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Continue Reading "More on how an author negotiates a book contract…"More on how an author negotiates a book contract…
We're continuing our thoughts on what to have in mind when facing a book contract negotiation.
4. Be Clear when Talking. One thing that will hurt you in a negotiation is to wander around your point. For example, if you know you don't want to grant dramatic rights to your novel, be clear about it. Problems often arise in a negotiation because of the things that aren't said — an author wants a certain advance but won't admit it, or the writer wants to retain foreign rights and doesn't say so clearly. If you know what you want, be ready to say so clearly in a polite, organized, and clear manner. This is why it's important for you to have a plan and write it down before you begin talking, so when faced with a question, you can refer to your notes and remind yourself of what is important.
5. Learn to Listen. Kenneth Tynan once referred to the activities at the United Nations as "a dialogue for the deaf." One speaker gets up and harangues people with some information, then the next guy gets up, starts talking, and acts as though he heard nothing that was just said. You'll be amazed at how much better negotiations will go when you learn to be quiet and hear the other side occasionally. You'll discover you learn things about the publishing house when you listen. It will make you a better negotiator. And a bit of silence can help you focus in the midst of a discussion.
6. You Have Options. Keep in mind that you don't have to agree to a bad deal. You always have options — even if the only option is to say no thanks, get up, and walk away (whether permanently or temporarily). This is a basic truth that people in negotiations sometimes forget. The fact is, you may not be able to come to an agreement,
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Continue Reading "How do you negotiate a book contract?"
How do you negotiate a book contract?
Kevin wrote to say, "I'm about to negotiate my own book contract! What is important for me to know?"
If you're at the stage of negotiating your own publishing contract, congratulations. It means you've created a strong proposal, shopped it to publishing houses, and found an editor interested in your work. Those are huge hurdles, so you've already done well. Now what's going to happen is that the publisher is going to approach you with some details and numbers. Let me offer a handful of thoughts for you…
1. Have a Plan. A contract negotiation isn't just a bunch of random conversations, helping two people move things forward. It's one piece of a larger discussion about your book — how both sides view its value, what it will pay, how it's going to be produced and marketed, etc. Therefore, do your homework before you go into the negotiation. You should have researched what the market is paying (so you get a fair deal, but you don't ask for the moon), you should know what rights you want to keep or give away, and you should have a familiarity with the issues that will be involved in a publishing contract. All of this takes time (and all of this is why authors get agents who, presumably, know this stuff).
2. Take a Positive Approach. Too many people seem to have learned all their negotiation strategies from watching television dramas — the two high-powered lawyers point fingers, pound the table, make demands, and generally act like jerks. That's not an approach that's going to work very often in publishing. From my point of view, you have to develop a relationship with the person you're going to negotiate with. That way there's a sense of trust on both sides. You really want to establish some rapport with the person you're negotiating with, so that you both keep in mind the big picture
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Continue Reading "How do you negotiate a book contract?"
How do you negotiate a book contract?
Kevin wrote to say, "I'm about to negotiate my own book contract! What is important for me to know?"
If you're at the stage of negotiating your own publishing contract, congratulations. It means you've created a strong proposal, shopped it to publishing houses, and found an editor interested in your work. Those are huge hurdles, so you've already done well. Now what's going to happen is that the publisher is going to approach you with some details and numbers. Let me offer a handful of thoughts for you…
1. Have a Plan. A contract negotiation isn't just a bunch of random conversations, helping two people move things forward. It's one piece of a larger discussion about your book — how both sides view its value, what it will pay, how it's going to be produced and marketed, etc. Therefore, do your homework before you go into the negotiation. You should have researched what the market is paying (so you get a fair deal, but you don't ask for the moon), you should know what rights you want to keep or give away, and you should have a familiarity with the issues that will be involved in a publishing contract. All of this takes time (and all of this is why authors get agents who, presumably, know this stuff).
2. Take a Positive Approach. Too many people seem to have learned all their negotiation strategies from watching television dramas — the two high-powered lawyers point fingers, pound the table, make demands, and generally act like jerks. That's not an approach that's going to work very often in publishing. From my point of view, you have to develop a relationship with the person you're going to negotiate with. That way there's a sense of trust on both sides. You really want to establish some rapport with the person you're negotiating with, so that you both keep in mind the big picture
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Continue Reading "And the winner of the "My Book Therapy" is…"
And the winner of the "My Book Therapy" is…
A Guest Post from Rachel Hauck of My Book Therapy
Hey everyone. I’m back with My Book Therapy Live. Thanks to all who commented on the blog for a chance to win.
I picked Amy Simpson because not only did she leave a funny comment, but several of you voted for her to win, too.
Amy shows great promise as a writer and many of the craft points I highlight in her piece are craft points I see in almost every book therapy I do. In fact, I learned from doing this therapy myself.
Leave a comment if you have a question or a thought to add. Amy, I applaud your work and your bravery to be the live therapy guinea pig. Also, for your willingness to learn!
Thanks to Chip, Sandra and Amanda for lending us this cyber space.
Rachel
And here is the winning entry, complete with Rachel's notes…
Log line: The only thing more dangerous than the man bent on taking her life, is
the risk of living and losing her heart to her sworn enemy.
I like this. It’s a bit awkward. And it kind of sounds like she’s going to fall in love with the man bent on taking her life.
So, maybe…
The only thing more dangerous for HEROINE than the man determined to take her life is falling in love with a man who might lose his.
Something like that. Gives a hint of the story problem and question, gives a window onto the journey, raises questions. Indicates a romantic suspense. Nice!
Chapter 1
“I’m all in.” Finn Carson shoved the heaping stack of poker chips to the center of the table, challenging anyone to cross him. The pocket aces in his possession were just about a sure thing, considering Ryker and Jones couldn’t bluff to save their lives and Wally, well, he could lift
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Continue Reading "Thursdays with Amanda: What I'm Looking For"
Thursdays with Amanda: What I'm Looking For
Amanda Luedeke is a literary agent with MacGregor Literary. She posts about growing your author platform every Thursday. You can follow her on Twitter @amandaluedeke or join her Facebook group to stay current with her wheelings and dealings as an agent.
I'm in New York right now, visiting with publishers and pitching books, and though I had every intention of continuing my "Building an Author Platform" series, it just doesn't look like that's going to happen this week. So sorry about that. I know that some of you come here specifically for those posts and I hate to let you down.
So, to make up for the lack of a post this week, I thought I'd share a list of projects that I'm looking for. I'm hoping this is a satisfactory trade. 🙂
Right now, I'm primarily looking for authors who have published with a traditional house. However, if you're an unpublished author, don't lose heart. The best thing to do there is to try and meet me at a conference (I'm attending roughly 12 this year, and you can find the list on the info tab of my Facebook page). If I like you and I like your book, I'm much more willing to try and make room for you.
Here's what I'm currently acquring:
Adult Fantasy
Adult Urban Fantasy (especially geared to women)
Adult Paranormal Romance
Adult Science Fiction
Any of the "weird" genres, like Steampunk, Dystopian, Horror, etc.
African American Romance
Young Adult Fiction (open to just about anything)
Nonfiction projects from authors with great platforms
Nonfiction for the 20 and 30-something crowd
Have a genre in mind, but you're not seeing it on the list? Leave a comment below and I'll let you know whether it would be a fit.
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Continue Reading "If your novel is "not quite there…""
If your novel is "not quite there…"
Okay, so you’ve hit a wall with your novel. Perhaps the creativity you once enjoyed lies dormant. Maybe you feel as if you’ve written yourself into a corner and don’t know how to get out. Your story isn’t flowing like it should. You’re tired. You feel a bit at odds with the project you once couldn’t wait to sit down to. But you still have faith in the vision you developed so long ago. Maybe you know your novel isn’t ready for submission but you don’t exactly know why. A host of reasons explain why writers experience a need for support, each one unique to the writer.
Luminary was formed by novelist Lisa Samson for writers who find themselves right where you are. Instead of traditional critique, Lisa wants to help you succeed as a novelist. Luminary isn’t simply about revealing the weaknesses in your manuscript. It’s about highlighting your strengths as well and helping you write with those in mind.
After writing for two decades as well as enjoying work in visual arts, Lisa possesses an intuitive understanding of the creative process. She understands people express themselves best when they are true to who they are and aware of how their life journey affects their work. Lisa provides thoughtful support based on each individual’s style of creativity and vision. In other words, Lisa wants to help you develop your own unique voice, not become a version of someone else.
Lisa brings experience with thirty books, three Christy Awards, and multiple starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly Magazine. Christianity Today named her novel, Quaker Summer, one of the best novels for 2008. That same novel was Women of Faith’s novel of the year, and seemed to win named by reviewers everywhere as one of the best books in print that year. A host of positive reviews and respect from her peers assures you that Lisa is able to produce quality fiction and can
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Continue Reading "Conspirators R Us"
Conspirators R Us
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you doubtless understand this blog is, at heart, a "publishing journalism" site. Things happen in the publishing industry, and I talk about them. There are lessons for writers to learn, and I share them. Other people have opinions, and I let them offer their thoughts. That's why I found it interesting that a publisher is threatening to sue me.You might have heard the news that Wine Press Publishing, a vanity press in the state of Washington, is in a battle with the former owner of the company, a woman named Athena Dean. You can google the topic to get all the details, which is how I found out about it. The argument basically comes down to the former owner claiming she was treated badly by a group she believes is, more or less, a fundamentalist church that has taken over the company. The current situation is an interesting study in business ethics and church governance and arcane theology, but you'd have to go somewhere else to find the details, since I've never blogged about it before. I haven't said anything about it on my corporate website, either. Nor have I written about it for any other magazine, e-zine, or journal. I could have — I mean, I'm a trained journalist, talking about the publishing industry, and the allegation that a big company that's very involved in Christian publishing has acted unfairly toward employees or tried to intimidate people is news. But I didn't. Not because I was afraid to (and yes, I've heard a couple people warn that Wine Press has used lawyers and intimidation tactics on others in the past), but because I wanted to wait and see what the facts brought out. I don't have a dog in this hunt — but I'm very interested in the hunt itself and the story surrounding it.My sole -
Continue Reading "Conspirators R Us"
Conspirators R Us
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you doubtless understand this blog is, at heart, a "publishing journalism" site. Things happen in the publishing industry, and I talk about them. There are lessons for writers to learn, and I share them. Other people have opinions, and I let them offer their thoughts. That's why I found it interesting that a publisher is threatening to sue me.You might have heard the news that Wine Press Publishing, a vanity press in the state of Washington, is in a battle with the former owner of the company, a woman named Athena Dean. You can google the topic to get all the details, which is how I found out about it. The argument basically comes down to the former owner claiming she was treated badly by a group she believes is, more or less, a fundamentalist church that has taken over the company. The current situation is an interesting study in business ethics and church governance and arcane theology, but you'd have to go somewhere else to find the details, since I've never blogged about it before. I haven't said anything about it on my corporate website, either. Nor have I written about it for any other magazine, e-zine, or journal. I could have — I mean, I'm a trained journalist, talking about the publishing industry, and the allegation that a big company that's very involved in Christian publishing has acted unfairly toward employees or tried to intimidate people is news. But I didn't. Not because I was afraid to (and yes, I've heard a couple people warn that Wine Press has used lawyers and intimidation tactics on others in the past), but because I wanted to wait and see what the facts brought out. I don't have a dog in this hunt — but I'm very interested in the hunt itself and the story surrounding it.My sole -
Continue Reading "Writing that Keeps Me Up at Night"
Writing that Keeps Me Up at Night
Marie Prys is the administrative presence behind our three agents. Books are one of her favorite things. Look for a monthly post from this former editor on what she will happily give up sleep for.
February is all about trying to nurse along good intentions for the resolutions I made the previous month. Second this, anyone? Having read a great book for spiritual health last month, it was time to read for physical health. In keeping with yet another well-intentioned resolution, I turned to a favorite place, the library.*
When I was a serious editor, “help” book projects were both a peeve and a plus—a peeve because so many “how-to” books are poorly organized, redundant, and dull. A plus because of the peeve—a willing editor won’t starve amid the great wealth of self-help books in need of significant editorial assistance.
Having defined what makes a crummy self-help book, let’s just say the ideal self-help book is organized well (style!), avoids redundancy, and has the right blend of theory and practicality. The author’s voice should ooze through the writing in a personal way so the reader wants to keep reading all the way to the end. And if the author isn’t an authority or expert on the subject matter, he should find a new hobby that doesn’t include writing.
If you want a fun little read that helps demonstrate most of these checkpoints, see Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual (Penguin, 2009) by Michael Pollan. There’s a new, illustrated hardcover version out, but I haven’t perused it, sorry.
More manual than book, the author’s use of brevity (64 rules, 140 pages) and wit make it easy to learn practical steps for better eating. The book has just three sections and can be summarized in only seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” And I like how the author’s voice comes through using a one-liner approach:
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Continue Reading "Writing that Keeps Me Up at Night"
Writing that Keeps Me Up at Night
Marie Prys is the administrative presence behind our three agents. Books are one of her favorite things. Look for a monthly post from this former editor on what she will happily give up sleep for.
February is all about trying to nurse along good intentions for the resolutions I made the previous month. Second this, anyone? Having read a great book for spiritual health last month, it was time to read for physical health. In keeping with yet another well-intentioned resolution, I turned to a favorite place, the library.*
When I was a serious editor, “help” book projects were both a peeve and a plus—a peeve because so many “how-to” books are poorly organized, redundant, and dull. A plus because of the peeve—a willing editor won’t starve amid the great wealth of self-help books in need of significant editorial assistance.
Having defined what makes a crummy self-help book, let’s just say the ideal self-help book is organized well (style!), avoids redundancy, and has the right blend of theory and practicality. The author’s voice should ooze through the writing in a personal way so the reader wants to keep reading all the way to the end. And if the author isn’t an authority or expert on the subject matter, he should find a new hobby that doesn’t include writing.
If you want a fun little read that helps demonstrate most of these checkpoints, see Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual (Penguin, 2009) by Michael Pollan. There’s a new, illustrated hardcover version out, but I haven’t perused it, sorry.
More manual than book, the author’s use of brevity (64 rules, 140 pages) and wit make it easy to learn practical steps for better eating. The book has just three sections and can be summarized in only seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” And I like how the author’s voice comes through using a one-liner approach: