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      • April 24, 2012

        If you’re going to speak at a conference…

        by

        Danette wrote and said, “I’ve been asked to speak at a writing conference next year. What advice would you give to prospective conference teachers?”

        Well, I’ve taught at more than a hundred writers’ conferences, and I’d probably say there are a few things to consider…

        1. If you’ve only done something once, you may not be an expert. Wait until you’re experienced at your job before giving too much advice on it. My friend and fellow literary agent Steve Laube and I were at a conference once with a brand new agent. I’m sure she was a very bright girl, but her answers on the panel were awful — she was an amateur, and her responses in front of a group made her look that way. The difference between her replies and those of an experienced person like Steve were dramatic. Had she waited a year or so, in order to learn her new job, she’d have done much better. Maybe you don’t have to be in a hurry to teach. (This lesson isn’t just for agents — it’s for anyone working in an area of publishing that would be of interest to conferees.)

        2. If somebody is already covering one topic, pick something else. Writing conferences have a tendency to repeat the same information, and much of it is aimed at entry-level writers. Take the time to consider some niche or alternative topics that might be of interest to that group. (Here’s an example: Most conferences these days need someone teaching a “writing for the web” workshop. Every conference needs something on the changing face of publishing, e-rights, and contracts, but few choose to cover those topics.)

        3. Give participants the real deal. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like there’s a lot of inspirational hopnoodle at conferences. Too much of the “let’s stand up and cheer” stuff, which gives people a short-term rush, but doesn’t provide

        Continue Reading "If you’re going to speak at a conference…"

      • March 14, 2012

        Meet Shannon Potelicki

        by

        Shannon

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

        When I learned to write, I couldn’t stop. I became “The Weird Writer Girl.”

        I see now that this nickname was a commentary on my tendency to spend recess writing stories instead of playing on the monkey bars. Back then? That name meant I was a superhero—saving the world one handwritten (in pink crayon) Barbie play at a time. To my little brothers, however, it meant I was a supervillain—holding them against their will to provide the voices for the boy dolls. Superhero or not, I decided that I was going to spend the rest of my life mastering the power of words.

        With that resolve, I didn’t shock anyone when it came time to pick a college. I chose Taylor University’s acclaimed Professional Writing program. I graduated after earning the Jerry B. Jenkins Annual Writing Scholarship, having my byline published in a variety of magazines and newspapers, and completing an editorial internship with Focus's book publishing department.

        I’ve continued to pursue a career as a writer since graduation. My projects have included ghostwriting, writing marketing and donor relations copy, and freelancing articles for online and print publications.

        For the past several months, I’ve also been serving as Chip’s assistant—going through the slush pile, helping out with research, and handling other small projects. It’s been a pleasure to work with the MacGregor Literary agents, and (now that I’ve gotten the hang of things) they’ve asked me to join the team as their new International Rights Specialist.

        In this new role, I’ll handle MacGregor Literary’s international deals and enable our authors to maximize their income potential. The agency has wanted to expand its involvement in the international market for awhile, and I’m excited to be giving leadership to this endeavor. As I get things going, I’ll continue to serve as Chip’s assistant and pursue my own writing

        Continue Reading "Meet Shannon Potelicki"

      • March 14, 2012

        Meet Shannon Potelicki

        by

        Shannon

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

         

        When I learned to write, I couldn’t stop. I became “The Weird Writer Girl.”

        I see now that this nickname was a commentary on my tendency to spend recess writing stories instead of playing on the monkey bars. Back then? That name meant I was a superhero—saving the world one handwritten (in pink crayon) Barbie play at a time. To my little brothers, however, it meant I was a supervillain—holding them against their will to provide the voices for the boy dolls. Superhero or not, I decided that I was going to spend the rest of my life mastering the power of words.

        With that resolve, I didn’t shock anyone when it came time to pick a college. I chose Taylor University’s acclaimed Professional Writing program. I graduated after earning the Jerry B. Jenkins Annual Writing Scholarship, having my byline published in a variety of magazines and newspapers, and completing an editorial internship with Focus's book publishing department.

        I’ve continued to pursue a career as a writer since graduation. My projects have included ghostwriting, writing marketing and donor relations copy, and freelancing articles for online and print publications.

        For the past several months, I’ve also been serving as Chip’s assistant—going through the slush pile, helping out with research, and handling other small projects. It’s been a pleasure to work with the MacGregor Literary agents, and (now that I’ve gotten the hang of things) they’ve asked me to join the team as their new International Rights Specialist.

        In this new role, I’ll handle MacGregor Literary’s international deals and enable our authors to maximize their income potential. The agency has wanted to expand its involvement in the international market for awhile, and I’m excited to be giving leadership to this endeavor. As I get things going, I’ll continue to serve as Chip’s assistant and pursue my own writing

        Continue Reading "Meet Shannon Potelicki"

      • March 6, 2012

        If your novel is "not quite there…"

        by

        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

        Continue Reading "If your novel is "not quite there…""

      • March 5, 2012

        Conspirators R Us

        by

         

        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"

      • March 5, 2012

        Conspirators R Us

        by

         

        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"

      • 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 8, 2012

        All the news that's fit to print…

        by

        There's always a ton of publishing news going on, and I realize it's tough for most writers to stay on top of it all. The fact is, you DON'T NEED to stay on top of it all. But occasionally it's nice to know what's going on, so you can impress your friends or get girls to notice you at parties. So may I share a handful of things I think you should be aware of?


        1. Barnes & Noble has decided not to carry any books published by Amazon. Books-a-Million made the same decision. That may not be a huge shocker (The Gap doesn't sell clothes from Abercrombie & Fitch), but fascinating none the less, as it sets up a battle between the nation's biggest retailers (and every writer's best supporters). The various sides are turning this into a blood feud. You can read about it here:

        2. And that leads to an interesting discussion on the influence Amazon has in publishing these days. A fascinating story here, on "how Amazon is burning down publishing"…

        3. And our friends at Digital Book World have explored how Barnes & Noble has certain advantages in the book wars:

        4. Meanwhile, over in the UK, there's interesting thinking on the ebook wars:

        5. And back here in the Colonies, somebody noticed that HarperCollins is using the Expresso Machine to make their backlist available:

        6. I found this fascinating — a look at how important covers and complete information are to those who e-publish:

        7. And this gives me hope and makes all the noise of the ebook wars fade away — World Book Night is coming April 25th. If you don't know about it, read this:

        8. This also made me happy — a story about an editor deciding to become an agent:

        9. One of the most intelligent reviews of the current e-book
        Continue Reading "All the news that's fit to print…"

      • 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)"