Things I've Learned about Publishing

Publishing is a profession. Always act in a professional manner. This includes any situation where you are in public as a writer.

Spelling, grammar, and clarity are part of that professional manner. Don't send emails filled with errors because it reflects back on your craft.

Your editor/publisher/agent may be your friend, but she is first and foremost a businessperson. If it is a choice between making money and being your friend, she will choose the money almost every time.

Learn the business so you will understand what is happening in your career. No one cares as much about it as you do.

Some publishers use the same kind of controlling behavior as abusive spouses. They convince you that you write crap and no one but them will want it, and they pay you accordingly. If you don't escape this abusive cycle, you will either self-destruct as a writer, or other publishers in the know will not touch you because victims in this situation usually lose their confidence to push their writing to the next level.

Publishing is a small world. If you p*ss off one editor, every editor in the business will know about it. Editors also move from publisher to publisher. The editor you annoy today may be your new editor tomorrow.

Promote yourself, not your publisher, ebooks, or the type of books you write.

If you create bookmarks or any other expensive promotion, use them to promote yourself, not your current title because it won't be your current title forever.

Brand yourself as a certain type of writer and produce all your books to reflect that brand. Make certain that the same readers will be as happy with your next book.

Strive to improve with each book. Strive to surprise with each book. Don't write yourself into a rut.

If you don't enjoy the writing, find another profession. The publishing business is brutal and often the only joy is in the writing.

No amount of promotion will make up for a lack of distribution.

It's easy to be seduced away from the hard aspects of writing by other creative things. Working on your website and book trailers is much more fun because they aren't part of that bottom line.

There is no such thing as privacy on the Internet and on group listservs. Be discrete. The comment you make today will come back to haunt you later.

If an agent or publisher lies about one thing, you shouldn't believe anything they say.

The advantage of a small press/epublisher is personal attention. The disadvantage is the owner's life crisis will shut down operations.

If the publisher believes that the contract terms only bind you, not him, run for your life.

If an agent or publisher says they are in the business to help writers, run for you life. They are almost always crooks.

Don't be ditzy and proud of it. No publisher wants a business partner who is an idiot.

Writing is physically taxing. Take care of yourself by exercising and eating wisely. You may have an extra hour to write by avoiding the gym or that walk, but you'll pay for it long term by having your body fail when you need it most.

Take care of your computer. Keep your virus software up to date and run repair utilities once a week.

Back up your hard drive! Back up on a regular schedule.

Back up your books and keep a copy or copies elsewhere. Most banks offer a free safety deposit box to regular customers. Keep a digital copy of your books there. A flash drive is perfect for this.

Keep a paper copy of your book. If your computer crashes taking everything with it, the paper copy is the very best back up. Paper copies never become an outdated format.

Keep adequate business records. Save receipts for business supplies, etc., so you can use them as business expenses on your taxes.

Keep all your promotion information in one spot. (See Marilynn's article on organizing promotions at her website marilynnbyerly.com .)

Read as much as you can about the business. If you don't understand something, ask questions.

The writing craft is like athletic skill. Even a natural talent needs practice to improve, and you are always learning something new about yourself and the craft.

A good teacher and a good critique partner are worth their weight in gold.

A writing career is a marathon, not a sprint. A winner keeps going for the long haul.

Writing is a hobby, an avocation, or a career, but it is not a life. Real life is what matters most. You will regret it if you look up from your keyboard one day to discover life has passed you by, and the writing wasn't worth the cost.

WRITING QUOTES:
"I'm just starting [a new book] and the battle has already begun. I don't think they ever go smoothly. It's work. It should be work. It should be hard work. I think if you sort of sit around and wait to be inspired, you're probably going to be sitting there a long time. My process is more about crafting, working an idea through my head to see if it's a good concept." Nora Roberts in an interview with the "Hagerstown Herald-Mail."

“Remember your dreams and fight for them. You must know what you want from life.There is just one thing that makes your dream become impossible: the fear of failure. Never forget your Personal Legend. Never forget your dreams. Your silent heart will guide you. Be silent now. It is the possibility of a dream that makes life interesting. You can choose between being a victim of destiny or an adventurer who is fighting for something important.” THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho


FREE BOOK ON PUBLISHING: Donald Maass, super agent, has a free PDF download of his book, THE CAREER NOVELIST: WINNING ADVICE FROM A TOP AGENT AND HIS BESTSELLING CLIENTS. I have a copy, and it's full of excellent advice. Some is a touch out-of-date, though. You'll find it here: http://www.maassagency.com/books.html

Industry News Links

Lots of useful articles and interviews have appeared online in the last week. Here are some of the best.

AGENTS:

An article on some agents' pet peeves in the opening pages of a novel.

http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/Agents+Chapter+1+Pet+Peeves.aspx

Agent Laura Bradford is interviewed here on Wednesday, August 20th.

http://ninc.com/blog/index.php



A NEW CRITIQUE PARTNER MATCH SITE

Crit Partner Match, all genres

http://critpartnermatch.ning.com


PUBLISHING TERMS

The Bookends Agency blog defines publishing terms, Thursday, August 21st

http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/


ON THE SILLY SIDE

The Bulwer-Lytton Winners of 2008

An international literary parody contest, the competition honors the memory of Victorian novelist Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873). The entrants are challenged to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels.

See the winners here:
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/scott.rice/blfc2008.htm

Buy an agent or editor's time for charity

Author Brenda Novak is holding her annual fundraiser for diabetes research. Many of the items are for readers, but writers have some interesting items to look at, as well.

Agents and editors are auctioning off their time to critique parts of your manuscript, read your proposal (partial) with a quick turnaround time, or critique your proposal (partial). Most of the agents/editors are in the romance market, but some also handle other genre and nonfiction.

The prices are mindboggling for those of us with smaller incomes, but the chance to get a major agent/editor to help you polish your book/proposal, or have an agent/editor look at your work when they normally don't read slush pile is priceless.

The auction is here: http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/ To find the items of interest to writers, look at the links on the left side.

Here is a way to get the most out of your money.

First, copy and paste the page/pages of agents/editors onto a blank text document.

At the top, list the date you are doing this and note the number of agents/editors listed (number is on top of the page) so you can refer back to that number in case more items are offered.

Now, go through and delete the items you have no interest in. This would include Harlequin editors if your market isn't Harlequin, etc.

Once this is done, look over the agents/editors to find names/publishers you already know that handle the market you are interested in. Highlight those in some manner. Color fonts or bold text works well.

Is there any agent/editor there who is your dream agent/editor for your manuscript? If so, highlight them with an asterisk or something else.

Agents/editors offer either a fast read and response to your full manuscript/partial/or query, or they offer an evaluation of your manuscript/partial/query. Unless the agent/editor is your dream agent/editor, delete those items that only offer a fast response, not an evaluation.

An evaluation helps you make your book marketable so even if that agent/editor isn't interested, you will gain something more than a fast yes or no. Also, many of these editors/agents will look at your partial or query for free with a longer waiting period.

The items you've highlighted so far are of first interest.

The editors/agents/publishers you aren't familiar with will require research to find out their specialties.

One place to research agents is Publishers Marketplace
publishersmarketplace.com/

You can also Google names. Be sure to put the editor/agent's name in quotes, for example "Kristine Nelson," so that the results only include both names.

If you are a member of RWA, you may also be able to research agents and editors at the RWA site in their market information.

After this research, you will now have the information you need to make the perfect choice for your bids.

If you are just starting in your writing or your craft isn't quite there yet, writers who do critiques may be a better deal for your money. Be sure to pick authors in your own market niche. Look to see if they have any editorial or teaching experience. Those that do may be your best bet for quality feedback.

I can't suggest a price range for items. Only you can make that determination, but remember that you only have one shot at getting that book accepted by a great agent or editor so you are improving your chances of success by having a professional help you polish your work.

At least a portion of this cost may also be used as a tax write-off. I stress "may" since I'm not a tax expert, and I'm not certain if this charity is listed as such by your state or the feds.

Good hunting for that perfect item.

HAVE A WRITING QUESTION? Ask the question at my blog or via email at marilynnbyerly@aol.com.

SCHEDULE NOTE:

My mom is out of the hospital and on the way to recovery, but I'm appallingly behind in all aspects of my writing and life so my blog posts will be sporadic in the coming weeks.

Please join my Yahoogroups to receive blog entries as I post them. To join, send a blank email to ByerlyWriting-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .

The Long and Short of the Submissions Process, MARKETS

Two respected agents blogged recently on the time it takes for a book to go from submission to acceptance.

Jessica Faust of Bookends talks about it in her March 11th blog.
http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/

Nathan Bransford of Curtis Brown talks about it in his March 6th blog.
http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/

Please note that both talk about books submitted by literary agencies. A book submitted by the author could take much, much longer.

NOTE: I'll be a guest at Stellarcon/Deep South Con (High Point, NC) this weekend. If you're there, come and say "hey." I'll be the matronly hobbit with the guest badge.
http://www.stellarcon.org/home