Posts

Today let’s talk about the agreement between the writer and the agent, known as an Agency Agreement. This is different from a publisher contract. The agency agreement formalizes the working relationship between you and your agent. It can be simple and relatively brief (the one we use at Books & Such is three pages) or…

One of the things that always generates excitement among authors is the prospect of an “auction” between publishers for their book. But there’s also a mystique surrounding auctions, and many writers wonder how they actually work. So let’s pull back the shroud of mystery and peek at what an auction looks like. Why are auctions…

This controversial blog post by Matthew Ingram made quite a stir last week: Godin to authors: You have no right to make money any more After a quick look, I responded via Twitter: “For obvious reasons, this article kind of makes my blood boil.” It wasn’t until the weekend that I had some time to…

Dear Rachelle, Quick question – is there a Christian market for books? A member of our writing group reacted poorly when I mentioned my WIP may be more appropriate for the Christian market than women’s fiction. A heated “God does not sell” debate ensued, followed by a rousing chorus of “Every Bestseller Needs Sex or…

In your publication journey, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked, at some point, to provide some “comps” for your book. Why do we ask this? Why do we care? What are the advantages of writing a comprehensive “Competition” section in your book proposal, or being able to talk intelligently about other books in the same…

Guess what! The sky may not be falling after all. Yes, there are a lot of changes happening in publishing (and the world). But things aren’t all bad. Herewith, six tidbits to cheer you up. 1. Publishers are still buying books. If you follow Publishers Marketplace, you know that new deals are being announced every…

What the Publishing Industry can Learn from Kodak Part 3 of 3 The last two days we’ve been looking at things publishers, agents, and writers can learn from the decline of the Kodak company. Monday we discussed knowing our business, and yesterday we looked at knowing our customer. Today let’s talk about dealing with change.…

What Publishing Can Learn From Kodak Part 2 of 3 This week we’re looking at things the publishing industry can learn from the decline of Eastman Kodak Co. Yesterday we started with the importance of knowing our business. Today – three more lessons from Kodak. What insight can we gain about knowing our customer? 4. We…

What the Publishing Industry Can Learn From Kodak Part 1 of 3 Last month one of America’s most venerable and recognizable companies, Eastman Kodak Co., filed for bankruptcy after a long, steady decline in revenue. I’ve been reading various business analysts’ explanations and deconstructions of what went wrong, and all I keep thinking is, holy…

An agent’s job is to sell books to publishers, right? Well, yes, but it’s more than that. Agents partner with authors to help make their writing careers as successful, seamless, and enjoyable as possible. Another thing agents do is champion worthwhile authors and books—trying to convince publishers to take a chance, even against market conditions or…

A lot of people wonder when it’s okay to call an agent or editor on the phone. The simple answer is: When they’re YOUR agent or editor. If you’re my client, I love talking to you. Don’t be afraid to call. Don’t worry about “bothering” me, and don’t worry about being  “high maintenance.” If you…

Negotiating book deals can be rather tricky. Many authors go into it with the mindset of “How big of an advance can I get?” But that is not always the most important question. In the last few months I’ve closed quite a few book deals and one in particular had a lot of publisher interest,…

There has been a controversy brewing underground for awhile now, ever since publishers started promoting books by offering a limited-time free download. Many of the Christian publishers have done these promotions, but whenever Christian novels are promoted on Amazon as free downloads, many people download them without realizing they’re Christian. They start reading and when…

Dear Rachelle, I sent you a query but I haven’t heard back from you yet. I’ve been offered a contract by [unnamed independent publisher], but since I’m a brand-new author, it’s only for e-books. They do paperbacks, but not for new authors. I know e-books are the coming thing, but I like real books, hardback…