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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Archives for Steve Laube » Page 20

Steve Laube

A Is for Attribution: And, With, or Ghost?

By Steve Laubeon August 21, 2023
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Sometimes it is helpful to review publishing terms to make sure we are all talking about the same thing.

The cover of a book invariably will state the author’s name. Every once in a while there are two or more names listed (i.e., Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins). The use of “and” or “with” is the code word that tells the reader what type of professional relationship is between these names on the cover when it comes to how the book was written. Each is a “collaboration” but is not identical.

AND

If the names are connected by an “and,” they are co-authors. Each with top billing. They have worked hard to create a book that reflects both of their perspectives on the topic. It is a true collaboration with ideas and writing coming from both co-authors. Sometimes one of them is the writer and the other is the idea person, but it is still collaborative.

WITH

Books that use a “with” connecting the names on the cover mean that the first name is the principal person. It may be their story, their idea, or any number of variations of that. The second name is the writer. They are hired either by the principal person or by the publisher to put the book together.

There are several highly skilled “with” writers in the industry, also known as collaborators, who have a special talent for writing other people’s stories. If you look carefully at the covers of those books you may start noticing the same names on a variety of books, after the “with.”

Note, however, that the principal is the person whose story is being told. But cover credit is given to the writer who has made the story readable.

GHOST

There is a third type of collaboration that is hidden from the reading public. This is where the writer receives no cover credit for their work in writing the book. There are a lot of well-known books that are written by someone who is not credited on the cover. I wish I could rattle off a bunch of titles or author names to “shock” you with the practice. But that would be unfair, and in some cases, we have nondisclosure agreements to prevent that information from getting out. I have worked with organizations with a writer on staff who does the writing of the books for that organization, but the writer does not receive a “with” credit on the cover. It is that person’s “day job” to be the writer because they have the requisite skill-set.

Rather than distract from the intent of today’s post, let’s say that the issue of ghostwriting can be a little controversial. A few claim that it is a form of lying to the public or at least being deceptive. Others find it perfectly acceptable. And, still others draw the line at novels, saying that ghosting non-fiction is okay, but fiction is not.

Let us simply say that it is a fairly common practice for people with tremendous ability as speakers and leaders but who have neither the time nor expertise to write their own books. So they hire someone else to write their books. In essence, they use a contractor to build the book. To carry that metaphor a little further, we might know the name of the Madison Square Garden, but we don’t know the name of the contractor who built it.

If you want fantastic insight into the ins and outs and behind-the-scenes of ghostwriting and collaboration, I highly recommend Cecil Murphey’s Ghostwriting: The Murphey Method (on sale at the link provided).

WARNING

Be very careful before you get involved in any of the above three relationships. Make sure you have the business aspects of your relationship spelled out in a contract. We will not let our clients go very far with a collaboration project unless there is a contractual agreement between the parties. I once saw a friendship dissolve between two writers when the publisher switched the names on the front cover of the book. The person who was now listed second claimed they had written most of the book and should get the primary listing and accused the other writer of engineering the swap of names.

Read a cautionary tale about the need to have things crystal clear in writing from the beginning. I wrote a blog post about the lawsuit between the original people involved with the novel The Shack.

 

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Category: Book Business, Steve, The Publishing LifeTag: Collaboration, ghost writing

Fun Fridays – August 18, 2023

By Steve Laubeon August 18, 2023
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Is your deadline looming? Today’s image vividly expresses what every writer feels like as the day nears.

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Category: Fun Fridays

Who Owns Whom in Publishing?

By Steve Laubeon August 14, 2023
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Updated August 2023 (first created November 2011) For a comprehensive list, check out The Christian Writers Market Guide. Available in print at your favorite retailer or as an online subscription (updated frequently) at www.ChristianWritersMarketGuide.com. My emphasis in this post is the Christian publishing industry. There are many fine commercial publishers that do not publish Christian books …

Read moreWho Owns Whom in Publishing?
Category: Book Business, Defense of Traditional Publishing, Get Published, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, The Publishing Life, Traditional Publishing

Fun Fridays – August 11, 2023

By Steve Laubeon August 11, 2023
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Today is the last of the “Dog Days of Summer,” and major league baseball is in the home stretch. Thus, it is wonderfully appropriate to post today’s classic video, “Who’s on First?” by Abbott and Costello.  

Read moreFun Fridays – August 11, 2023
Category: Fun Fridays

Four Million Books Published Each Year?

By Steve Laubeon August 7, 2023
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I read a statistic that estimates there were four million new books published in 2022 (sourced from https://www.zippia.com/advice/us-book-industry-statistics/). This includes all self-published books (at least 50%) and traditionally published textbooks and books for the trade. This means there is a new book published every eight seconds or nearly 11,000 per day, every day of the year. With our …

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Category: Book Business, Book Sales, Career

Fun Friday – August 4, 2023

By Steve Laubeon August 4, 2023
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Today’s Fun Friday is a bit more educational, but still fun! Learn, in three minutes, how wool goes from a sheep to your sweater and the ingenious processes that go into it. Much like all the various parts of making a book, it takes a lot of work and many smart people involved in the process. Enjoy! [If you are unable to view the video in your email newsletter, please go to our website and …

Read moreFun Friday – August 4, 2023
Category: Fun Fridays

Do Gimmicks Work in a Book Proposal?

By Steve Laubeon July 31, 2023
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Here are a few “gimmicks” I’ve received over the years from people who mailed their book proposals to our office: Cover letter printed on fluorescent paper A twenty-dollar bill inside the SASE A wooden treasure chest full of chocolate gold coins A signed photo of basketball player Michael Jordan A rock (in a proposal about God as our rock) An 18″x24″ piece of artwork, …

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Category: Book Proposals

Fun Fridays – July 28, 2023

By Steve Laubeon July 28, 2023
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A bit by the comedian Gallagher from the 70s and 80s. He was mostly known for his “Sledge-o-Matic” gag where he smashed watermelons on stage. But not today! Instead, he makes great fun of the English language. Enjoy watching! [If you can’t view the video in your newsletter email, please visit the website and enjoy.] Thanks to Deb Haggerty for the tip!

Read moreFun Fridays – July 28, 2023
Category: Fun Fridays

Words Can Last

By Steve Laubeon July 24, 2023
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We have become used to online reviews for all sorts of items. Book reviews on Amazon. Reviews of places to stay on AirBnb. Reviews on Yelp for everything from restaurants to dentists. And more. Nearly 3,000 years ago, in Babylon, these complaint letters were written on stone tablets in cuneiform and sent to the place of business. The earliest complaint letter uncovered by archaeologists can be …

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Category: The Writing Life

Fun Fridays – July 21, 2023

By Steve Laubeon July 21, 2023
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Today’s video depicts a writer pouncing on an editor or an agent at a writers conference. Veteran editors are rarely surprised, but if you wait for it, “Success!”

Read moreFun Fridays – July 21, 2023
Category: Fun Fridays
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