Yes, this week in publishing on a Thursday. This afternoon I’m headed to the Pike’s Peak Writers Conference, and I’m looking forward to meeting some of you there!
Also, a plea for my e-mail subscribers: I really want to hear from you (I do) but please please please don’t e-mail me your responses to blog topics. That’s what the blog is for. Those e-mails go to my work e-mail account, and I really need to keep my Inbox clear for work. If you’d like to weigh in and join the conversation, please click the title of the post in the e-mail, which will take you directly to my blog.
If you scroll down to the very bottom of the page that opens up when you click the blog title, you’ll see a link that says “Post a Comment.” Click that.
Then enter your comment in the window and sign in to your Google (or other) account or click the Anonymous bubble to leave a comment as anonymous. Don’t forget to enter the word verification (in this case “beerpas” — which is kind of awesome), and then click Publish Your Comment:
If you have trouble: please consult the nearest teenager. Everyone who has already e-mailed comments officially gets amnesty, but from here on out I might have to unsubscribe repeat offenders.
Is is okay to e-mail me questions about publishing or your project provided that you first check the FAQs to see if your answer is there. I regret that I’m not able to answer every question.
Cool? Cool.
Now then! Onto the week in publishing.
First up: who wants a free printer? I see a lot of hands. My good friend Holly Burns is currently giving away a free HP Photosmart printer on her blog. You just have to leave a comment about why you want it. It’s that easy. (US residents only. Sorry furranners!)
Allison Brennan was extremely kind to include her query in the Be An Agent for a Day challenge, and this week she blogged about the experience and the odd (and not so odd) reasons why some agents for a day rejected her query.
Dan Brown’s new novel is dropping in September with a ridonkulously huge 5 million copy first printing.
Lynn Viehl was awesome enough to post her most recent royalty statement online, meaning you too can attempt to make sense of a document so confusing it may as well be written in Sanskrit. Luckily, agent translators are standing by. (I kid, Penguin. Your statements aren’t too bad. Your contracts, on the other hand, should be sent with a free magnifying glass).
Innovating editor Jon Karp of Twelve recently wrote a PW article with twelve (of course) recommendations for the publishing industry, including ending Kabuki publishing and putting out much fewer books. Dan Menaker posted a hilarious response with his own suggestions (sample: 2. No more landscape- or seascape-only cover images.) , and G.B.H. Hornswoggler (aka Andrew Wheeler) weighed in a bit more seriously. He’s less sanguine than Jon about the public’s supposed disdain for books like other books, and worries about the effects of massive downsizing on reader selection. (via Other Lisa’s Twitter feed, via lots of other @people)
Speaking of innovation, bestselling author David Hewson posted a seriously awesome article about the hypothetical possibility of an author self-publishing collective loosely based on the old actor-led movie studio United Artists. David knows there are some details still to be worked out, but folks, this is likely what at least part of the future will look like. (And yes, he notes that agents will still be important, although in a slightly different role). Via MJ Rose.
Ever wondered about the difference between galleys (bound and early designed) and ARCs? Ms. Sally Spitfire is here to help.
And finally, friend of the blog Conduit/Stuart Neville just released an awesome trailer for his novel THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST/THE TWELVE:
Have a good weekend! Colorado, here I come!
Cass says
Hope you have a great time in Colorado. If you see my sister, tell her I said hi!
csmith says
@ Mira – I was passing the spear to you.
I heartily concur re the rice krispy spear. However, I would suggest that I was short sighted in not suggesting a rice-crispy totem pole? Or possibly a skyscraper?
What do you think?
(off to bed, need to swim tomorrow, will continue with this N.B. themed plan for world domination on the morrow)
Mira says
Uh oh.
Was that sycophancy?
Is my imagining owning a spear made of breakfast cereal that disarms my enemies through Nathan’s picture embedded in the cereal itself really a way of kssing butt?
I certainly hope not. That would just be pathetic. I should be ashamed of myself. That would be the most miserable example of butt kissing I’ve ever seen. I would certainly hope that I could do better butt kissing than that, for crying out loud.
Chuck H. says
Matthew said:”Seven of Nine did some good. . . after being off collective.”
Yeah, and she was a hot chick after shedding the hardware and the slime suit. But I don’t think she ever yearned for the good old days of the collective.
I’m just sayin’.
Marilyn Peake says
Interesting article by David Hewson. There are already thriving small publishing houses around. Perhaps one of the oldest is City Lights Booksellers and Publishers, founded by the poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. I imagine it would take a LOT of hard work to establish a successful publishing house along the lines of the United Artists model, but it could probably be done. When Robert Redford started the Sundance Film Festival, indie film was practically unheard of. Now new film directors take their films to the Sundance Film Festival in order to catch the attention of the major studios, and winning a Sundance Film Festival Award is a really big deal.
T. Anne says
Nathan, The fact you had over 400 comments yesterday floored me.
United Author’s sounds intriguing it’ll be interesting to follow where that goes.
Stuart, LOVED the book trailer. Spectacular job! Adding the reviews was brilliant.
The Epicurean Dealmaker says
Sorry, Nathan, I used your work e-mail to send a link to my blog a while ago. I am so ashamed.
P.S. — In case you would like a laugh, and (wisely) deleted the original e-mail, here it is:
https://epicureandealmaker.blogspot.com/2009/04/heartbreaking-work-of-staggering-hubris.html
Believe it or not, it is vaguely topical to your blog. (And I did steal your guide to query writing.)
Cheers.
Marilyn Peake says
Mira and PurpleClover,
Your back-and-forth comments are hilarious. Thanks for the chuckles.
I watched a show today about the swords used by Japanese Samurai warriors. Too bad they didn’t have Rice Krispies back then.
The Epicurean Dealmaker says
Broken link in previous comment? Argh. Try this:
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering HubrisI promise, it really is (a little) funny.
allison says
Thanks for the shout out, Nathan. I learned a lot from last week, and enjoyed it. I always find something useful in your posts. Glad to be able to help!
Allison Brennan
Richard Lewis says
Why are we furriners always discriminated against? It’s not fair! Yeah, so I live in Bali, surf and beach babes if you want, clubs and grooves if you want that, ancient temples and healing shamans and high colonics if you’re into alternative spirituality — but *I* want a free printer!
Jason Crawford says
Wow Nathan, as a technical writer, I must say, that was some pretty good technical instruction. 🙂
Marilyn Peake says
Two more independent presses that have been getting some real attention:
KunatiOther Press
Marilyn Peake says
Ooooops … I messed up the links. Let me try that again …
Independent presses getting attention recently:
Kunatiand
Other Press
Laurel says
Epub is already here and will just get bigger. It will probably end up being a morph of the current model, with an editorial process, and some of the fledgling companies already in existence. Of course Amazon is already doing something like this.
I left textbook publishing recently and the question I most often heard from students at student orientation was “Can I buy just the ebook?” followed by “Is it cheaper?” The crowd coming out of college and grad school right now is actually just as happy, if not more so, with digital copy as an actual book.
Everyone seems frustrated with the current system to a certain extent. The collective idea needs some polish but it would be nice to have an alternative. Competition makes everyone better!
Jen C says
RE: all of us sycophants, I think that people just want to share the love, which is a good thing, not a bad thing. Nathan is a really decent guy, and I think if he was writing a blog about funny things his cat does people would still like it and bring on the love fest.
PS Nathan, do you have a cat? If so, can you start writing about funny things it does? One “Stuff on My Cat” is just not enough…
Other Lisa says
Ugh. Take 2:
@Ian
At the risk of sounding sycophantic…a lot of commenters on this blog have queried Nathan and been passed on. Others are agented elsewhere. And others are interested in exploring alternate roads to publication that may not even involve agents.
So I’d like to suggest that there may be reasons beyond sycophancy that draw people here. Like, it’s a friendly, informative place in what can be a very tough business.
Laurel says
Other Lisa,
I know, right? I have no plans to query Nathan. I like to read the blog. Plus it’s fun to go somewhere sort of apolitical.
I’m pretty amazed at the amount of time he spends doing this in addition to regular job requirements. And he seems infinitely patient with the questions. Even when someone asks for information already on the site he just tells them where to find it. I’m not that sweet.
I thought maybe Ian was kidding and the sarcasm didn’t come through in print.
Anonymous says
Thanks for telling those of us who didn’t grow up with all this techno-crap how to leave a comment. I’m making mine anonymous because I’m sure you think my tone is sarcastic and you won’t appreciate me when I’m a famous writer. Also because I would have to create an account and that is just way too much work to leave a comment.
You may hear more from me in the future, but it depends on how much work it takes for me to switch applications at my boring writing area between sips of lattes. I’m very busy.
PurpleClover says
anonymous 5:19- I like you! You’re alright in my book. 🙂
Why is the “s” sticking on my keyboard…must interrogate children…
DeAnna says
Hope to see you at the conference!
Appallingly, I forgot to check up on the author-for-a-day project and missed out on being able to enter reviews. I went back last night and read all the queries…wow. I didn’t pick ANY of the published stories. On the other hand, I didn’t think any of the queries of the stories that were published were all that good, so I feel less intimidated.
Thanks!
karen wester newton says
Nathan– I know you’ll have a great time at PPWC. It’s a wonderful conference. They may be all volunteers (except for Martha), but those folks know what they’re doing.
This post was very interesting.
Laurie says
Have a wonderful time in Colorado, Nathan!
I know you are really busy, but if you have time someday, could you answer a question about the role of agents at writers conferences? There is an annual conference near my home and every year writers can sign up for a private manuscript evaluation with an agent or editor.
It’s an additional charge of about $150 for a half an hour. Do you think this is worth the money?
I have several writing friends who have paid the money and were encouraged to submit material that was later rejected. One year the agent pretty much encouraged everyone to submit, only to turn them all down. The writing community where I live is pretty small so I heard the same story from many different people.
Would writers be better off saving the money and just submitting the old fashion way, or does meeting someone at a conference get a manuscript more attention than the slush pile?
Thanks for any light you can shine on this subject!
hippokrene says
@ Miri
I don’t believe publishers are ‘dodo heads.’ They’re businessmen like everyone and trying to get by in what is a very tough industry.
PurpleClover says
LOL Am I the only person that just realized the whole “@” thing just took off? (Thanks to Stuart!)
I mean seriously…did I just not notice it before or did this just start today?
If people have been doing this a while then forgive me but this is the first time I’ve noticed it.
Mira says
Oh, let’s try that again.
First, Marilyn, thanks. And thanks for the link.
Hippocrene,
I’m tired and sort of in an argumentative mood today. I really didn’t mean to say that individual publishers were dodo heads. I’m sorry I said that Jon Karp was – I’m sure he’s a good person trying to find solutions to difficult problems. I shouldn’t sum him up like that, that was awful. Sorry.
It’s the publishing industry as a whole that, I believe, makes terrible business decisions. Those terrible business decisions are long-standing and have nothing to do with the current economy.
That’s my belief. I think the industry as a whole is a dodo head when it comes to business.
Not individuals.
Mira says
Oh, if you want to know why I think the publishing industry is a dodo head, it’s because it is the only major industry that has no concept whatsoever of the importance of marketing.
It’s bizarre that it makes any money at all.
I’ve ranted about this alot on this blog.
Dana says
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited that you are coming to Colorado. Can’t wait to meet you! So, if you see a “voluptuous and sensuous” blond (the words of a fellow writer who asked if she can take my picture because I remind her of her character) that’s me! 🙂 Hope to see you soon. Oh… and drink lots of water… you’re coming up just a few feet in elevation here. 😉
mkcbunny says
The collective idea is really interesting. In my experience, it works well for visual artists trying to gain control of their options (guaranteed shows, higher profit, control over who you show with and the space you show in, among other things). In that model, the spaces that I have seen work well have high-quality creative talents involved who are also business-minded.
This could work for writers, but it does seem to me that in order for it to really work, you’d also need to involve an editor, copy editor, accountant, business manager and someone in what would amount to the agent position for the group. So, isn’t that, as noted in the original blog, just a small publishing house?
Maybe a writer-owned/driven house is the way, but I do think that it would morph into a small publisher pretty quickly. And once the core group is rolling, do they vet and add new folks? I would think that they would want to to increase the business.
Then, those core founders would have to start devoting more time to managing their collective. And what’s their percentage/extra benefit from that? The quality of the business? That’d work for starters, but eventually, I’d think the time commitment would inspire a desire for compensation. That could be built into the starting formula, but that would necessitate forethought in setting up the business plan and contracts for incoming writers.
All interesting questions, I think, as far as whether it’s an adventure to embark upon. Some writers would be far better suited to it than others.
Marilyn Peake says
PurpleClover said:
“@” thing just took off? (Thanks to Stuart!)
I mean seriously…did I just not notice it before or did this just start today?
—————
@ is used on Twitter. Is that why people started using it here? Just wondered. It drove me nuts for a bit on Twitter, until I figured out how Twitter was using it. On Twitter, @ designates the person being addressed or referred to.
Jen C says
@ is pretty common around the ol’ Interweb traps. In fact, the idea to use @ on Twitter came from the members, not the creators. People just started using it to get the attention of who they were talking to, and the creators picked up on that and made it a feature.
Marilyn Peake says
Jen C,
Thanks. Interesting. I never saw @ used that way till I got on Twitter.
AravisGirl says
LOVE the guide to commenting 😀
csmith says
@ Mira
OMG NO! I must be enabling your syncophancy.
Oh Well, mother always told me if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well.
*Begins a ‘lighthouse at halicarnassus’ sized monument to Nathan out of rice crispies*
Elaine 'still writing' Smith says
Dana
Careful when appraoching Nathan – remember it’s all in the walk!
Other Lisa says
@Mira – I agree. I think the inability to connect readers to books that interest them is one of the biggest problems in publishing. As a good friend of mine, a huge reader, says, “Where is my iTunes for books?”
Word verification: ballypo. It feels like it should mean something profound, but I’m not sure what.
Maya says
Nathan, I stole the “Agent for a Day” idea for my AP English classes, and it worked beautifully. My students became “Exam Graders for a Day” and got to experience grading 18 of the same essays (from their classmates). It worked beautifully, and they came away UNDERSTANDING lessons I’ve tried to teach them all year (i.e., Why it’s Unwise to use the First Idea that Pops into your Head). So thanks for giving me such a good idea… maybe this activity will become the meme to defeat the #fail meme! (Nah, probably not.)
Writer from Hell says
There and i thought you preferred emails. But thanks for informing how to post comments here in an idiot proof guide. I am finally posting a comment here!
Laurel says
Maya,
I’m glad that worked so well in your class. I experienced the same as a student in my college senior seminar and it was a cool assignment. We all swapped seminar papers, meant to be the apex of our work as English majors. I chose The Sound and The Fury as my subject. Unfortunately the tool who got my paper tried to rip it to shreds in front of the class.
I was vindicated, however, in two ways. He picked on a Biblical reference I pulled from the book, citing my analysis as a mistake. (I’ll never forget it. “Benjanin, beloved youngest son of Jacob” was what I wrote. He corrected me in an offhand manner with,”Actually, it was Israel but that’s not important,” to which I responded, “Jacob and Israel were the same person.” He had been so rough on my work that the class applauded.) Since I was raised Baptist, the Southern variety, it’s not a good idea to wrangle with me on scripture.
I got the highest grade in the class on my paper. HA!
My point is this. I think this tendency to look for flaws leads us to see non-existent problems, which happened some in the query contest. I’ve seen it everywhere some sort of peer review is employed.
Heather says
Nathan,
I found something seemingly contradictory. In the article by Jon Karp, he says, “Stop the copycat books… They are the equivalent of pack journalism, and most of the time, we wind up looking like a bunch of rats chasing a chunk of stale cheese.”
This seems to go against your comments following the Agent-for-a-Day contest when you stated, “originality is (somewhat) overrated…” I think that you might have been talking in terms of originality in creating “new genres” is over-rated, but was wondering if you could tease that out more?
marye.ulrich says
Thanks for the article link from David Hewson. I found the graphs (Author's manuscript –> readers)fascinating. They sum up the differences in two in-your-face visuals.
The link about United Artists was a great companion piece.
The opportunities for change seem to be floating in the wind… humm,is the virtual wind–actually Twitter?
Eva Ulian says
Could I please make an appeal on your site Nathan?
I need to know how “to highlight my vision for marketing my book” – Anyone have any suggestions of what I could do?
email: eva.ulian@btanet.it
or comments on the web
PurpleClover says
Ah! Thanks Marilyn and Jen C.
I am brand new to Twitter so I’m still trying to figure it out.
I jut thought it was cute that suddenly it took off on the comment. 🙂
Writer from Hell says
it never hurts to try to look a bit sassy. 'try' is the catch word here. since we discussed susan boyle at lenght, thought can't just let this pass….
https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090424/ap_en_tv/eu_britain_singing_sensation>
Mira says
Wow. I really was tired last night.
I re-read Jon Karp’s suggestions. It’s not like everything he said has no merit. And I’m sure he is a nice person trying to find solustions. But basically, I stand by my original assertion:
Jon Karp is a dodo head.
At least in that article.
Mira says
Other Lisa, thanks, I couldn’t agree more! I hope that the new electronic age helps publishers see the benefit of marketing, but I’m not holding my breath.
Here are my 12 suggestions for improvements in the publishing industry:
1. Do an overall market analysis.
2. Pick a market.
3. Envision a product that will sell to that market.
4. Put out a call for that product.
5. Find product(s).
6. Prepare product for distribution.
7. Focus test product.
8. Distribute product.
9. Advertise product.
10. Advertise product.
11. Advertise product.
12. Advertise product.
13. Rake in the money.
14. Use some of that money on developing new products that might find a market.
That way you could avoid some of mr. dodo head’s suggestions, like downsizing, and forcing authors to market out of their already miniscule percentage of the pie.
Mira says
Actually, I’d switch #6 and #7.
Why has noone put me in charge of the world yet?
It just baffles me.
Laurel says
Mira,
Probably just a little concerned that your world vision might change as frequently as your profile pic. heehee
RW says
Ian, can you loan me your sincerity detector? I’ve always wanted the magic ability to walk into a room full of people and instantly know who was full of it.
oliver says
Maybe this is for next week’s “This Week in Publishing”
https://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/apr/24/espresso-book-machine-launches
I’m psyched for this… one more thorn in Amazon’s side.