Great Writing and Publishing Tips from Poets & Writers Magazine
Poets & Writers Magazine is an excellent publishing industry resource for writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. From their website: "For more than twenty years, Poets & Writers Magazine has been a trusted companion to writers who take their vocation seriously. Within its pages, our readers find provocative essays on the literary life, practical guidance for getting published and pursuing writing careers, in-depth profiles of poets, fiction writers, and writers of creative nonfiction, and conversation among fellow professionals. "In addition, Poets & Writers Magazine provides the most comprehensive listing of literary grants and awards, deadlines, and prizewinners available in print. With a circulation of 60,000 copies nationwide, Poets & Writers Magazine is published by the nonprofit organization Poets & Writers, Inc." Beginning with the July/August 2008 issue, the magazine has run a series of articles entitled, "Agents & Editors." Here's a link to and excerpt from the January/February article, Agents & Editors: A Q&A With Four Young Literary Agents, by Jofie Ferrari-Adler. "It must be obvious to anyone who has been following this series that I have an unabashed affection for the old guard of book publishing — and an endless appetite for their insights, their war stories, and their wisdom. But after a year in which "change" of one kind or another was never far from anybody's thoughts, it occurred to me that the series could use a shake-up. Why not give the graybeards a breather and talk with some younger agents and editors? And while I was at it, wouldn't it be more valuable to writers if I could get a few drinks in them first? With that idea in mind, I asked the editors of this magazine to select four up-and-coming literary agents (Julie Barer, Jeff Kleinman, Renee Zuckerbrot, and Daniel Lazar) to take part in a roundtable conversation on the fine points of contemporary writing and publishing. One night after work we rode the subway to Brooklyn and congregated in the offices of the literary magazine A Public Space — located in a renovated horse stable with huge wooden doors that swing in from the street, vast ceilings, and an abundance of modern furniture and art — which were loaned to us for the evening by its gracious founder and editor, Brigid Hughes." See the entire article and links to previous articles at the Poets & Writers website.
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Feature
Publishing Confidential: 7 Big Lies Exposed
It’s time to shine a bright light on seven rather harmful publishing lies that a few authors I know would’ve believed recently had I not made a whole lotta noise and badgered them until they listened to me.LIE #1) TWITTER IS THE BEST WAY TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK ON THE INTERNET.
That’s just plain crazy. Unless you’re a household name, you’re going to have very few “followers” on Twitter. Twitter won’t make you well known, but it’s one of the many internet tools that you can use once you do have a fan base.
LIE #2) IF YOU'RE REFERRED TO AN AGENT BY SOMEONE YOU AND THE AGENT KNOW, THE AGENT WILL AUTOMATICALLY REPRESENT YOU.
Not true. While a referral opens the door and usually means the agent will look at your book or proposal more quickly, it's not a guarantee that the agent will take you on.
LIE #3) YOUR AGENT IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND.
Well, of course that’s not true. Your agent is your agent. It’s a business relationship, and not even the relatively personal one that authors used to enjoy some decades ago. In most cases, if your agent can’t sell your book to one of the first 10 publishers it’s pitched to, you’ll be dumped and will have to find another agent. Agents are rarely in it for the long haul these days.
LIE #4) YOU DON’T NEED AN AGENT OR LITERARY ATTORNEY TO NEGOTIATE YOUR BOOK CONTRACT.
That’s not true, either. Your publisher will offer you a contract that’s sub-standard and benefits the publishing house, not you in any way.
An agent or literary attorney will negotiate the contract so that it’s brought up to industry standards and benefits both you and your publisher. Among many other aspects of your contract, this includes making sure you retain the subsidiary rights you want and making sure you receive the standard royalty rates.
Never sign a contract as it’s first presented to you by a publisher, and never negotiate the contract yourself unless you’re an expert in publishing contracts. Remember, even those agents who are also authors have agents who negotiate their contracts!
LIE #5) IF YOU’RE REJECTED BY 100 AGENTS, YOU’LL NEVER GET AN AGENT.
Well, that’s ridiculous. With a 98% rejection rate, it takes 200 simultaneous pitches to agents just to get four of them interested in even considering representing you. While many authors I know got the first agent they pitched to, plenty of others pitched to hundreds before one agreed to represent them. The only rule is this: keep pitching until someone says yes.
LIE #6) IF YOU’RE REJECTED BY DOZENS, OR EVEN HUNDREDS OF PUBLISHERS, YOU’LL NEVER GET A PUBLISHER.
No, of course that’s not true. See the explanation to Lie #3 above – it applies to publishers, too.
LIE #7) IT'S DIFFICULT TO SCHEDULE BOOKSIGNINGS AT BOOKSTORES.
Thankfully, that's a huge lie. Bookstores are thrilled to have authors do booksignings. And not just famous authors. Stores schedule in advance so they can put their monthly event calendars in their newsletters and online, and so they can arrange for author interviews with local media. Call the bookstores two to three months ahead of the dates you'd like. Bookstore owners and booksellers are authors' biggest supporters and advocates, even more than their own publishers and agents.
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Nina L. Diamond is a journalist, essayist, and the author of Voices of Truth: Conversations with Scientists, Thinkers & Healers. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including Omni, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, and The Miami Herald.
Ms. Diamond was a writer and performer on Pandemonium, the National Public Radio (NPR) satirical humor program, for its entire run in Miami and select markets nationwide from 1984-1998. As an editor, she works frequently with other authors and journalists on both fiction and non-fiction.