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This is a great post! I've often wondered what I might discuss with my agent when we get to this point. Thanks so much for giving me insight!

Wonderful post, Jane, thank you so much for this! This is exactly the kind of thing unpublished writers are curious about, but rarely have occasion to find out about!

Thanks for sharing this! I had no idea that the "brass ring" might be a smaller house.

Appreciate this look at publishing from an agent's viewpoint. Some excellent questions to ask and good things to consider. Thanks for the post!

I think an important factor in choosing a publishing house would be how they plan on marketing my book both online and off.

Editor enthusiasm and marketing would tip the scale for me. I'd rather take a smaller advance than go with a house where they aren't crazy in love with my book and looking forward to promoting it.

Since publishers can't, and writers don't know how, I'm hoping a new field opens up that teaches writers how to promote their work. Blog or website consultant, as well as PR :)

This is actually refreshing to hear. I have titles for my works, obviously, but I also have ideas on how the covers should look, merchandising ideas, my own blog, and twitter accounts, etc. From other articles, blogs, and so forth I've read online, it was starting to sound like once an author hands over their "baby" it becomes someone else's and they get little to no say in titles, covers, or promotions. I don't mean to say that I would be a complete control freak--I'm easy going by nature and would be willing to find alternatives if the publishing experts thought my ideas would never work. Obviously, I like to write...but the promoting aspect also sounds like a lot of fun, so yes, I'm glad to hear that authors are expected to be a part of all of that too!

I completely agree Jen, it's nice to hear.

I would take the initiative and be my own PR. It would take some working up to (since I'm the shy, recluse type) but I would do it. It makes me sad that some authors don't see that, and they are really missing out on the experience of meeting new people and getting themselves and their book out there.

Suzi has a point; if publishers don't have the money, and most authors don't know how that too is counterproductive. Not to mention there are many 'promotions' out there that simply don't work. I have no problem being active in promotion, but I wouldn't want to waste valuable time on things that don't work either.

Thanks for posting about my interview. And for all you authors who don't know how - we have a really intensive class every January. Limited to 25 students - all online. You can find out more about it here: http://www.bksp.org/content/view/141/2/

It will updated this week for the 2011 schedule. You can also write me about it at MJRoseAuthor at gmail dot com

"No more can or should an author complain about his or her publisher. This is counterproductive. Instead, the author should take charge in every way possible to get his or her book out into the marketplace and reach a wide reading audience. Only when that has been done effectively can the author become a writer again."

Only when a writer becomes a completely different thing -- i.e., a marketer -- can the author become a writer again? This is nonsense.

And, it's the complaining about publishers abandoning their proper marketing role that's counterproductive, and not the abandonment of that marketing role by publishers? Seriously?

I'm sorry, but in no other entertainment field is the creative class forced to be marketers and salesmen for their own creative product. This is bad business, bad reasoning, and simple bad form.

Authors can and should complain, because being able to write a marketable book and doing the actual marketing have no more to do with each other than automobile engineering and race car driving. Their agents should be standing by them and representing their clients' interests rather than enabling publishers to continue this nonsensical, incompetent practice.

And, when publishing execs live in the same tax bracket that the majority of authors do, then I'll buy the "we don't have the money" argument.

Also, I think there should be definitions of what exactly 'marketing' entails, and what 'promotion' entails. Too often those terms are used synonymously, and many authors and industry folks I've read say they're not the same at all.

Contracts outline precisely what's expected of the author and publisher at the pre-publication stage, they talk about money and timeframes and duties and penalties.

If there's a new set of things a publisher expects an author to do, and this is a bone of contention, then perhaps modern contracts should also spell out exactly what authors *and* the publisher are expected to do to market their books.

"I'm sorry, but in no other entertainment field is the creative class forced to be marketers and salesmen for their own creative product."

Anonymous is obviously not a musician.

"Anonymous is obviously not a musician."

Or a graphic designer.

"Authors can and should complain, because being able to write a marketable book and doing the actual marketing have no more to do with each other than automobile engineering and race car driving. Their agents should be standing by them and representing their clients' interests rather than enabling publishers to continue this nonsensical, incompetent practice."

I totally agree. Marketing is a skill and it is a totally different skill from being the content producer and it shouldn't be the authors job to market their own book.

Look at all the publicity surrounding the release of Justin Cronin's The Passage. This is a "The Stand" style post-apoc vampire novel. It is everything that most mainstream publishers are telling us doesn't sell right now, but Stephen King gave it a nice cover blurb and the publisher did a multi-million dollar publicity campaign around it.

I've read it. It is good, but not great. It isn't any better than any other horror novel available.

If they put 1/10th the effort into marketing other novels that they put into The Passage, they might find that some of those novels were also big sellers.

If you feel that the author is going to be the one responsible for marketing their own book -- I respectfully suggest that the author might as well go balls to the wall and become their own publisher.

"I'm sorry, but in no other entertainment field is the creative class forced to be marketers and salesmen for their own creative product."

Anonymous is obviously not a musician.

Or a photographer, actor, or painter. Or anything creative, really. In fact, at least someone else is publishing the book. I've been an actor, and was married to a painter and am currently married to a photographer/musician. We do all kinds of publicity for everything. At our own expense, no less.

That said, I have a background in arts marketing and as someone who has just spent the last five months doing marketing for my debut, Restoring Harmony, I frankly don't know how people without that background pull it off. I kind of like marketing. I like creating buzz, but some of my writer friends really are at a loss, and I do agree that writing is the reason we got into it, and it's a shame to have to do all this marketing if it's not your thing.

While it might be necessary and true that we have to do our own publicity, I think it's sad. I've had fun, but honestly, I would've rather written a new book over the last five months. Luckily, FedEx is on its way with my new edits and so it's back to work. Yay! Great post.

Of course the author should promote, same as the other creative’s listed in comments. But the time to promote is about 1 month pre-publication and 2 months after. From agent query to publication I believe is about a year; what I don’t get is why an unpublished author is expected to have half a zillion followers on twit-face-blog-book before he/she types out; Once upon a time.

Though it must be expected that the author promote, surly it is for publisher and agents to arrange promotion events and interviews.

As for cover and title; if an author can’t think of an appropriate and interesting title, it doesn’t inspire that the content will be any different. Cover, I would say a suggestion by the author should be listened to, but the marketing guys should know best and have last word.

Also, as when anyone gets a deal, they will without a doubt have to sacrifice writing time for promo, I would suggest the writer has a good second manuscript ready for publication before the first one finds ink.

Do I have any misconceptions here? Please put me right where I am wrong.

Wow, sounds pretty interesting. I hope things go in a more positive direction too.

Hi Jane

I would love to hear about why the Miami one was a disaster. I'm relative new-comer to this wonderful, virtual world of publishing, and would be very interested to hear what makes a book expo terrible... and even what you hope to get out of one. Thank you :)

BEA is a waste of time and money. They have virtually destroyed our industry with price gouging and all types of rackets that go on there. It is terrible because it is run by the certain few who have shut out a once thriving industry in favor of special interests.

How do they schlepp the Fall books now? Has some other meeting taken the original place of purpose of the ABA/BEA? Or is it all done on an individual basis now? Or electronically?

I was there to sign books on the second day - it was my first BookExpo, and though I loved seeing so many "book people" gathered in one place, I found myself asking the same question over and over: "Who is the audience for this event?" So many publishers, so few booksellers. The answer I received most often? "Good question," followed by thoughtful silence.

The Miami ABA was a disaster because the accomodations were inadequate to hold the huge number of attendees that yeartr and the transportation to and from the Convention was attrocious. As a matter of fact, as I remember it, most of the planning was very poor.

Fall books are currently ordered through catalogues, manyo f the electronic and presented by direct sales forces.

I was a bookseller's rep at the 1992 ABA Convention at the Anaheim Convention Center CA. It was a huge three-day affair, with 26,000 booksellers and publisher's reps, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was like a carnival; tons of freebies and catalogues for ordering and author's panels. I met Muhammed Ali, Doctor Ruth, Pat Morita, and more whom I've forgotten. From what I understand it's no longer fun, which in my eyes is a pity and a shame.

I honestly think brick and mortar stores are going the way of Blockbuster, unless they completely retool themselves.
Blockbuster is dying right now not only because of Netflix's superior business model, but because movies will eventually supersede the need for a hard media and will become digital delivery. Books will eventually become the same. It will take a while. I bet the bookstores have another 10 years in them. Books are different from movies (obviously) because they require more than just two hours of your time. Not sure if that's relevant, but it's at least true.

I can see a couple chains surviving. Borders will likely go, as they eliminated so many Waldenbooks this past year - and most were profitable. I hope the independents can hold out long enough to survive this upheaval. I think if they offer more than books - many have gifts and a coffee shop - they will survive.

Consider the music industry - how many 'record' stores remain now that everyone downloads their music? Not many...

Maybe bookstores will go the same way as the pharmacies (you have to search the store to find where they sell the prescription medications) or Amazon, they both have become "dry goods and notions."
But are they too going the way of the superstores which used to sell everything and are gradually being replaced by the specialist shops for goods of quality.

I recently went to Southern California to visit family and was astonished at how hard it was to find a reasonably distanced bookstore. The area where I was visiting just doesn't support them. It was a shock and I truly felt panicked that my only options were stores that aren't traditional bookstores. This glimpse into life without bookstores was a little frightening for me. There's something to be said for perusing the shelves, flipping through the pages, and getting into that realm of literacy. While I don't know what's going to happen with bookstores in the future, this was a sad preview.

Marissa

I wonder if Barnes and Noble could stay afloat longer if they worked out a model with publishers where customers who purchased a book in their stores were entitled to a free or one dollar Nook version of the same book. I know a lot of readers who haven't converted to ebooks are the ones reluctant to give up owning an actual copy, and that might help hook some more of them/steal some physical copy sales back from Amazon. Though if B&N did that, I can't imagine Amazon would be far behind and B&N may just lost the edge again.

Don't be surprised if Barnes & Noble increases the size of space in their bookstores to feature the Nook. I see them, and Borders with the Kobo, using the Apple stores as a model. Bookstores have always encouraged interaction between their customers and the product.

Shopping itself has changed. So much of going shopping was social, getting together with friends, talking to store employees that were experts and loved what they were selling. The few music stores to survive were the ones that continue to be such a place. It is that feature that is the last hope for the independent bookstore.

As a former employee of Tower Records who worked in the video and book side, I understand what the loss of the bookstore means.

As a reader and unsuccessful writer, I realize the future is bright for the book. Books I never would have found to read are available again thanks to the e-book. No writer will ever be out of print again. How will we find our future favorites interest me more than what will happen to all those bookstores and their limited focus on bestsellers.

It seems to me that if brick-n-mortar bookstores are to survive they need to become not merely places to buy books but places to buy an experience that can’t be replicated online. They need to become destinations unto themselves and service providers. Specifically, I think they need to become places where people socialize around the subject of books – book clubs that are always open to newcomers, where people can meet others with similar interests, something to replace the singles’ bar. Think of it as a thinking person’s place to hook up – a book bar, minus the alcohol. Publish a calendar of “what we’re reading on...” and the date and time, provide a reader facilitator to get things started but who steps back if discussions start naturally pairing off. Charge a cover or have a two espresso minimum. Something like this might help, plus more public readings.

My worst (so far) was sending at least three e-mail queries that listed the length of my novel as 135,000 words in the subject, and 120,000 words (the correct count) in the body. Not so terrible, I'm sure, when compared with some other experiences, but still pretty embarrassing.

I definitely sent one to an agent using her maiden name and not her new name. A major goof considering the agency's name is her new full name. I panicked and didn't know what to do, knowing that it had to look really dumb and would be an automatic rejection, so I sent the email again, one minute later, with her correct name. Needless to say, she did not request my manuscript...

Although I don't write them very well, I think I try to be really careful with the actual query (although I occasionally catch the odd typo later that makes me cringe). But I did once copy and paste in an agent's email address, put in my subject line and then, completely by accident because I was distracted and on the phone, clicked 'send'.

I think the entire text of the email was 'Dear [Agent's Name]'. Coward that I am, I didn't dare re-send properly.

You'll be shocked to hear, no doubt, that I never heard back from her.

Sending out a query with "Dear:" as the salutation. I used to use a copy and paste query letter, then put the person's name at the top of it. A couple of times I forgot to put the name... yeah, not smart.

I accidentally hit "send" for a query that was still being tweaked, ie with an incomplete sentence, abrupt end, and no signature. I re-sent a proper one a few minutes later and got polite rejections to both.

Several years ago when I first started querying my childrens works, I queried all of them at once. I got a few rejections, but oddly enough I also got several requests and a really good agent. Perhaps agents were more forgiving then, but even the ones requesting just laughed when they called and said it would probably be best to query one at a time, but they liked them all.

The worst mistake, though, was hanging up on my dream agent when she called. A friend who was a practical joker knew I was querying. I thought there was no chance Ms. Dream Agent would even look at my work let alone call, but I had determined to start at the top. I told her I didn't know who she was, but she could tell Tommy it wasn't funny and hung up on her. She was kind enough to call back and hurriedly say, "Please don't hang up, this really is--."

Oops.

According to Query Shark, you're not suppossed to put your contact information at the top of an email query. I did that several times.

An agent I was following tweeted that she had sold a new book for one of her clients. I immediately looked up the client, and found what I thought was the book. I wrote an intro to my query that congratulated her and tied that book to my own and shot it off, thinking I was being clever. Then I discovered that the book I had referenced was already on the way to publication. She was referring to an entirely different book.

Years ago, before the information was readily available on the internet, I queried an agent whose name could have belonged to a man or a woman. I addressed it to Mr. or Ms. and I've always suspected this didn't go over very well with the agent.

It would definitely have to be in my very first queries (yes, more than one), mentioning that I was published in the International Library of Poetry Anthology as a WINNER! Aren't we all?!?! When I found out what a farce they, were, I quickly decided that no publishing experience was better than that!

Uh, I just sent a query saying I enclosed 5 pages, but then forgot to enclose the pages. Oops.

I queried an agent using the wrong name TWICE (she was very nice about it, too), but the submissions that still make my face burn are the ones I remember sending with long, convoluted descriptions and synopses that were far too detailed. I've also done what Elizabeth and Yat-Yee mention above, and a few other things as well, but I think that's enough to start with.

I sent a query letter to an agent with an unusual first and last name, and I mixed them up! Yep, I got a form rejection to that one.

I've definitely guessed wrong on the gender of a few agents over the years. Sometimes you can google and google and google and just not find it. Cameron... Leigh... Penn... These are the names that immediately come to mind. But there are more. Many more.

Where do I start? Bad pitch, misspelled agent name, wrong genre, in the snail mail days--not signing, not really investigating the type of work the agent represents, taking lots of time off between queries because of discouragement from rejections, etc. I'm sure I could continue the list for a long time.

I proudly noted my word count was 250,000 on my first query until research showed me the error of my ways. I had no idea agents wanted smaller first ms, all my favorite fantasy books are long. Of course, they are all successful authors. So then I split the ms into two books and reduced, reduced, reduced.

Just as an experiment a month or two back, I wrote a subject line that said, "You don't want to be my agent because, of course, of the curse..." Limited it to 4 agencies I knew little about.

Then went on to tell the mostly-true story about how my first agent (in the 90s) disappeared without a trace, the second got hired the next week by some struggling publisher, another 'brand new one' got ridiculed by some snobby editor that my work was horrendous (at which point he felt he had to dump me or risk his career,) and the next one got fired like an hour after he signed me (which was true but had nothing to do with me.)

And I stretched the story a bit of course. I immediately got a warning back from one agent to NEVER tell that story ever again in any query or I'd be literarically doomed! Then two others told me "funny, but no." So, doomed? This is just writing and publishing, it's not supposed to be an anal contest.

So what is a 'mistake?' Wow, if the agent can't laugh at us and give us a break for being "new" and "reallly stupid," not sure I'd want to work with them for years and years.

I had been emailing my query back and forth to myself to make sure all the formatting was just so. Right as I clicked the 'Send' button to the agent, my eyes saw that the subject line said "Try this". Not a hideous mistake but a mistake for sure.

My first query ever had many mistakes. Got a nibble. Since then, better queries, but nada. I can't figure this process out!

Still waiting... The agent who gave you a heads-up was giving you a break! Otherwise, you might have kept sending around that query.

My mistake was too anxiously querying a second ms to my dream agent before I realized that I hadn't done nearly enough paring down.

The request for the full came- but the second I sent it off I suddenly had the sinking feeling it wasn't as ready as I'd thought. Sure enough-it wasn't.

Now the word count is dropping steadily, the project is looking so much better and I really wish I'd had a bit more patience.

A rookie error and a lesson learned the hard way but at least it has been learned.

Edit, people. Edit, edit, then really start editing before you send.

I think lack of patience is my greatest mistake as well. I query too early.

Many of these are things we have seen over the years (I think I missed the person with the really bad luck stories, although that would have caught my attention). In the end, we all learn from our mistakes and hopefully move on to writing successful queries and finding the most perfect person to offer representation.

Oh yes, the reply that I was an idiot for sending the "curse approach" was ABSOLUTELY trying to help me. I stopped.

Overall, even though we get made fun of for being idiots sometimes, it's a welcome belly laugh to hear about others chasing their tails.

And DGLM, actually, you already had requested the ms, I was eagerly waiting a reply and trying to generate other interest.

I just couldn't take it, was on the edge of my seat, nervous, scared, apprehensive, frightened, edgy, worried, jumpy, panicky, hungry, so I ate, then petrified, terrified, and horrified that I'd be rejected, (Or even worse, ha ha, accepted, then the curse would strike you, which would be a shame, because I love your work and had been knocking on the door for months)

Anyway, I got drunk, as is the writer's way, and went surfing, as is the surfer's way. Felt better. Still waiting though.

GREAT blog, thankya.

I was surprised and thrilled to receive a Kindle from my family last Christmas. For me it was a very practical gift because with my low and limited vision it's great to be able to blow up the font on any and every book without having to order large print. Voice to text as clunky as it is does help at times too when I just can't see to read.

I love the convenience of the Kindle. It makes me giggle with glee to download a book in sixty seconds (though it has a hair trigger- last week trying to show my sister how the Kindle store worked I accidentily bought a book I didn't want. Fortunately it was easy to 'return').

That said, as much as I love techie gadgets (I am an unabashed Trekkie after all) there will never be anything to me like holding a book in your hand, feeling the pages, the weight of it. The smell of the ink. It's a total experience.

When I couldn't see at all for a long while reading books was something I missed more than I can describe. Hearing books on tape just isn't the same and reading on a Kindle, for all its virtues, just isn't the same to me either in the end.

Additionally as the technology stands now, many of my most dearly loved books (many non-fiction on flowers and decorating) just don't translate well to the Kindle.

I smile every time I see the future depicted on TV as having 'real' books in it still. Look at Captain Picard. He's still reading from hardcover books in the 24th century and I'm sure by that point they finally figured out how to tell you what page your Kindle is on (or will). Doctor Who had an episode based around a library that contained every book ever written (boy I wanted to pay a visit).

To me, more books are better than less and the Kindle allows me access to that- but still today I will be placing an order online for some books I just have to be able to hold in my hands.

My Kindle, I love. Can't beat the speed. But the thought of ever giving up paper books, beautiful jackets and all, makes me sad.

Thank you for giving us the chance to comment on this.

Thanks for this post--it's a new take on the Kindle for me. I requested a nook for my birthday and I'm excited about it. But I don't think "real" books can ever be replaced. I love to go to the beach on the week-end, and nothing beats a good paperback you can get sand in. :)

I'd be curious if any of you have thoughts on the Kindle vs. the nook?

I'm a Nook owner, and I've also done quite a bit of ebook reading on my iPhone. I don't have any experience with a Kindle or a Reader, so I can't address their virtues compared to the devices I do own. But I can say that I very, very much love me some ebooks. The majority of my reading as well as my book purchasing for the last several months has been digital.

I have no particular sentiment attached to physical books as objects; what's important to me is the story, not the form factor in which I receive it. I get pretty much the same level of tactile input from reading a paperback that I do from my Nook, when it comes to "weight of object" or "action of turning a page".

But, that said, I'm also continuing to buy print books. I'm just pickier about which books I'll buy print copies of. I'll look for things like:

* Is the print copy of the book going to give me value that the ebook one won't? For example, the hardback edition of The Children of Hurin came with incredibly gorgeous illustrations, and the overall design and layout of the book was gorgeous. I was very pleased to purchase that in hardback. For most stories, though, I won't bother to go to a hardback copy.

* If the book's out in paperback, is it one of those weird tall paperbacks that are a bit taller than mass market size? I hate those size book, and honestly, if a book I want to read is available only in that size, the only reason I'll buy one is because it's an author I already know and love and wish to support. Otherwise, I'll go to the ebook.

* Is the author someone already known and loved to me? If so, I'll probably buy the print copy just to have it around, because this'll be someone whose work I'd be sad to be unable to read if I lost all of my electronic devices, or if the power went out. But chances are high that I'll also buy the ebook, just because reading ebooks on my commute is so much more convenient than reading paper books that it's not even a contest. The Nook is way more durable in my backpack than your average paperback or trade, and I'm really anal about not liking my books to get damaged.

* And last but not least, what's my shelf space situation at home? If I'm hard pressed for space on my physical shelves, the print copy will just have to wait. Time to put another book on the Nook. ;)

I've been waiting on Notion Ink's Adam tablet since I heard about it. I'd previously been shopping for an E-reader and had read repeatedly that the Kindle is the best out there. However, the Adam, when released, will be so much more than the Kindle. It's basically like an E-reader + netbook with a touchscreen. I'm very excited about converting my library to an entirely digital collection someday! (Of course, I will be keeping those signed hardbacks I was lucky enough to snag!)

I've had my kindle for just over a year. I LOVE it. Except - don't read it in the bath tub if you are in anyway prone to dropping things. Also, when you're lying in bed reading it, and you fall asleep - it thonks on your forehead pretty hard... which will result in waking up believing you've just been shot in the head. But apart from those two things... I can't imagine anything better for a voracious reader.

I adore my Kindle! I bought it when the Kindle 2 version first came out, and it's been a great decision for me and my lifestyle.

As a writer, the ability to send my WIP to my kindle, and peruse it as a reader, is the best function. It allows me to see my writing in a whole new light.

I've had my Kindle for two years now and would never give it up. As for reading in the bath tub, they make covers. I live on a sailbaot so water is a worry, but the cover I bought will protect the Kindle up to 12 feet under water. Of course I haven't tried it. I read some non-fiction in dead tree form, but novels I only read on Kindle.

What's a kindle? come to that, what's a nook? While I'm asking what's an ipad.
And nothing to do with those questions; toda's my birthday and my wife got me a computer and right now my 10 year old son is showing me how it works

I LOVE my nook, which was a Christmas present. As Angela mentioned above, there are multiple factors that go into whether I buy an eBook or a paper book. I actually have some books in both versions. Paper because I had it before the nook, eBook because I love them so much they just HAVE to travel with me. I will never stop buying books, this is just another outlet for my appetites, lol.

Mike - if you get the cover, is there a warranty? or are you just spending more money and hoping for the best? Because that would be tempting.

But overall it's just not that important to me to OWN books when the public library has so many that I still haven't read. If I could get my professional books for $10 it'd be super-tempting, but I just can't imagine that's sustainable.

I've never had any interest in reading books electronically. Firstly, I don't have the funds to purchase an electronic reader. Secondly, I use the local library for many of my literary needs. And thirdly, I like the feel of a book between my hands, or a keyboard/mouse beneath my fingers. I don't think I would enjoy trying to focus on a flashing screen for that long - and often find books a welcome vacation from staring at my laptop (or TV). So, until I have a valid important reason to have an electronic reader of some kind, I'll gladly stick with my paperback comforts.

Mesmerix raises a point. When everything's digital, where will be the thrill of the autographed copy? I'm torn, as I seem to be with most modern technologies. Dazzled like a kid in a toy store, yet nostalgic about my tried-and-true oldies but goodies. I've been seduced by the Nook I've seen in the B&N store, and Lord knows my shelf space is running out, so it would be practical to stop buying books ... but I probably never will. (Question: Do Nooks have page numbers? I LIKE page numbers.)

I have been able to read many more books electronically than I could have if I had been trying to read the physical version. So, ebooks are great for that . However, I miss the smell of reading a book the most. I love flipping through the pages and smelling the scent of the printed page. I miss feeling the pages as I thumb the pages, or the ruffling noises the pages make as I scan quickly backward for something I missed.

Also, an electronic device lacks the satisfying thud that a book has when it careens across a room in disgust!

I adore my Kindle and don't feel deprived reading a book electronically (although I would love to know page numbers--Amazon, can you give us page numbers?). This may sound silly, but the only thing I miss about buying books electronically is seeing my beloved friends on my shelves. Glancing over at them is like a quick visit over tea. Oh, I wonder if Sully is up to more trouble, or what's going on with Asher's art? Of course, this differs not from owning a book on audio or borrowing from the library (a necessary evil because of the damn budget).

Lack of pages on a Kindle can be confusing, but once you figure out bookmarks and its note-taking capabilities, it is quite easy to jump back (or forward) to pages of interest.

AAAGGHGHGHGHGHGHGH!! The Kindle! I bought the Kindle, as I buy way too many things on a whim when I was back in the US, and of course, of course it wouldn't download books in Russia where I spend most of my time. What on earth made me think it would? I have had a few slam dunks on the Kindle: enjoying the instant gratification of getting a book in 60 seconds, but I agree with the comments above about it not being such a good feel, not really knowing where you are in a book, not being able to flip around. I know I'm going to end up with an iPad, though I think I am showing admirable restraint in not buying one now...

I shared this article on my writing blog just last night. Very interesting and insightful!

Yes, I saw a link on another blog last week. It's a great article - but you are right that things are changing too quickly for this to be more than a snapshot.

One thing that I think publishers don't realize is that with cheaper prices ebooks will not be competing with hardbacks - they'll be competing directly with the aftermarket of used books. We can expect growth in the market to offset the lower price.

The booksellers are the ones who have something to worry about - but I notice so many have already started to change what they do. They're gift shops and coffee houses now.

Although you can get a book on an ipad, it is 1.5 pounds and a little heavier/more inconvenient to hold over time than a Kindle. In the past 10 years computer manufacturers sold about 1 million tablet pcs. Apple has sold about 1 million ipads so far (http://labs.chitika.com/ipad/) Primarily Apple considers this a tablet pc, a phenomenal computing device and though publishers get very excited about the book reading potential of the ipad, I don't think most people buy them with that feature in mind. Plus, you have to charge the ipad a lot more frequently than the kindle because more color = more battery use.

That said, this quote struck me most from the article:
“Publishers never built the infrastructure to respond to customers.” Without bookstores, it would take years for publishers to learn how to sell books directly to consumers. They do no market research, have little data on their customers, and have no experience in direct retailing. With the possible exception of Harlequin Romance and Penguin paperbacks, readers have no particular association with any given publisher; in books, the author is the brand name.

Who do you think Apple targets as customers? Now apply that same question to Amazon. I think the latter has a better sense of how to reach book lovers.

As I Kindle owner I find that I will not buy a book priced over $9.99. I also find that I am reading more books than I have in ten years. I spend more money on books. There have been a couple of occassions when I was going to buy a book, it was held back, and by the time it was realeased as an ebook I'd moved on. I used to buy 15 or 20 hardcover books a year. Now I will only buy hardcovers when a writer friend has a new book coming out. Then I don't usually read it, I like reading on my Kindle.

I can't imagine that people who buy an ipad will read more. There are too many apps to distract them. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the Ipad is the savior publishers are looking for.If anything their tactics will drive Amazon to publish more books on their own.

Aaargh. It's all so confusing. I just went to an SCBWI event with Stephen Roxburgh speaking about the current industry and what he thinks it means for books and authors and publishers. And even then he said, "Everything I say tonight could be obsolete in 24 hours." Truly it makes my head spin.

As a hopeful author just polishing what I hope will be my first novel, I don't even know what direction to turn anymore. So I'm sticking with my husbands advice- Write a great book and the rest will take care of itself. And really I have to refocus myself on that every now and then. I want to be informed about the business, but the book is all I have control over. The rest is a gamble. Everything changes too quickly to try to guess which road will lead to the greatest success.

I purchased an iPad because of the versatility. I'd been in the market for an eReader and was weighing the pros and cons of Kindle vs. Nook. Nook had won in my mind--until the iPad was announced.

I have never used a Kindle or a Nook, other than to play around with the store model Nook for about five minutes. But I can tell you what I like about my iPad:

*Even if the battery power isn't as supposedly phenomenal as the other eReaders, I have used my iPad for a total of at least two hours a day (and probably more) since the I bought it (the day it was released) and have only had to charge it about three times. This has been with internet use, game playing, movie watching, writing on Pages, app downloading and yes, reading the first eBook I bought (the Nanny Returns).

* I find it very comfortable to use for all of these functions, much thinner and lighter than my net book.

* I love the case that Apple sells for it. By propping it up and letting the screen go horizontal, I've been able to read while keeping my hands free to do other things, such as when I'm eating lunch at work.

* The display is beautiful and I love being able to stream movies from my Netflix account.

* I read the Help on my iPhone through the B&N Nook app before the iPad came out. It certainly is doable, but I definitely enjoy reading the Nanny Returns on the big screen more!

*My library offers free downloads of audio books that are iPod compatible and ebooks (for computer screens) through Overdrive, yet these ebooks are not available for Kindles or Nooks. I am hopeful that these ebooks will soon become available for iPads.

*And, obviously, the versatility. Being able to type what I'm working on where ever I go, not having to worry about the battery dying on me, and being able to also read my current book, read the newspaper, listen to music, surf the web, from one purse-sized machine is wonderful.

I personally haven't seen that book, but I'll definitely go and look for it, concerning about the publishing crisis, i think they just have lack of advice from strategic planning services team.

UGH. What a beautifully tragic story. I feel for them both.

This is a great story...it reads like a thriller!

Some years ago I sold a collection of short fiction to a well known UK publisher. They wanted an 'Irish style' cover and asked me to recommend a designer/artist which I did. They looked at samples of the artist's work and picked out the one piece of his that I really did not like. I thought it had no relevance to the stories and protested. Too late...mock-up arrived the following week. I should say that I didn't have an agent, if I had, maybe things would have been different.

Great story! As much as I am huge fan of Salinger's work I find his fussiness so narcissistic. He sounds like too much hard work!

The saddest part is that it seems Lathbury tried his hardest to abide by Salinger's wishes. He let Salinger have say over the spine, the paper used, etc., and extenuating circumstances and miscommunication (or misattribution of motives) got in the way. Applying for CIP data should be fairly standard, but given Salinger's fame, it tipped off a bunch of unwanted media. The fact that some bookstores jacked the price up didn't help either, and undermined any trust Salinger had invested in Lathbury. How heartbreaking for the publisher.

Man, I was on the edge of my seat with that one.

The thing is, only someone big like Salinger could have the luxury of being so picky, and obviously he wasn't as anxious to publish as some of us novice authors are. It's such a competitive business, how can debut authors go about fighting for what we want without being unrealistic or having the publisher cut the threads? They've got enough people knocking, yet I do think authors should have a heavy say, cover-art included.

I remember a best-selling, award-winning author say as he signed the cover of a certain book, "I hate this cover art." Seriously if that guy doesn't get a say then nobody gets a say. And as a side note, I agreed with him. The cover-art was heinous.

I know it's what's inside that counts but it's like an ugly face on your baby. You may love it still, but everyone else is judging your baby by the cover.

That is such an amazing and tragic story! And so beautifully written. Thank you for that link, Jane!

Jane, thank you for this link. What a lovely, sad story. Beyond the outcome, I so enjoyed the crumbs of insight into a writer I have long admired so greatly.

Then there was the irony that, in this case, the publisher was in such awe of the writer and so nervous of losing such a coup that he dared not argue any points or differences of opinion with the writer. As Liesl and eddiestack pointed out, that is much more frequently the experience of the writer, afraid to speak up for fear of losing their publishing deal or imposing their personal taste over marketing know-how. Certainly that's how I feel.

I guess there’s a small moral to this story – beware the press – but, for the most part, I will just take away the tenderness and honesty in this recollection.

Beautiful and interesting story. I think the author was way too demanding, but he kind of earned the right to be. After all, it wasn't he who submitted his work to the publisher, but rather the publisher who approached him.

Still, everyone involved must have learned some great lessons from the experience.

Thanks for sharing this. I really enjoyed it.

I love it that Lathbury won't sell or publish the letters. Salinger must have been hellish to work with, but there is something refreshing about an author who bends over backward not to promote himself.

What a sad story.

It's a shame that Salinger interpreted the media attention as a betrayal by the publisher instead of the inevitable reaction of the press to something that the publisher could not have avoided. Especially since the publisher tried so hard to appease and mollify Salinger, catering to his whims.

I particularly like the fact that the publisher won't sell or publish the letters. That in itself tells me that the man has integrity.

The way I see it. In order to have a successful writing career I will need to:

-- Write a string of entertaining stories that people want to pay their hard earned money to read.

-- Edit and revise those stories until they're readable.

-- Handle a large portion of marketing and getting the word about my book releases out to the public at large.

-- And balance all of those things while still trying to keep the "real" people in my life from feeling overshadowed by the make-believe ones.

Having someone I can trust to go to bat for me and make sure I get the best deal possible for all my hard work, handle the ever changing front of the publishing industry (see e-books), make sure my advances & royalties are being received in a timely manner, and still be there to tell me the rough draft I need to turn into an editor before I'm really comfortable doing so isn't as craptastic as I'm likely to think it is ... frankly, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want an agent.

oh,geez. Sounds like a scam.

What's interesting to me is the attitude that the 15% is too much of one's own profit to divide, leading to the question of what an agent really does. The above story illustrates yet again that 15% of nothing is nothing. Making the assumption that you will successfully navigate your manuscript to any level of success is a huge gamble for most people, in my opinion. That every contract is created equal, for one, is an assumption that I assume comes back to haunt.

I would love to have an agent in my corner. I think 99.9% of the people who read this blog would love to have an agent in their corner. But I think for a lot of writers, it's less about choosing the agent and more about hoping some agent chooses us. Some people may get frustrated or just be ignorant and decide to forgo the agent. That seems about as wise as going to court without a lawyer, and I hope I never get there. But if the choices are: a) go it alone (without an agent) or b) don't go it at all (because you can't get one)...well, that's a choice that requires some thought, doesn't it?

I've heard my share of people relay that 15% of their profit is just too much to share, leading to the question of what an agent *really* does. The above example reminds us once again that 15% of nothing is nothing. Assuming that one can negotiate a contract successfully or navigate an industry with which one was previously unfamiliar is a bigger gamble. Thinking that all contracts are good contracts is dangerous. Oh well.

I have no intention of submitting to publishers without an agent. An agent knows all the ins and outs of contract negotiation and they have knowledge regarding specific houses/editors that I don't. If I feel confident that my agent has my back, I'm free to concentrate on writing and marketing. The story you highlighted here is just one reason I'm taking my time with the process -- I'm hoping to avoid as many newbie mistakes as possible. :)

Oh, boy. I feel bad for this guy. Anything you get into, writing or otherwise, you need to do your research and at least know that you're not the expert. I'm incredibly, incredibly grateful to have someone vastly more experienced than me looking out for me and my work!

When I first started thinking about being published, I sent letters out to publishers who were accepting unsolicited queries and manuscripts. I got polite rejection letters back every time, and was terribly disappointed, but looking back on it now, I'm so happy it worked that way. Much as I admire and respect editors and publishers, I understand that they're looking out for their own interests. I've realized just how important an agent is, and how much I'd love one to be in my corner.

Wow, he managed to sell his book without an agent? Even if he gets ripped off I'm still envious. I gather most debut novels don't earn out there advance, so he's only losing a few thousand after taxes, since most debut advances seem to be $5000ish.

And if he's Ernest Hemingway he's got a lot more ahead of him, including subtle humiliation of anyone who ripped him off along the way.

Am I crazy enough to be an eccentric author or what?

Why would I try to fly a plane if I have never flown one, and there's a seasoned pilot sitting right next to me?

I get it.

I know I need an agent. I would love to find one who wants to represent me...

I keep hearing that I should find an editor first and an agent to negotiate the contract second. That is, it's easier to find an agent if you have something that someone else wants to buy. I don't know. Is there any truth in this mumble-jumble?

Anon 1:00 AM: It is generally easier to get an agent if you already have an editor at a big house making an offer. BUT (and this is a big one) it's generally much easier to get an agent than it is to get an editor at a big house to offer on an unsolicited work.

I personally think it's a much better idea to try to get an agent first, not only because it's easier (not easy, mind, but easier) than getting an editor, but also because with agents, if you keep getting rejections and go on to revise and change your manuscript, you can have a second chance at representation. Whereas (in my experience at least) if an editor rejects something in its early stage, they are very unlikely to want to give it a second look, even if it comes through an agent the second time.

Of course, any editors are welcome to correct me if I'm wrong.

-GK

I think my experience is pretty on point, though it deals with The Wrong Agent rather than no agent, though I would argue the two are just about the same.

I sold a book via The Wrong Agent. She proposed NO changes to the contract. So I called her up and asked some specific questions about the terms of the contract, and she gave me what I now know to be BS answers. I specifically asked about the meaning of a clause that in my reading, seemed to give ownership of my characters to the publisher. She informed me I was misreading the clause. I also asked about the option, which was essentially, my next novel, submitted on the basis of a FULL manuscript with a year to pass. She said there was nothing to be done about that. Those are just two things that stand out in my mind.

My editor wanted to see my next book but I told her I wasn't done and that I had to send her the whole thing. (My agent was MIA by the way: wouldn't return calls or emails or reply to correspondence.) My editor said to just send her what I had. I did, we talked, she offered to buy that book, too.

Time passes ... I part ways with The Wrong Agent (who got 15% of a sale in which she had NO involvement)

I have a new agent and a new sale with the same publisher. My new agent sends me a HEAVILY changed contract. I was stunned by all the changes in my favor, including things I just would never have thought of (and didn't). Absolutely floored by all the things The Wrong Agent had not done for me. No ownership of my characters (yes, my reading of that clause was correct), a narrow option clause for a proposal and 3 chapters and 6 weeks to pass; changes too many to list here.

I learned as well that publishers keep copies of the preferred contract terms of agencies they deal with, and those contract versions are sent for those clients.

I'm no longer with that publisher, and I'm still paying for what The Wrong Agent did not do on my behalf. It's cost me money, rights and future projects.

Anyone writer thinks they don't need an agent is either friends with a literary rights attorney or is just plain misinformed. The right agent's 15% is worth every penny.

Before you sign with an agent, ask around. Ask other writers what they've heard. Talk to current and, if you can, former clients. And then LISTEN to what you're being told. If you're good enough to get an offer of publication, then you're good enough to make sure you have the right agent.

My question is sort of strange and hopefully not so specific answering it would be a waste of time. I had an agent who subbed manuscript A. It was turned down by 9 editors. I parted ways with agent (not over that, over something else). I got a new agent. New agent liked Manuscript A, but didn't think it was a great debut, even if I revised it, so went with Manuscript B, one I'd written in the meantime. Agent sold it!

Here's the deal...my editor who bought manuscript B was one of the ones who turned down Manuscript A. And now the question:Is manuscript A dead?

I now know a lot more about writing and would love to try and fix it, but with a next book option clause, is there any point? I haven't bothered my agent with this idea yet, but I hate to trash it because I think it has tons of potential (oh, and trust me, there are lots more manuscripts in the drawer, so this is not a case of me not wanting to let go of my very first book or anything - I'm fairly objective about my writing). Thanks.

Regarding fiction submissions: is there a time of the year when agents like to go on submission? I've always wondered if there are times of the year that are better than others.

That was very helpful and interesting. Thank you.

I wouldn't consider manuascript A dead. If I were you, I would discuss the whole thing with your agent who should then take a look at the letters which came back with your turned down material. Then probably the agent (and you -- depending on your relatonship with your editor) should go to the editor and be totally transparent. Mabye there is a way to go forward now with manuscript A. Or maybe the decision you and your new agent make is to wait and see what happens and then resubmit some time down the line.

There really is no special time of year to go out with fiction as opposed to non fiction. The times of year we try to avoid for all submissions are during the Christmas holiday season when everyone is away and usually at the very end of summer when again, everyone is away.

Thanks for your post! Here is a quick and silly question. Are electronic submissions usually handled as a PDF or doc? I have a couple of agents waiting to see my novel based on my other work, and I am not sure how to send it. I ask because I am one of those jerks who does not write in MS Word (I use Nisus Writer Pro), and I worry about formatting issues.

Electronic submissions should be handled as a MS word Doc

Very informative post. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Great post. Thank you for demystifying an often mysterious process in such a clear way.

Thanks so much for sharing. I've been very curious about the process and your post really helped.

Do you ever get offers that are exactly what you are looking for? And if so, do you ever still try to negotiate something better in order not to seem so easily satisfied, or needy? Can being easily satisfied be dangerous for the reputation of both agent and author?

What Jean said. In spades. Thanks for the link.

I can't help but wonder what it would take for the publishing industry to return to valuing the vital roles editors play - and to do so in a way that supports the requirements of high quality editing Ms. Naggar sets forth in her article. As in so many areas of late, quantity seems to give quality a thorough trumping, leaving many of us to wonder about the long-term effects. This was a great read!
Nicole M.

You don't know how grateful I am for your evaluation of this query, as it is mine. I admit it is not as good a query as it should be, and I have learned much about the art of querying since I submitted it. However, even though I was not querying you directly, you are the very first agent to give me any real feedback concerning what was wrong with it and what I could do to improve it. After receiving numerous form rejections, you don't know how refreshing that is.
Thank you again,
Dave

'The authorities investigate in their slow and meticulous way, while Dan and Kay attempt a normal life, hoping the killer will be apprehended'

It didn't ever hook me, but that sentence was the one that killed it stone dead. It sounded so anti-story. The police do something boring while the main characters sit around waiting.

I'm sure in practice, the book is more exciting than that. The thing that drives the story - and would make it stand out from Standard Log Cabin Thriller - seems to be the love and challenge in adversity. I'd highlight that more.

It also wouldn't hurt to give some touchstones. Other books or movies that it's like or reacting against. I can't tell if this is middlebrow horror or literary psychological thriller.

Thanks Jane for commenting and thank you to David for being brave and submitting your query. Are you pitching this as a straight suspense?

You mention the couple are in love, but I'm wondering if it is challenged in the story. If that's the case, then maybe weave this into your query letter. We can see the external conflict (killer on the loose, etc) but what about the internal conflict - their relationship and the stress it no doubt will endure? Maybe this could give your query another dimension.

Here's wishing you luck in the land of queries and I hope my comments help.

I agree with Alli. Since this is a romantic suspense novel, i'd like the query to be both more romantic and more suspensful. If that makes sense. Right now, it's kind of blah.
Good luck!

Dear (Agent's Name)

My name is (Author's Name) and I (detail any previous writing experience). I'm seeking representation for my novel SAVAGE MOUNTAIN. I'm writing to Dystel and Goderich because you represent (author they represent) and (author they represent), and I feel Savage Mountain is a romantic suspense novel in the same vein as their work.

Dan and Kay Logan have left the frustrations and temptations of life in Los Angeles for the chance to start over in the rural idyll of the Warner Mountains. On their first night in their new home, they find the body of a young woman.

Dan immediately alienates their new neighbors by pointing the finger at Pat Riley, a local trapper. Dan saw him at the scene, but Riley's a popular young man with learning difficulties, and the Sheriff refuses to even investigate. When a second young woman is found dead, Dan and Kay realize they are on their own in the woods.

Riley is hanging around their property, and they can do nothing about it. Dan and Kay draw strength from their trust in one another, but halfway through the book, when Pat Riley is found dead, even Kay begins to suspect her husband.

As I hope I've made clear, Savage Mountain is a suspense thriller, but the story is driven by Dan and Kay, the tiny telling doubts and details that make up any relationship (give an example).

I have completed a full draft of Savage Mountain, around 100,000 words. If it sounds like the sort of novel you would be interested in representing, I would welcome the chance to send you sample chapters.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this,

(Author's name)

Yes, thank you Jane for commenting, this is so helpful, I hope you do this again and again.
Thank you David for submitting. Best of luck with your book!!

Isn't it wonderful when a fantastic idea finds you? It can happen in any creative endeavor, I think. My best ideas come from my kids, or in the middle of the night when I am somewhere between dreaming and awake.

It could even come from someone replying to a blog post. My book is about the struggle betw... (kidding).
Great post!

I have never read any reviews. I hate to know anything about a book before I read it. I don't even read the jacket. I know! How do I choose? Well, truth be told...sometimes the cover. Also, the author. And often the first page of a book. I seem to have way more books than I can possibly read anyway, so my system's working for me.

However, I have recently started picking up books featured by bloggers who I know like to read the same things I do. I don't actually read their reviews, but they almost all use star systems of some sort, and if the cover looks good, they reviewed it and gave it 4-5 stars, I'll pick it up. So yes, bloggers are influencing me, but I haven't stopped reading professional reviews because I never did. It seems like they have always given away too much, which makes me cautious.

I recently picked up FAT CAT a magnificent YA, an I chose it based on the fact that a blogger I know liked it a lot.

I'm not a big fan of reading reviews before reading a book either, but that's also how I am when it comes to movies. I don't want any hints or preconcieved notions about it going into it. My students love hearing reviews for the books their peers are reading, however, and so I set them all up on goodreads.com to get the oppurtunity to not only hear the opinions of their classmates, but also other kids their age.
My students also love Book Commercial Wednesday we have in class, where I have to do a run-down of all the books I've read and get them to want to read it, and then they get to do their own book commercials as well.
WHEW! Out of breath. I had no intentions of making this long of a comment... :)

P.S. Meant to add this bit. My book doesn't come out until May, and I am more amused than concerned about my Amazon ranking (how low can I go? 2 million? 3 million?), but I've recently received two really, really good blogger reviews for my book, and out of curiosity, I monitored my Amazon ranking. For a few days after these reviews posted, my ranking spiked from 3.5 million or something to 180,000. I know that is probably only a few book sales, but it does mean that at least a few people probably acted based on these blogger reviews. And on a book they can't even get for 3 months. Peer reviews may have more weight than we think.

If I'm uncertain about buying a book, I read the reviews from readers on Amazon, not the professional reviews. I find a teen posting "Luved it. It was grate!" to be a much better recommendation than all the formal, educated essays out there.

I know librarians who still use the traditional School Library Journal reviews, etc. but for the general book buying public, I think reviews are far less important than how much shelf space the publisher initially buys for the book. Good books do get shared by word of mouth, but they have to first get into the hands of readers, and the reality is that many buyers simply wander into a store and pick up something that catches their eye. The one or two shelf copies, (spine visible, not cover) of my books will sell because someone's seen a good review. But many, many more of someone else's books will sell because their publisher is bigger than mine, and has a lot more money to put towards buying large displays.

Personally, I read a book becautse I want to read it and I choose it because I like the jacket copy and the first page. If I'm undecided then I'll pick a random page half-way through the book and see if I like the writing.

Reviews, books or movies, don't sway me either way. But if I was looking for reviews on a book, I would read reviews from peers who like the same genres/subjects I do.

I read professional book reviews and occasionally I write unprofessional book reviews at my website, but I’m far more likely to buy my next book based on a common consensus of online folks or people I know. And I always make reading runaway bestsellers a top priority as I hope to write runaway bestsellers. I assume that if a bunch of people want to read a book, like say enough to buy it, there must be something about that book worth learning from and applying to my own writing. I read Dan Brown and James Patterson with the same close attention I give John Updike and Toni Morrison.

I find it really helpful to use the reviews on Amazon -- I'll browse a handful of the ones marked "most helpful," look at the spread of ratings (i.e. 1 to 5), and then read a few of the most negative reviews. This combination usually gives me a good sense of what it will be like to read the book, and in the case of fiction, whether I want to, and for non-fiction, which of a handful of books on the topic is the best resource.

I definitely pay attention to reviews, especially bloggers' reviews (if I trust the bloggers and know them to have similar reading tastes). But I also read trade reviews, I talk to librarians, and I swap books with friends who share my reading tastes.

How sad that someone would threaten a lawsuit over an unflattering review. I can't imagine I'd be thrilled to get a bad review myself, but I'd rather take that risk than live in a world where freedom of expression was limited by the fear of financial ruin.

I get most of my reviews from the blogosphere, and I read a wide variety of them. I've found a couple book review blogs that have largely the same reading preferences as I, so I trust them the most.

On Goodreads, I like to read the most negative reviews --- something one person hates in a book, I might not mind so much. This way, I know if I'll be ok with a book's (perceived) flaws.

Also, I use the first chapter as a decision-maker because it gives me an idea of the author's writing style.

This is an interesting article and points to the increasing responsibility of an author in terms of publicity. It's no longer just about writing the best book you can -- although I still believe (and hope) that's step #1. Yet, I also think authors need to possess a basic understanding of marketing techniques. As I've been revising my ms, I've been reading marketing blogs and books so when my book gets published (hey, I'm an optimist), I can start promoting long before it hits the shelf (or iPad). :)

I read Seth Godin's books and blog religiously, and I think he has a good sense of why the author is more important. It isn't just that publishers are slashing budgets, but that the world has changed. Getting the attention of the audience is no longer a matter of throwing money at big, established venues. It's a "long tail" world - where the personal touch is really important. Authors are in a better position to take advantage of these changes.

(And I agree about Salinger, and I suspect he agreed too.)

Definitely agree with you on the J.D. Salinger front.
I have definitely noticed that writers now have the responsibility of promoting their own books. I'm just glad there are so many tools to do so and that I'm aware of it beforehand. Seems like a good idea for writers to start personal branding and connecting with readers before they even have a book deal. That way writers are not scrambling to create an online presence later.

I'm such a fan of your blog, and I learn a great deal about the publishing industry from it--but I'm not sure if I agree with calling someone overrated so soon after his death. I think we need to give time for his friends, family, and fans to mourn before the bashing begins. I mean no disrespects from my comment--it's just my opinion.

Don't think J.D. Salinger was overrated -- don't really know how he was rated. But I don't think he could have been OVERrated. I think every one of his lines was perfection. Here's to different tastes! On the subject of your blog, thanks for your continued advice.

The "burden" - or joy - of publicizing a book.

I think it's more fun to publicize a book, or what your book is about - than writing and revising it! I'll give an example from the world of poetry - that is, my chapbook Traveling Menstrual Show. It was a lot of fun to create the first Menstrumobile out of foamboard (not ecologically correct, oops) and red ribbon, red electrical tape, bent Q-tips for the ovaries...I was thinking of Picasso's "Bull's Head" he made out of (or to resemble) bicycle handlebars and seat:

http://tinyurl.com/yh4zgxp

Eventually the Menstrumobile morphed into the UFO (Uterine Flying Object):

http://tinyurl.com/ycryas2

Paper and red ribbon, much lighter and therefore cheaper to mail (besides get rid of the foamboard).

I find it interesting that in discussing the graphic possibilities of the iPad, people talk about the book cover, or adding music, or somehow altering the experience of reading the book itself - rather than, wow, I can add photos of actual physical objects that people can buy - that is, the book cover and illustrations don't just have to be graphics the reader looks at it - they're actually things the reader can buy.

Maybe that sounds too mercenary, but if you are selling items that a reader might actually treasure, and get joy out of - you've added to the total wrap-around "surround sound," maybe "surround read" (?) experience of the ebook downloader.

Speaking of revising...aaargh....

I loved Salinger when I was a teenager. I reread Catcher in the Rye in my 20s and loved him still. I reread him as a parent and felt like I'd really lost something: Holden Caulfield sounded whiny and difficult. My favorite Salinger work of all time will always be his short story, 'De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period', a perfect blend of self-deprecatory humor and youthful awkwardness and hope, all the embarrassment and horror of being young and stupid and living to remember it. I don't want to reread that one.

As for publicizing my own work, I suppose I could be grateful for having a largish family. The only trouble is, we're all cheapskates. I'll have to figure something out, should the happy day ever come.

Jim, if you're still checking in on the comments, I'd be curious about your opinions on book trailers. Worth it? A waste of time?

It's definitely a whole new world for authors and their books!

This isn't an easy situation with clear good and bad guys. The joke is that it's neither Macmillan or Amazon who are the bullies here.

You'd be very hard-pressed to find anyone in the record industry with a good word to say about Apple and iTunes. Apple have locked the music industry into a deal that's great for Apple, terrible for the people who make music, and extremely inflexible and tenuous for the consumer. It's not entirely clear exactly what you're buying when you buy something on iTunes, it is clear that Apple can take it away from you at will.

If the publishing industry goes down the Apple route, it'll go the way of the record companies.

Amazon are not saints here, but they are people who buy books in bulk, and when they run something as a loss leader, they bear the brunt of that loss. If they agree a wholesale price with the publisher, then the retail price is Amazon's business - literally.

We're in the early days of ebooks. We don't know how consumers will adopt them, what they'll use them for, we don't know all the advantages and disadvantages, yet. Amazon's model is flexible, can adapt and be revisited. Apple's model is old-fashioned and exploitative, they've basically mesmerized the publishing industry and convinced them to iPad or die.

Apple lose more if the publishing industry stands up to them than the publishing industry gains if it cedes all rights to them.

This is a time to keep options open, to have the people who own the intellectual property and copyrights understand that *they* are the ones with the valuable commodity, and to let consumers work out what they want, rather than lock everyone into a model that's based on what some marketing strategist in a computer company would like it to be solely to maximize hardware sales.

I think it's all a matter of perspective, really. Many large corporations like the big profits, without having to spend much to get them. The music industry complained about iTunes because it mean a smaller income for the labels - still ridiculously good to the average joe, but to corporations who are used to billions in profit losing a billion or two they treat it like it's the end of the world. Now I totally think that musicians should be getting paid for their craft and paid reasonably, but I don't think Apple's the culprit in that industry.

It's the same with Amazon. Amazon wants big profits with little outward cashflow. Macmillan wanted to set their own prices which meant Amazon wouldn't get the ridiculously high profits, so they decided to play hardball. And backlash ensued. Someone on another site said that Amazon needs publishers far more than publishers need Amazon, and I agree. They're not the be-all that they think they are.

I'm a writer and I'm following all this as best I can (and I have a brain for business, so I'm not totally lost or anything), but I have to say, THANK GOD I HAVE MY AGENT TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS.

"but to corporations who are used to billions in profit losing a billion or two they treat it like it's the end of the world."

The problem with that is that the billions are still there - they just go to Apple instead. Not to the musician, not to the record label, not as savings to the consumer - just straight from the consumer to Apple. So, yes, the record company looks at all those billions and goes 'not fair'. And they don't buy as well, they buy instead.

Because it's computers, publisher see the iPad as some holy grail that will get kids reading and make all their books shiny and all singing, all dancing. They think Apple are doing them a favor.

Just imagine, for a moment, that it was just another size of paper book. Call it a padback. Now read the terms of the Apple agreement, pretending it's just some new format of book. No agent or publisher would fall for it. But the iPad's got wireless, so WOW, better just hand over the content for practically nothing.

I think the words in a book are a pretty important component. There are actually plenty of people in publishing who laugh at that idea, but call me old-fashioned.

People will buy an iPad if the content justifies it. They won't if it doesn't. Apple want to get as much content for as little money as they can, and they're going to succeed, because the publishing industry is like a little old lady who falls for the man who comes round offering to take away all her clutter, and he'll do it for only $20, just hand over the house keys. And it's almost funny, because the iTunes model is right there, the old lady next door who did the same with the same guy and woke up the next day to find her house had been stripped bare.

Amazon are on the side of the angels, here. Or, at the very least, they're the ones supporting the core business of publishers - selling actual books for actual money.

This about says it all:

From link - Amazon: "...we will have to capitulate and accept Macmillan's terms because Macmillian has a monopoly over their own titles..." [italics added]

To a monopolist, everything is a monopoly, or attempt at monopoly, is it not?

It reminds me of an article I read in some tech magazine I was browsing through, when I was working as a temp, bored out of my mind - software developers were talking politics - one was saying he was a libertarian, because, see, now that we have computers, we don't need government anymore, people should just be free to do whatever they want, unleash their creativity, we'll all be awash in money anyway [I paraphrase and satirize, slightly], so we just don't need that pesky regulation'n'legislation, or extra-pesky concepts like "fairness," or even "justice," all that creaky irrelevant pre-computer socioeconomic "architecture," so to speak.

It's almost a talismanic faith in small devices - because I carry X, therefore (for instance) socialists and fascists will never be battling it out in the streets of my suburb! I'm protected by my iPod! As if certain social disturbances, brought on by economic imbalance (to put it nicely), are precluded by the mere existence of a Kindle or an iPad. But then how'd that hoary word "monopoly," bewhiskered and with a chest full of medals, get into the discussion in the first place?

Note: My riff on "monopoly" is a response to Carolyn Kellogg's discussion of it, in the Jacket Copy link. Great link!

"Amazon are on the side of the angels, here. Or, at the very least, they're the ones supporting the core business of publishers - selling actual books for actual money."

Can't say I agree with this. Bookstores still account for the majority of book sales, as I understand it Amazon doesn't account for a huge part of them. I still stand by the statement that Amazon needs publishers more than publishers need Amazon. Bullying them is not the way Amazon should have gone.

Um, Jane? Amazon won.

Their removal of books was an attempt to show Macmillan that they needed Amazon not based on money, not based on what we involved in the industry think, but by getting a rise out of the fans.

By capitulating on Sunday night, Amazon made certain that they would get the whole story included in the papers come Monday morning, and appear to be the good guy in the fight to the group that really matters - consumers.

Amazon was pricing at $9.99 because it's a price point that is supported by market research to maximize profits through volume. To achieve market saturation, Amazon was willing to take a loss on each sale in order to grow the market at what they believe to be a sustainable level. That's a hell of a commitment.

Under the Macmillan deal, Amazon will make between $4 and $5 per book which is a mathematically infinite improvement over the previous deal.

Macmillan now does have near-complete control over their own pricing and are capable of adjusting prices at will (or reasonably close to it). This leads to two questions - if publishers won't price books at a level that the market will tolerate, is publishing ready to counter actual eBook piracy? And second, what type of structure does Macmillan have in place to keeping up with royalties owed to authors in an age of dynamic pricing?

"Bookstores still account for the majority of book sales, as I understand it Amazon doesn't account for a huge part of them."

No.

http://www.fonerbooks.com/booksale.htm

THE SPARROW is one of those books that most inspires me to keep writing. I'm so happy to learn it was discovered from the slush! If that doesn't give hope to writers everywhere, I don't know what will.

Yes, that was very encouraging. It just goes to show writers that there are many factors behind the "no", time constraints and sheer volume play a big part. It's not necessarily that your story is bad.

As an intern, I always read the slush, even if I was allowed to just send a form rejection. I had to believe that something good was in there! (Actually, something I discovered in slush was actually published.) Glad to see I'm not the only one with hope!

"It's not necessarily that your story is bad."

Hmmmmm ... that said, if your book is rejected, you have to accept that it is your fault. You wrote a submission designed to not get rejected and sent it to someone you thought wouldn't reject it.

Would-be writers should go into the bargain section of a bookstore, look around at all the crap that's published. All those guys managed what you haven't.

It's not about luck. It's about being able to identify a strong, marketable idea and then articulate it. Yeah, the people who read the slush pile are in a hurry. So you hit them hard with a pure dose of awesome. Yes, it's difficult ... now remember those crappy books piled up in the bookstores. Their authors managed it.

If a writer wants to be published, they have to accept that if they are rejected, it almost certainly IS because their story is 'bad'.

It might be psychologically soothing to blame someone else or the system, it won't get you published.

I've always liked the story about LOTR and Helen Hanff. As one of LOTR's first readers, she had to write a synopsis, and she loathed the book so much she asked for extra money when she'd finished.

If LOTR, Harry Potter, and Anne Frank's diary struck some people as less than stellar, I can't help think that selling an ms has more to do with personal preferences than some measurable quality of awesomeness.

Re: "So you hit them hard with a pure dose of awesome. Yes, it's difficult ... now remember those crappy books piled up in the bookstores. Their authors managed it."

Seems like what you're saying is, those bargain-bin authors "hit them hard" with a pure dose of crappy...time-delayed crappy, that is - which didn't reveal itself until months later, at the tail end of the publishing process.

I prefer what Patti Smith rocker/poet had to say - "there's a time when everything sparkles" - your work is aligned with the cosmic forces, cultural zeitgeist, what have you - and the crap factor is irrelevant...I've got sparkles on my mind, because I've been working with "dimensional glitter glue" for weeks - today I noticed my cat had some in his fur.

Apparently, time to get back to novel revision. Why is a glitter glue bottle so much easier to wield, than a plain old blue ink pen? Drat...

I've been reading this blog for quite a while, but somehow never knew your connection to Mary Doria Russell--I'm so glad you found The Sparrow in the pile! one of the most haunting(ly beautiful) books I've ever read.

"Seems like what you're saying is, those bargain-bin authors "hit them hard" with a pure dose of crappy...time-delayed crappy, that is - which didn't reveal itself until months later, at the tail end of the publishing process."

No. Publishing is risky, and a lot of books that are published don't find the audience the publisher expected. And, in any event, ending up in the bargain section is part of the natural life cycle of most books.

People shouldn't delude themselves or take false comfort. There probably are some great books there that somehow every single agent and publisher didn't recognize the genius of. There are definitely thousands that are amateurish and incompetent.

If you're rejected, it's far more likely that what you submitted wasn't good enough than that it's *AMAZING*.

And what I'm saying is that the failed author needs to understand and recognize that if they want to be published. You need to research, you need to improve your work, you need to be able to see it hyper-objectively and hyper-critically.

The real problem is that there's little in the way of middle ground - it's publishable or it's not. A good agent or editor might be able to coax a book from 'nearly there' to 'there', but it probably has to start at 90% there.

I've read slush piles. The vast majority of submissions aren't just rubbish, they're incomprehensibly how-could-they-imagine rubbish. Really, I'd say it went something like 99% were like that, 1% had the potential. The 99% weren't 'near misses' - the 1% were the near misses. They still needed work, but with attention and focus and dedication, they'd get there.

On the flipside of that, I passed some books further up the chain on the strength of the very first sentence. Because when you find that 1%, it's a cold glass of water on a hot day.

Slush pile readers, in my experience anyway, are overly generous, not super-mean. And - again, in my experience - they read every word of every submission (even in the absolute worst cases, the ones with two spelling mistakes in the first word - yeah, that happens - we flipped ahead to see if it got better).

However you gloss it, if you're rejected it's up to you to work out why. Even if 'the system' was to blame, it doesn't matter - learn what the system wants to see. And what the system wants to see is what you ought to be writing anyway - something that starts strikingly, sinks its hooks into the reader, establishes the main character and their world and then, on page two, moves on to where the story is going.

'Mine starts much more slowly and it doesn't really get going until chapter two' ... yeah, great. Then cut the first chapter and start your book with the second. 'But I - ' ... sure you can. Deciding where to start your story is one of the absolute most crucial ones you can make. Any submission with the confidence to just get in there without waffling on and 'setting the scene' is going to stand out. Take five novels from the last two years you really enjoyed that were written by first-time authors, read their first pages. See?

And if you can't think of five novels by first time authors you enjoyed that were published in 2008 or 2009 ... well, there's your problem. Know your market. Research. You research by reading. However much you read, read more.

I have to go with the cosmic factor. If you (are) reading, and writing, and revising, and researching, and attending conferences, and you belong to an active crit group, then you should already be in the 1%. However, I think it's like choosing a book to read at the library, agents/editors are going to pass on "Harry Potter" if they don't like fantasy books and pick up up on say "Blue" if they really like historical fiction. Even if HP is great, their heart wouldn't be in it.
I would love to spend a couple of days going through a slush pile just to see what does show up there.

Re: "I would love to spend a couple of days going through a slush pile just to see what does show up there."

Me too. I had an eye-opening experience once, regarding grant applications, when I went to a conference, and someone read an actual grant application that had been successful. It was super-humorous, almost verging on flattery. Of the "flattery will get you everywhere" variety. Flirtatious tone of voice in a grant application? I'm still mulling that one over. It was written by a tenured professor, so maybe if you have tenure you can get away with that - I don't know. I didn't have tenure and didn't get the grant that particular year.

It would be great if an agency (hint, hint) would have a contest, and the winner gets to read 30 random slush pile submissions. Just for the sake of an "eye opening experience."

Re: "People shouldn't delude themselves or take false comfort."

But that's what people do - delude themselves and take false comfort. We can't help it. Sometimes the person who's all misty-eyed and soft-focus and sentimental has the stamina for the long haul, that the cold-eyed realist doesn't have. I write narrative poetry - trust me, from the poet's point of view, a novel, much less several novels, is the long haul. Cripes, does this thing ever end? Etc.

Oh well, back to revision, "the long haul."

Wanda wrote: It would be great if an agency (hint, hint) would have a contest, and the winner gets to read 30 random slush pile submissions. Just for the sake of an "eye opening experience."

What a wonderful, novel idea. (Pun intended.) I wonder how many would take up the offer on it. I'd do it.

What a wonderful post. Thank you. We are having a LIVE discussion via or weekly chat on twitter on March 3; inspired by this same arcitle. Care to join us for #YAlitchat that evening? We'd love to hear more from you. Thanks-Georgia McBride

Thanks for the suggestion, Wanda. We're going to think about whether there's a way we could make that work! Keep an eye out!

-Jane

Hi Jane,

That's great! Just have to find a way to maintain privacy (and dignity) of the "random slush pile querants," I think - no "personally identifiable information" posted by contest winners about them on blogs, etc...maybe as a workaround, DGLM would have to include an all-expenses paid trip to New York, to physically inspect the slush pile :) oh well, just an idea on a cold winter's day...

I'd be worried about this from an ethical point of view. If someone's sending an agent a manuscript, it's not so that a member of the public can read it. What happens if the competition winner likes what they see and submits it to other agents? What if someone in the pile has other representation by now? What if the competition winner says 'yeah, there was this absolutely terrible one about magic fish living in Nazi Germany, god that was a load of rubbish written by a moron' and you've just signed that author?

I've read slush piles. I know how terrible the general standard is. I also know that it's a bit like smokers and lung cancer - would-be writers never see themselves as the norm, they always see themselves as the exception.

Here's a web cartoon on a similar theme - about a competition Sony have to win the chance to be a video game tester: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/1/25/

If you give away the first prize of being able to read ten items from the slush pile, the second prize should be the opportunity to read twenty.

One of the reasons we need to think about how we’d do something like this is just what you’re saying here, Anonymous. No one has to worry that we’ll send a query they submitted to us to our blog readers, unless they actively choose to participate in such an opportunity. We’ll think about this--so if you’re interested, watch our blog for more information in the coming weeks!

-Jane

Georgia: I would love to join you on Twitter on March 3rd. Please tell me more.

What an inspiring post, Stacey! It's nice to hear about an agent's road to the present moment, and your enthusiasm for what you do is encouraging. I'd love to hear more of these "how I got here" stories from agents, personally.
:-)

Nicole M.

Thanks for your your insights on becoming a literary agent. Going from child-actor to author representative is not a very different vocation, in my view, as the written word is the root of film and television. Many manuscripts are judged on how they may be turned into movies. Your expertise in front of the camera may have an effect on how you choose a novel.

My own entry into the literary world was unorthodox. From young writer, to college student, to police officer, to information technology manager, I now have the position of editor for a literary magazine, "The View From Here." While my police experience has little to do with how I choose a story, my writing experience does. Still, cops and bad guys find their way into my novels.

Working with the many folks who approach our magazine with proposals and books to review is also a rewarding experience, as well as giving both new and established writers a space to tell their stories.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences, and for and for allowing comments to this post. -Mike Kannengieser.

What a wonderful journey! Sounds like you found a great mentor who guided you in the best way possible. Thanks for sharing your story! I love hearing how people find their way.

Thanks for your comments. Nicole, if you click on the tag under my post "Why I Am an Agent", you'll see the other staffers who have posted essays about their paths to becoming an agent. Enjoy!

I think it's great you guys have such a passion for this career. Your clients are blessed to have agents with such enthusiasm for the business. Great story, thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing how you came to this business. I always enjoy learning why people choose the careers they do. I think you're really lucky that you're able to pursue the work you have a passion for.

So long as the ebooks don't cost us the availability of hardcover books, I agree. Options, options, something for everyone translates to an amazing, wider market.

So...

Michael, have you eaten, or held court, at THE IVY?

Haste yee back ;-)

A rare thing in our industry: ten years with one employer. It speaks well for DGLM.

Thank you for writing this. I actually find it very encouraging to know more about what an agent goes through for authors and in order to be a part of the publishing industry. So many people have an opinion one way or another about agents but I feel that it is nice to know that an agent's career is based off of the work that they put into it. I feel you should be very proud of how far you have come and hope to see many more books added to your list!

The world needs people passionate about their work. Some people have a vocation since were kids but that's not as much important as being passionate. Specially when you work with children just because they can smell it!

Isn't it nice to do what you love for a career? Quite the blessing.

I always picture you with purple hair, a la your Mad Men icon. The blue hair seems about right to me.

I would pay to see you in brightly colored hair.

I, too, thought the hair in your Twitter thing was for a lack of options... ;)

I loved reading how you found your way to becoming the amazing agent you are today, Michael, awesome hair and all. Here's to the next ten years!

It's amazing what's meant to be is meant to be. You are one of my favorite agents - smart and a sweetie. Maybe we will see you at another SCBWI conference? Glad to hear you were given a promotion, but bummed you moved to the west coast. Hope you are enjoying the sunshine. It is freeeezing in NJ! Cheers,

All of those wishes sound wonderful and I hope they come true.
Also, I agree your e-book test seems very reasonable and should be easy enough for some publisher to give it a shot.
Here's to 2010 being great for all of us!

Well said! I hope all three of your wishes come true.

It will be interesting to see how e-books and paper books fare in the years to come. I don't think the two are necessarily the same markets (audio books are another animal as well).

And yes, collegiality in the indutry. It is competitive and many other things too. It would be nice to see ALL of the stakeholders be more supportive of each other. It may be the very thing that keeps us all in (thriving) business!

Happy 2010, Jill
www.jilledmondson.com

You go, Jane. This is all too true!

Well said.

M. William Phelps

Very thoughtful wishes - and if they come true, they'll benefit the entire industry. Well chosen!

I like it. AND I learned a new word from you. "collegiality" Thanks!