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Traitorous Skank
As if agentry was not ruining publishing and turning it into a haven for work with the integrity of a marshmallow in a toaster oven;
As if forward thinking trolls were not intent upon destroying the Printed Word;
As if greedy corporations were not already consumed by making publishing more profitable for themselves and less for the artist;
You support this horrible degradation in the name of your own ease. Tell us, do you own stock in this hideous technology, or are you just that lazy that anything that cuts your costs and lessens your workload garners such profuse praise?

Greatness does not come easy. Hard work is virtuous. You are a shithead.

FL

don't like the tone but don't mind the sentiment... does anyone else think that with the infinite replication capability of this kind of technology authors should get flat fees? you know, if you're a first timer you get paid 100K, then after that they judge how many downloads you got, then pay you accordingly for the next book.

I actually have a problem with "publishers" making more money than the author on this type of medium. all they are in this system is basically a bulletin board with a massive storage capacity. If they are planning on getting this garbage off the ground, authors should keep ninety percent of sales, and agents should go piss. seriously, if you think about it, the publisher no longer has any type of financial risk... they buy the book, post it on their sight, and sell downloads. what contract? every download costs ten bucks, and the author gets $8.50--- why would you want to lose 15% to some guy who basically was responsible for forwarding your e-mail?

though a weirdly poetic schmuck, the gal posting ahead of me has an excellent point... where the hell is this e-book nonsense going? nevermind the whole doomsday scenario. if the web crashes and technology takes a dump on us (for whatever reason), books will still be here, and e-books with their downloadable content won't be worth a turd. that, and the ever-present fact that not everyone has a broadband connection, a good computer or one of these silly e-book readers... many people can't afford such things, and considering the way our economy is going, not a lot of people are going to be able to afford such luxuries for a while.

agent kristen is starting to sound like a techno-snob. don't like it, but someone needed to say it.

oh, and most of you agree with agent kristen just because you are kiss-asses hoping she'll give your worthless romance novel a look-see. kisses!
sally

CM,

The doctrine of first sale should still be valid. But, when you buy a DRM'd ebook, they get the ID number of your device from you, and the file you get is specifically linked to that device. (and maybe a few others, as somebody pointed out above). It will not work in any other device. This means that you can't sell it on, no matter what the law says, because the publisher has made it so you can't.

I think authors should be getting a bigger percentage of ebook revenue than they do from a paper book. I would expect them to get no less than they would for a paperback - maybe more. Amazon (or other stores for other devices) is doing the job of both distributor and shop, the publisher doesn't need to print a physical book, they can afford to give the author at minimum paperback revenue without shorting themselves.

To anonymous above

Disclosure: I own a Cybook (same screen as the Kindle, different device, no internet connection). I own (and have paid for) well over 1,000 ebooks, and no longer buy paper books.

Some "publishers" do pretty much what you've said - they'll take almost anything, and put it up for sale as an ebook. I generally refuse to buy from them.

If you think all a publisher does is take the authors text and print it, you need to study the subject some more. Ever heard of editing? Advertising? Writing copy text that is going to attract me to look at the book in the first place? Everything that needs to be done for a printed book except the actual printing and distribution should also be done for an ebook. If it's done right, it's not cheap.

Going off Stephen...

And cover art. Plus most of the ebook distributors also print the book between 1 month and 1 year later. Having made some profit up front, the expense is more managable for the smaller print publishers.

As to royalties. Yes, they take care of the authors. I won't say more because each contract is different but it's not the same as paperback. In fact, many eAuthors make the bulk of their money from the digital release, not the printed copy.

Also, if you download to your computer hard drive instead of directly to your Kindle or other reader then transport to your reader, the coding is not proprietary in the one eBook one unit scheme of things.

To Doomsday x2.... Shades of Terminator, much? You managed to write the blog comment. You don't require an eBook reader to read eBooks. You can use your computer screen, cell phones (some models) and other technology.

And I already have an agent. These lips need not pucker for anyone. Kristin's is an interesting forum with interesting insights like yours.

I own a Sony and love it. I can't imagine what I would use a Kindle for as I don't use wireless technology. (No, I don't normally use a cell phone either!) As for e-book vs print book. I have both but prefer the e-book because I can change the font size so I can actually read it. Also, I can carry around a library instead of just one book. It's easier on these arthritic fingers of mine (and less weight).

I download my books to my computer library and copy all of them to a back-up drive for security.

As for selling them on the internet... I'm one of those e-pubbed writers also. And I have to tell you that it realllly annoys me when my books are pirated.

To anon 12:25 pm and anon 7:17, two words: Anger Management


xoxoxo Delilah

I have a Kindle, an Ebookwise, a REB1200, and a Palm. I read ebooks on all of them. I no longer buy fiction paper books. No need to.

A misconception about the Kindle: you don't have to pay to convert and transfer files to it. There is a free option. It's just a different email address.

I agree with the downsides to it for proofing my own books but the same applies to ebookwise and other devices for proofing -- their page number doesn't correspond to my Word version. I use my Kindle (insert other reader here depending on my mood of the day) to see how it will look on the device. For editing on the go, I use a NEC 790 MobilePro (yes, I love gadgets).

I'd add a backlight and a touchscreen to the Kindle, but that'll bump up the price and lessen the product life. I don't use it to read blogs, surf the net, etc. See above (NEC 790 MobilePro with WiFi or my Palm or my Tungsten).

As to the viability of e-publishers, their motivations, pirating -- it's all been said. I know I love being with e-publishers for a lot of reasons (which I've talked about on several blogs).

Would I go with a "big New York house" if they asked me? Probably. It gives me wider distribution for my books. My backlist would benefit greatly.

I'm not pursuing that or an agent at this time because I'm happy with the amount of books I have out, the ones coming this year and next, my editors, my covers (mostly) and the whole process.

I'm also happy to be in on the beginning of what I think is a new trend. Print books are wasteful, period. The whole print publishing model is outdated and outmoded. It will have to change at some point. I'm not sure if e-publishing is what it will change to, but some form of it will probably be there. I'm glad to be on the beginnings.

If I ever see someone reading a book on a cell phone, I'm going to slap 'em in the face with a carp. Get real. There is such a thing as being 'too into technology', and just because the Verizon guy and a thousand other commercials tell you everyone's doing it doesn't mean they are.

There are techno-nerds among us (I wouldn't call them techno-snobs, necessarily); these are the folks who do everything they possibly can on some manner of electronic device. These are the people cheering for e-books- they are also the people who don't use paper calendars anymore, who have the latest iPhone that they bought for six hundred bucks, have radio-connected weather centers in their kitchen, wear watches that are updated by the atomic clock in Fort Collins, and proudly and loudly proclaim to the masses that they haven't used paper products in seven years.

I'm sorry to say that these people are not in the majority. These folks are either real wealthy (and into every time saver they can afford) or real lonely (and into anything that makes them feel like part of an elite group). There's a guy at some university in California who calls himself the first cyborg- he wears a stripped down and reconfigured laptop on a harness that distributes the components all over his body, and every day he wears a headset that keeps a miniature screen in front of his eyes. He's an uber-dweeb, and he's living in a fantasy world of his own making. My point? Just because something is technologically possible doesn't mean it's a good idea.

To those who have been e-published, please answer this question honestly-- how many real-world publishers turned down your stuff before you found an e-publisher willing to publish your book? It seems that there is a lot more leeway for e-publishers than there is for paper-publishers, costwise, and they'd be willing to take a lot more from unknown authors. I have to say I put a lot more credence in the opinion of someone who has been published in the real world of traditional publishing and then been e-published, rather than that of someone who has only seen a screen image of their work.

Mark C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Luddism

I love how personally some people take it when someone else explores a new technology. Personal insults aren't usually considered a hallmark of rational discussion.

Technology is changing all aspects of communications, including all forms of publishing. It's been doing so throughout recorded history. People need to decide how to use it and how to adapt to it. Some will find ways to use it to their advantage, and some will fight it and lose out. I don't know if the Kindle is the future, but if it helps people (such as Kristin) now, then it's a worthwhile investment for them. Insulting them for trying it just seems pointlessly gratuitous to me.

Yes, there are writers who are first published in print and then in ebooks. I know of at least three in my minute sphere of communication.

Some people will always prefer a 'real' book (I'm one of them) but with the demise of the small publisher, there'll be many many worthy books that just don't make it into print -- why? Because publishers can't afford to take a chance on a writer no one has heard of, when they can make big bucks publishing big names. So the eBook publishers at least let new writers get a toe in the water.

You're selling me... At least for what you use it for, it sounds so smart.

I hope Bezos' tech folks are reading your blog to develop features for Kindle 2.0

Beautifully said, Dave. I also appreciate how much more mature the non-anonymous are by not trading insults.

Must be hard harboring all that ill-will, I would think. As someone who doesn't fall in either category (rich or lonely) I reckon he's not talking to my kind. I'll keep writing, keep pubbing in my preferred medium. I will also abstain from further comment on this topic. I've said everything I need to say and have nothing to prove.

Once again you all prove that if you have a different opinion from the status quo of this board, you are wrong and harboring ill will. I think some people have a problem with e books because there's nothing to them... they are an electronic jumble of bits and bytes, walk too close to a magnet, drop your reader, lose a charge, spill some coffee on it and BANG it's gone. How many e-readers will last fifty years? How many formats? My grandkids will be able to read the books I've collected... if I leave behind a pile of chips and discs, fifty years from now they'll all be part of a dead format and unreadable.

I agree with those casting aspersions. I'm not insulting anyone. I think that the number of people using tech like this is still in the minority and shall remain so. Even if ten million people sign on for this kind of technology (a pipe dream for the makers of this thing and you know it), they are still a minority... please remember that there are nearly three hundred million of us here in the US alone.

And to the lady who signed off with the huffy, immature "I've said all I'm going to and nothing else." You've harped on throughout this entire subject, lighting into anyone with a contrary opinion no matter how well crafted. You prove my first statement as to the state of mind of the followers of this board and this agent. Congratulations on your narrow mindedness. Hope that works out for you (while you call yourself "writer").

James Nelson

Wow - who knew the kindle could light such fires?

Relax people. No one is taking your books away and no need to call Ms. Nelson names.

Many of us read her blog even after we've been rejected so grow up, calm down, mind your manners please.

Disagree is never a problem, it is the tone in which you write, as a writer you should be aware of it and if you are and still meant to come across as harsh then don't be surprised when people turn on you for your bad manners.

Wow - who knew the kindle could light such fires?

Relax people. No one is taking your books away and no need to call Ms. Nelson names.

Many of us read her blog even after we've been rejected so grow up, calm down, mind your manners please.

Not agreeing with the agent of this blog is never a problem, it is the tone in which you write, as a writer you should be aware of it and if you are and still meant to come across as harsh then don't be surprised when people turn on you for your bad manners.

:) Love you back, babe.

Dear me, until I read this blog, I never realized that there was such animosity toward technology. I wonder what writers such as Nora Roberts, Jonathon Kellerman, and Robert B. Parker think about the new revolution? I bought and read their books this past week... on my e-reader. Surely they aren't the wannabe authors someone mentioned?

As for techno-people out there, I guess I wonder if the individuals who are so anti-tech drive cars, use microwave, televisions, telephones (standard in-house phones), listen to music, or shop at their local grocery store where they use standard scanning technology. Most devices we use in everyday life run on computerized instructions. I fail to understand why my use of a gadget that makes it possible for me to read more is that upsetting.

I don't advocate getting rid of books. I have a huge library of print books that I treasure. Unfortunately, many of them are in a print font size that I can no longer read. And I'm not alone. As the baby boomers age, more and more of us will have to make the decision to use technology--or not read at all.

I am neither rich nor caught up in technology as a hobby. I simply use what I deem necessary. Some people spend money on other hobbies. Reading is my hobby.

Stephen,

Not all e-books are DRMed. I was specifically thinking of Samhain Publishing, who sells flat-HTMLed e-books and tells me I can't sell 'em (post purchase--not even a vague attempt to get some kind of click-through license).

I always wonder, well, how can they legally stop me?

And Samhain isn't alone. A lot of exclusively epublishers have non-DRMed formats.

Perhaps we should all join Anny on her slippery slope. Yes, people who like books all live as Stone Age cave people, eschewing all technology to live the simple life of the Noble Savage.

Technophiles, techno-nerds, techno-snobs; these are people who cannot exist in their day to day lives without resorting to the overuse of technology's cutting edge. We are not talking about scientists with electron microscopes or doctors using the latest MRI machine. We are talking about the guy who can't make a grocery list without wirelessly hooking up his three-week old Macbook Air to his latest palm pilot or Blackberry, all to download the words "Milk and Eggs". We're talking about the guy who couldn't imagine buying a paperback novel when he could download seven into his reader wirelessly and over the web (and there was one of those upstream in this conversation, by the by-- way too proud of never having to buy books again).

You've met these people. You've listened to them talk about how they don't even shop at stores anymore, they do it all over the web. They buy new smart phones twice a year just to keep up with what's latest. They follow fads, and it is what's wrong with the world.

This crap will prove to be a fad. Why? Because I don't care how many safeguards you put into protecting the copyright of the author, it can't be done. Tech geeks see security systems as a personal challenge leveled by The Man, and take perverse pleasure in defeating every single countermeasure a publisher might install in a software/hardware system. They will hack whatever system e-readers come up with and post pirated work without even reading it... they will do it for the thrill of giving the government and big business the bird.

Go ahead Anny, tell me it isn't true. Not everyone is an agent or an author with a vested interest in making sure the appropriate parties get paid. And if you think there isn't a majority of readers out there who wouldn't grab a pirated copy of Stephen King's recent book for a buck or two rather than dropping $27.99 for a hardcover or $12.00 for a legit download, you live in a cave on the moon and you talk to your cats.

Please keep in mind that on this particular posting area, I usually hold my tongue and keep quiet-- this because I actually value most of what Ms. Nelson says. It is when the chatter of the bobble-headed agreement monkeys becomes too loud that I feel the need to speak up and support those whose opinions are lambasted for being in opposition to Ms. Nelson's.

I usually lurk about a forum populated by published science fiction and fantasy writers, due largely to the intelligent, open discourse encouraged there. Once upon a time, after being disgusted by the choir of yes-men over here, I invited a number of folks over here to quietly listen... it was a sanity check for me, to make sure I wasn't being over-sensitive. Each and every person came back and said variations of, "Wow! Can you believe all the suck-ups? Ass-kissing on an Olympic level! I need a shower after that display." It was a big laugh.

Keep saying you aren't brown-nosing Ms. Nelson while you agree with every little opinion she formulates while listening to her Greatest Hits of the Eighties collection. Keep thinking that the needs of an agent are identical to the needs of a writer. You're all brilliant.

Mr. Anonymous,

Having read your comments to these authors in which you call them immature and "on a slippery slope"

I don't see anyone talking about the downside of agents here and I think that you are probably one of the most rude people I have seen in the way you attack each and everyone here. Regardless of whether this will be a fad or not, I think you should check carefully the glass walls in your house before throwing any more stones at the others.

Scott Lawrence

Kristin posted opinions about the usability of a piece of technology in her life. For that she's been lambasted and insulted by people who object to the existence of the technology as if she's responsible for it. Next, anyone pointing out the unfairness of that is insulted in turn.

I'm not objecting to people disagreeing, but ad hominem arguments because you don't like the technology that someone is trying out are not particularly persuasive or civilized. That's just MY opinion, of course.

Shut up, Scott.

Read every comment that is posted after someone disagrees with Ms. Nelson. Disagree with her and the bobble-heads come out of the woodwork. Come here often enough and you will find that there is a very consistent pattern of this. If you aren't a diehard fan and have a difference of opinion, you aren't welcome. From this comes the vitriol. This is the way it is here. Kristen comes up with an opinion weighted towards agents (which the publishing industry cannot live without) and everyone breaks their collective neck nodding in dumb agreement. One person speaks the opposite way and wham, they are crucified for it and called a negative wannabe. Rude? For daring the say, "People have a right to make up their own mind about an issue." Get bent, dear Scott. Or sit and listen for awhile, make up your mind and speak out if it is in opposition to the general tide... see what happens to you.

Or just agree and smile, wipe up the spittle decorating your chin and go your merry, idiotic way.

Why can't you people have an adult conversation? The name-calling is asinine.

I don't read romance. I don't write romance. I will never query Ms. Nelson, but I learn things reading her blog. And it's HER blog, so I guess she has the right to express her likes and dislikes.

The rest of you pseudointellectuals and super rude people with a limited vocabulary are the ones who need to shut your faces.

Go away. Shut up. Or be civil. Yes, you!

Where's Miss Snark when you need her?


Delilah

O, See what the kindle hath kindled. . . I haven't posted in a while, but I agree with Dave Shaw and Delilah - there's a professional and civil way to state one's opinion and debate without ripping each other's e-heads off about it.

Delilah, I differ from you in that I DO write romance, and I eventually would like to query Kristin; but again, though we share differences, respect is a universal vessel.

"Can't we all just get along?"

-Rachel Glass

anon @ 3:52

So, you want to be able to state your contrary opinion without rebuttal, you wish to be rude about it, and you feel that that's fair and a good way to persuade people to your point of view.

I have doubts about the DRM scheme and proprietary format of the Kindle myself. However, terms like 'traitorous skank' and 'techno-snob' and statements such as 'shut up' don't contribute any value to discussing them. Again, just my opinion.

As for the Kindle itself, it's a tool, and Kristin was commenting on its utility in that regard. If you wish to raise concerns about the tool, we're all listening, but we reserve the right to respond with our own opinions which may or may not agree with yours, and most of us would prefer this to be a civil discussion. Thank you.

You are all morons; the negative nellies, the rude jerks, the go-alongs, the romance writers, the non-writers, the readers, the techno-fans, the technophobes, the critics, the arbiters of reason, the agents, the editors, the writers and EVERYONE ELSE WHO READS THESE STUPID BLOGS! Goddamnit, you crowd of warbling turkeys, get off the web and write! Or read! Or jog! Or talk to a human being! I'm pretty sure that once Nelson's done writing down her little pearls of wisdom [which probably takes all of five minutes], she gets back to her chosen business, closes up the shop and goes the hell home! And I guarantee she doesn't give a good goddamn what any of you think of frigging KINDLE!

just to add mine own three centavos, I schedule my life on my Macbook, haven't bought a CD in fifteen years, still read print books and magazines but never touch a newspaper or click to a television news channel to stay informed. my cell phone is synced up with my laptop and I make backup copies of every single piece of media I get my hands on [and assume that I would do the same with any e-books I would ever buy]. I think Babylon Five is a ripoff of Star Trek Deepspace Nine, secretly enjoy the fact that the metal music of my youth took over the recording industry and is now considered mainstream rock, and do all my shopping online. peace out, homies!

anon 4:53

While I understand there is no reasoning with you, if this blog and all of us who read it and join in conversation from time to time are so stupid why are you here? Why read this blog - you have the ability to as you say do something else - do us a favor and go do it.

And spare us your own 3 cents.

WOOSH! There it went... you missed the point, Tammie. Comments were meant for the nitwits sniping back and forth at each other. Now you're a nitwit too. Get it? I'm not for getting along, I'm for shutting up, getting what you can out of these stupid things and moving on. See? I think the Kindle things are pretty cool, myself.

You are probably a Babylon Five fan. Poor Tammie.

No I didn't miss the point. The point is you enjoy being rude.

Babylon Five - never watch it.

Oh come now, those other commentators were much more rude than I ever was. I just want everyone to shut the F up and get on with their lives. They are morons because they can't let it go. You are a moron because you can't let this go. I will quite obviously continue on with you until I get the last word- in that way I'm a moron.

This is a grand carnival of stupidity. You, Tammie, are one of the carnies that brings the show to town. You know what I mean... inbred, low IQ, dirty white T-shirt, Pall Mall hanging from the corner of your mouth, hoping to one day get the cherry job of running the Tilt-a-Whirl because you get to pick up the change that falls out of the riders' pockets as they spin till nauseous. That's you. You picked on one of the visitors who just wanted to stop the madness and get a little quiet.

Now I'm having fun with you, because you are dumber than all the rest. I'm picking on the slow kid because she doesn't have the sense to shut her mouth. Who cares about all the rudeness, or Kindle, or the fighting back and forth between people with differing opinions? You are more fun.

New and unpublished writers see things like electronic publishing as a threat. You can smell their fear of it in the irrational anger that seems to pervade the air of all their posts. Why?

Because they feel like they are going to miss the boat. If a midlist novelist could make forty thousand dollars a year on his or her writing, they could make a meager living at it and essentially live the dream of being a professional writer. Win a prize, create a little buzz and your novel does well, making you more money from residuals and almost assuring you a larger advance on your next project. The imagined (perhaps imagined) terror for a currently unpublished writer is that the whole system will give in to the e-book craze. This is new and unfamiliar, an untried system, and the previous rewards of publishing a novel may take a sudden dive in profitability. Worse, the large publishing companies may decide to use the e-book technology as a proving ground for a book, and cast new novelists to the instant popularity contest of the download system and print only the winners in the traditional manner.

Can you put yourself in the shoes of a young or beginning novelist when faced with fears such as these? I think this is the reason for all the latent hostility we all hear in the voices of the anti-technology movement. Imagine having spent ten years pursuing your life's dream- you attend conferences and listen to novelists and agents and publishers, you dream of having just a taste of their successes, and then you realize that a new movement in your desired industry has the potential to yank the rug from beneath your dreams, making the continued pursuit of your goal very near to worthless.

Please give them a break and just a little understanding. Are their fears truly well-founded? I cannot tell, for anything is possible. I hope not, for many voices would be silenced before ever getting the chance to be heard, and that would be a shame.

Randy P.

You must embrace the new technologies because they will advance with or without you.
that makes some people dizzy. they like to call attention to the point that life makes them dizzy. why are things always moving, changing, and surprising you just when you were about to admit the old ways were terrible?

if you didn't want to ride the mery-go-round, why did you buy a ticket? get on or get off. either way, you're going in circles, so you know that can't be avoided. everything goes in circles, never really changes much, it's all just perception or something.

speaking of dizzy...

I like cheese.

I think Randy P. is making a point about new writers being afraid of missing the chance to succeed the way writers in the past have succeeded-- not about being afraid of technology. They are afraid of the technology taking away any of the financial benefits of being a writer. Who wants to be e-published without being traditionally published, if they post your book on a website that may or may not get heavy traffic from those willing to buy e-books? Your career could die aborning, just because your file was never looked at or browsed by the right audience. Your book is only downloaded a hundred and fifty times, you make a thousand bucks or less, and the publisher never buys anything from you again. I see his point.
DA

I like cheese too.
DA

Just a thought: Today, this blog needs some comment moderation. :-)

Interesting, this bit of techno-panic here, when I just came from presentation about the TOC conference at my day gig. There, the talk was how the new world of publishing is Web 2.0 (which will soon be superseded by future "communities"), and that "content" is no longer king...but presentation, and the consumer's ability to control all content they receive, is.

In the context of how this affects authors, I heard one of my own bosses comment that when it comes to the rights authors (or their agents) will grant, now the word on the street is that it's "ask for the moon" time, because many authors come to the table ready to effectively "give away the store" just for the privilege of having their content "out there." Publshing now is increasingly no longer producing a great book and sending it on its way; it's all about "sharing" and "customizing" and "giving the consumer what he/she wants"...but nary a whisper about the artist's compensation for being the one to create that product in the first place. And that is chilling.

In the worst case scenario, the artist/author is even presented as a backward, ignorant bit player who "just doesn't know how to adapt"--merely because he or she wants some kind of compensation for all that proliferation of his or her work. In this brave new world of gadgets and free words, no one knows what's fair for authors, apparently...or at least no one seems to care.

Witness comments here to the effect that "If you can see a downside to any of this, you're a wannabe and a whiner who lives in a cave"...and then people wonder why aspiring or midlist authors are less than enchanted with technology that seems to do little more than give publishers an excuse to shove them further and further down the food chain?

Brings to mind one of the classic lines from TOP GUN: "You still got the address of that truck drivin' school, Mav?"

:-)

Janny

Cheese is lovely. Especially partially-melted bree on table crackers.

Missed you yesterday... hope you return today :)

I thought I left a comment earlier, but now I don't see it...

I'm 15, enjoy reading and writing, and therefore read several writing blogs. I find this one to be generally helpful. Both Kristin's posts and then the comments from readers a often useful.

I am very disappointed with the comments to this post, though. As I said, I'm a teenager, and my brother and sister and I treat each other with more respect than you've been treating each other. I can't believe that intelligent, literate adults can't express their views more politely (and persuasively, for that matter - simply attacking someone else's view is not persuasive). Grow up.

As for the technology issue; my generation is very tech-savvy. I don't see this as a bad thing. I have a Kindle, a laptop, an IPOD, and a cell phone in my backpack right now.

I also have at least one paperback that I'm reading for enjoyment, and three or four textbooks. Oh, and my folder with music for jazz band practice later tonight. Technology is not replacing paper... it's simply adding to the resources we already have.

If having an ebook reader encourages people to READ, then how can that be a bad thing? Books and paper will always be around, too (until we clear-cut all the forests and no longer have the option for paper... but then we can start scavenging the landfills and recycle the materials there... so books will never disappear).

- Alexis, 15 and disappointed in the "adults"

Eloquently put, Janny. That ought to sum up the fears of the anti-technology wing quite nicely. Authors seem to be less and less of a factor in this business chess game (and their agents alongside them); one wonders that if it were possible for the publishing industry to create a software package to write personalized novels for each consumer, would they do it?

"Introducing Novel Writer 6.0! Sick of authors mangling perfectly good books with snarky endings? Tired of writers taking themselves too seriously and trying to be literary giants? Buy your copy of Novel Writer 6.0 today! Simply load in your favorite names, the number of deaths/sex scenes, level of acceptable profanity, nine of your favorite cities and choose which of seventy-five separate genres you want your book to be about! Choose what kind of ending you like! Buy the upgrade package and even enter what you want your main character/main antagonist to look like-- even better, use Cover Creator 9 for a picture! In the time it takes you to cook up a bowl of popcorn, Novel Writer 6.0 will cook YOU up a customized novel, tailored to your specific needs as a reader and downloaded to your choice of digital media... you even control the length of the novel!"

Alexis, sweetie, your generation is the one that thinks digitally ripping off songs and copying DVDs from Netflix is okay. As a person who has yet to make a living on her own, with no idea of how hard it can be to have a career (especially as a writer), you really have no idea as to the context of this conversation. In the end, it all comes down to money.

Perhaps it does all come down to money. However, tolerance and literacy are goals worth striving for. Perhaps my generation can succeed in those where your generations have failed.

Thank you Anon 1:17 for managing to speak to me in a kinder tone than some of the others have addressed one another with in the comments above. If only you could have managed to speak to me without the condescension...

- Alexis

Not for nothing, but Baen Books has been doing something like this for a couple years now. There isn't a submission protocol anymore. You join Baen's Bar and you post your stories for people to look at an comment on. After it's been there a while and enough people have looked at your edits, you move it over to the Slush Bar. Stories there are chosen to go into the electronic magazine (downloadable of course, and they pay more than the print mags for the rights); if the story is novel length, they consider it for publication. Several writers have been published with Baen that way, and some of their old established writers have agreed to post their older books for free in the Free Library---- you go to Baen Books and download as many books from a few hundred however you want. I'm no expert, but isn't that what this is all about?

Tabitha Wright

Oh, and my friends and I do not "rip off" CDs or DVDs. However, I'm pretty sure people of all generations do engage in such behavior and are in violation of the law for doing so.

- Alexis

Aha, but previous generations would have had to steal copyrighted materials in one of two ways. Shoplifting or plagiarism. Nowadays it all comes down to "cut and paste" or "click to copy". Remember Napster?

I think people are more upset by the idea of writers not getting paid enough for their work, and worse, that work being proliferated ad infinitum without them gaining anything at all. All it would take is one "book club" making copies and passing it among their members, or publishing companies deciding to license certain groups to download several copies at the same price, undercutting the artist yet again.

Doesn't anyone know what high schools go through these days just trying to use the photocopy machine?

Just got back. My comments way above look mean because I dislike Know-It-Alls, and Agent Kristin counts as a Know-It-All. Saw her live and in person, and she was rude to several people who had paid good money to see her. They had honest questions, she had smartass answers. Blow it out your collective ass.

Sally

"Aha, but previous generations would have had to steal copyrighted materials in one of two ways. Shoplifting or plagiarism."

Uh.... Xerox? Cassette tapes? Printing presses? Anything that can be manufactured once can be manufactured twice. And at any point in history, if the majority of the value add was the intellectual content, someone's probably done it.

The word "piracy" has been used to apply to copyright infringement for a really, really long time. Certainly longer than "this" generation. Copying's a lot cheaper now than it was then--but the flipside is that global enforcement is a lot more effective now than it was in the dark old days when the Brits couldn't do anything about the penny presses in America printing verbatim copies of Dickens.

The challenge the 21st century faces in dealing with copyright is to make it easier to buy the real deal then it is to pirate it. That's why iTunes works when there's bittorrent.

I guess I'll add my two cents worth here. I am published in both ebook and print and I have to say I was first published and ebook and it was and continues to be a great exoperience. My ebooks are available to people all over the world (I have emails from readers from Canada to Hong Kong) and my sales have been great. On top of that, the royalty percentage from ebook sales far exceeds those in any standard print publication contract so I am making a tidy piece of change. And whoever said it costs the publisher nothing to put an ebook out there knows nothing himself about the process of readying a book for publication and maintaing both an online store and arragements with other ebook sellers to maximize the sales of the books. So if you want to comment about the negativity of ebooks, please be sure you know what you;re talking about.

As a general principle, I do not moderate comments (as I would rather not waste the time).

And Free speech and all that. People are entitled to their opinion.

However, I've noticed that there have been several comments posted that just seem to be general attacks on other posters and don't involve an actual relevant discussion to this blog topic.

I have removed them.

Kristin

Whew, that was a lot of work. Just to get her highness off of her throne and down here among the proletariat took an awful lot of perseverance on my part, at least seven different commentator names and the unwilling but necessary participation of a few special individuals who helped me out by taking themselves way too seriously. Really, folks, these guys and gals are the true heroes here-- leaving themselves open for ridicule like that takes a lot of guts and very few brain cells.

I must admit that no less than sixty percent of my posts have been taken down, a personal record. But anyone reading this might ask a tremulous, "Why do this at all?"

Simply this. Ms. Nelson gets the ball rolling by blithely sharing with us the dull minutia of her days as an agent, which gives us a fair view of her job. Every now and again, she tosses a grenade into the mix without so much as a polite cry of "Fire in the hole!" Hot topics that are obviously near and dear to the hearts of writers, that are then fought over and chewed to pieces by scores of individuals. And then she walks away from the conflict without so much a a brief rejoinder.

When you open your blog up with one of these accessible little comment screens, you unwittingly create a forum atmosphere. No joke, it's what brings people back, this forum. You have the chance to become a part of something larger than what you set out to create, which is a mildly interesting blog about your day-to-day. When you see an issue explode the way this one did, it's almost your moral duty to step in as the progenitor and either comment on/explain your views, or at the very least address the subject in another blog entry. Way over our heads, there were people with legitimate points and concerns about a product like Kindle. One guy talks about the fears of unpublished writers... how is that not a valid topic?

Before you were a business person, you were a teacher. If there is any shred of that left in you, look at what you've created here and use it. Either that or shut the comment section down and let your number of visits dwindle.

That's it for me. No offense or anything. I see too much crap in this world these days, too many wrongs ignored. Read this and delete it if you like. Ignore me. You have unwittingly founded a platform larger than you meant to; use it for good or shut it down. If you don't you aren't that worthy of much respect, in my opinion.

Personally, having books that you pay less for forever tied to your account where you can't lose them is kind of cool.

You crack me up with the Valentine's love for the novels (and novelists). :)

This is both encouraging and discouraging. It's wonderful to have an example of a writer who succeeded the second time around with an entirely new novel; apparently, the writer is improving in skill and technique.

It's also incredibly discouraging, though, knowing that after all her work to find an agent for the first novel, the book not only didn't sell, but the agent was unwilling to continue working with her for new projects.

I'm glad she caught your eye this time around.

Which book is going to auction - the one that didn't sell with the previous agent or the next one that the previous agent wasn't interested in?

You are an awesome cheerleader. I mean that in a totally good way.

Anon 7:34-

Kristin wrote:

"The agent wasn�t interested in her next novel so she decided to try me again for her new stuff since it was so different from her previous novel.

Loved it. Took it on. Sent it out and it�s going to auction."

I think it's clear that it's the newer novel that is going to auction; her former agent wasn't interested, and therefore passed on it, while Kristin picked it up.

Looks like her first book isn't going to be published, but at least she now has a great agent for her more recent work.

Thanks, Kristen.

Yes, it is wonderful that she has a great agent this time around!

Oh thanks Kristin...you're wonderful.

I'm writting a novel based on a true story, my own life! That means that I will query you again in September! You are really wonderfull!

I forgot to ask, is that September a good time for a second time around?

Interesting story. If you ever feel so inclined, I'd be curious to know if you have any stats and/or comments on what percentage of agented works fail to find a home with a publisher.

Thanks again for this blog.

Hey, Famous Agent! You made Gawker:
http://gawker.com/357838/wait-is-kindle-still-destroying-publishing

Good luck on the auction.

Uh, not to get off topic, but a mamba is a snake. You were listening to a mambo.

RE: Hey, Famous Agent! You made Gawker

Hey, Famous Agent! You made Gawker, AGAIN!

You're the best!!!! Spot on, I say!!!

Oooh. Kinda makes me want to write something not-quite-crappy and send it to you, just so I can transfigure it and your statistic. The first part might not be so hard . . .

Hoo-rah!

. . . wouldn't it be great if, like our computers, we had a refresh button we could just click, close our eyes, and start anew when we opened them?

The most beautiful thing about a pencil is the eraser that gets worn for the sacrifices we have to make to get that end result.

Well, now that I've got my cup o' gumption, back to the editing.

Thanks Kristen.

-Rachel Glass

So, you look like a New Yorker? But how can that be... you're so nice! I guess it's the self-assured "agent look," accompanied of course by the absence of a scrunchie...

Kristin,
What about a totally new proposal from an author you passed on before? I'm thinking about someone who had given me a lot of feedback and said she was truly sorry to be passing. I've taken to heart what she said and am trying to fix the problem. I'm thinking of sending her something new. If it were you, would that change the equation at all?

Cindy
Author of Brigid of Ireland
http://www.brigidofireland.com

Cindy, I'm not Kristin nor Kristin's client, but I signed with my agent after she passed on a previous work of mine. I sent her something she couldn't say no to!

If an agent is willing to work with you or gives you lots of feedback or says they'd be interested in "future projects" -- they don't say that stuff lightly. Write something new and send it to them mentioning that they'd liked your work in the past! Maybe this one will be the project that "clicks!"

I just wanted to let you know that I am passing on the "Excellent Blog Award" to you! You can pick up the award badge on my site in the post about the award.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kristin,

I know the feeling. I used to live in Osaka, Japan. As a 6'2" Caucasian male, I stood out, even in this big city. Yet, once, while sitting outside a train station waiting for a friend, I was approached by an elderly Japanese woman who asked me, in Japanese, how to find the local zoo.

My first thought was "Six million people live in this city and you're picking ME as the native?" Instead, I stood up, smiled, and gave her directions. We bowed and she left.

As she walked away, I wondered to myself how she reasoned I would know. I decided my body language somehow signaled that I knew the area.

In other words, Kristin, you must have some kind of look when you are in New York. Enjoy it.

I agree with Diana about submitting other projects to an agent, even if you've been rejected.

I'm short, but I think it is all in the attitude. I actually walk in long strides because 1. most of the population is taller than I am and 2. all the men I dated were at least a foot taller than me. So I learned to walk fast.
I get asked for directions no matter where I am. Even in Geneva Switzerland where I clearly was an American with my sneakers.
cmr

Hmm... What about editors? Have you ever seen an editor give a postiive response to a project, really like it, but not sign it and instead request revisions? Then supply a detailed rewrite letter ... all before the author is signed? I'm in the middle of this process now and it's new to me--and everyone else I talk to. Most times, editors either sign a project, then work with the author to revise it, or simply reject it. Instead, i've got an editor who spent a lot of time to provide detailed rewrite notes, but didn't buy the book and enthusiastically requested a revised draft. Any insight into this would be much appreciated ...

p.s. I did the rewrites and sent the book back, but I haven't heard back yet.

Hi Anon- I have seen and heard of editors providing revision notes and saying they would revisit a project. Then it is up to you and your agent if you give it a shot or move on with the submission plan.

Kristin- a question. I have a friend who has been working on the same book for over 7 years. With each new crit she tackles it a different way. Is there a point when you advise people to move on to the next project?

What a great blog! I've been a fan of this blog for about a year now and really love it. It's the first place I check every morning.

Not to change the subject, but I have a question that I'd love to get some answers to.

I am a writer finishing up my first manuscript and am learning all I can about marketing and publicity while I'm at it.

Kristin, you are the poster-child for proving that a writer doesn't need an agent in New York to be successful. I'm wondering if that's true about publicists too.

I'm from a small town that doesn't have a very big publicity firm. But it's right where I live. If they ever needed me to come in, I could with no problem. But if I get a bigger, better known publicist attached to a bigger, better known firm but they're all the way in California, I would never be able to really communicate with them unless it was via email or telephone.

Is this a really stupid question? I feel really stupid asking it!

I appreciate any response I get.

Thanks!

Anon:
Editors don't buy books. They have to sell them to a publishing board. It sounds like this editor is trying to get the proposal into a form he thinks he can sell. That's a gift. It may not work, but it's a sign that you have something good. Even if it doesn't work out, you should try someone else.

Cindy
Author of Brigid of Ireland
http://www.brigidofireland.com

Bethany, you haven't sold your book yet, right? Don't worry about putting the cart before the horse. You may not even end up hiring outside publicity for your book. I shopped around a bit for publicists when my first book was coming out, but none of them could offer me anything my publisher wasn't already doing a better job with in their in-house department.

That being said, it's unlikely that you'd have to "come in" to the actual publicity dept. for anything that is going on, and far more likelyt hat, if you need to go anywhere, it's where the actual publicity is taking place (i.e., convention, expo. signing, tv show, etc.)

But I'd sell your book first then see.

Hi Kristin!

I have a question: Have you ever talked about book packagers? I saw that Gossip Girl had its beginning with one, and am wondering whether they could be useful to authors with already completed manuscripts. What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

~Francine in Florida

I hope I get to be #53.

:-)

I've never really thought of "so, read any good books lately?" as a complicated question.

I know what you mean about the snow. I'm a lot farther north than you - northern B.C., Canada. It's snowing right now and we've already got about 18 inches. Ugh. Sounds like you've had a productive year! Time for a rest.

Speaking as one of the six, I am thrilled I found the perfect agent to represent me! (And of course, I repay you by torturing you with the IRS...)

Chalk me up as one of the authors who got a form rejection on a partial read -- and found the perfect agent for the book elsewhere! :) Just wasn't your cup of tea. 'Tis the nature of the business!

Guess what? I write, but I don't submit.
Why? Because I wrote for my ancestors,(ie,kids, grandchildren, etc.)because they simply will have a better meory and appreciation of "Dad", "Grandpa", etc,as they take thier royalty checks to the bank!
You have to motivate memories,...good or bad! It helps when they come with a check!
(OK , I'm a not a "warm huggy bear")

Ditto to Sarah. I was one of those six as well. It's been great working with Kristin!

The IRS on the other hand...

I, on the other hand, was one of the 52 who Kristin didn't take on! I still have not gotten any takers, but I have been heavy into revisions since about April, so that's hardly surprising.

Even though I'm still agentless, I find endless encouragement in the fact that my novel was among the 52 out of what was probably well over 20,000 manuscripts, if Kristin's stats from 2006 hold true for 2007.

Since then, I've written another novel (or most of one), and I think is an even stronger novel. In fact, part of the reason I tore back into the one Kristin rejected is because I wanted to apply all that newfound writing polish to it. I am very excited about the results

Please wish me luck for the new year!

Tia, FWIW, I wrote five books with over 100 agent rejections (some on fulls) before I found an agent and sold. Each one was better than the last. And, since I've been published, I've found my work improving as well. So keep going! Just the fact that Kristin requested a full shows that you have *something* extra--most writers don't even get that far.

I, too, was rejected by Kristin but she was right to do it. My novel sucked. The thing is, I kept re-writing it and, praise be, I landed an agent (and a book deal) in 2007. I love this blog, it's one of my faves, and I've learned so much from it. Even rejections can be good things if you use them as fuel to just keep re-writing. And re-writing and ...

I'll step forward and say I'm one of the authors Kristin passed on but who later got an agent and sold :) My YA book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, will be published hardcover by Delacorte in Spring 2009.

In fact, I just blogged about what a subjective business this is (I got a form rejection from an agent the day after I sold and another the day I got my advance check). In the end, I think that I found the best agent for me and so I'm glad I got rejected by those who thought it wouldn't be a good fit.

It really does go to show how everything tends to work out for the best! Congrats to Kristin's new clients (and to those who got requests for fulls)!!

Wow, carrie, you're debuting in hardcover? Way to go!

Yes, it's an incredibly subjective business. It's SO important your agent absolutely loves the book. 99 agents could pass and as long as one legit agent loves it and knows how to sell it, that's all that matters!

As another one of the 52, I have to admit it perks me up to learn that Kristin receives around 20,000 queries a year. Enough to make me put myself out there yet (sigh) again.

Well, I'm surprised by that. I'm happy to hear how hard you work for your clients. Very impressive.

I would be interested in an elaboration of the difference between an agent's submission to an editor and an author's submission to an agent. You speak of asking an author to create a their own version of the pitch but haven't they already done that when they pitched you?

Ooops! I missed yesterday's post of your editor letter for House of Mists. Scuzi!

In reference to that, and as an elaboration on my plea for elaboration, I notice that your first paragraph (five sentences) is your take on how the novel struck you, then the next two paragraphs (ten sentences) sound much like the mini synopsis you used to speak of before your recent breakthrough on teaching pitches. Finally the last paragraph, your author's bio (three sentences) while impressive, seems more valuable as a chatty assurance of competence than a list of accomplishments.

I must admit I don't know why I want to ask this, the question just popped into my head. Just a writer's natural inquisitiveness, I guess.

Is this a typical editor letter for you? Do you think it's a typical editor letter in general?

I think your take on the novel is really the pitch in this case and that the mini synopsis is what a salesman might call "the close". The bio is somewhere between a guarantee and a list of ingredients.

What is it an editor needs to know from you, that an author's query does not provide, and how do they expect you to supply it?

Hope I'm not being intrusive. Ah well, just asking.

Hi. I noticed Kristin said:

"5. Submission goes by email."

I'm curious to hear more about this. I was at a conference where a faculty member told me to email my manuscript to her when it's ready. I wish I'd asked her more questions. How does one email an entire manuscript? Mine is about 85,000 words. Attachments seem to be frowned upon in the industry. Are they "allowed" in cases like this? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Anonymous 8:19

I am no expert, but I just cannot think of any other way other than mailing the MS as an attachment. I mean she talked of formatting and headers etc, and there is no way to keep that straight by posting all the text into the message.

From my understanding, attachments are frowned upon when you are simply querying. Some authors think it is no big deal to send along an attachment just in case the agent wants to read the full MS. The problem, as I understand, is that then the email looks like spam or a virus, and an agent may not be willing to even open the email. Also they may be a bit annoyed that the author didn't follow the rules.

Once, I assume, the agent/editor trusts the source of the email, and they have asked for a full or a partial, then I am sure they have no problem receiving email attachements.

Little story.

In the UK they are much more fond of printing up the MS for submissions (from author to agents and even agent to editor). So when I was submitting my full MS I printed it up. Then my agent wanted changes, so I did that and printed it up and hand delivered it (they were in my neighbourhood) in the pouring rain. Finally when I had signed with her, but still needed to deliver a final edit, it occurred to me. . . "Can I just email it to you?" And she said, "Yes of course!"

It hadn't even occurred to me until then! Sigh. I can be clueless sometimes . . .

I'm curious about your phone call to the editor. What are you trying to accomplish with the phone call? Just telling them that a great ms is on the way? Asking them if they're interested in the sort of ms that you're intending to pitch?

Many thanks, Adrienne! And I enjoyed your UK story. I hope to visit there someday.

From Anonymous 8:19

I'm curious about your comment, "An editor . . . took a couple days to get back to me." Are they responding to your query this quickly or are they responding to the manuscripts you send them this quickly?
What is your typical turn-around time from when you send a manuscript to an editor and they reply they want it?
Thanks so much for all your helpful commentary!

I have a question about emailing the entire ms, if anyone can answer.

While working on mine, I keep each chapter in separate word files - It's an easy way to organize for the many many revisions... Also, I like to revise on the printed copy, saves my eyes from reading everything on the screen and I can take one or two chapters with me while working on revisions...

I'm assuming it would be a pain in the @$$ for the agent to need to open each individual file to read a new chapter. What's the best way to save and forward the entire ms as one document? One very large word file?

I swear, Kristin, you could get rich just teaching this business to people. Please write a book someday that answers all of these nagging questions we authors have. I'll buy it, I promise!

My questions regard emailing large files. When a file is large it often gets bounced by the sender or the recipient's email server. I'm wary of this and tend to follow up with a separate email to make sure that the document was received. 1) Is this second email frowned upon, and 2) what is the general consensus on sending zipped (compressed) files?

Thank you for your blog. I visit it every day!

Charlotte

I write nonfiction. Maybe that's a little different because nonfiction is sold on the basis of a proposal and a chapter or two, or maybe I have a more old-fashioned agent, but for whatever reason she wants my proposal in hard copy. She then sends hard copy to editors. When the proposals sold, both publishing houses I've dealt with so far wanted the complete manuscipt sent to them both as a hard copy and on a CD. For the CD version they wanted separate files for each chapter, introduction, and figures.

I'm glad you take such time to send out the work as we take putting it together! I must say I love what I learn on your blog. I don't feel like I'll be so lost when the time comes! Thank you so much!

First anon. -- when I was submitting my manuscript, before I got my offer, I sent my entire novel as an .rtf attachment and all parties were happy.

Kristin, for some I was really surprised to hear that some editors would still ask for hard copy!

I know you don't normally answer blog questions, but I was wondering what the current news is with Simon & Schuster's big right grab in its contracts a while back. Did they get rid of it, or do agents negotiate out of it?

I wonder how many agnets are as detailed oriented as you. Thanks for the look at the other end of the spectrum

Thanks Maggie! I sure appreciate the information.

From first anon

Ooo! Thanks for this look into what you do, Kristin! :-)

Now you know why I don't comment every day, else I'd be repeating myself again and again and again... >_<

I'm not surprised at the time frame of any submission. As a freelancer, I submit to editors on my own and whenever I have to do this I go into "submission mode", which is like tunnel vision for me. I want it to be perfect.

I'm amazed that editors accept e-mail submissions, even from well known agents. They all seem locked into the paper world when they talk on panels at conferences. But then they're usually talking about slush pile m.s.s. so I guess that's the difference.

As someone who works in publishing support, I'm wondering what format you send the electronic submissions in. I'm guessing RTF, but MS Word is so ubiquitous it could be that, too.