Publishing

In an age when so many of the “big stories” in publishing are about amazing self-pub successes, people are asking more and more, “Why would I want a traditional publisher?” Here are six big reasons. 1. Objective validation To be “chosen” by a publisher means that a group of people who are widely read, and…

We’ve talked about volume and variety as the two keys to making a living as a writer. But we need to face the fact that there are some serious challenges to making this dream of “full time writing” come true. As much as you love to write, it may or may not be the life…

Writers always ask about “average” or typical advances in publishing these days. It’s a fair question—if you’re hoping for some kind of payoff, it’s nice to know what that might look like. But the truth is: There is no typical advance. Actually, it’s misleading and unhelpful to talk about “average” advances, because all that matters…

Classic wisdom for unpublished authors seeking traditional publication has been this: If you’re writing a novel (fiction), you need a complete manuscript. If you’re writing non-fiction, you need a book proposal plus two or three sample chapters. If you’re writing a memoir, who knows — everybody has a different opinion. Here’s what is true and…

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…

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…

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…