libraries sued the government to keep their records private and won.

Sweet! I've only got another year and a half at BYU! But I still need to get some babies out of me before my big book deal, I guess... ;)

Um. My lovely sister gave me the advice her boyfriend supposedly heard from Orson Scott Card's wife (how's that for a distant connection?) that the best way to break into publishing is by self-publishing a book, because that way when you query you are "already in the business." I politely told her that I didn't think that was a good idea.

Here's a myth: that it's not about money.

It's about money. It's Newscorp and Disney and Bertelsmann and Holtzbrinck and Hachette and the rest and it's definitely about money for them.

And as long as you're trying to put food on the table and pay the mortgage it's about money for you, too.

Oh, this isn't a myth. This is the God's honest truth. The best way to get published is to set up a system to auto-query agents with the same query letter hundreds of times a day. That way they'll have to take you seriously. You'll batter down the walls of the publishing industry.

The reason vampire books are so hot these days is because publishers are themselves a bunch of blood-sucking vampires. Editorial Anon. actually chooses to remain anonymous because she doesn’t want you to see the flash of her canines.

Say, is there a prize for this contest?

Your publisher has a big bin of money like Scrooge McDuck. They’ll spread this money around like fertilizer to make your picture book a success–because you, little first time author, have written a masterpiece.

Superstar Agents and Editors are all members of the Illuminati and have a secret handshake and an invisible mark on their foreheads so that they can recognize each other. To get your manuscript published by a Big Important Publisher, you must, at the very least, know the secret handshake. And it helps if you have a decoder ring too.

The "Mormon Mafia" is an extraordinarily strong, friendly, inclusive writing community.

Come to Life, the Universe, and Everything, BYU's (free) symposium on science fiction and fantasy. Betcha if you're a nice person too, you won't even have to convert or give birth to be a part of the community.

ROFLMAO.

Takes a deep breath.

ROFLMAO. Again.

And now it's my turn:

The biggest myth about publishing is that anyone can write a book. Well, a book that other people want to read.

It seems like a lot of these LDS YA writers with many-figured contracts are agented by Jodi Reamer. What's up with that?

Bwahahaha! Yes, we Mormons are taking over publishing, just like the Jews took over film and theater. We especially dominate the fields of science fiction, fantasy, and YA literature. It's all in our secret plans to take over the world!

Seriously, though, there's a very strong writing community in Utah, with events such as LTUE, BYU Writers and Illustrators for Young Readers, CONduit, the awesome Writing Excuses podcast, and that creative writing class at BYU taught by Brandon Sanderson. I was at World Fantasy convention in San Jose earlier this year and recognized almost thirty people from various conventions and conferences in Utah.

As a practicing Mormon, I'm not convinced this is because the religion itself explicitly encourages its members to write fiction (historically, 19th century Mormons disparaged novels and novel-writing just as much as anyone else), but there certainly is something about the religion or the religious culture that lends itself to the kinds of themes and tropes found in science fiction and fantasy. Just what it is that draws Mormons disproportionately to these genres is a fascinating question with many differing answers. Personally, I think it's because the sense of wonder that defines these literary genres resonates so well with the Mormon experience, but I'm sure there are other possible explanations.

Next cycle of America's Next Top Model is gonna be all editors' assistants, and the photos are only going to be partials and body parts. No lie, Tyra tweeted it (but don't let the Mormon mafia hear).

As a Mormon who graduated from BYU (the Idaho Version) with two children, this makes me giddy. Only a matter of time until that 6 or 7 figure advance rolls in, right? And Jodi Reamer decides she needs me on her client list. LOL. Latter Day Saints believe in good and evil instead of moral relativism. Good and evil make for interesting reading. It might be a shallow guess, but I'll run with it. That's my justification for the likes of Orson Scott Card, Brandon Sanderson, Shannon Hale, Aprillynne Pike, and even Stephenie Meyer...as well as the "anonymous" author of GO ASK ALICE.

As for publishing myths, one of the most shocking I'd ever heard was that ALL literary agents charge money. Good thing I knew better at the time. Thank you, internet.

# 1 Publishing Myth:

That you must write a million words before you produce something worth publishing ... pshaw! My first 250,000 (penned during NaNo, the first book in a planned trilogy) ... are PERFECT!

Myth:

The existing best sellers have thrown their collective influence together and conspired to make sure that no one with real talent can get published. Using their considerable selling power, they make sure that the only pieces that reach publication are so riddled with grammatical errors and abused adverbs that their own prose shines by comparison. Whenever a new "breakout" happens, someone from this group contacts them and enlists their help with the cover-up. It's easily proven, just look at the steady decline in quality from a published author's first works to their latter ones and count the number of errors in their debut vs. their 12th best-seller.

I am seeing a trend. Some of you are adding to the "mormon mafia" myth (a strong contender), others of you are building a myth-cloud about how to be a successful author. I also like the myth about publishers moving their offices to avoid the slush (I can almost imagine that happening). It's... myths by wiki! I love it!

Editors keep extensive records on everyone who submits to the slush. If you have a typo in your manuscript or cover letter, you will be forever marked as 'incompetant,' and all future submissions will go straight to the garbage can.

Also, editors share this information with each other at conferences. The only way to break in to publishing after you've been marked as a grammatical fool is to send expensive gifts of chocolate with each submission.

I've actually seen a fair bit of commentary (At First Things, Touchstone, and other Christian magazines prone to LitCrit) about how Mormon beliefs specifically lend themselves to creating good Fantasy and SciFi.

I'm pretty much doomed. As a Catholic, if you can't create a universe as theologically correct as Tolkien's, you're just a failure! ;) (Though if you can reach Lewis-levels of accuracy, you get some points.....)

Seriously, though, I would imagine that religious belief DO factor into world-building in fantasy and sci-fi--simply because your view of how a realm ought to work will be influenced by how your take on reality.......

Though authors also have to be careful not to whack people over their head with their religion--- I sort of gave up on Card's Alvin Maker series when it got TOO religious.

There's a Brown/Yale Mafia controlling all the plum editing jobs. God forbid you went to Seton Hall. If you did, you'll end up in marketing or production.

Myths I have actually believed before the opposite happened to me:

1) All you have to do is get an agent and you'll have it made. They will leap over walls and run obstacles courses to get you published, big time, by big houses, for big money. REALITY: Said agent will dump your ass if your book fails to sell.

2) All you have to do is sell one book, your editor will automatically want another from you and another, as fast as you can write them. You are a team, I say, a team. Her goal is to make your name/work known. REALITY: Said editor didn't buy your option book or the others following it, you're never really sure why as her reasons don't make total sense.

3) Your publisher will promote your book with all their human power. REALITY: No, they won't even hand out your ARCs at ALA or Book Expo, so you have pretty much the book catalog as your only, sad promo. Whee!

4) Your book will stay in print and be available for a long time. REALITY: without a stong buy-in, your book isn't stocked at the big box stores and you have to lie and say "They must be sold out, try Amazon," when friends/family ask where in the hell your book is.

5) You have to be super successful or you'll hate writing. REALITY: despite that all the above has happened to me, I love writing more now than ever. I think that means I'm a writer. Or, I'm delusional, maybe a little of both.

Carol Brendler, as a lifelong Mormon, I can safely say that I've never been encouraged by any elders to write literature for children. If you have a source for that, I'd love to see it--it sounds like a talk I would enjoy readying. There's a great Mormon writing community, but it's definitely a grassroots thing, not something mandated top-down.

Mormon leaders do encourage creativity and reading and writing good books. There's also a long Mormon theatrical tradition. There are a lot of individual Mormon writers pursuing the Great Mormon Novel. But I've never heard of a leader specifically counseling members to write for children. (I'm fairly young, so it could have been before my time.)

My conspiracy theory: All publishing houses are really One Giant Publishing House, and their editors meet secretly, so as to avoid anti-trust agencies, to determine what will and will not get published.

The myth: The publisher will steal your idea and give it to an already-established writer to write. And pay him/her a bajillion dollars.

The reality: The publisher will steal your idea, have it stripped down for tropes, and sell the tropes on some havey-cavey Stolen Ideas market down by the docks. There some already established writer will purchase the parts for pennies on the dollar, have it reassembled by underpaid workers in a sweatshop, and sell it for a bajillion dollars.

Did you hear about how some publishers are using rare forms of hypnosis to convince the loose-minded masses to buy more books?

“They have the technology,” a disgruntled mid-list author told me. “I knew about it when I was trying to sell my book, but I have morals for crying out loud, and this is nothing more than brainwashing.”

It’s called “Hypnosis Imaging” and it works particularly well on children and teens, but publishers have found that some light-minded adults are also susceptible to its lure. Certain images, secret symbols that ignite a powerful magnet in your brain, are embedded into the cover-art of books. “The covers are like brain-sucking leeches,” says Disgruntled Author.

Our current generation of teens does seem to have a glazed look in their eye and the responses to their choices of literature are also fishy. “I just love it,” some say, or “I physically can’t put it down.” Because actually they can’t.

You know which books we’re talking about, the books that seem all innocent and cute, but look closely at some of them, (keeping your mind good and locked of course.) You’ll see symbols and patterns you might not have noticed at first, but are clearly nothing more than hypnotic images.

This brings new meaning to the saying; “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

p.s. I am a Mormon housewife with three children. Can anyone tell me how to get in touch with said Mafia? I want in.

There is actually only one editor left on the planet, and he does nothing, but drink Lattes while training a zombie-horde of interns to do his bidding. He has not read nor edited a book in over 300 of your Earth years.

BYU has the best writing teachers in the world.

In every publishing house, the slush pile grows and grows.
Once a month, all the editors and editorial assistants (except those who have families and demand they come home) get together around a big table, order in a pile of pizzas (and beer for those who drink it, something stronger for those who need it) and go through the slush pile as fast as they can.
The editor/assistant who hits 100 rejections first gets to go home early.

I wish I was joking but I have seen this one on several blogs and other sites. It may well be true ... but for the writer in the slush pile, it's ... (fill in appropriate word).

Most celebrities have achieved their fame because it's the easiest way to get a children's book contract.

I think the moral of the story is that the publishing world is as full of mafias as the real world (as depicted by the literary world).

Myth: J.K. Rowling uses actually spells in Harry Potter to encourage children to explore Satanism. (Oh wait, I didn't make that myth up, Fox News did! Sorry, sorry.)

Also, word verification is "teatsess", which makes me sort of uncomfortable. I've had a lot of weird ones lately-- you know, I'm pretty sure that's what Dan Brown's next batch of books is going to be about!

If the publishing company is full of vampires, Twilight got published because a drag queen mafia within the business wanted to see its members accurately represented in the arts, sparkles, fangs, and all.

If you affix the wrong type of stamp on your envelope you’ll be judged as an amateur and your submission will be immediately thrown into the reject pile.


The scary/funny part: I actually read this being discussed on a reputable writer’s site. Yikes.

Mine is along the same line as Karen's...

Major publishing houses still accept slush for the following reason: once every two or three years, a newbie writer sends in a dreadful picture book manuscript that contains an excellent idea. Each house has a protocol for handling such submissions. The specially trained slush reader reports directly to the office of a designated editor (at one house, the ms is placed in a fuchsia colored folder to signal the editor to quickly terminate her phone conversation.) If the editor agrees with the reader's assessment, she has the authority to immediately contact a big-name children's book author who long ago ran out of fresh ideas. This author has previously agreed to transform such a manuscript into a delightful story within a given amount of time--two hours, maybe three, depending on the house. Next, a young illustrator full of fresh ideas is contacted and told to be ready to put all current projects on hold. He will have perhaps a week to complete sketches and final art (he was selected for his simple style and fast-drying medium.) All of this is arranged--including contracts drawn up and sent for signing--before lunch (assuming that the slusher made his/her discovery over morning coffee.) Then the printing is fast-tracked. A certain printer in the Xiamen province of southeastern China will interrupt his schedule for a nominal fee. Nine months later, Newbie Writer will find his picture book idea on display at Barnes and Noble. If he has the temerity to contact the publisher, he will be told that the project had obviously been in production for years. Newbie Writer shrugs his shoulders and licks another stamp.

Like Emily M, I'd love to see the talk that instructs Mormons to write for children. It would help me explain that I'm actually doing something productive, not just sitting around, staring at the computer screen all day. And, I was at BYU at the same time at Stephenie Meyer--do I get a free pass, too? :)

My myth: if only you can personally hire the right illustrator, the picture book you wrote in a day will go on to sell millions and maybe even movie rights...

Oh yeah--and I think another myth is that being rejected 26 times is "a lot."

ROTFL.

When querying an agent, be sure to include a live eight week old chihuahua. Since agents can't resist dressing dogs in costumes, include an array of holiday outfits that will make the puppy look like the main character in your book. Don't forget to sew labels in the costumes with your blog address on it so several times a year the agent will be reminded that she hasn't answered your query yet.

Not necessarily a publishing myth, but one we've all heard:

Writing for children is easier than writing for adults.

Related:

When you learn to write, you'll move on to writing grownup books.

@Emily M.: I was misinformed,then. I thought it was something the church encourages. Please don't take the comment as a criticism, for it wasn't meant to be.

Publishing is not-so-secretly controlled by sales reps. And I'll tell you how they do it.

You know how they say that they need to go visit their major accounts every so often, to present your titles? Well, it just so happens that every sales rep visits the same accounts on the same days. What they really do is all go out drinking together -- reps from all of the houses, and the buyer (who, traditionally, never has to pay for a round all night). They carry around their sales materials as they traipse from bar to bar, getting more and more merry as they go. At last call, whatever blads and tipsheets that can still be read under the imprint of a thousand pint-glass rings get those books front-of-store placement and major promotions. Any titles the reps can still pronounce get a decent purchase quantity. Everything else is skipped.

There is a list which has been circulated throughout the publishing industry as an enormous e-mail list of names. This list comprises of authors who have submitted so many manuscripts so atrociously bad that they're hilariously good. These stories are so bad in fact that these authors have become favorites among people in the publishing industry and they are then tagged as a 'one to watch for in the slush pile' When the said author has been flagged it is then passed around via email attachment for all those members on the listserv to enjoy. These folks aren't aware of it, but their stories are treasured jewels in the seedy underground of children's publshing.

If you put the name of a specific editor on your envelope and write "requested material" you can bypass the slush and get special consideration--even if the material was NOT requested.

Since you've bypassed the slush, the actual editor will read your submission, and everyone knows that editors are nicer than those cranky interns SO

Your heartwarming tale about how grandma knitted you a pair of talking mittens who comforted you after your puppy was run over by a backhoe (illustrated by your child and your rabbit) will FINALLY RECIEVE THE ACCLAIM it deserves.

And you'll be filthy, stinking, rich, like Madonna.

Because being polite and playing by the rules just makes the editors laugh at your innocence as they toss your manuscript (written in blood and tears) onto the martini-fueled bonfire....

----Question--- if publishing is run by a Mormon mafia, why do interns have to make coffee runs? Is it just a cruel joke? Or do the editors want it NOT for drinking, but just for leaving coffee rings on manuscripts?

(1) Publishing is dead
(2) the book is dead
(3) there is something called "traditional publishing"
(4) Janet Reid is nice

My favorite publishing myth is that editors are all failed writers. The fact that I work as a nonfiction editor during the day and write YA fiction at night just goes to prove this.

P.S. You can include me as another Mormon who graduated from BYU and writes fantasy for young adults. Still working on the husband and kids, though.

Publishing myth number 7: if you are a young, hot wunderkind, you are much more likely to be published than a frumpy, Midwestern housewife.

I didn't believe the rumors that PYTs were more likely to be published. After all, haven't we heard a thousand times that editors only want to see our outstanding manuscripts? Attaching a Glamour Shot to a ms. is supposed to be the kiss of death. (And who's biased against frumpy Midwesterners, anyway? Look at Garrison Keillor's success!) And yet...after thirteen years of submitting my highly polished, totally compelling and topical manuscript, I was growing disillusioned that it's the work that matters most. Last New Year's Eve, after a few too many glasses of champagne, I made up an alter-ego. I changed my query letter to state that I was a junior in high school at an impoverished inner-city charter school for performing artists, and attached a photo of a random, pretty teen from one of my Facebook ads. (I figured a newbie, especially a hot one, would be forgiven this transgression). I mass emailed my entire mss along with my query (as an attachment! Another "no-no"!) and sent it to thirty-two publishers and agents just before midnight. The next morning, I awoke with an awful headache and pangs of regret. I hadn't even changed my name on the queries! What if publishers and agents looked me up in their naughty lists and realized I was being deceitful?! Dread soon turned to elation as emails and phone calls began pouring in. Not only did I receive more than 90% positive responses to my 4,000 word picture book about a grouchy grandma who is adopted by a stray chihuahua who thinks he's a cat, one agent offered immediate representation with auction interest from five major publishers and one movie studio. Alas, when the winning bidder flew me to NYC for BEA meet-and-greets, they were less than thrilled by my deception and appearance (I've since lost 37 pounds on the cookie diet) and I was forced to refund my six-figure advance and take the Greyhound bus home. A rough experience, true, but being right is so very worth it.

FH wrote:

"Writing for children is easier than writing for adults."

Oh, FH, you are so right. That myth is particularly dear to people who are trying to get their adult manuscripts published.

Sigh.

Rumour has it that Editors are encouraged, nay, instructed that a large part of their job at a Publishing house is to recruit celebrity authors. Publishers love celebs and so to do Editors, and really, who doesn't? Editors enjoy the challenge and rewards of working with and writing celebrity books. So important are these books to the survival of the publishing industry, that there exists a number of Editors in each house who are charged with the task of scouting, headhunting if you will. You can spot Editors where ever stars gather. Leaning against the ropes at a red carpet event, among the paparazzi, at sporting events, always with their arm outstretched, contract waving in the breeze, shouting out, "Reese, Reese, over here, you MUST read my contract, it's the best"!!!
A few Editors have been known to go so far as to stalk the stars into the washroom and slip book contracts under the stalls. Shocking!
Just the other day a new and egar Editor with a major house recieved a substantial Christmas bonus for signing "Teresa Giudice" of "The Real Housewives of NJ". This Editor will now be working on Ms Giudice new Picture book series for girls, "Etiquette Shmetiquette"

Yes, that dreaded slush pile. Yuck. I am there and you don't really know where and when and who you you are (with).

After years of learning and understanding the dummy process I have found that working 8.5" by 11'' works best for me whether portrait or landscape. Working smaller doesn't work as well for me.

And the art samples can be 11" by 17" for submission. Some people work even larger with originals and that can be and will be shrunken often tightening the quality.

I am not a fan of thumbnails myself as I find them too hard to manipulate but I understand why ADs and eds like them initially.

If you can find the ITOYA portfolios I highly recommend them as they have sleeves to work with and they come in all sizes and presentations.

Happy Holidays. B

One art director said she gossips with other ADs about artist's working habits. And yes, the authors and illustrators talk about the editors and art directors, they warn each other who is good to work with and not.

The second author sounds much too polite and apologetic to be blackballed for anything, unless they have a psychotic alter ego who is taking the day off.

The second author asked a very legitimate question. There is so little out there for author/illustrators regarding submitting. And there is a huge learning curve on how to prepare the dummy itself. I suppose schools like RISD may teach this but most art schools/art departments etc. haven't a clue.

And then there is the writing. All the formal lessons and rules won't apply if you don't know about hooks, age group concerns, the market and what each house publishes and what the editors go for.

My first writing teacher was great at pushing poetic devices...yay! and had us prepare two "fully illustrated" manuscripts." (I was the only illustrator in the class :( .

When I look back at the writing I am still pleased... but I cringe on how slight the content, premise and execution was.

No one can teach you that. I think as a writer you learn that and grow by evaluating successful books and being really hard on yourself... stepping back and reassessing.

It is truly amazing how much goes into creating a picture book.

Anyway, very good question second questioner.

About not being carried in the chains

When I'm in another town for a school visit I try to stop by the nearest chain store. I ask to speak to whoever is in charge of the children's section, give them a post card of my book, and say I've been to a local school.

That way when a child comes in asking for "that book from the author who came to my school," anyone working the floor can find my post card taped to the kids desk with the note "visiting author" on it.

It's a small courtesy that takes less than 3 minutes of my time and is appreciated by harried booksellers in every town I've visited. It's not going to make them stock my book. I don't bother ask. At the moment, I'm not anybody, but 3 or 4 books from now, those booksellers will still be there, and they will be much happier about recommending my books when their chain finally decides to carry them.

Thanks for the great info! I'm nowhere near having a "book deal" much less "book sales" but this one is tagged for future reference. Also, puts into perspective what to expect if things ever get to that point.

Thanks again!

Thanks, EA. You are such a fount of hard-to-find info.

My last book was reprinted in the first year, but didn't do spectacularly after that, perhaps because the Great Recession happened right then. So I guess that means my sales rocked, till they were hit with a rock?

Great post! Thanks for the hard and fast info in an industry where that is hard to come by.

This is a great set of guidelines. Not always easy, however, to get the number they depend on: the first print run... or the size of subsequent print runs.

In a sane world, royalty statements would begin with Total Books Printed and the sales and reserve numbers would break down from that. Alas, this is one of a great many numbers publishers are very, very hesitant to share with authors.

Thank you for the post! *delicious-ing for future reference*

Great post - I always find myself wondering where the goal posts are in this industry. On the one hand, I've heard going into multiple printings is great, but on the other hand I always wonder what happens if the original print run was decreased because of diminished expectations since the sale -- does going into a 2d or 3rd printing still mean a success?

And when you say sales, do you mean bookscan or royalty statement?

Thanks, as always, for your great insight!

Not always easy, however, to get the number they depend on: the first print run... or the size of subsequent print runs.


Working Illustrator, I too have never been told the print run but have to admit to never having thought of asking.
It can sound good for me to say the books always far surpassed their advances but what does that really mean, as the advance could be so low it would be almost impossible to NOT exceed it with sales:)
Obviously the print run would give the author and illustrator a more accurate history of their books sales. I must ask, I'm more then curious now.

LOL! I used to work for a sporting goods company a long time ago. We'd hire models to come pose with the equipment for the magazine ads. But then we had a couple of (male) hotties who worked in the office, and eventually they got called in to shave off much of their body hair and pose half nude.
...why did I ever leave that profession to lock myself in a room by myself with a keyboard and some coffee...

Our neck is totally on the cover of a book whose publisher once employed us.

Chris: LOL! Thanks for the day-brightener.

To the person writing the novella: You may want to consider short fiction venues instead of or as well as novel publishers--a few of them will publish stories with high word counts, up to and including novellas. Duotrope.com is a fantastic resource for sussing out appropriate markets, if you haven't run into it before.

The stock photo used on the cover of one of my friend's books four or five years ago (at a major publishing company and still in print and in stock at Borders) was used for another major book at another publisher this past summer. Did a double take when I saw it.

Wow! Stock photos and in-house 'models'? It never occurred to me that publishers were *that* cheap! But hey, if it means more books get published...

lol-- oh dear, new game!

Why did the self-published book cross the road?

Because it was too original and subtle for the side of the road it was on.

A man walks into a bar and orders a shot and a beer. The bartender gives it to him, he drinks it, and leaves.

About twenty minutes later the same man comes back and orders another shot and a beer. The bartender gives it to him, he drinks it and he leaves.

Another twenty minutes goes by and the same guy comes back in and orders the same thing.

Finally, the bartender says, "Look, you come in here every twenty minutes and order the same thing, but you never stay. What's the deal?"

So the man says, "Oh, well, I used to be a literary critic, but now I make my money as a vanity publisher. So every time I accept a really awful submission just for money, I come down here and I order a shot and a beer to quiet my conscience."

So the bartender says, "Well, why don't you just stop accepting crap?"

And the guy says, "Well, I'm an alcoholic, too."

Hey, it's a tough economy, so give the kid a break! At least she's trying to earn a living in New York rather than living off Mom and Dad. A recent study showed that young people who graduate from college during recessions end up with lower-status jobs and lower pay, and they keep their lower status and pay for at least 18 years.

I suggest that she try to get some free lance work that would expose her to higher quality manuscripts, help her make contacts, and pad her bank account in case her best shot at moving up is to return to school for a master's.

I know I'm not a fountain of self-publishing jokes, but it's easy to be smug when you come out of school in good times and can walk into any high-paying job. Young people now often have to choose between crappy jobs that they won't be able to move up from, or no jobs at all.

Anonymous 1t 5:27 a.m, I never had a job above minimum wage in my first five years out of college. This does not have anything to do with self publishing as far as I can see.

Yeah-- I'm not sure how taking a job at a vanity publisher would be WORSE than flipping burgers..

Some of them even have decent benefits.....

And it's not like she'd be able to get a job at a local paper--- most of them are CUTTING editorial staff.....

Though my advice would be to skip the publishing scene and try for a job as a techical writer/ government document editior--- more stable employment at this point, good benefits and hours, and you can always read and write in your spare time....

Just call me "Deirdre, the quasher of youthful dreams!" :)

There is some information online, but it's so scattered, you have to spend quite a lot of time researching. But it's worth it... I've been able to get an idea, for example, of who likes girl tween stuff (definitely not what I write) to who likes YA paranormal, etc. For me, those are pretty easy write-offs because I write humorous middle-grade geared toward boys. Editors who like lipstick novels are not going to like mine.
;-)

I didn't really think about the question of who knew about my track record until I became a freelance.

As I now need to promote myself, I have to go around telling people what I've worked on - and it makes me feel fainty guilty, and worried, as if some notional Editorial Director will be along with a big stick to tell me to shut up about myself.

So yeah, finding out what an in-house editor has worked on is going to be difficult. That info only gets bigged up at job interview time.

Before I had an agent, I kept a spreadsheet and recorded information I found on-line or through other means that might be helpful to know for submissions.

Going to conferences, like SCBWI, is a great way to find out what editors like and are looking for too.

SCBWI has some information compiled on this if you're writing for the children's/YA market. You have to be a member to access that page, however.

If you suscribe to publishers marketplace you can do searches for specific editors to see which books they have acquired. It's not a complete list but it might help. I used PM for agent research when I was querying.

Editors are often thanked in book dedications or acknowledgments. You can find this with a quick Amazon search using the editor's name in quotation marks as your search term. But obviously the results are a bit random. The SCBWI list Uma mentioned is a more complete resource, at least for well established editors.

I'd second what Tami said. A good editor that's great to work with is often mentioned in the acknowledgments -- plus while reading books in your genre, you're getting even more market research in. (Fiction! it's fun! AND educational!)

I have this fantasy about an IMDB for books. Author, editor, publisher, cover art and designer. Hundreds of bibliographies linked by thousands of conveniently time-wasting links....

Ellen Jackson's got a nice (and growing) database of editors and what kind of books they like and which authors they've worked with. You might check it out. (See http://www.ellenjackson.net/editors_a_to_z_89771.htm.)

Tami's right about the dedication/acknowledgments pages; authors sometimes drop this information on their blogs, etc. as well.

I think this sort of information would be useful, but keep in mind that because books have long gestation periods, any number of editors can work on any individual title in the course of its development. I've often had editor changes in the course of getting books to publication (four, on one particularly ill-fated title). I don't think my experience is at all unusual.

Further complicating this issue is that whoever the nominal editor is on a book, things are frequently circulated for everyone in the building to offer their suggestions; some companies are worse than others about this, but it's worth remembering that the editor in charge of the book may not be the only one editing the book.

Best advice I ever heard on this subject: don't try to gather complete information. Concentrate on books or writers you particularly love; the people who work with them are probably your best bet because your tastes will be in some way compatible.

No editor info (and VERY incomplete), but earlier anon, your wish is granted:

http://www.fictiondb.com/

I had four offers of representation and went with a new agent at an established agency over a very well established agent with forty clients at a VERY large agency. I was my agent's fourth client and I knew I'd get more attention from her. Sure enough, she sold my debut in a three-book deal at auction. Also, I have the pleasure of being her first sale, so it was a great experience for both of us.

I think I would go for the young one... He would be more commited.

I've had the great fortune to have both a young hungry agent with a mentor at an excellent agency and a well-established agent with fabulous contacts. I have no complaints about either agent, and would agree that you should probably let personality decide at that point.

You need to ask each what changes they expect you to make before they submit to editors. Agents hardly ever send a ms out as is, and if an agent's vision for your book is whacky, and they expect you to CHANGE stuff, you're not going to be happy if you choose the wrong one.

Don't forget question marks at the end of questions. Good luck!

Interesting... Can self-publishing open doors to a "real" publishing contract? Does anyone have any stats around this?

I know that critics and retailers may look down their noses at sel-published works, but if you can bring some hard numbers to a publisher, might that land you a contract?

I usually think of self-publishing as an either/or, all-or-none thing but perhaps it can be a bridge or an attractive feature to potential publishers.

Hmmm. Pause for thought.

Cheers, Jill
"Blood and Groom" is now in stores!
www.jilledmondson.com

I don't know specific stats, but I do know of books that were originally self published and then picked up by major publishers. The BONE series by Jeff Smith is one good example.

"Putting an apostrophe in a plural is a pet peeve of many editors, and is a bad way to start."

I hate to be grumpy towards someone with such energy and enthusiasm, speically when it's successfully translated into sales, but as well as rogue apostrophes and missing question marks, other bad ways to start include sentences which aren't sentences ("Three poetry anthologies and five chapter books.") and tautologies ("frequent regularly").

But best of luck for the (proof-read) submissions!

EA... LOL, you gotta an iron ass. Here's someone tryin' to share with the industry and you're clubbin' 'em over an apostrophe?

In this time of publishing, if an apostrophe, or lack of thereof, yanks your jugular... I'm lost - I might as well bleed-out on the floor!

Speakin' of bleed... Poster, did you get good quality illustrations with your self pubbed books?

Haste yee back ;-)

Congratulations... 20,000 copies... Wow, that's terrific.

Great work!

Just my two cents. I would write something new so the publisher has something clean to look at. (After all, you've written so much already, so you've established you have more than one book in you).

Yes, you have sales averaging 2,500 per book. That is good for self-publishing.

Give them something new to get excited about and if that book goes well, they may bring out your back list at a later date.

And I am with EA, you have to have absolutely clean copy. Typos, rogue apostrophes and other crimes against grammar are like nails down a blackboard to editors. You have to demonstrate your utter devotion to the language.

Apostrophes are not trivial. Getting them wrong in a professional submission is shorthand for "I don't take time and trouble over my work," to which the obvious answer is: "Then why should I?"

However, since blog queries are not professional submissions, but dashed-off notes, trouble in one does not necessarily mean trouble in another. One of the problems with electronic communication is that we use them for casual contacts and develop casual habits, which are apt to trip us up when we suddenly use them for business communication. It's not like those times us geezers remember, when sitting at a keyboard made us come alert, not wanting to send out a query splotched with Liquid Paper.

Bone isn't a great role model, since it came out during the heyday of the independent comic, when comic readers were excited about the mere fact of self-publishing and willing to try anything that didn't look like "The Big Two." Picture books are not graphic novels; graphic novels are not novels; and success stories can be flukes of opportunity. Those numbers at least indicate a willingness to hustle, which is not to be despised.

Sure, we can all name books that started out as self-published and later did well, because the mainstream media has shoved such stories down our throats and presented them as the norm.

The person who wrote to EA, with her (his?) avg of 2,500 sales per book, is doing much, much better than the average self-publisher... but those sales wouldn't be considered great for a traditionally published book. Still, good for her-- and yes, she does need to proofread.

I think Alan Sitomer self-published his first book, The Hoopster. He's now a well-known YA author.

Anon @ 5:54 -- I hate to correct someone on a blog comment but:

"speically" isn't a word. I think you're thinking of "especially." I know that is a completely dick observation to make, but it proves that (all) people proof their subs much more than they do a random question (or comment) on a blog. Otherwise God help us all, right?

:) Good luck to the questioner!

Dear Anon 8:29,

Considering that every one of my more than a dozen books by traditional publishers was expected to sell 10,000 books each, and all of them did. Considering that of those, two titles have sold over 100,000 copies each and another title, 23,000 -- I don't think 8 books selling a total of 20,000 copies is that great.

If one or two of them had sold over 20,000 copies, that would be impressive.
(By the Way -- Bone became crazy popular among teens, young and old. You can't consider it a 'normal/ average' self-published book.)

Dear Anon 10:19,

From now on, I will think of you each time my four-year-old daughter feels it necessary to point out how much more accomplished she is than her eighteen-month-old sister.

Hasta:

A writer considers his or her audience. In the case of submissions, that audience is an editor, to whom punctuation matters. The editor can't help it because s/he looks at words, text, punctuation, etc *all day long,* and after, oh, six months or so of doing the job, the errors shout from the page.

Dear Anon 10:19:
Your post reads as if you believe blowing out someone else's candle will make yours shine brighter.

And this might be a comma splice:

"that audience is an editor, to whom punctuation matters."

*blush!* It's hard to punctuate!

I think Anonymous 10:19 is pointing out that it takes a LOT of book sales to to be considered successful. 20,000 copies of 8 books is indeed remarkable for self-publishing. But don't agents and publishers want to see self-published sales in the 5K category before they'll consider picking up the book as a property?

Dear Anon 10:19,

I hope you will tell us if you are actually the author of the original question, comparing your own eight self-published books to your own twelve traditionally published books. If so, this additional publishing history might make a difference in the advice you receive here.

A comma splice comes between two independent clauses (essentially, complete sentences). "To whom punctuation matters" is not an independent clause. There is nothing wrong with your sentence.

Why is it always people who know the least about grammar who are most concerned about correcting it? I wish everyone would lighten up.

I have a question for you, EA (and, for obvious reasons also want to remain anonymous, even though I swear I am asking on behalf of a friend):

What does one do after making a terminally stupid mistake with a well-known editor, which has most likely resulted in blackballing by the entire industry? Is there any way for the repentant author (and also very talented, I offer, as one of said author's readers) to redeem his- or herself? Does he or she have a chance to be read and loved by an editor, or would it be better to find some other trade...say, fishmongering?

Rejection ouiji! I knew I should have been using a Ouiji board this whole time!

LOL. Funny post. Thanks!

Nice. It took me 20-30 rejections to realize that form rejections -- even supposedly nice ones ("While the work has merit...") -- don't mean anything. Not in the sense of, "How do I make it better?"

Useful feedback is always explicit. If you want to know why you're getting form rejections, find a critique group, get your work critiqued online, or pray for a for-real personalized rejection. If the most specific thing in the rejection is your title, it's a form letter.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

I knew I needed more sparkly dinosaurs. I just knew it. If only I'd been reading the subtle hints.

:) Loved this post.

I think I love you.

I'm just wondering if a novella should be submitted to agents at all. I mean, do novellas get published in book forms? If not, I wouldn't think agents would deal with them.

That's what I need - a rejection ouiji!!!! Awesome post, EA.

s;krghjs;iofghdfjkg;reiugegnd;fbn'dg

that was me banging my head against the keyboard because i couldn't laugh as hard sitting straight up.

that was evil. and so so necessary.

thanks.

Hilarious. And, oh, how I've been there, dear questioner (I feel your pain), but EA is so right. You have to be able to shrug and move on. The same pages that get you a form rejection can get you a request for a full. But, I read somewhere that if you get nothing but rejections (form or not), then it's time to shrug and really really move on (like put that book away and start a new one or do as Adam Heine suggested: get in a critique group and find out why).

You amuse me to no end. :)

Oh.

It's true that we can't read the agents' minds, and we haven't read your writing, but the following statements are generally true:

2 publications your first year out is very good.

Novellas are a small, tough market.

This is a funny and ultimately rather sweet post. You should think about switching sides and joining the writers' team.

*wipes Dr. Pepper off monitor*

Thanks, I've been needing a reason to buy a new PC. Thanks for the laugh.

That was hilarious!

All joking aside though, I think that if you get several (50+?) rejections without a request for a partial I would go back and really scrub the heck out of your query, sit on it for 6-12 months and try again.
Another option would be to fatten up that novella into a novel and then resubmit and see if you get any biters.

Best of luck!

I wonder if authors could be saved some pain if form rejection read like this:

Dear Author,

I am a form rejection letter. The agent you've submitted to you is declining to represent your work at this time. She didn't tell me why. She sends me approximately 500 times per week and never tells me why. Better luck next time.

Sincerely,
Form Rejection Letter

ahahahahahah!!
:-)

Thanks for the morning laugh!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am forever guilty of the "thnaks" in my workplace. Never was good at typing and my kdis tele me thsi all the tmie.

But that is not what causes form rejections...

Oh, this is a goodie :) I needed a good laugh. Thanks! (Or should that be, 'Thanks, I needed a good laugh'?)

And here I thought the no caps and no punctuation meant I was not in touch enough with the youth market. I've been reading the signs all wrong!!!

But seriously, it took me 15 years of trying to get my first short story published. Some might have thought I would have gotten the hint to give up, but I have never been good at understanding signals. Just ask my wife.

Great post! Thoroughly entertaining and informative.

Enjoyed my visit very much :)

But but but aren't you anonymous?

Yes, and the lucky winner can email the manuscript to my anonymous email address and get an anonymous critique back. :)

As I am anonymous, the critique might appeal less to some people, but that's ok. There are lots of other things for them to bid on!

Great, EA!

Yes come bid and raise money for Bridget. Also, donations are still be accepted and put up for auction.

I donated a critique of a QUERY plus the FIRST 10 PAGES of your middle grade or young adult novel

I would have donated a critique too, since it seems that they will earn the most money with critiques...

But I must be stupid, I can't figure out how to do it. Maybe I am just too tired to understand the interwebs today.

Ah, right! I've found it now, it wasn't under specialty services as I expected. The anonymati can rest easy again. :D

To view auction items go to www.32auctions.com
Auction ID: bridget
Password: rules
(as in: Bridget rules!!)

There is still time to donate more items. Contact Cailin O'Connor

cailin DT oconnor AT gmail DT com

This sounds really fun!!!

We're donating a "Foot In The Door" package from Through The Tollbooth- a thorough critique of a whole YA or middle grade novel, along with your synopsis and query letter.

What a fantastic cause and really great items!

OK, I donated a critique!

EA: Your critique is out of my price range (which is wonderful. I hope it goes higher and higher and higher). I bid on something more my financial speed. It's such a wonderful cause!

Twenty years ago, a friend told me that her weekend-house neighbor was an agent and that I should contact the her. I did, and I've been published ever since. I wouldn't have been published if I hadn't had this personal "in." More recently, I had a children's book published at a major house because a friend used to be an editor and knew an editor there AND knew that what I'd written was what she was looking for. That's important - use contacts only if the contact is appropriate for your work! And when you do send your ms, treat the editor professionally and with many thanks!

Oh, so it's okay to give us way too much information about your sister.

So, does she have a boyfriend? Is she into old bald guys? How about old, bald, married guys?

"I knew your ex-manicurist's rabbi!"

LOL! Well, shortcuts are a lovely fantasy anyway. Thanks for the kindly worded reality check.

Michael, I do know someone who likes old, bald, married guys. But the distance thing is a problem. When will the old, bald, married guy be in NYC?

Anonymous, focusing on appropriateness is good advice.

Ea? Are you turning your blog into a "seeking to have an affair" personals site? That's a little creepy--you might want to lay off the Jack Daniels for a while! ;)


WV: Ablere- a Latin word meaning "to cleanse"?

We have a close friend (a close friend of my husbands' to be exact) who is high up at a major NY publisher (not an editor, but a big shot in the publishing process nonetheless).

I have to say, I am extremely hesitant to give this person anything to pass on to an editor, even though this person has made the offer to do so. well, to be honest, I did give this person something once but the editor on whose desk it ultimately landed was made redundant, probably before he or she even took a look. I was actually relieved to hear it.

I'm so cautious about stepping on toes or crossing boundaries, probably to a fault. I absolutely suck at networking.

Re: the slush. I have a sheet at work that says: "Slushpile: Looking for a needle in a field of haystacks, and having to tell each stalk that it's not the needle you're looking for."

Michael,
I'm a old married bald guy to... Don't know where you live, but we could share gas money in transit to N.Y. City. (I am city phobic however - if I hyperventilate in the caverns of New York, hand me a paper bag)... PLEASE!

Pic here:
http://www.jacketflap.com/profile.asp?member+PYXX

Haste yee back ;-)

Relax, Dierdre, she's just toying with me.

(Note to self: convince Harper I need to go to NYC.)

I really enjoyed reading this piece!

It seems to me any serious aspiring writer would seek to be judged by their writing alone.

What dignified writer is proud to say "I got special attention because I knew an editor?"

I'll fail on my own merits, thank you.

Someone said to me at a dinner party the other night (an out of work journalist): I'm about ready to pitch my book idea to publishers, or possibly an agent.

GAH! I wish I could send that person here, but they don't think they need this info!

The poster said: "Though the reason I like the illustrations of the woman's book so much is because they are very similar to the illustration that I sent in on my cover letter."

I think this sentence is a sign that this author needs to do some more research. Check the posts on EA and others about submitting illustrations and resources for new authors.

For what it's worth...

Having multiple styles can confuse some buyers to the point of losing a sale.

Buyers become afraid of choosing the *wrong* style amongst your work and back off fearing they'll pick the least effective.

I saw this when showing my commercial art portfolio around San Francisco. Limiting their decisions actually secured more sales!

Haste yee back ;-)

What they teach in art school is that if you are unknown and show too many very different styles, it is hard for art directors to remember and identify you with any particular style (among all the other illustrators' work they see) or to know exactly what they'll be getting if they hire you.

Oh, EA, have you already boxed up your imagination and put it in storage for the holidays? In order to make a 15,000 word manuscript into a YA novel all one needs to do is rearrange the lineation into short chunky paragraphs and present it as a novel in verse. And unlike vampire fiction, even a stake through the cover won't kill the stupid things.

There are some shorter YA books out there, but like Eilonwy said, a lot of them are in verse.

Another alternative might be to turn it into a graphic novel--they are also short on word count.

Um... for the record, poetry is not just ragged lines of prose. Despite what one billion bad poets want to believe.

You definitely can find markets for short stories at 11,000. There's a few contests - just a quick glance shows me Prose And Poetry Prizes - The New Writer Prizes Page goes up to 20k.

Also, take a look at Duotrope's Digest - you can narrow down markets by various criteria, including wordcount. I got 97 matches for a wordcount of 11,000 although obviously only a small subset will match your genre.

Ooh..... someone needs to write a vampire novel in 'blank verse!' I bet editors everywhere would snap that up. (evil cackle....)

There are some very good verse novels. I loved Hesse's 'Out of the Dust.' Very few stories actually WORK in verse, and even fewer authors can actually WRITE good blank verse. Especially since blank verse actually DOES have requirements for Metre.... it's alot harder than you'd think.

But, I would be willing
to bet-
that most of the "novels in verse'
that skitter across EA's desk
like dried husks
of last autumns corn, or dessicated
corpses, deserted by rot
are just random strings of prose
sounding clunky, but lacking punctuation -
much like this paragraph.

Would it be possibly to write (or get together with the authors of) a few more in-between-lengths stories, if they're thematically similar enough, and send them in as an anthology of sorts? More Tokyo! than Paris, Je T'aime...

About different art styles:

I just saw the children's book Original Art Show at the Society of Illustrators and this theme came up a lot, as pieces for different books by the same illustrators were hung side by side.

Some artists - Jerry Pinkney and Michael Hague come to mind - have a way of pulling every project they work on into a particular way of working.

Others - Paul Zelinsky, Steven Johnston and Lou Fancher - customize their work, sometimes radically, to each individual text.

In movies you see the same thing: Tom Cruise is always Tom Cruise; Gary Oldman is unrecognizable from role to role.

I think the the challenge to the would-be chameleon is properly defined by the first commenter: too much variety makes it hard for art directors to remember you.

It's a marketing problem, essentially, and the solution is, I think, a creative one: when Brian Karas, Paul Zelinsky or Lane Smith work in different styles, there's a connective aesthetic running through the work.

It's all clearly the same artist working in different modes. The same imagination is at work through different visual languages.

EA would probably say - as she often does with writers - that this is something only advanced people can do. That's certainly true, as far as it goes... but I'm assuming that this questioner - or someone else who might read this thread - has the capacity to do that.

I'm assuming that there is such a thing as developing or undiscovered talent, and that discussion of these topics needn't just dead-end under the sign "you're not famous; don't go there."

Scott Magoon is a good example of a a younger artist who does this: Ugly Fish and Luck of the Loch Ness Monster are very different stylistically, but the underlying line and sensibility link them.

If you're a strong enough artist - if your vision is sufficiently developed - you'll be able to work in different styles and media and not lose what makes you distinctive.

But it is harder. And the more variety you to want to show, the stronger your core aesthetic – and the wider your overall skill set – needs to be.