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News You Can Use – May 15, 2012

May 15, 2012 in Publishing with 3 Comments

J.A. Konrath Responds – [Warning: There is some coarse language in the post.] Konrath’s response to my blog post from yesterday.

Vetting a Freelance Editor – Victoria Strauss writes an incredible article on how to pick the best independent editor for your project.

Icons that Make No Sense to the New Generation of Readers – A tremendous article about words that could “date” your writing if you aren’t careful.

25 Ways to use Twitter the Wrong Way – Very educational for those who are casual users

Bible App Exceeds 50 Million Downloads – YouVersion Bible App from LifeChurch.TV. Link includes a video interview with the co-founder.

Songwriter Wins Lawsuit – If you plan on still being in the publishing game 30 years from now or if your heirs will need advice on your literary estate, read this article and see what a loophole in the copyright law can mean for you.

Enjoy this pretty cool video called “The Bible in 50 Words”

Goodbye to Traditional Publishing?

May 14, 2012 in Business, Contracts, Defense of Traditional Publishing, E-Books, Publishing, Steve, Writing with 67 Comments

by Steve Laube

Recently Ann Voss Peterson wrote of her decision to never sign another contract with Harlequin. One major statistic from the article is that she sold 170,000 copies of a book but earned only $20,000.

Multiple clients sent me Peterson’s “Harlequin Fail” article and wanted my opinion. My first thought is that this was the typical “a publisher is ripping me off” fodder. But that would be a simplistic and knee-jerk reaction and unfair to both Peterson and Harlequin.

Yes, Harlequin pays a modest royalty that is less than some publishers. Since when is that news? That has always been their business model because it is the only way to create and maintain an aggressive Direct-to-Consumer and Trade publishing program. Their publishing machine is huge and they are a “for profit” company. For Profit. If they are unprofitable, they go away.

If an author is uncomfortable with the terms, then don’t sign the contract (which is Peterson’s decision going forward). I urge each of you to be careful not to sign a contract and then complain about it later. Unless you were completely hoodwinked you agreed to those terms and should abide by them.

Understand that I am not being critical of this lady’s decision. It is her choice to do so.

But my issue is not with the money (although it is important) it is a larger question. She says she has sold 170,000 books but not made that much money. For the record Peterson has signed with Thomas Mercer which is one of the publishing divisions of Amazon.com…a traditional publisher of sorts, so she may still reach a 100,000 plus audience. So is it all about the money and not about number of readers? If Peterson had chosen to go Indie (solo) and published using the e-book option (like the Kindle Direct Program) and sold 10,000 copies she would make the same amount of money. BUT she would have 160,000 fewer readers! One Hundred and Sixty Thousand.

Consider the stadium where the Arizona Cardinals (NFL) plays seats 63,000. So, in essence this author’s choice could mean walking away from three stadium sized audiences for her stories.

In Peterson’s case it does not appear to be a dollars vs. readers issue because she has signed with another publisher. But for many who are frustrated with their publishing experience it is a good question to ask.

Reaching 170,000 readers is a rare place in this busy industry. And don’t forget that the success of those numbers made her an attractive acquisition for Amazon.com . That is not the case for most writers whose midlist numbers can be depressing. (Read CBA fiction author Eric Wilson who laid out his income while publishing with traditional publishers over a ten year period and has chosen to go a different route with his new books.)

If you wish to wave goodbye to traditional publisher and go Indie (independent) I believe the first question to ask is whether or not you want to start a small business. Just like an entrepreneur.  Those authors who are entrepreneurs are ideally suited for the self-publishing route. The understand the energy it takes and pitfalls ahead.

The second question is whether they can sell enough copies to make it all worthwhile. And are also are willing to take responsibility if a book fails.

But not all artists are entrepreneurs. I know of many authors who have gone this route. One sold 1,000 copies of their e-book in a year. Another is averaging about $1,000 in revenue each month…but had to self-publish ten books to reach that threshold. Another has sold about 2,500 e-copies in a few months but the numbers are slowing considerably. Each of these writers can get much more guaranteed income from going the traditional route. Their indie effort is nice income (in this business any income is nice) but it is not a replacement.

P.S. In my opinion it is wrong to compare Amazon’s traditional publishing divisions (like Thomas Mercer) with other publishers. Amazon is so incredibly large and diversified that they could lose money on publishing for five years and still be profitable elsewhere. For a company like Harlequin they are solely vested in publishing (not Zappos shoes, or used books, or electronics). Thus their cost structure is different. Amazon has brilliantly used their economic model and created one that takes advantage of their infrastructure without having to build from scratch.

Is that a defense of traditional publishing? It could be seen that way. But it is more a reminder not to compare oranges with apples. They are not identical.

Your Turn

What is your take on this issue?

Is there a question on this topic you would like to have answered in a future blog?

Writing to Market: Bad Advice?

May 10, 2012 in Business, Marketing, Publishing, Tamela, Writing with 20 Comments

by Tamela Hancock Murray

Throughout my career I’ve seen various responses to the advice that declares “Write to market!” In other words “write what sells” because that is what is most important for a writer. Is this good advice or bad advice?

It is both.

Here is when it’s bad advice: When you’re made to feel you have to write a certain type of book just to break into the market, any market.

If you think, for instance, that any lame brain can write a romance novel, but hey, romance authors are millionaires, then the romance novel market is not where you need to be. You won’t respect your readers or give them your best.

So if writing to market means you’re slogging away writing a book you loathe in hopes of entertaining riches, then you’ve taken bad advice.

Then when is writing to market a good idea? It’s a good — even great — idea when you are:

  1. writing your best work, giving your readers your all.
  2. creating a timeless story.
  3. staying within your targeted publisher’s word count, as shown in the publisher’s guidelines or advised by your agent.
  4. choosing a setting to which your intended audience can relate.
  5. selecting a time period you are passionate about and can make come alive for your readers.

I won’t say that any and all fabulous books written by passionate authors will be published to greatness. Whether we like it or not, a wonderful 300,000-word book set in Antarctica in the year 789 is likely to find the market inhospitable. (That statement guarantees someone will sell a book fitting this description tomorrow!) The general rule is that most successful writers study current market parameters and write books that make sense for the market. Editors will often say to me, “I see something there,” when they spot writers they want to work with, even if the project itself isn’t quite right. Those authors should try again. And again, if necessary.

In my view, it’s best to write a story that excites you. Show us the result. Then let’s see what happens.

Your turn:

How do you write to market?

What publisher are you targeting? What is your biggest challenge in writing for them?

Christy Award Finalists 2012

April 16, 2012 in Agency, News You Can Use, Publishing, Steve with 0 Comments

We are quite excited to announce that our agency has a number of finalists in this year’s Christy Awards. (Click here for the list of this year’s finalists.) Congratulations to all finalists. Below are our clients who have been honored and a link to their publisher’s site for more information on the book.

Susan May Warren – My Foolish Heart (Tyndale) – Contemporary Romance

Ronie Kendig – Wolfsbane (Barbour) – Contemporary Romance

Ginny Yttrup – Words (B&H Publishing) – NOMINATED TWICE – Contemporary Standalone & First Novel

Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee – Forbidden (Center Street) – Visionary – (we represent Tosca)

Lisa Bergren – Waterfall (David C. Cook) – Young Adult

 

 

Implications of the Department of Justice Lawsuit Against Five Major Publishers

April 16, 2012 in Agency, Business, Contracts, Publishing, Steve with 9 Comments

by Steve Laube

As you have heard by now the Department of Justice (DOJ) has leveled a lawsuit against Apple and five major publishers accusing them of conspiring to fix prices. There has been a lot written on the topic with varying degrees of understanding and a wide disparity of conclusions.

Authors are asking what this all means to them. And many are confused about the math involved. A great, and lengthy summary has been brilliantly composed at Shelf-Awareness. Read that article if you do not understand the details of the situation. It is important that every writer grasp the implications because it could affect how books are sold moving forward.

Already, three of the five publisher have agreed to settle without admitting guilt (HarperCollins, Hachette, and Simon and Schuster). And that settlement will take at least 60 days to finalize. This leave MacMillan and Penguin who have vowed to fight the suit. Such a fight could last years.

By the way, Random House was not named in the suit because they did not change their pricing policies until much later and thus cannot be accused of colluding.

At is core, the issue revolves around who gets to set the prices of books, the publisher or the retailer? When the retailer controls the sales price a company like Amazon has, in the past, used their clout to cut prices severely, even to the point of losing money on the sale of the books they sell. Since Amazon is so large and diversified in their products a books-only company like Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million is at a disadvantage. The DOJ doesn’t care if the retailer of the publisher controls the prices, but they did take offense that five publishers and a major vendor agreed to the same terms at the same time. It has the appearance of collusion.

Years ago when I was in the bookstore business we were constantly being challenged by bargain pricing done at the warehouse clubs on selected titles. They would buy a book that retailed for $20 and with their buying power purchase the book for $10 net from the publisher. Then they would retail the book to the public for $10.88. There were stores in our area that had little purchasing clout and the best price they could get for the same book was at $12.00 net. To match the warehouse club price they would lose money on each sale.  You see the problem?

However

However, many authors do not understand that this “Agency Model,” the lawsuit, and its implications have had little effect on the rest of the publishing industry. While the Big Six comprise a huge portion of the market, they are not the entire market.

Read my previous blog about “Who Owns Whom in Christian Publishing.” The Agency model of selling books to Amazon and iBooks has not applied to the majority of Christian publishers. See that post starting half way down where there is a long list of publishers not owned by any of the Big Six.

Each publisher has had to negotiate their own agreement with Amazon to sell their ebooks and paper books. Unfortunately we are not privy to what those terms are. And Amazon and the publisher work together to set prices in most cases. If they are unable to come to an agreement Amazon has used their weight to pull titles from their site. IPG (Independent Publisher’s Group) in late February refused to renegotiate terms with Amazon. Overnight thousands of IPG books disappeared from the Amazon site. And to this day they have not yet been reinstated. (Read this article for full information.)

But that is an unrelated incident, other than being instructive as to the clout of Amazon. As for what will happen? Kristine Kathryn Rusch quite ably said in her very informative blog, “No one knows.”

Any Questions?

After you have assimilated the information linked above, do you have any questions? I will try to answer as best I can in the comment section below. Or use the green “Ask Us a Question” button to the right to send a private question.

 

True Confessions

March 29, 2012 in Agency, Business, Publishing, Tamela, Writing with 12 Comments

by Tamela Hancock Murray

When our eldest daughter was learning about various religions in college, she told me that converts to the Greek Orthodox faith must make a lifetime confession. This would mean confessing all of your past sins. Don’t worry — joining our agency does not require a lifetime confession. However, we do need to know about your publishing past.

Poor Sales History

Poor sales of your books in the past can be a challenge. Major publishers always ask for these details because the accounts to whom they sell ask for those details. A poor track record can suggest more of the same with the next book. That is one advantage of a debut author…no sales history. However, when talking to us about your career, this is no time to be coy leave us uncertain about a less than stellar sales history. Instead, let us know so we can strategize how to overcome that obstacle. And if we can’t come up with a good strategy and you have to find a different agent? This is not the worst thing that can happen. Rather, it would be worse for both of us to waste everyone’s time if another agent can come up with the right strategy for your career.

Wish I Had not Written That

What if you have great sales history, but you’re embarrassed by one of your previous works? Perhaps you wrote steamy novels or published a strident political tome before your views changed. Fortunately the Christian community is generally a special place of second chances.

More than once, I have met authors who wrote steamy books in the past, but now want to embark on a career writing for the Christian market. Is this possible?

I believe it is. There are many examples of authors who have done so with great success. However, it is critical that you tell us everything so we can assess how to handle your past books with new editors. We will all have to work together to rebrand you, and that process may take several steps. Once we discuss your new goals, we can be at our most effective for you.

Secrets

What you do not want to happen is to cover up something you wrote and hope no one finds out. The Internet is a powerful tool and you would be amazed by how much we can discover about you. And be assured that a major publisher is also going to do their due diligence and research an author if they are unfamiliar with them.

Rest assured that we treat your information with with very high level of professional confidentiality. Once you place your trust in us, we will do everything we can to further your career. And besides, as the Scottish proverb says, confession is good for the soul.

Your turn:
Have you written a book or article you wish had never been published?
What have you done to overcome that experience?

The Wild Pitch

March 26, 2012 in Book Proposals, Publishing, Steve with 15 Comments

by Steve Laube

In honor of the upcoming baseball season I thought it would be fun to explore the art of pitching.

A couple years ago I was watching a Major League baseball game and the pitcher unleashed a horrific throw that sailed about eight feet behind the batter. It floated to the backstop without a bounce and everyone in the stadium wonder what had just happened. It looked like the pitcher lost his grip and could not stop his delivery. In baseball terms this is classified as a wild pitch.

Unfortunately many writers unleash a pitch on an agent or an editor before it is ready to deliver. Let me list a few actual letters I have received.

“Save for the Bible, the book you’re holding in your other hand is the most important work you’ll ever read! Let me know what you think.”

“I sincerely doubt you will engage in any business with me, just because that’s how sick and sordid the industry has become…I mean, I produced the piece of work, you didn’t. Now, I challenge you to do your job.”

Subject line of the email said: “DON’T READ THIS.” (So I didn’t.)

“I came across your listing on the internet. You would not have been my first choice…”

“All my literary efforts…are stirring works caught in the vortex of disintegrating modernity. Each work is a mixed genre, essentially fiction-fantasy-history, with an environmental twist, and many young folks.”

“This novel is…an enjoyable romp with outrageous characters and themes that just about anyone can identify with; including sinister ‘friends,’ insane parents, existential nausea, jealousy, and sexual frustration.”

A good pitch, on the other hand, is delivered with focus and precision. Think about it for a minute. A baseball pitcher starts by learning how to grip the ball. Then comes the best way to actually throw the ball. Some adjust their arm angle to achieve the best way to maintain the right speed for that particular pitch. Don Sutton, a great pitcher in his day, was not known for his overpowering arm but he learned that the genius of his delivery came from his legs and core body strength. Each pitcher finds his own comfort zone and type of pitch that works for them. Some are all about speed (Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax), others are all about curveballs or change ups. And some are about placement in, or out, of the strike zone. Or like Mariano Rivera of the Yankees who has a wicked split fastball.

Much like a major league pitcher you must work on your delivery. Find the best way to pitch your idea in such a way that it is easy to catch. Focus. Precision. Intent. And a pitch that is really strong.

Let’s carry the concept one step further. Each pitcher is different, just like each writer is different. For every Nolan Ryan, strikeout artist, there is a Wilbur Wood, whose knuckleball pitch was almost impossible to hit squarely. But each pitcher uses the same fundamentals of grip, arm speed, leg strength, and follow through.

Play ball!

It’s A Brave New World

March 14, 2012 in Agency, Business, Craft, Karen, Publishing, Trends, Writing with 11 Comments

by Karen Ball

I’ve been in publishing for lo, these many years (over 30), so you’d think the work would be pretty much second nature for me. No so! In fact, just this last week I did something completely new!

I edited a book, in four days, using Skype and Dropbox.

The amazing thing about this isn’t that the author and I got the book done so quickly, but that it was SO MUCH FUN! We parked on Skype for hours, so that if I had questions as I edited a chapter, I could just ask him, and if he had questions about the editing, he could just ask me. It was like being in the same room together, but without the expense or stress of travel. And I discovered that doing the edit this way gave me a fresher understanding of what the author wanted to say. It also enabled us to do a bit of arm wrestling when we disagreed on something, but to do so with humor and kindness. When you deal with issues over the phone or in email, you always run the risk of misunderstanding because folks can’t see your expressions or body language, or hear the tone of your voice. With Skype, those risks were gone, so we handled a couple of sensitive issues without frustration or misunderstanding.

And that, my friends, is a miracle!

So how does this affect you? Well, as I was working with this author, I started to think about all the other ways we, as agents and authors, could use this technology:

When you know a conversation is going to take more than a few minutes, use Skype (or whatever video calling option you have). Seeing each other, being able to read expressions and body language, to hear tone of voice, goes a long way to heading off misunderstanding.

Use video calling when you’re communicating with someone you don’t know well. I didn’t know this author at all before I stared working with him. But now I feel as though I’ve had an editing retreat with him, and he’s become a friend.

Writers, use video calling if you need to hash things out with your editor. Face-to-face works so much better than email and phone calls.

Are you collaborating with another writer on a project? Use video calling to brainstorm, discuss, and edit your project.

Writers could also use video conferencing to:

  • Mentor other writers
  • Have a critique group with other writers from across the country (Skype has group conferencing)
  • Brainstorm your books together
  • If you’re stuck on your work and need some help, video call a writer friend and brainstorm together. Or just take a coffee break together. I have a good friend who lives in Illinois. When I lived in Illinois, she and I loved to do coffee runs together to Starbuck’s or Caribou Coffee. I’ve missed that time with her so much, so I proposed doing a coffee run on Skype. It’s working out great!

These are just a few of the ways we can jump into this technological world and use it not just for meetings, but to enrich our relationships and writing.

So hey, why not give it a try? You may find that you enjoy it even more than I do.

What if You Get a Book Deal on Your Own and Then Want an Agent?

March 5, 2012 in Agency, Business, Conferences, Contracts, Publishing, Steve with 4 Comments

by Steve Laube

One of our readers asked this via the green “Ask us a question” button.

What happens if you get a book contract before you have an agent? What if, by some miracle, an editor sees your work and wants to publish it? (1) would having a publisher interested in my work make an agent much more likely to represent me, and (2) would it be appropriate to try to find an agent at that point (when a publisher says it wants to publish you)? My fear is that querying an agent and receiving a response could take several months, but I’d need to accept a potential contract with a book publisher right away (I would think). Is it appropriate to ask the editor to speak with an agent on your behalf to speed the process?

This is a great topic but there are a few questions within the question. Let me try to break it down.

Many times we have had authors approach us with contracts in hand and seeking representation (happened just last week). Of course this will get an agent’s attention immediately. But there are caveats:

a)      Who is the publisher? There is a big difference between a major company and your local independent publisher. Not all publishers are created equal (see the Preditors & Editors warnings). I remember a situation where the publisher who had made the offer to the author was not well known in the industry, they appeared to be a startup, and the terms in the contract were onerous. This was not a publisher we could recommend the author work with. We declined to represent the project. The author signed the contract anyway. A few years later the author came to me detailing their regrets.

There are also packagers, subsidy publishers, and vanity presses that can easily confuse a new writer into thinking that their contract offer is similar to getting a contract offer from Random House. This is not a criticism of those companies but merely to present their contract offers as a contrast to what is offered by Traditional Publishing. Do your due diligence and practice discernment.

b)      Is this a real contract offer or an editor who said they were interested? This is a big difference. I once had a writer literally beg for representation because an editor had said they were interested at a conference (and when I wrote “literally beg” I mean with all the fullness of what that phrase suggests). Found out later the editor had been stopped in a hallway and after hearing the author’s pitch said to the writer, “Sure I’ll give it a look if you have an agent send it to me.” [FYI: That is not a contract offer.]

c)      What is your content? To maintain our integrity we would still need to see your book. We never will represent someone’s work without seeing it first. Our company becomes associated with that material. But if your contract offer is from a major house, trust that we will not sit on the content for long. There is no need to ask the editor to get involved at this stage. It would put them in an awkward position, especially if they would prefer working with a different agent! Also do not ask the editor which agent they prefer. Again you would be putting them in an awkward position. Better to ask, “I’m thinking of working with Steve Laube as my agent, are there any red flags that you feel comfortable sharing with me?” [I anticipate a few jokes in the comments with that set up line.]

d)     Who are you? We may have never met or talked. We need to find out if you are who you say you are. If we have met in the past, remind me of the context.

I have a client right now who I met at a conference. The writer pitched their idea I thought the idea intriguing but challenged the writer to “blow me away” with their sample material and send it to me. At the same conference the writer connected with an editor at a major publisher. That editor became quite enthused and worked directly with the author for a few months refining the project. I did not know this was happening and was simply waiting for the proposal to arrive at our office. Good news is that the editor and publisher offered a contract. The author immediately contacted me with the deal in hand. I asked a few questions including:

a)     “Can you send me the material that got the editor so excited?”

b)      ”Have you agreed to contractual terms yet?” Fortunately the answer was no. NEVER agree to terms with a publisher if you want to have an agent become involved. If you do, the agent is handcuffed in their ability to adjust certain rights and terms to your benefit.

c)      ”Why do you want an agent? You already have a deal in hand!” The author said, “Steve, I know my limitations. If I were to represent myself I would have a fool for a client.” We signed and have been working together ever since.

I also want to make sure the writer knows what an agent does for a client beyond just the sale or the book deal. It is a myth that all an agent does is have exotic lunches and influence editors with their wiles and force of personality. In today’s publishing labyrinth an author needs a guide. I firmly believe that every author needs a good agent by their side. But that is a post for another day.

 

Editorial Feedback – Not Just Static

March 1, 2012 in Craft, Publishing, Tamela, Writing with 23 Comments

by Tamela Hancock Murray

As Steve Laube pointed out the other day in his post “The Stages of Editorial Grief” receiving a tough edit can make a writer feel off-kilter, angry, unworthy, and summon other negative emotions. Of course it’s okay to experience negative emotions. You can’t control how you feel, though you can control how you manage your feelings. As he wisely points out, the key is to overcome emotions and get to work.

Detachment

I’ve edited and been edited, but I can’t say I have ever gotten such a tough edit that I wanted to throw a Waterford vase across the room. One advantage may have been majoring in Journalism in college which groomed me never to become attached to my words. News articles are no place for waxing eloquent, opining, or philosophizing. And with loads of information available today from so many sources, readers rarely indulge fluff from any but their most beloved authors. This is why it’s best not to become attached to your words. Any of them. Don’t become too fond of your title, which will most likely be changed in the Titling meeting. Don’t treat finding new names for your characters as though the courts are petitioning you to change your child’s name. And speaking of characters, don’t develop your own love affair with any secondary characters. They may get the boot in editing. Be willing to let go of your fondest habits and pet phrases. They may seem distinctive to you, but if they annoy an editor, it’s best to listen.

My husband I were watching the television show “Once Upon a Time” a few weeks ago, when the story focused on the tale of Hansel and Gretel. I observed, “The witch on this show is much prettier than the actual witch was.”

He’s used to me so he’s no longer surprised by my vivid imagination. Still, he responded, “It’s a story!”

So yes, stories are real to me and of course, yours are real to you and it’s painful to relinquish any aspect of your creation. But for the good of yourself, and your reader, be prepared.

Acceptance

Does preparation to have your baby redressed mean you are required to accept each and every editorial suggestion? No, it does not. Once again, as Steve Laube says, “Edits are a negotiation.” However, when you go through your edits, decide what won’t work and be ready to explain, politely, why. That your grandmother was named Lulubelle probably won’t impress an editor if there is a good, solid reason why Lulubelle won’t work as the name of your heroine. On the other hand, if an editor’s suggestions will compromise a critical detail of the plot or create an anachronism, for instance, discussion is appropriate. The editor really is on your side because the two of you are a team working to present your best possible work to the public and, as a result, sell many books.

Gratitude

There is one emotion you should feel toward your editor, and that is, gratitude! When you are working with a traditional publisher, a huge benefit you receive is the ability to work, free of charge to yourself, with one or more top notch editors. Traditional publishers are quite picky about the editors with whom they work. Editors such as our own Karen Ball will do everything in their power to make your work the best it can be. The publisher is showing confidence in you as a writer by paying an editor to work with you. Be grateful for such an opportunity.

No Regrets

And finally, I have spoken with many heavily-edited authors. They have said a variation of the same sentiment, “It was a lot of work, but I can see that the edits improved my book.”

Listen to your editor. Your readers will thank you.

Your turn:

Have you been heavily edited? Did you feel the edits improved your book?

What battles did you choose with your editor? What was the result?

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