So, I don’t know if you’ve heard the news, but we’re in a bit of a recession. I know. I’ll let that sink in. I was floored when I heard yesterday too.
And the recession is coinciding with the rise of digital media and the Internet as a (mostly free) competition for eyeballs and leisure time. Fewer people have the disposable income to buy books, and if they had more money people would be spending more time on the Internet anyway. These two forces are currently squeezing the publishing industry for all it’s worth (and all its worth without an apostrophe too).
One of the big current questions I’ve been receiving is whether this is affecting what I consider representing. Here’s my answer: YES.
Publishers right now want the surest of sure things that are so sure it beats surety over its sure head. And agents have to adjust what they take on accordingly.
I don’t know if you’ve heard this news either, but there are very few sure bets in this business. So editors have to be really really really really really really convinced that they want to invest in a project in order to take it on, particularly for debuts, and particularly particularly for previously published authors with a mixed track record.
This means that editors are looking closely at fewer projects. It means that books that editors may want to acquire may not be cleared for acquisition or it may mean that the editor wants a revision and a perfect manuscript before making an offer. It means that authors whose sales have been respectable but not eye-popping may not have their contracts renewed, or if they are renewed the bookstores may only order half as many copies as they ordered for their last book.
No. Don’t… Don’t jump off the ledge! Come back! YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!!
In the midst of my travels last week I became completely addicted to the TV show Friday Night Lights. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but it’s about a small town in Texas that is completely obsessed with football and in particular its very good high school team. It focuses in part on the coach, the inestimable, talented, and at times beleaguered Coach Taylor.
Now, Coach Taylor is a really good guy. He has a heart and he cares about his players. But he also doesn’t tolerate any dissent and is fond of ending meetings with players with benedictions like, “Now get the hell out of my office,” which makes me giddy every time. Oh, Coach Taylor.
I’m going to channel my inner Coach Taylor on you now and speak in declarative sentences.
“Listen up! We got a big submission Friday night, and the publishers out there are going through some hard times. They want to see your submissions sparkling! They want perfection, and as the literary agent of this here team I aim to give it to ’em! It’s time to look deep inside yourself and step up yer game! This means everything from revising to your queries to your submissions needs to be absolutely 110% perfect. And anyone who wants to cry about it can take off their shoulder pads and get off my field!”
That was fun.
But honestly, we’re all doing the best we can in tough times. There’s more competition at every single stage. I’m getting more queries. There are fewer editors at fewer publishing houses acquiring fewer projects. Bookstores are ordering fewer books. It’s tough out there, and it’s not the time to complain.
It’s time, basically, to look inside yourself and step up yer game.
MH says
This is good advice, but when I see all the Real Housewives of New York getting book deals, I have to scratch my head. I also hear Octo Mom is getting a big deal. Is it really about stepping up your game, or appealing to the commercial market Nathan?
Do you think Fitzgerald and Faulkner would get published today?
I don't know if the advice is about crisping everything up and being perfect is really "all that" although I do like your writing style and post.
I won't be surprised if next everyone on the Real Housewives of New Jersey gets a book deal. π Incidentally, I read that despite a tough economy book sales were only down 1%, True?
Robert A Meacham says
Friday Night Lights! Heck I lived it and in the era that the movie portrays.
Listen up…my heart is full. I will not gripe about hard times. The cream rises to the top, now, yesterday, and tomorrow.
Hey its easy in these three tiny steps as this blog pointed out on Nicholas Spark's Web site:
1. write a great novel
2. write a great query
3. find a great …no hungry agent that believes in your work.
Maybe I have two and three mixed up.
By the way, I don't fumble the ball or run out of bounds to avoid the hit.
Write a winner on two…hut hut.
sex scenes at starbucks says
You make me laugh.
Every. Day.
word ver: Moldoph, Which will be the wizard in my new fantasy.
Anonymous says
I've been writing my book daily for almost 18 years… and am nearing agent query time. Something is needed in theses bad times…and of course I'm sure: it's my book. At least I've located a REAL agent in Nathan: I'm sure he'll take 10 seconds to look at my query to decide wether he wants to read on; rather than letting a helper decide what he should see. Right? Nathan?
Other Lisa says
I love football! I love football metaphors!
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a pretty well-known music engineer who was teaching at a recording school. My band got some free recording time there. He really encouraged me. His line: "You can't make them throw you the football. But you can be ready to catch it when they do."
Oh, and I love FNL. I really need to catch up on that now that BREAKING BAD is done for the year.
Nathan Bransford says
Re: deleted comments
Let's stay reasonably on topic, hmm?
Mira says
Nathan, I'm confused. How is talking about the recession not on topic?
I'm not challenging you, I'm just trying to find out where the line is.
Nathan Bransford says
mira-
It's one thing to talk about the recession and how it impacts books, I just don't see a discussion about media bias ending well given how wrapped up that is in politics.
Mira says
Okay, I see.
My intention had more to do with calming fears, but I can see how it could open a can of worms.
Sorry. No disrepect to the topic intended.
Robert A Meacham says
I apologize Nathan. I knew I was wrong after I hit the enter key.
Nathan Bransford says
No worries, we all have our hot button topics!
Amber Argyle-Smith says
I'm your man!
Er, woman.
Writer?
Anyway, send me in coach!
Marilyn Peake says
Nathan said:
"It depends on how you look at it. It was tough five years ago, but five years ago looks like a bed of roses compared to now."
Thatβs true even within the small press world. Five years ago, it was relatively easy for writers with well-written, out-of-the-box novels and short stories to get published by good small publishing houses. Now, the competition is extremely tough even at those places. One of them actually closed to all authors except those already published there and authors referred by them. Because things change so quickly within the publishing world, I think itβs helpful for authors to get started wherever they can before the next wave of change arrives. I know quite a few authors who have agents and books published by the big publishing houses, and all of them work very, very hard at writing, never giving up when the going gets tough.
Kelly says
Go! Go! Fight! Fight!
Get that WIP into shape tonight!
Go ME!
I'm psyched, Coach.
Hilabeans says
*shiver*
Min says
I love this post because I love FNL. And I'd never thought of it before, but Texas high school football and publishing *are* similar!
Say it with me now: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose!"
π
Jen C says
Oh. My bad. I think Twitter has stripped from me all of my previous (limited) ability to stay on topic.
Meine Entschuldigungen, Nathan.
Sheryl says
Steppin' and poppin…
Anonymous says
question: why is Janet Reid's blog "currently unavailable right now?"
CJB123 says
I usually donβt comment on things that are written on blogs or other types of opinion pieces. However, I felt the need to do so with this particular posting. I think that when a person within the book industry—be it an agent or a publisher—tells writers to step their games up, they are taking the easy way out. The problem is within the industry itself. People arenβt buying books because books arenβt offering anything new. Fiction, especially, has become a craft of parody. The bookstore shelves are filled with the same books. They may have different titles, but they are nonetheless the same books. The industry has become lazy and if it is to be successful, it is up to the people who control it to look for stories that can shift the reading world away from the same old stuff. If the agents and the publishers step up their games and move away from conformity, then Iβm sure they will see that the writers will respond to the challenge.
Nathan Bransford says
cjb123-
I'm only somewhat sympathetic to that. I'm as frustrated as anyone else when editors pick up the latest clone of a book that's already popular, but you really can't tell me that all of the books in a bookstore are all the same or that there is no quality or variety there.
Marilyn Peake says
terryd said:
"It seems as if quite a few of my online writer-friends are being published now. It says a lot about them that they're doing it in this market."
Me, too. I belong to writersβ groups in which authors are constantly finding agents and getting published by the big publishing houses. Two of the writers received 2-book deals, and another recently made the New York Times Best Seller list for the second time. Quite a few write beautiful literary fiction and historical fiction. All of these writers work very, very hard and accept criticism practically without complaint. The excerpts and reviews Iβve read of their work are exceptional, and I was delighted to find one of their books on one of the main displays in my local bookstore.
Anita says
I looove FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS…and everything that's great about it makes for really great novels, too: it's sexy, mysterious, dangerous, etc. And writing is in my system just like football is in Coach's…I'll be putting fingers to keys no matter the economic conditions. Thanks for the pep talk! No get the hell off this comment.
Marilyn Peake says
Many successful big businesses were created during the Great Depression and launched when the Depression ended. I think one way for a writer to stay sane about the publishing world during the current recession is to write, to keep writing, to get better and better at writing, and to have as many polished books and short stories completed by the time the recession ends when there most likely will be a sudden increased demand for new manuscripts.
cjb123 says
Nathan-
Yeahβ¦sure, there may be a few books on the shelves that have originality and when I see one I am sure to buy it. I buy it because it is intellectually stimulating for me and also because I want to support people who are not afraid to break the mold. I went to a writerβs conference a few months back that was advertised as a conference for writers of all genres. Only when I got there, I found myself in the middle of a CSI/Espionage writerβs conference.
I told this story to a friend of mine (also a writer) and she told me about a meeting she had with a literary agent. The agent told her that they very much enjoyed her sample chapters but would not consider representing her because her genre was not βinβ right now. This baffles me. Isnβt good writing, good writing—and isnβt it in the best interest of the writing industry to give the reader the best of what their craft has to offer. All Iβm saying is that the original story nowadays is few and far between.
Nathan Bransford says
cjb123-
You're painting with too far large of a brush, my friend. If you're not finding good books on the shelves you're not looking very hard. And I wouldn't read too much into a single rejection. The agent might have really been trend following or they might have just given a reason to be polite.
I am concerned at the shrinking lists and what that means for literary diversity, but it's far too simplistic to make the kind of generalizations you're making.
cjb123 says
Well, I think we will have to agree to disagree on whether my ideas a too simplistic. Itβs late in Ohio and I need to go to bed. I wanted you to know that I do find most of your ideas refreshing and I always enjoy a good debate. I will say though, that if you do care about the shrinking lists, like you say you do, then use your writing, your connections and your blog to change things. You have a voice and a following—so break the mold.
Rivulus says
So in an effort to step it up without pulling a hamstring, what are your thoughts on revealing the ending in a query letter — particularly if it's germane to "the really great idea"? I know this appropriate, indeed required, in the synopsis. But is it overkill in the query?
Appreciate your insight, Nathan, as always.
Anonymous says
I have to agree with cjb–right before "Black Wednesday," I was getting same-day requests for fulls and partials. But then publishing turned upside down and suddenly agents took days and weeks to reply–mostly no's; requests were few & far between.
In fact, an agent who liked my novel "a lot" backed off representation based on the opinion of one editor who said my time period didn't sell. Editors say they want "fresh and different," but they publish the same old thing over and over…
Lemmings, anyone?
Yamile says
thanks for this down to earth post Nathan. And I'm with Jen C. When I read something like this, I feel stronger drive to do my best and make it, even against all odds.
And on another topic, and I hope you don't delete me:
Not only are you coach Nathan, but also King Nathan, from the Query Tracker. I knew you'd win!
Memoirs of a Bulimic Black Boy says
"Publishers right now want the surest of sure things"
Yes, finally, my high school reputation is going to work in my favor. About time someone pulled the teases card.
Anonymous says
Help! I subscribed to your blog via email and have been having a few problems with Outlook (2007) and particularly the security centre. Now I am not getting your blog anymore and I am very unhappy. Any commenters that can help, please!
Miss Mapp says
Wise post and some discussion you have going here!
Thermocline says
No one is forcing us to write. So all the complaining about the economy, structure of publishing houses, trends, etc. is rubbish. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get published (read: paid) but we are the ones whoβve chosen to write. The odds being stacked against us just forces us to be better writers, which is what we should want anyway.
The First Carol says
This is a perfect follow up from the Write to Publish Conference last Friday. Great, great stuff. Education is everywhere and so are books. It's worth it to me to read as many as possible this weekend and keep all publishing friends in jobs. Any suggestions from your sidebar? I'm feeling flush and a Powell's moment coming on.
PS I don't watch TV, do you think it would make me a better writer? And, Coach, do you wear that crown on the field…just asking.
Anonymous says
If we aren't allowed a ledge, would a nice, tall bridge do?
The alternative to that is to just stop trying, and write for fun. Perhaps I'll try that. Yes. Much better.
Anonymous says
P.S. To explain my previous comment… the other readers of this blog are so superb it would take me a decade to catch up with you. But perhaps in ten years the economy will be better anyhow!
Mary says
Nathan,
You've inspired me!
I'm going out to do wind sprints right now!
superwench83 says
So do you think the rise in the number of submissions you see is actually related to the recession? Do you think some people who know nothing about the industry are naively thinking they can get a book published and make an easy buck? Or is a rise in quality also accompanying the rise in submissions?
Pamela T Hammonds says
The fourth happiest day in my life (I have three kids) was when I heard FNL got picked up for TWO new seasons. If I had to say good-bye to Coach Taylor and Tami and the kids, I would have worn black for a month. (Or at least metaphorically–I look really washed out in black unless I have a tan.) It's hands-down the best casted, best written show on television. Best episode: This season when Tyra has to write her college entrance essay. Makes me tear up to think of it. Nathan, with your audience, maybe you can convert enough viewers that we can keep FNL on the air until Coach Taylor has to hobble around the sidelines with a cane. Gracias for the shout-out.
The First Carol says
superwench83: I believe the rise in the number of queries is the extended world of recession-depressionites escaping into another dimension: fiction.
Matilda McCloud says
My husband works for a major NYC publisher and tells me that the only thing selling now is "YA paranormal romance." But for how long? He brings me home lots of free books. I read 20 pages of one novel that they had big hopes for and predicted it would sink like a stone (it did). Now that same novel is a bestseller in paperback–so much for my predictions.
I guess that's what gives me hope. Publishing is such an inexact science (unlike, say, the automobile industry where if you produce a crummy car, people won't buy it). Even the "sure bets," like celebrity-driven stuff, are not guaranteed to sell.
In this economy, however, writers do have to make sure their manuscript sparkles before sending it out. Don't send out your first drafts. Send out your 30th draft. Writers also need to query widely. Don't give up after 25-50 queries.
Beth says
I never wanted to be second string to begin with. Thanks for the pep talk, coach. I think I'll hire a professional editor right now!
P.S. I was a cheerleader. Does that count? And I dated a quarterback. Football is a good thing. π
Scott says
I intend to make Cormac McCarthy look like a complete wussy, coach!
Brigid says
Clear eyes, full hearts.
Can't lose.
Dara says
Thanks for the pep talk! It can get frustrating seeing what's happening, but the best we can do is keep writing. Even if my books aren't meant to be published, I at least had fun writing them! π
Chuck H. says
After reading all this gloom and doom (and football! For cryin' out loud!) I'm about ready to chuck it all (pun intended) and hit the road. How about a new version of Motorcycle Diaries or maybe Travels With Harley?
Christine H says
Nathan,
I've scrolled through the comments but don't have time to read them all in detail. I just wanted to say that I don't think it's *quite* cricket of you to say that we need to have "the surest of sure things" without giving us any kind of criteria against which to judge ourselves.
I know the market is constantly changing, agents, editors and publishers are very subjective, etc. etc. but can't you give us even a couple of pointers by which to judge ourselves?
Even a little hint? Something? Anything?
Nona says
"Publishers right now want the surest of sure things that are so sure it beats surety over its sure head. And agents have to adjust what they take on accordingly."
And if publishers were stock brokers, they probably would have wanted GM. Lots and lots of it!
verification: pucki
KayKayBe says
My new song for writing is "Chariots of Fire"!