February 2012
40 posts
2 tags
Make a list of questions regarding your contract and go over them with your agent.
4 tags
You can’t go wrong with Times New Roman 12 pt.
3 tags
If the agent works for a larger agency, that agent is only receiving part of the 15% commission.
5 tags
Contracts with multiple authors have different considerations than those with single authors.
4 tags
Books are printed in “signatures” of 16 pages each, therefore book page counts are divisible by 16.
5 tags
Keep your editor and agent in the loop on everything. Don’t wait until there is a problem.
3 tags
If you’re in publishing or want to be, you should be reading published books. Preferably the bestsellers.
4 tags
Don’t send a revision before you’ve gotten feedback on what you’ve already sent.
6 tags
Don’t miss an opportunity to meet a celebrity. You never know when the connection might come in handy.
2 tags
A query letter for a memoir should not be in third person.
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Agents keep track of how and why editors pass… and submit future projects accordingly.
3 tags
If you insist on comparing your work to a phenomenal bestseller, at least get the author’s name and title right.
6 tags
All things in moderation: em dashes, parentheses, !!’s, semicolons, And, But, just, actually, and so on.
3 tags
Calling your own book “brilliantly written” will lead agents to believe that it is not.
4 tags
About eight months before publication, meet or conference call with the publisher to talk marketing and promotion plans.
4 tags
Before you post an excerpt from your own book, get the publisher’s approval.
4 tags
When you meet with your publisher, remember you’re also auditioning for national TV.
3 tags
Never give up copyright to your own work/ideas/stories.
5 tags
The publisher doesn’t have to earn back the entire advance to make a profit on the book.
3 tags
Sometimes the gem is buried in the query. It pays to pay attention.
2 tags
If I request your material, my interest/curiosity is “piqued.” My homemade meringue is “peaked.”
5 tags
Exclusive submissions to agents are generally not to an author’s advantage.
4 tags
Get contractual approval over adaptations, abridgments, and condensations of the text of the work.
3 tags
Agents don’t sit on books, especially big ones. When they’re ready, we send them out. No need to nudge.
6 tags
The “announced first printing” is never the actual first printing. It’s a target and often twice what the first print ends up being.
4 tags
Your book should have a core market, and you should know how to reach it.
6 tags
Pick your battles. Few things are worth alienating others, but some are, and that’s when you fight.
6 tags
No hands near the face in an author photo.
4 tags
Editors should respond in a timely manner even if, and especially if, they are passing.
5 tags
Authors should see sample pages of the interior before the entire book is typeset (ie. consultation rights).
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The most important person during publication is the author. But s/he must be involved *and* informed.
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Don’t submit anything to your publisher that you don’t want them to use (title/subtitle ideas, photos, info).
4 tags
Sucking up works.
2 tags
An agent’s job isn’t just about the sale. If you think it is, you have a lousy agent.
4 tags
Editors don’t like 98% of the agents out there. They need agents, but they don’t like them.
6 tags
If publishers knew everything, all of their books would be hits. Authors should not be afraid to speak up.
5 tags
Check the category the publisher assigns. Not all categories are created equal. You might need two.
5 tags
In a memoir, there is never a need to say, “I remember…”
5 tags
The title and the author’s name should be easily readable on the front and spine.
2 tags
Before you query, always check the agent’s actual website for query/submission guidelines.
January 2012
118 posts
2 tags
Editors and their assistants should never badmouth their authors to anyone but themselves.
4 tags
An editor’s formulaic rejection (or one from the assistant) often means that editor doesn’t want to hear from the agent again.
3 tags
Sour grapes don’t sell books. Complain to your agent, not to the public.
2 tags
cc your editor on everything that goes to the publisher; cc your agent on everything.
3 tags
Most publishers are generalists. Prepare to handle the niche marketing yourself.
2 tags
Don’t state in a query the reasons other agents/publishers rejected you.
3 tags
Pay attention to the option clause. On a proposal only, solely by the author, after acceptance, limit genre.
5 tags
Don’t forget to ask to see the spine layout. It should be easily readable. If there is an image, check it for accuracy and consistency with the front cover.
2 tags
White paper/screen and black type. Don’t go crazy. The words should get the attention, not the color scheme.
2 tags
It’s not inspiration or perspiration, it’s Desire. With a capital D.