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      Category : Publishing

      • February 29, 2012

        What does an author need to ask about book contracts? (Part 3)

        by

        We've been exploring what you need to know when you approach a book contract. Here are five more questions to ask…

        11. Are there restrictions on the sale of the contract? Check to see if your publisher has the right to sell the entire deal to another house. This doesn't happen often, but it can happen, especially with smaller houses, and you need to be aware of the possibility. It would mean you go through the entire process of negotiating a deal with one house, then suddenly you find yourself working with another house. I once had a sleaze-ball publisher sign a well-known personality to a book, then immediately start shopping the contract… In other words, he never had any intention of publishing the book; he just wanted to sign a lowball deal and flip it to a bigger house. (This is something he admitted to me, but denied to the author. Mr. Sleazeball is now an agent, by the way.)

        12. If it all goes south, who pays for the lawyers? Remember that a contract is put in place to clarify two things: what will happen if everything goes well, and what will happen if everything goes to hell. A good contract covers both scenarios. In case of the latter, check to see who covers the cost of the lawyers. True story: A short while back I was sent a contract that called for the publisher to pick the lawyer, but the author to pay for it. Um… we suggested a minor wording change to keep the author from getting hosed.  

        13. Does your contract clarify what constitutes "out of print"? It should be simple: When the publisher is no longer selling your book, it's out of print. Don't get caught up in windy explanations of why publishing-on-demand titles constitute a book for sale. (Years ago, I worked on a deal where a publisher claimed

        Continue Reading "What does an author need to ask about book contracts? (Part 3)"

      • February 28, 2012

        What does an author need to ask about book contracts? (Part 2)

        by

        Okay, so you've got a book contract, and you're wondering what you don't know. Here are a few more questions to ask…

        6. When will the book be published? In most book contracts there is a window that explains your book will be made available for sale within two years. I recently saw a contract that had a five-year window on it, and another contract that didn't limit the publishing time at all. The danger (and it's happened to others) is that you'll turn in a book the publisher keeps forever but never actually publishes. Generally you want wording where the publisher makes a legal promise to produce your print book in an 18-to-24 month window, your ebook faster. 

        7. When are advances paid? Make sure you know when you're getting paid. Traditionally an author received half the advance on signing and the other half on completion. Many of the New York houses now pay one-third on signing, one-third on delivery, and one-third on publication. Random House has this author-unfriendly clause that calls for one quarter of the advance to be paid a year after the book releases (so it's not really an "advance," it's more like a "delay"). And HarperCollins pays a portion of the advance after the author has filled out a marketing questionnaire — their way of making sure they get their information. I recently saw a contract that called for the advance to be broken into eighths (signing, completion of a questionnaire, after an interview with marketing, completion of the manuscript, completion of typesetting… um…the next full moon, etc.)

        8. When are royalties paid? Many publishing houses pay twice per year. Some of the larger houses pay quarterly. I still see some contracts that call for royalty payments to authors once per year… and no, that publisher won't be offering to pay you interest on that money they've been holding for you. And

        Continue Reading "What does an author need to ask about book contracts? (Part 2)"

      • February 17, 2012

        Does the publisher lose money if my book doesn't earn out?

        by

        Brynn asked, "Does a publisher lose money if a book doesn't earn out?"

        I get this question a lot, and to answer it I need to beg your forebearance… Let me answer this with hard numbers, so that I can make my case. It will take a couple minutes to run the numbers.

        Remember, every business can lose money. Retail shops, service business, even publishers. I mean, if you own a shoe store, you order in shoes that don't sell, and you have to drastically reduce prices, you can lose money on each pair of shoes sold. Publishing is no different. The publishing house pays out advances, they pay an editor, hire a cover designer, buy ink and paper, then pay a printer, and cover overhead such as the light bill and the editor's long distance phone calls. A lot of expenses are involved in every book. I like and respect publishers, and as a longtime agent, I WANT them to make money and stay in business. So I'm just answering a question, not writing a polemic. 

        That said, the argument put forth that an unearned advance equals a loss for a publisher just isn't true. (Or at least not the whole truth.) All you have to do is look at some math…

        Let's take some big book the publisher is doing with a celebrity. She's created a $25 hardcover book, and the publisher has paid her a $100,000 advance. The average discount a bookstore gets when ordering a book is roughly 50% — so they're paying the publisher $12.50 for that book. (In reality, it could be less, and there are a thousand factors determining that amount, but let's use a conservative 50% for the sake of clarity). From that amount, you have to subtract the author royalty on the first 5000 copies (the author will be paid $2.50 per book), the next 5000 copies ($3.125 per book), and

        Continue Reading "Does the publisher lose money if my book doesn't earn out?"

      • February 6, 2012

        Who REALLY Needs a Publisher? (A guest blog)

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        Let’s talk about the word publisher for a moment. The notion of a publisher has changed recently. We used to think of the Big Six — the old-school thinking, where they pay you a pittance, take on 1-to-4 new authors a year, and rely on their current bestselling novelists to pay all the bills. Their attitude is frequently, "No platform? No past sales? Then no deal."  They focus on retailers, not readers. They dread having "midlist" authors. Isn't there another way to think of a publisher?  

        The last few years have brought us the "new model" publisher — an indie publisher who is more of a publishing partner than a publishing boss. They do both print books and e-books, and they don't think anything to do with digital books are evil. They've learned to sell to readers, not just to retailers. And they understand that the huge majority of authors are mid-listers — people who have another job because they don't really make enough from their books to be full-time writers. Best of all, they've figured out that a "midlist" author might actually be able to make a living at this writing thing, if only the writer learns how to work the online game. 

        Let me tell you my own story: I went full time at writing with only two books to my name. My first book (Sweet Dreams) came out in all its unedited glory, in December of 2008. By the time my next book was out and I starting to figure out this business, I had hit the Amazon bestseller list. I was #1 in three categories for over two years. I went full time at this in November 2009, and started my own company, StoneHouse Ink. We now have about 40 authors and are blessed to have around 10 bestsellers with us. I speak all over the country about publishing, online marketing, creating eBooks, and the

        Continue Reading "Who REALLY Needs a Publisher? (A guest blog)"

      • February 6, 2012

        Who REALLY Needs a Publisher? (A guest blog)

        by

        Let’s talk about the word publisher for a moment. The notion of a publisher has changed recently. We used to think of the Big Six — the old-school thinking, where they pay you a pittance, take on 1-to-4 new authors a year, and rely on their current bestselling novelists to pay all the bills. Their attitude is frequently, "No platform? No past sales? Then no deal."  They focus on retailers, not readers. They dread having "midlist" authors. Isn't there another way to think of a publisher?  

        The last few years have brought us the "new model" publisher — an indie publisher who is more of a publishing partner than a publishing boss. They do both print books and e-books, and they don't think anything to do with digital books are evil. They've learned to sell to readers, not just to retailers. And they understand that the huge majority of authors are mid-listers — people who have another job because they don't really make enough from their books to be full-time writers. Best of all, they've figured out that a "midlist" author might actually be able to make a living at this writing thing, if only the writer learns how to work the online game. 

        Let me tell you my own story: I went full time at writing with only two books to my name. My first book (Sweet Dreams) came out in all its unedited glory, in December of 2008. By the time my next book was out and I starting to figure out this business, I had hit the Amazon bestseller list. I was #1 in three categories for over two years. I went full time at this in November 2009, and started my own company, StoneHouse Ink. We now have about 40 authors and are blessed to have around 10 bestsellers with us. I speak all over the country about publishing, online marketing, creating eBooks, and the

        Continue Reading "Who REALLY Needs a Publisher? (A guest blog)"

      • January 24, 2012

        Who Needs a Publisher?

        by

        In these times of self-publishing, ebooks, bookstore closures, agents turning into publishers, and the crumbling of the traditional publishing model—who needs a publisher?

        May I offer an indie publisher’s perspective on that question?

        First: Ask yourself if you know the industry. Many writers seem to have no clue about the changes in the publishing market. You need to do your research, learn book marketing, and educate yourself. One day your publisher is going to ask you, “What is your marketing plan?”, and if you say, “I can email my friends and do a book signing…”, there is a good chance your book will fail. No matter what path you take to publish, you will be responsible to market your book. Not the publisher—you.

        Second: Ask yourself if want a publisher. You may feel you don’t need a publisher these days, as you can do much on your own. But a publisher can do it faster and better, and brings expertise to the process… so do you want a publisher? (And when I say “publisher” I mean the indie publisher, the new model publisher, the partner publisher, or someone who is not stuck in the old way of doing business. I do not mean the Big 6 or old-school, dying on the vine publishers who seem to think eBooks and news of thinking are evil.)

        The fact is, a good publisher can do a few things for you that you can’t do on your own. But that will cost you something. You will give up part of your royalty to cover their services. Think of a publisher as someone who knows 50 people that you need to meet in order to get your book into reader’s hands. All a publisher does is make the introductions:

        ·      A publisher can get your book into bookstores. To sell with Ingram you need 10 titles before they will even talk to you.

        Continue Reading "Who Needs a Publisher?"

      • August 10, 2010

        NEWSDAY TUESDAY …

        by

        Digby and his mates

        Okay, so it's nearly Wednesday. We brought our new puppy (as opposed to "old puppy?") home today, so I've been writing this between other things as well as helping with trips to the appointed piddle spot and throwing treat parties when Digby succeeds doing his business. 

        (Digby's the cute one on the far left.)

        IN OTHER (far more relevant) NEWS:

        In case you haven't heard, we've added a new agent to our rolls here at MacGregor Literary. Amanda Luedeke made her conference debut this past week with us here at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference. All signs are pointing to her potentially having signed her first author already! 

        Our fabulous friend and local author Hillary Manton Lodge simply couldn't take it anymore. While at the conference last week she took professional quality photos and headshots for all of us – keep your eye out soon for new photos of us all — even if I am doing "that funny thing with my head" I'm sure our new pics will help us all appear far more professional.

         LIST AND REVIEW NEWS:

        Gina Holmes' CROSSING OCEANS, her novel published by Tyndale, is on the August CBA bestseller list.
        John Wilson, the editor of Books & Culture magazine (an online
        publication of Christianity Today) gave J. Mark Bertrand's BACK ON
        MURDER high marks.
        http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2010/august/wilson081010.html

        UPCOMING RELEASES:

        Susan Meissner's next novel, LADY IN WAITING, is releasing this week
        with Waterbrook. It weaves the story of a contemporary couple with that
        of Lady Jane Grey, and has been very much anticipated by those who
        enjoyed THE SHAPE OF MERCY and WHITE PICKET FENCES.

        Chad Gibbs' GOD AND FOOTBALL is releasing this week from Zondervan.
        It's his look at the both faith and fanaticism with people who follow
        SEC football.

        Keep an eye out for Serena Miller's historical Amish tale, LOVE FINDS YOU IN SUGARCREEK, OHIO.

        Julie Cannon is busy
        at work on her next

        Continue Reading "NEWSDAY TUESDAY …"

      • June 17, 2010

        Ten Notes for Today's Writer

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        1. Lots of big news this week, including something nobody seemed to have sniffed… THOMAS NELSON WAS BOUGHT OUT by an equity company, Kohlberg and Company. Remember, Thomas Nelson is one of the largest Christian publishers in the world, and they were sold just a few years ago to the guys at InterMedia (one of the pioneers in cable TV, InterMedia made the interesting step of pulling the company out of being publicly traded, and went back to being a private company). Anyway, the previous owners had financed a big chunk of the purchase, and Kohlberg must have seen Thomas Nelson was going to make them money, since they paid off the $219 million loan (go ahead and read that figure again) and took control of the company. 


        2. Wow. And it didn't stop there – they had the good sense to keep Michael Hyatt, perhaps the brightest mind in CBA, and the man who has restructured the company and made it both leaner and more focused, AND they brought on Jane Friedman as a board member. Some CBA people may not recognize the importance of that, but Jane used to be the boss at HarperCollins, the owner of Zondervan, before that was the Executive VP of Random House, and before that Publisher at Vintage . I'll tell you there isn't a publishing professional who doesn't respect Jane — she's one of the best, most experienced minds in contemporary publishing. An incredible addition, frankly.


        3. Novelist (and longtime friend) Joyce Magnin, best known for her wonderful "Bright's Pond" novels with Abingdon, has started a company to help new novelists get their manuscripts ready. This isn't just another editorial service — take a look at her website. You'll come away totally impressed:  www.joycemagnin.com/Site/Narrative_Destiny.html


        4. If you're a married woman (or you have any married women in your life), they can be part of a research project on

        Continue Reading "Ten Notes for Today's Writer"

      • June 16, 2010

        More on the industry

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        Mark sent me this: “It
        seems that slowly the CBA is selling out. Is this true? Is it the ABA getting
        greedy? What does this signal for the future?”

        It signals that the general market has recognized the value of Christian books,
        Christian writers, and Christian readers. And, yes, it probably means that more
        CBA houses will be sold (or come under the influence of) large ABA houses. As to the question "are they greedy?"
        — good grief, they're running a for-profit enterprise. If "greedy"
        means "are they focused on making a profit," of course they're
        greedy. But I'd argue that CBA houses, for all the carefully-couched terms
        about having "ministry" and "doing the Lord's work," are
        also focused on profit. So maybe we should view this as a greater partnership,
        rather than a sell-out. Sure, there are some questions to face down the road –
        who will do commentaries and reference tools that aren't necessarily commercial
        but still have value to believers? What happens when a company faces a decision to publish a book at odds with believers? How will
        Christians respond when a company publishes some heretical tome? But, for those
        not in the know, those very questions are faced by some of us every day. Time Warner
        Book Group was a marvelous company that did many wonderful books when I was there (as well as before I came and after I left). We probably
        also published some books Christians would find offensive. But you know what? I
        was not responsible for every decision in the company. I was responsible to do
        good books with solid Christian content that will sell in the marketplace. I
        was comfortable with that role, and I believed in the company. So no, I don't find the blending of Christian and general markets a "sell out."

        Suzy asked, “How do you handle it when
        you have a change of editors (and editor styles)

        Continue Reading "More on the industry"

      • May 31, 2010

        Defining a Packager

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        Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend. For today's post, we have a question from Gladys. She asked, "Are compilers (Allison Bottke, Chicken Soup, etc.) considered packagers?"

        Nope. Let's define terms. Somebody who requests stories from you in order to create a compiled book on a theme (God Allows U Turns, Chicken Soup, etc), which they then sell as a manuscript to a publisher, are compilers.

        A packager is somebody who creates the entire book for the publisher. They come up with the concept, hire the writers, get the work done, design the interiors, create the cover, and complete the entire book for the publisher. Normally at the end of the process, the packager turns over a disk that has the entire book on it — not just the text, as an author would do, but the entire book, complete with page spreads. All the publisher has to do is hand the disk to their printer and push a button. (And sometimes the packager will even have the books printed, so the publisher is simply purchasing pre-printed books.)

        Some of us have done packaged books before. I have done it with more than one magic book (that is, books of card tricks for magicians — PLEASE don't write to me with your concerns about card tricks being the tool of Satan). I concepted the book, wrote it, solicited tricks from other magicians, created the interior, hired the artist and approved the interior drawings, worked with a cover designer to create the cover, edited the whole mess, got bids from printers, and got the books printed and shipped. I then sent a couple sample copies to distributors and sold the entire print run to a magic distributor, who got them into retail stores. In a way, I was my own publisher (but I didn't actually sell them, so really I was just the packager).

        Most publishers do packaged books at

        Continue Reading "Defining a Packager"