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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…

Yesterday I said that even if your project isn’t one of those “hot” ones that everyone’s jumping all over immediately, that doesn’t mean it won’t sell. There are plenty of projects that are very strong and would make good books; but because they aren’t perceived as a “sure thing” they simply take longer to find…

If you’re querying agents, you may sometimes hear that they’ve taken on new clients, while your own query or a partial sits in their inbox, seemingly ignored. You’re probably wondering… what gives? Why do some projects sit in the inbox and take longer to get an answer, while others seem like they get jumped on…

Marcy Kennedy wrote: I’m committed to finding a traditional publisher for my novel. Not only has that always been the dream, but I also like that a gatekeeper has to approve the quality of my work. That said, have you ever advised a client to self-publish a work that you think is fantastic but hasn’t…

Jesse wrote: I was wondering what happens when YOU (or other agents) pitch projects to editors. Do the editors usually respond right away? Do they take weeks or months to respond to your pitch, or is it usually days? And once you send them a manuscript, how long does it normally take them to let…