Would you believe that there wasn’t any earth-shattering publishing news this week in publishing? WalMart didn’t slash the price of hardcovers to 99 cents, a new e-reader didn’t debut, and we’re all still here. Thank goodness there are still links:
GalleyCat asked the provocative question Do Authors Really Need Agents? For the most part the answer was, “Um… yes. They do.”
In e-book news, Amazon announced that they created a PC Kindle app (link via Greg Peisert), so you can now read your Kindle books on Kindles, iPhones, and your computer. I’m told you can also still read books on paper, but I haven’t been able to confirm that rumor.
Editorial Anonymous has a great response to a reader who wonders if editors (and presumably agents) know they are dream crushers. EA makes a crucial distinction: we hold your work in our hands, not your dreams. No one should be able to crush your dreams with a rejection. She writes, “dreams are achieved through your hard work, and not through the miraculous intervention of others.” Word.
A former vice-presidential candidate has a new book out, and the Associated Press got their hands on an early leaked copy (Palin reportedly is none too happy about the leak and the review). Sarah Weinman, writing for Daily Finance, took a look at the economics of the book advance and calculates that Harper would have to sell around 400,000 copies in hardcover to break even. Is that a safe bet? The Millions’ guess (and mine as well): you betcha.
In The Rejectionist news, Le R. announced the winners of her form rejection contest, which had such hysterical entries I don’t know how she even picked winners. She also took note of this week’s query trend: angels. Particularly angels tempting girls with their “smoking hot bods and snowy snowy wings.” Wow. Heaven help us all. (get it??? get it???)
@lilliamr noted a PW article about a new query service making the rounds that would pre-screen queries for agents to make sure that they conform to their guidelines and genres of interest before the agent sees them. Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware sums up the mixed history of these types of ventures. I won’t be signing up, but all you have to do is take a look at Jessica Faust’s rapturous post about her query holiday to get a sense of how much of a strain it is these days to keep up with the query pile. Yes, aspiring authors are busy too and all that, but the time it takes to read them all (let alone respond) may be approaching a point of unsustainability.
Twitter lists are fast becoming the hot new thing in the Twittersphere, and thanks very much to GalleyCat for including me in their Best Agent Twitter feeds list. I’ve created some nascent lists of my own that will continue to grow, including my clients, editors, writers, publishers, agents, and other non-editor publishing types.
In self-publishing news, Andrew Sullivan announced that he is working with Blurb.com to create a self-published coffee table book version of his View From Your Window posts, and is crowd-sourcing an estimate of what the initial print run should be. An interesting experiment indeed.
HTMLGIANT notes a Cormac McCarthy interview wherein he suggests that the days of the 700 page MOBY DICK-style literary doorstopper are completely over: “Nobody will read it. I don’t care how good it is, or how smart the readers are. Their intentions, their brains are different.”
And finally, can I get a NaNoWriMo status update? How are all the Word Marathoners doing out there?
Have a great weekend!
Scott, actually Carina Press will look at your 50K word novel. I have info and submission guidelines on my blog at
http:annerallen.blogspot.com
Darn. Blogger won't let me make that link live. But you can click through my picture.
Kind of exciting. Carina is looking at most genres (except YA.)
Although, in my heart, I love Ink's take on the whole ebook thing. Treeware is so very glitch-free.
I think I'm with Cormac (can I call him Cormac??) on the boat anchor novel. My book club recently decided on 'The Pillars of the Earth' and I just. Couldn't. Do it. And I didn't lose a wink of sleep over it either.
NaNoWriMo count over 30K!! And thanks for the update on the week that wasn't…
My YA angel book is probably in the Rejectionist's stack as we speak. Guess my agent will know who the Rejectionist is pretty soon!
62,000 words and counting. Aiming to finish the draft before the end of the month, though, not just to reach 50K. The book itself has decided it doesn't want to be a story about the Trojan War, and Helen's WHOLE life, it wanted to focus on her abduction by Theseus… sooo… that's where we are now.
Just under 27K, and will be dying to see your post about how many queries you get right on 12/1 as people finish up their fantastic first drafts. 😉 I despair of EVER getting published. Not an angel, vampire, or overweight woman happy with herself to be found. *weeping ensues*
Thanks for posting the link regarding the angel trend. Even though I'm writing a YA angel novel, that information doesn't ruffle my feathers. It just tells me I need to work harder to stand out in the slush pile.
Besides, by the time I send my query on that piece, a new trend will have subdued the angels. Maybe honest alien politicians with webbed feet.
At the risk of sounding sacrilegious…Twitter is the devil.
No one cares if I'm sitting on the potty right now or stuck in traffic. My life is not that exciting, so no twitter for me.
As for NaNoWriMo, I've hit 41K words and am done for the day. I think I can even spare a few days off for my birthday 🙂
Yikes. 24,762 words, and now I feel like such a lightweight looking at what other people have got. How do people do it?
Nathan, I will not be querying you when it's done, 'cause I've been otherwise agented… no hard feelings, I did enjoy querying you while it lasted.
Amanda P.– lol! Now apparently you have to watch out that it doesn't come back looking for forbidden love 'n' file-sharing with the next computer you get.
I'm 28k words into my novel, and I figure I will finish up the first draft by Christmas.
Is a novel that is 80-100k words a reasonable length for a new author?
Thanks for the link to the Cormac McCarthy interview. I originally planned to expand my NaNo novel to 600K, but will reconsider. Right now I'm at 33K and feel alright. But that's just my query. 😉
I like what EA said.
At the moment I am at 21k with about 500 more words to go until I reach my daily goal. And surprisingly it doesn't COMPLETELY suck, just…mostly I guess. In Dec. I'll continue the Nano pace if I haven't yet finished the novel. Then come revisions. I am scared for that.
Did you see this one?
TEN WAYS TO WRITE A BESTSELLING NOVEL By Paul A. Toth
…at Flatmancrooked.com
Dear Mr. Bransford,
You wrote: Do Authors Really Need Agents? For the most part the answer was, "Um… yes. They do."
Funny how my read on that same GalleyCat article was, um, AGENTS say, yes, writers need us, but the sole writer quoted in the piece simply said, "Fuck no!" (for the most part)
Seems to me that writers don't *need* agents, but agents absolutely need writers.
Respectfully,
JesusAngelGarcia
Karen ~ Great, I have to be on the lookout for a computer love affair from beyond the grave. That would so be my luck. lol
But I'm getting a Mac next, so that will solve all of my virus and haunting problems, right? 😉
I love your week in publishing!
I'm at about 22k for NaNo, which is behind where I want to be because I'm aiming for more than 50k. I hope to get ahead this weekend. I broke the rules and edited some pages because I'm trying to get into this writing workshop, and I'm more excited about this story than anything I've ever written. I hope it pays off.
Also, I can't believe you asked for NaNo stats. Either you think we're crazy and want to prove that we are epically failing across the board, or you want to cheer us on. I haven't decided yet.
@21,000 for NaNoWriMo. If I can get another 4K this weekend, I'll be on track. A nice way to jump start a new book, even if there are necessary additions, endless rewrites, edits, edits, edits in my future 🙂
read about Carina Press on Combreviations Blog — Laura of Pimp My Novel friday fame. She's got some links too.
I'm just over 17,000 words for NaNo. Thanks for asking.
I could say something pithy about your blog today Nathan, but I was again distracted by your not so subtle way of letting your readers know who you like politically.
I have to say I'm not interested in your opinions in that area as much as I know you aren't interested in mine.
Why don't you stick to reviewing the publishing world as an indifferent agent? It sure would make reading your blog easier. I read it for info from your job, not your political views.
NaNoWriMo: 21,032 words. I have been un-contracting contractions (my YA characters sound like early readers) and tagging EVERY dialog line.
kk-
You'd have to be pretty darn sensitive to take offense to anything I said in that post.
Having a blast with NaNoWriMo – currently at 24K and will be at 30+ by Monday. I have the writing part down. Now I need to work on editing the manuscripts I've written. Sigh.
I was scratching my head on where I read that bit about 99¢ book price wars yada yada yada, since seeing the John Grisham interview on the Today Show. He really put it all in perspective.
I'm at just over 22K words in my quest for 50K and something usable at the end of it all.
Oh, and I've been reading Janet Evanovich's "How I Write" to help give me an extra push this month. And a literary agent is a must if you are serious about being taken serious[ly].
NaNo Count: 27,883 words…and they're not even the same word typed over and over…yay me!
Agents are always going to be important for authors and for the publishing industry itself, regardless of what it morphs into.
Writers need to write and agents sell their wares. And the arena where the work is sold and published is an increasingly complicated. Further, a good agent can help groom writers to coax out the best prose. They can see the strengths and weaknesses and provide a perspective the writer can seldom glimpse. Agents= perspective.
In my experience, they can also help writer cope with the inevitable mind/body roller coaster. I don't have to tell those writing out there, that this is a physically demanding endeavor. Just like a professional trainer, a good agent can suggest the places that could use conditioning and attention. More than handy– vital.
So, I actually think agents are now much more important than ever before. Today's market is shifting wildly and is more complex than at any time in history, and only someone with a sufficient vantage can hope to seize the opportunities skittering across the publishing horizon.
My opinion: a good agent, has never been so valuable.
Personally, I think Cormic is right about book length. Sure, there is always going to some long books that sell. But I think we are going to see page counts go downward. My fav books tend to be relatively short ones.
This has probably already been said– I can't read all 87 of the comments, but the doorstopper over? Ha, I say, HA! What were the first weekend sales of Stephen King's new 1074 page book?
My copy is sitting next to me here on the bed.
lol, I mean what *WILL* be the first weekend sales of SK's new book.
I refuse to believe that the epic is dead.
Huh. No offense to the person who was bothered, but I looked all over for the political message and I couldn't find it. I tried making anagrams out of the first letter of every sentence, but that didn't work. Anyway, I have a call in to Dan Brown, maybe he can help me break the code, because I have no clue.
So, very fun links, Nathan, thanks.
In terms of NaNo, not this year for me. I totally cheer on everyone who is participating though! Cheer, cheer! Go, writers!
Gordon – the main thing agents do isn't negotiate contracts. Agents are a publisher out-sourcing of the job function of locatinng manuscripts. Publishers don't want to deal with the slush pile, or weeding folks out, so they basically 'hire' agents on a commission basis to sort through the submissions and bring them the best. That job function isn't likely to go away.
Agents do other things too, like negotiating rights, and stuff like that. Nathan has a post on it somewhere recent.
Also, agents are starting to take on more mentoring functions, which, given the changing landscape, makes sense. Publishers used to develop their writers; I think that job duty is also now falling to agents.
So many great links, I'll be reading this weekend. Hopefully about an angel with a smoking hot bod. Odd. Usually I don't think of angels as sexual seducers. I also don't usually snowy, snowy wings as….um, I can't even think of a word for it. But I'm willing to reconsider.
I thought the Rejectionist was a guy.
Not doing NaNo the traditional way. I'm working on something I'd already started and reporting on facebook each night. Started at 40,828 Nov 1 and just passed 60,000 tonight. Small potatoes for some of my friends but remarkable for me. I try to hit 2,000 a day, six days a week, with extensive re-writing as I go along. I'm content with where I'm at. – And, yes, I'm perfectly aware that's lousy grammar. Oh well.
NaNoWrimo = 27k words in and ahead of schedule! I'm totally loving this style of punching out a first draft. 😀
Shanann says: two thumbs up… Its a Like!
I like long books!
Oh, word verification: eplow. E-plow? I'm not sure what that would be but it's very evocative.
Woo-hoo…checking in at 19,519! The goal is to be at 25,000 by the end of the weekend. I've updated my YA novel synopsis if anyone is interested.
Author: michcarl
Link to profile: https://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/170996
Some days have come easier than others, but the exciting part is that I love the story that is unfolding, and I'm looking forward to revisions afterwards.
Okaaaaay…
a PW article about a new query service making the rounds that would pre-screen queries for agents …
So the real question is Do agents need an agent?
NaNo update: abject failure. 3k words written, 22k more required to catch up. But I'm getting very good at devising new writing avoidance strategies – like this one …
Hmm,with these eBook thingies…how long before authors have to do soundtracks for their books?
Gordon,
You always seem to talk about literary agents like used car salesmen, as if they're unliterary product pushers. But that doesn't square with my experience at all, or what I see when I look across the industry. I think pretty much every agent I've come across has been a diehard book person. There are far more profitable things to sell, if selling is what you're into.
Agents are generally people who have studied literature, love books, and have worked themselves up in the industry. Some of them write themselves, and many have extensive experience as editors. It's pretty dismissive of the profession and the people in it, people who may naturally be drawn to complex series of tasks necessary to perform well in that profession. Which includes a cross-section of literary and business skills.
It's an unnecessary devaluation, I think, and doesn't really square very much with what's out there. I'm guessing there's a whole lot of writers out there who are thankful for the literary and editorial skills of their agents. Yes, some will be better at this than others, and some will do more of it, as well. But that's the same with every profession. And part of the job of the writer is to try and find the sort of agent that suits them.
Your argument reminds me of the one always thrown at English teachers – oh, you're just a failed writer. If you can't write, teach… but that's dismissive (and a little insulting) to the art of teaching, to what might be someone's calling.
I do agree that they're might be growing niches in the industry for indie publishers. I mean, there's already a lot of good small presses out there, like Soft Skull. And especially, I think, if the Indie publishers are patient and interested in supporting a writer's career, shepherding them through their first books and slowly building a readership – something that the big publishers are far less inclined to do than they once were.
Dear Nathan,
Thanks for your great advice on all agent/publishing matters. Recently, my agent sold my first book so your articles really resonated with me. Best Wishes, Mira Bartok
There are two Mira's? Oh, lord this is going to get confusing! NaNo update: ah crap, never mind.
Word Ver: cladism – the firm belief that one should be clad – in something.
NaNo update– As an edit-as-you-go perfectionist (so NOT working), I am loving NaNo. I'm working on quantity and storyline over quality, but will spend January and, well, let's face it probably the six months after that in NaNoRevismo (so named by the INTERN)making that quantity sing with quality.
Word count? A mealy-mouthed 11,133, but the weekend shall avenge me.
Nathan,
I was so pleased to read your shout out to the NaNoWriMos.
It would be *way* fun to see the kind of writing that comes out of that project that are also regulars here.
Maybe you could run a NathanNaNoWrMo
excerpt blog.
One (to three?) paragraph excerpts(from anywhere in the novel!) from the finished NathanNaNoWriMo winners.
NaNo update: 26,882.
Halfway to 50K, but only a quarter of the way to my 80K goal, which I'm gonna try and make by the end of the year 🙂 Then in January, I'm going to start the loooong process of editing.
Aiming to hopefully have it polished enough to start querying next year. Eeep!
Ok I should've been more clear in my post–I meant that I'm hoping to start querying by November of next year. I'm not one of those rushing to get my NaNo novel out within two months 😛
I'm at nearly 20,000 words on nano with a brand new story idea. I use nano to flesh out whether I've got a full novel in my idea, or is it better suited for a short story. I don't know until the end of November. For nano, I allow myself to free associate, use terrible grammar and just get the idea on paper. No plotting, no notes, no planning. And NO EDITING. NONE!
So, nano is worth it…for the ride. I'd suggest really trying it one time. Get in on it now, and make yourself do 25,000 words in 2 weeks. Post your progress. Join some forums. Have some fun and really push yourself to your own personal limits.
OMG, the Angel blogpost was hilarious !!!