BREAKING NEWS!
Startling industry news. HarperCollins will purchase Thomas Nelson by the end of this calendar year. HarperCollins already owns Zondervan (which they purchased in 1988). The combination will create the largest and most dominant Christian publishing company in the world.
Wow.
Here is the official press release.
Guest post by Beth Shriver
Today’s guest blog is from Beth Shriver, one of Tamela’s clients. Beth has been writing for a long time in multiple genres. Her new Amish fiction series (Touch of Grace) will debut with Realms (a division of CharismaMedia) next Summer. She received a degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska. She was a CPS worker for the Department of Social Services before starting a family. Her two cats and beagle keep her company while she writes. Visit her web site (www.bethshriverwriter.com). This post was originally published on the Just the Write Charisma blog.
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I’ve been talking with writers who have another job as well as their writing to see how they juggle doing both. I was a social worker before my daughter was born and started writing soon after, but now that my youngest is off to college I’ve thought about getting back into the work force. I just don’t know how I’d balance the two yet.
The first thing I thought of was that I’d have to do some serious time management to get everything done that I do now plus working. Getting my family used to the idea that I wouldn’t be as available would be the biggest undertaking, and having others do some of the tasks that I’ve always done. In having less time for writing I’d be spending less time with my imaginary friends, meaning my characters of course (If I were writing this to anyone other than fellow authors I’d worry they would question my sanity) along with a number of activities and groups I belong to. I suppose it’s all about prioritizing.
I did a little research about authors who didn’t give up their day jobs, or at least not right away after they were published. Some of these might surprise you.
-Michael Blake, author of Dances with Wolves, had just been fired from his job as a dishwasher in a Chinese restaurant when Kevin Costner called him to ask if he would be interested in writing a screen play of his book.
-Steven King was a high school history teacher and used to write in the furnace room closet of his trailer.
-Both C.S. Lewis and Tolkien served in WWI and then taught at Universities
-John Grisham was a lawyer and member of the State Legislature of Mississippi
-Jack London was an oyster pirate and then a gold prospector.
-Nicolas Sparks applied at Law school but was not accepted, so he tried doing real estate appraisals, waiting tables, selling dental products and starting a manufacturing business
-J.K. Rowling got her postgraduate degree and taught in Scotland. She had a baby and then was divorced. She completed her first novel while on welfare
-Francine Rivers wrote obituaries for the town paper
-Zane Gray was finally published after many years of rejections and quit his job as a dentist to write full time.
-William Faulkner was a post master
This group of writers is a tough comparison, but were the most interesting. I know many writers on this blog manage doing both very well, so help me out with some ideas…how do you create the necessary balance working two jobs?
by Steve Laube
Last week we talked about the hook, the sound bite, or the ability to “say it in a sentence.” One reader asked for examples so I thought I’d give you a few.
Below are the short pitches of proposals that have caught my eye over the years from debut authors. Please realize that the sound bite is only one of many factors that goes into a great proposal. Ultimately it is the execution of the concept that makes for a great book. For example, The Help by Kathryn Stockett would not have succeeded as a word-of-mouth bestseller if the writing did not support the story. (No, we did not represent that title, I’m only trying to make a point. 
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Your challenge will be to see if you can identify which books these sound bites are pitching. Each one has been published. One is obviously non-fiction, the other two are novels. The answers to each of these will be provided later this week in the comments section. along with a link to the title so you can see it in its final form.
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This Bible study concept is uniquely designed to connect to women ages 20 to 40, drawing them closer to God and closer to each other. Our generation simply does not have time for hours of bible study a week for several months. We don’t want to fill in the blanks. We want to go deep quickly and actually deal with sin, not just learn about it. And we want to do it on our terms, engaging in raw relational discussions about struggles and hopes, while deeply considering truth and how it applies to our lives.
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Sticks and stones can break my bones, but Words? They can always heal me.
A child whose silence holds the truth captive…
An artist whose work speaks the agony of her past…
Will they let the truth set them free?
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Move Over, Walter Mitty. Here Comes Becky Miller.
A young mother with grandiose daydreams and a longing to do “Big Things for God” searches for direction amid the chaos of daily life and the disappointment of failed opportunities.
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Three ideas in short form. Can you name the titles and authors?
by Steve Laube
Can you present your book idea in one sentence?
Can you present that idea in such a way that the reader is compelled to buy your book?
What motivates someone to spend money on a book? It is the promise that there is something of benefit to me, the reader.
Books are generally purchased for one of three reasons:
If your book idea can make me want to read it, whether it is for entertainment, information, or inspiration, then you are well on your way to making a sale.
This isn’t just about your title (which was ably covered by Karen Ball in a three part series here, here, and here) it is about your pitch. That 25 words or less soundbite that instantly conveys your message.
Create something that makes me, a cynical curmudgeon, say, “Now that is interesting.” (Which by the way will help sway the cynical curmudgeon in the marketing department at a publishing company.)
Your pitch becomes your editor’s pitch,
which becomes your publisher’s pitch,
which becomes your retailer’s pitch…
which becomes the word-of-mouth pitch.
Did the picture above get your attention? Did it make you smile? Did it make you want a Taco? If so, it was the perfect pitch.
And for more on the topic of the 25 word pitch read Nicola Morgan’s post.
Inside Scoop on Publishing – Three editors bring a fresh take on the subject of today’s market
Your Book Still Has to be Amazing – Literary Agent Scott Eagan makes a strong case. He is right on the money. I quote“…this is probably the biggest change we are seeing right now in publishing. It isn’t the fact that we see the e-reader technology taking over, but a change in the way the readers are finding the books.”
Free Audio Lectures on Lit! – This is an amazing resource. Hear Tony Reinke discuss the material behind four chapters from his new book Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books.
How Publishing is Like a 7th Grad Dance – Brilliant post by Mary DeMuth.
Issues Facing a Digital Transition – Excellent, but all to brief, interview with Tom Bozeman about some of the complex things publishers must deal with.
Author Philosophy 101 – Katie Ganshert asks some great questions.
15 Frequently Confused Pairs of Verbs – Are you guilty? I see this more than you care ever imagine.
Marketing for Insecure Writers – Don’t be afraid to admit you read this one.
by Steve Laube
With all the talk about Independent publishing vs. Traditional publishing and the talk about how writers can get rich if they follow a certain plan…I got to thinking. Maybe we should do a quick look at the Economics of Publishing to see if anyone is making off like a bandit. Sorry for you non-numbers people, but it is critical to understand the infrastructure (i.e. the lifeblood) that keeps your ideas in print.
The detective in the movie says “Follow the money,” so we shall. But first a disclaimer. These models are estimates based on years of reading contracts, profit and loss sheets, spreadsheets, and royalty statements. Your mileage may vary.
Follow the Money
Let start with a paperback book that retails for $15.00 and is projected to sell 10,00 copies the first year.
Expenses per book:
| Trade Discount | $8.25 | 55.0% |
| Print cost | $1.25 | 8.3% |
| Royalty to Author | $1.08 | 7.2% |
| Marketing/Publicity | $1.00 | 6.7% |
| Publisher overhead | $3.00 | 20.0% |
| Total Profit | $0.42 | 2.8% |
Explanation of each line item
Trade Discount is the discount given to the retailer/wholesaler: $8.25 (I’m using a 55% discount as the average. This number can fluctuate wildly depending on the account which is buying the book.)
This leaves $6.75 for the publisher to work with. (also known as the Net Receipt)
Print cost: $1.25 (based on the cost to print a ten thousand 240 page books. Includes freight to the warehouse)
Royalty to author: $1.08 (based on a 16% of net royalty rate. On contracts that use a 7.5% or retail royalty this number would be $1.125)
Marketing/Publicity: $1.00 (a wild guess that varies from book to book and author to author and where the money is spent. But in general conversations the publisher will look at a book’s first year sales projection and plan on $1 per book sold to determine the marketing budget.) This cost also includes any graphics design work for catalogs, advertisements, banner ads, etc.
Publisher overhead: $3.00. This is where they pay for the editorial work (content, copy, and proofreading edits); cover design; typesetting, warehouse, collections, sales team expense, telemarketing, accounting, legal fees, administration, etc.)
Five things to note:
1) Ebooks only eliminate the print cost. There is still production costs which fall under the publisher overhead section.
2) There is no mention of the cost of returned inventory for unsold books. I lump that into the Publisher overhead cost
3) Many independent and maverick writers will be thrilled to read this saying “Whoopie! I can get rich because I not only keep the royalty, I keep the publisher overhead too!” And there is the rub. If the author can generate the sales and is willing to handle the infrastructure, then indie is a distinct possibility. But realize you are going into a business, not a hobby.
4) Independents must face the fact that there are costs associated with creating a fine product. Nothing gets published for free. Even time costs money.
5) Before you look at that 20% for the publisher overhead and start railing against the “money-grubbing” evildoers called “publishers,” stop for a moment. Would you say the same thing about a car dealership? (bad example) Or a dry cleaners? Or a bookstore chain called Borders? What about your own business? What about your church (ouch. You mean a church has expenses?).
Bigger Picture
If we create a cost analysis of the above model, except this time do it on the entire print run (multiplying everything by 10,000) we get the following profit and loss projection:
(Paperback book that retails for $15.00 and is projected to sell 10,00 copies the first year.)
Expenses (combined):
| Trade Discount | $82,500 | 55.0% |
| Print cost | $12,500 | 8.3% |
| Royalty to Author | $10,800 | 7.2% |
| Marketing/Publicity | $10,000 | 6.7% |
| Publisher overhead | $30,000 | 20.0% |
| Total Profit | $ 420 | 2.8% |
Remember that model is for the first printing.
On a second printing there is no longer a cost for the cover design or editorial or typesetting. And even other costs become more efficient. So if a publisher is able to cover their cost on the first printing then they start making money. And the same efficiencies apply if this were an ebook. (And in this scenario, if the author had been given a $10,000 advance they would be getting a new check for an additional $800.)
But wait! Go back to that “Publisher Overhead” thingy again. Who gets paid out of that stash?
Editorial – $5,000 (again, a variable cost but if you consider hiring a high quality content editor like our own Karen Ball, a copy editor, and a proof reader or two, the cost will add up)
Cover Design – $2,500 (variable. I’ve seen cover designs cost $5,000. And if the designer is in-house then the cost is absorbed into general overhead.)
Typesetting – $500 (variable. Freelancers used to charge as much as $8 a page, but desktop publishing destroyed that price structure. But there is still a cost to have this done well. Have you bought an e-book that was formatted wrong? This is the place where those kind of errors can be fixed.)
Sales expense – $1,000 (if the publisher uses a commission based sales company then this number can vary. If it is in-house the cost to travel and manage an account properly is still the responsibility of the publisher.)
Warehouse – $1,500 (a wild guess because it is nearly impossible to do cost account per book against the cost of maintaining an entire warehouse. Usually that total cost is simply divided by the number of books in the warehouse.)
Admin., Legal, Accounting, I.T., Building Maintenance, Corporate Taxes, etc. – $19,500 The money to pay the rest of the infrastructure has to come from somewhere.
If there are any publisher types out there who read this and wish to chime in and verify or correct? Please do so!
by Karen Ball
So, there I were, surrounded by publishing professionals, faced with the question of whether or not we liked–or respected–our end consumer: the reader.
Publishing folk are a freaky bunch. They love to think and debate and share ideas and dissect and explore. Get a whole room of editors going and nothing is sacred. At the same time, everything is. At their core, publishing professionals recognize–and love–the power of words. Spoken, written, sung from the rooftops–words contain the power to create and cultivate, encourage and empower…or decimate and destroy. These particular folks also love God and His Word. So their drive is work on books that impact lives rather than books that just entertain.
So, what did they say, these learned, insightful, imaginative folks? At first, nothing. They stopped–really stopped–to consider the answer to whether or not they like the reader. Publishing pros are great at pondering.
I am, of course, a publishing pro. I’m an editor and an agent. But I’m also a writer. And I’m an ENFP, which, according to the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator, means I’m basically a Golden Retriever. So no surprise I can’t ponder long. Or let others do so. My mind always bounces to the next thing to explore, and I find that’s often how you discover answers. So as they pondered I posed another question: “Who is your audience?”
Responses flew:
From there the discussion morphed into how to reach our current audience better, as well as reaching those beyond:
Again, ideas flew. From using technology better and more strategically (e.g., e-books, book readers, online downloads), to reconsidering format (imaginative use of packaging, layout, content), to allowing for open-ended books (e.g., story isn’t all wrapped up at the end, leave some questions unanswered). Ideas fairly sizzled through the room.
As I listened, I had–you guessed it–this incredible feeling of deja vu. I’d been in this very dialogue already that year. Twice, in fact. Once at a retreat attended by nearly 100 published authors. The second time at the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference. Editors, writers, even readers…we’re all struggling with the same issues.
Now, don’t hear me saying there isn’t a place for books that primarily encourage and entertain. Books that don’t ask hard questions, but give the reader a wonderful, wholesome story. I don’t think the majority of us want to eliminate those books. Not at all.
But in all these conversations I heard the same frustration of being held back, of not being able to write with authenticity. I’ll never agree that Christian fiction–or fiction written to glorify God–should contain graphic language, sexuality, or violence, but I understand the frustration. Writers, editors, and–from your responses–readers want fiction that digs deep, that challenges and pushes as well as comforts and encourages. All of us want to be iron sharpening iron.
So, you say, why don’t you all follow Nike’s admonition and JUST DO IT? What’s holding us back?
Before I answer, I’m curious what you think the answers are. What do YOU think holds publishers, editors, and writers back from writing the kinds of books they want to do? The kinds of books many of you have said you want?
Look forward to your insights!
Some of our authors have recently hit the bestseller lists! Congratulations to all.
Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall hit #22 on the tradepaper fiction New York Times extended bestseller list for August 28st. And is #2 on the ECPA “Multi-Channel” bestseller list for October.
Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Center Street) hit #17 on the hardcover fiction New York Times bestseller list for October 2nd and will be #31 on the extended list for October 9th.
Log Cabin Christmas an omnibus of novellas (Barbour) hit #34 on the tradepaper fiction New York Times extended bestseller list for October 2nd. The collection included our clients Kelly Eileen Hake, Liz Tolsma, and Deb Ullrick.
Still House Pond by Jan Watson (Tyndale) is #10 on the ECPA Christian Fiction bestseller list for October.
A Whisper of Peace by Kim Vogel Sawyer (Bethany House) is #15 on the ECPA Christian Fiction bestseller list for October.
Double Trouble by Susan May Warren (Tyndale) is #16 on the ECPA Christian Fiction bestseller list for October.
by Steve Laube
During the Summer of 1978 the #1 hit on Christian radio was the classic “He’s Alive” by Don Francisco (click here to listen). That same Summer I attended a Christian music festival in Estes Park, Colorado and decided to take a class on songwriting being taught by Jimmy and Carol Owens. I settled into my chair near the back of the room with notepad ready.
Just as the class was about to start a bearded man slide in the chair next to mine….notepad at the ready. To my astonishment it was Don Francisco. (I recognized him from his album cover.)
Here was a singer/songwriter who had the number one hit in the nation…taking a class on songwriting! What did he think he needed to learn?
I have never forgotten the lesson from that afternoon. Even the best need to keep learning.
Over the years I’ve seen numerous bestselling authors attend writers conferences as students. At one Mt. Hermon conference I saw Francine Rivers sit among the rest taking notes. And just ten days ago Liz Curtis Higgs attended the ACFW conference as a student. Despite the considerable success of both these ladies as writers and speakers, each had the desire to continue to learn and improve their craft.
The application is obvious. Never rest on your laurels. Always seek to improve. And always remember to give God the glory in all that you do.
If you sit in first place and think the competition will never catch you? Remember the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves of 2011 who both lost the opportunity to be in the playoffs on the last day of the baseball season after squandering what seemed to be an insurmountable lead during the month of September.
“I worked harder than any of them,though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10b, ESV)
by Tamela Hancock Murray
At least once a week I’m asked if romantic comedy is currently marketable. While sometimes this category seems hot and then cold, I’d say that sharp, witty, well-executed romantic comedy can find a good home no matter what the publishing season. Note that I take the adjectives I used seriously. This is not a category that most writers can whip off with little effort. Successful writers of romantic comedy are gifted with the ability to find humor in everyday situations and the talent to share that humor in an entertaining way. The writing must fly like a magic carpet. The reader is looking for a fun story.
One successful writer of romantic comedy is Gail Sattler. Here is a great tip from Gail:
Good comedy comes from the heart, naturally. If it sounds forced or that someone is trying too hard, everything will fall flat. It’s got to come without it looking like a lot of effort, and it’s hard to be funny on cue. In writing, the best comedy is in the form of what can best be described as a running joke. The reason this works is because in the length of developing the background needed for the punchline to work, the reader is becoming personally involved. They know the characters, they know the strengths and often weaknesses, they know the setting, and they are already rooting for the character in some way. Then when the punchline happens, they’re right there to share it with the character – laughing with them, not at them. This also means that most of the time, with the best running jokes, if you just say the punch line the joke doesn’t work because in order for it to work the reader has to have been involved from the beginning. Or, in other words, the classic – “you had to be there.”
Does Gail’s tip remind you of your favorite comedic novel? Which one?
