GET REAL ABOUT WRITING CONTESTS

According to one oft-cited source, about 81% of all Americans say they want to write a book. That’s 243 million aspiring authors! And furthermore, there are about six million book proposals, queries, and manuscripts making the rounds among American publishers and literary agents at any one time.

Yikes!

What do these stats tell me? Well, it’s not rocket science: Almost everyone has a story inside them, and they want to share it with the world. Some kids grow up dreaming of a career in medicine, or law, or show business. Me, I wanted to write. Indeed, no matter their day job, about four-fifths of us want to write. It’s a passion. A calling. I know it well.

Authors Guild Demands More

The Authors Guild recently announced the launch of its Fair Contract Initiative. Essentially this means they believe that publishers are getting fat on the backs of struggling writers, and that said publishers should share the wealth more fairly.

But what, exactly, is fair?

This week, the issue has to do with e-book royalties. The standard publishing contract offers a 25% royalty for e-books, but the Guild believes it should be much higher. After all, it costs nothing to produce an e-book, and nothing for shipping. Why can’t they pay more?

But here's the thing: the process for producing an e-book is exactly the same as any other. They're not free to produce, and they never were. 

Should you go it alone?

Forgive me if I seem obsessed with this subject, seeing as I've written about it a few times before. But I can't seem to get it out of my head.

It’s an age-old question, and one that gives rise to strong passions on all sides. The issue comes up eventually for every writer, editor, and agent in the land: Do you need an agent, to get published? My short answer is no; but if you go it alone, you won’t know what you’re missing. You don’t know that you don’t know. 

For me it's a lot like dating: If you got what you wanted, would you know what to do next? Are you prepared for the 20-page contract from Penguin?

A NOVEL IDEA FOR NOVELISTS

No, not that kind of platform

Just a few weeks ago, I spoke for a writers’ event in Los Angeles. This much wasn’t new or newsworthy, as I do this often. However, this was my first solo event, and about fifty people came out to hear me pontificate about the publishing business. Apparently I’m getting good at this thing.

During the Q & A that followed, someone asked if a novelist needs to have “platform.” That is, does it matter whether you’re already well-known in the marketplace, in order to attract interest from editors and agents? Or, for that matter, retail buyers? .

Decoding Pub-Speak: Agented Submissions Only?

Have you written a book? If you’re like most people, you will probably testify that it was a long and grueling process. But eventually you reach the end, and rejoice. And then you seek to show off your work to publishers, and quickly realize that the writing was the easy part.

“AGENTED SUBMISSIONS ONLY”

Back in the 1990s, American publishers fired hundreds of editors and readers. They figured out that they could get those same services for free through literary agents, because agents only send them material that’s already pre-screened and edited. Agented authors don’t need as much coaching and hand-holding, and the reps themselves don’t get a salary or a desk or a pension.

The Value of Writers' Conferences

Most of the time, I really enjoy my job. But some days I don’t.

Three times this month, I’ve called my clients to give them big news: Their book was accepted by a publisher. Their reaction? Bill let out a big sigh of relief. Jessie squealed. Brenda was essentially speechless in disbelief. In every case, they thanked me for my hard work and persistence. This is the part I love.

About a dozen times now, my clients and I have parted company; about half were at my initiative, half at theirs. In every case I was disappointed, either at my own failure or at their unreasonable expectations. That’s the part I hate. But life goes on, and future glories await. Such as my three deals for November.

A Defense of Traditional Publishing

Gutenberg's press

Quick question: How many industries can you think of, that could put out a better product if they only removed all experienced professionals from their design and manufacturing process?

Much has been said in recent years, about the changing nature of the publishing business. Today, aspiring authors have so many options: No more gatekeepers, no more agents, no more editors, no one to tell you what you can and can’t do. No one to tell you that you’re not good enough. Only a naïve amateur, stuck in the past, would ever choose a traditional publishing model. Power to the people, baby!

Perhaps what we need here, is a bit of perspective. This is what “publishing” used to mean: