Rejecting Publishers

Rejecting publishers? You would think it's always been the other way around. Yet maybe you don't realize that you do have that option and can enforce it any time you like. I'm not talking about random dismissals or motives sparked by revenge or anger. I'm referring to instances where the publisher seems, not only not right for you, but something else is amiss. Something's not kosher and you can't quite put your finger on it. Although you're desirous of seeing your book in digital form or print, and nothing would boost your ego more or delight your family members than having that happen, you'd better slam on the brakes and start thinking with your gray matter instead of listening to your heart. 

A BOOK THAT IS BADLY PUBLISHED IS WORSE THAN ONE NOT PUBLISHED AT ALL.

Remember that. Because if you don't heed that warning you're likely to end up with a very bad publishing decision that could hamper or even ruin your writing career. I've been through this more than once, so allow me to throw you a life preserver if you feel lost, alone and confused in a potentially hazardous environment. There are also subtle warning signs as well as the obvious ones, and I'd like to point out some these traps and snares that could land you a very bad contract and end product. 

The Obvious--do some research. Visit sites like Predators and Editors, AbsoluteWrite (writing group) and Piers Anthony's e-book publishing forum. Type the name of the publisher into the search bar and bring up the dirt, if there is any. You'll find comments or articles from past authors or site managers who've accumulated reports and testimonials about the publisher. Look for "not recommended" declarations, poor performance, late or no royalty payments, low royalty percentages on "net", non-communication or response, unimpressive back-list numbers, lack of distribution to even the online retailers, back-end fees, irregular publishing schedules, requests for family and friends email links, any charge upfront contingent upon editing, the printing process or distribution and anything else that might immediately warn you off. 

What if everything looks good, even great on the surface and you find no negative reports? These are the ones that can slip by you, suck you in and sink you. You'll find these red flags in the contract, but before you even get that far, read their website from stem to stern--open up every link and peruse all of their files. The mission statement is where you'll start, followed by the submission guidelines, then the "About Us" page. After 25 years I've seen it all. In just the past 2.4 years I've rejected 14 publishers, putting two of them in the dugout.

Here are some not so obvious and obvious warning signs that you're headed for trouble:

When the publisher asks you for an itemized email list of your associates, group members, family relatives and friends, co-workers or any other contact source. This will be for a mass, spam e-mailing campaign, targeting potential customers. Nothing could irk your friends and associates more than this unexpected ad slam.

When a publisher mentions or stipulates that an author's duty is to self-promote and market the book, including examples on on how to do so--sell at conventions or street corners, solicit major radio, newspaper and television media, hold bookstore signing events where you purchase bulk copies of your books without the financial aid/assistance of the publisher, recommendations to purchase banner or page ads, entering fee-charging contests, and so on, you're headed for trouble. This type of information/participation doesn't have to be mentioned--it's already implied--most writers dig in and promote anyway, but if it's emphasized, especially more than once on the website or contract, you know this publishers is going to do little or nothing to get your name and your book out there. If you fall for this one, congratulations. You've just hired yourself on as an unpaid sales and publicity person. 

When the publisher suggests or has an agreement that you purchase a specific number of copies for resale, and you are provided a special discount price to do so. In this case, the reader is not the customer--the writer is.  Vanity.

When the publisher states that you must reach a certain e-book sales threshold before you are allowed to go to print. This one is becoming more prevalent, but it also indicates a lack of financial solvency. They don't have the basic start-up print funds. Avoid.

When you find in the contract that the publisher will not provide any free author copies. Look for this one.  This one's very subtle and it might not mean much to you. But take heed; it means the publisher is a shoe-stringer and the only alternative you have is to purchase your own books for posterity and/or for giveaways or reviews. This is mirroring a vanity operation with the mirror being held very far a way.

When the royalty amount is based on net. Net can mean postage, editing, cover art, retail discounts, returns and just about anything connected with the book's production and distribution. You'll need it spelled out in the contract in regard to what constitutes their interpretation of net royalty. 

When the publisher sells exclusively on their website, with maybe one other retail source. Here's a list of a few retailers where you'd like to see your book available for sale.

Amazon Kindle
Amazon Create Space
All Romance
Bookstrand
iTunes (iBookstore)
Sony
Kobo
Copia
Barnes & Noble Nook
Overdrive Content Reserve (distributes to libraries and various retailers)
Lightning Source (an Ingram Company

When a publisher will not provide even a token advance. They have NO financial backing, regardless of their excuse that their high royalty rates more than makes up for it. The entire sales of the book and risk is on you. Not them. They have no incentive to make their money back, only the production costs, and that's likely after YOU have sold a sufficient number of copies to recoup the expense. 

When a publisher has an extravagant termination clause--$500 plus, ranging into the thousands.

When a publisher who does POD and e-book charges you a set-up fee for a print addition. Again, this means their pockets are empty.

When a publisher refers you to an in-house or associate editing service before the contract is signed.  Does conflict of interest ring a bell?

When a publisher keeps delaying or pushing your print schedule ahead. This is more often a sign that they are experiencing some type of difficulty, probably financial, dealing with the set-up and print fee. This is after all the work (cover art and editing) has been completed.

When a publisher places very high prices on their e-book or print books. Either their overhead is unnaturally high or they've got Mr. Greed whispering in their ear.

When a publisher has a very small back-list or none at all. This shows they're new to the game, perhaps too new to have established an adequate reader fan base. Two years in the business is enough time to determine if they're in this for the long haul and have a decent roster of authors and books.

When a publisher does not send out ARCs (author's review copies) or galleys to the major or even minor media review sources. Reason--high cost of books and postage for print editions. For e-books? Plain laziness. 

When a publisher switches editors (or several) on you midstream. Something's up. Like a disgruntled commission-paid employee has jumped ship, the editor is sick (multiple times), or some other snafu is interrupting the process. Generally, one or two-person publishing operations are very limited in what they can do so when an emergency arises it has them scrambling for back-up help that they never had to begin with.

When a publisher suffers not, agents. Any publisher who refuses to deal with agents is one you don't want. Something is amiss with their business practices and they don't wish to reveal, haggle over it or amend their contract. 

Listen and feel for your Spidy sense, people. If something seems off, investigate it more thoroughly. Don't settle. You don't have to.  

Publishing Then and Now

My apologies to my regular readers; I've been hammering out "money-writing", my commitment to my magazines, content studios and clients. If I don't, I can't pay the bills and keep my Internet going. I'm sure you know the feeling and apprehension. I'm currently waiting on AutoZone and BrakeMasters to get back to me with some massive projects, so I have some time to slide in here.

Publishing Then and Now. What a difference. I'm one of the dinosaurs from the old school. That means I started out with an IBM Selectric and suffered hard copy submissions in the very beginning. Shorty after I graduated to a basic X-T computer that had the Q & A word-processing program. If we were lucky we were allowed to send 5.5-inch floppy disks to the editors, but it mostly remained hard mail subs via the information gleaned in the Writers Yearbook, the writer's bible of the day. It was very expensive to send a full manuscript with enough postage for return. Short stories weren't too bad, although the cost added up if you knocked them out pretty regularly. We wrote for copies back then, submitting to the small press who took a shine to newbie writers. That's how I started anyway. I fondly remember Ourborous, Space and Time, Doppelganger, Pandora, Alpha Adventures, Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories and so many others that are gone now, lingering only in my memory. We probably had the Big 60 back then, not the Big 6, or is it the Big 4 or 5 now?

Back in the day, oh, about 25 years ago, I started almost the same year that James D. McDonald did, and Ann Crispin was a rising star. The good things I remember: there was such a thing as a small publisher for fiction and nonfiction that paid advances in the thousands. There were even mid-sized publishers like Crown and Zebra that paid handsomely. They had actual publicity departments back then, and if you wrote popular non-fiction titles you were assured to land on dozens of radio programs and even major TV network news and variety programs. It was very common to have medium to large print runs in the thousands and you most assuredly landed in every library and bookstore in the country--I did. Waldens and B. Dalton were two of the heavy-weight hitters in the retail sector. Trade format was called Quality Trade Paperback, and of course, we had mass-market paperback distribution. There was no digital--you were print--take it or leave it. I think narrated books were manufactured on tape cassette, if you had that in your contract. Chances are you sold through too, earning some nice royalty checks, at least high triple digit figures. And if you were good enough you landed in your favorite organization--mine was the Science Fiction Writers of America, before they took on the fantasy crowd.

That was then. What's happened now?

I didn't write or publish from about 1992 to 2005. A very long hiatus. I entered the Internet age with high expectations, in awe of the wonderful writing/editing programs, ease of email submissions, ease of research and instant communication. I had no idea what print-on-demand was but found out the hard way that just about anybody could set up a publishing house and use POD tech to print writer's material. I won't go into the gory details of what happened to me, but after three years I felt I was no longer in the real publishing industry. POD, it seemed to me other than being useful for reprinting back-list and out-of-print titles, was a terrible bane on the industry. I still feel that way today--it ruined it. There were no more advances, precise editing, publicity departments and all the other long-gone amenities, except within the very large NYC houses.

I saw the e-book digital revolution in its rise and monumental climb in the retail market. In 2009 I saw the first mass exodus to self-publishing via Amazon and the rush of thousands of writers who preferred or had no other option than to self-publish. Since then hundreds of thousands of self-published books have brought a suffocating glut to the market. I saw lines drawn in the sand between traditional and self-published authors and heard cries of foul, shouts of independence and victory, mumblings about gatekeepers, declarations of rotten writing and published slush, and insistence that the printed book was here to stay. I witnessed Borders and hundreds of independent bookstores tank--the mortar softening and crumbling the bricks that showcased the greatest writers in the world. 

I can't really express how I think of the industry today other than to say I long for the old days, the dinosaur days when things were not as complicated and tainted by so much chicanery, pomp, greed and deceit. Oh, there's still great writing and publishing opportunities out there, if you consider selling 75 to 150 books and pulling meager royalties for it an accomplishment. Or you could beat the odds and land a large commercial deal. Landing that big commercial deal today seems dependent upon what kind of genre and writing you're into--for me, it's not the Twilight or 50 shades tomes that have risen from obscurity. I guess I've never felt so out of touch in my writing life as I do today. I'm not a real good romance writer/reader and I'm not likely to read or write a book that features six-pack abs on the cover, although they have done that to me. But the readers rule, you know, and I can't change that.

Is the publishing industry broken? It's never really been broken, only suffered the normal growing pains that any other industry has sustained over its long past. It's changed. Dramatically. Anyone in the world can publish now and this is what will eventually impede or destroy the careers of many serious writers. Publishers who make it through this transition will survive and even prosper. Readers will never, ever have it any better as far as selection and low prices. But we writers will be lost in an ocean of books that will sink to unfathomable depths, and that's only because the market will be so polluted, diluted and vast, that no one will be able to find us. We can't even be found on the most popular social media sites since the glut there is just as crowded, misused and insensitive to our pleas. 

I have never in my accumulative 12 years in the business seen a sales stoppage of all my titles that lasted for six months. I'm seeing that now. I'm seeing woefully few print sales for just about all of my writing peers, including myself. Caveat: I'm small press--even good small press. Without distribution you're shot. And the only houses that can furnish distribution are those brand name publishers, most of them out of NYC. 

My campaign strategy over the past few years has been to decline every single contract that I've been offered that didn't meet with my expectations. The total is now 14 publishers. I won't settle anymore. I'm not in this for the ego boost. I'm not in this to hold a book in my hand--I've held lots of them already. If you don't have distribution and offer an advance, you're history. My agent knows this too, and she's agog trying to sell four of my completed books and we're not even getting a wink. On top of this, I foresee (which is already happening) the top name brand publishers going on the hunt for the most popular, best-selling self-published books. Their slush piles, even from agents, are not the place to find the next big thing as they might have been. They have only to target and contract the self-published superstars and let their marketing and publicity departments take vacations. There will be exceptions, of course. Hell, I can't blame them--this is a money-making business. The publishers and readers will win. I'm sorry, but I see us writers languishing more and more as time flitters by. Unless something is done.

Not venting. Sadly reflecting. Hoping and wishing.

Is there a bright spot in all of this? Yep, I think I see one. Although we might not transit back to the old dinosaur days, we're going to recover and see a resurgence in the quality of the written word--a time when the gatekeepers are called back from their divots under the rocks, to really examine and analyse the dregs that have washed up on the shore as a result of this self-publishing tsunami. The readers will be the ones who start the new wave and their calls will be heard loud and clear: "Will somebody please do something about this crap that's awash in the market? Where in the hell are the editors? Where's the quality control?" These questions are being raised in earnest right now. We'll have an answer or two but I'm not sure what form it will take.

How will this revolutionary wave start? It's already started. You can sell millions of self-published books for a few dollars and get away with it for a few years before the readers get wise and find that they're missing the bulls eye as far as quality more than they're discovering it. Instead of saving money on what appears to be great bargains they're spending more to find a diamond in the coal pile. Spend $10 on 10 books to find two or three winners, and you're still losing. The odds have got to be better. A publisher's name MUST stand behind their product. It's either that, or the present or next generation of readers are going to become so disenchanted that the last recreational resource they'll turn to is reading a book. Then the game industry will laugh even louder on their way to the bank.

I made this prediction many moons ago. The self-publishing bubble is going to burst. I give a year to 18 months. Then will come a point of stagnation. That's when the real publishers will have to be ready to strike with a hot iron and revamp the industry and take over their lost rank and file. They're already starting to introduce digital-only imprints. Now, if they'll just get their fuckin' prices down they'll win back the lion's share. It's that simple.

Am I slamming self-publishing? No. It's not their fault. Besides, I'd have to slam myself.     



   

Nudging Brick Walls

Ever have the feeling you're about to attempt the impossible and nudge a publishing brick wall? Have your given that publisher more than enough time to respond to a simple query, synopsis, outline/proposal, chapters or full manuscript? I'll bet you let them slide for extra days or weeks, just hoping that you were temporarily lost in the sea of slush. I've gone so far as to allow a couple of months over a standard response time and still heard nothing but crickets. I can understand those houses that don't respond if they're not interested and state those facts in the submission guidelines. That's bad enough and we all have to live with those. Problem is, we never rightly know if our material made it to destination, which leaves us with an empty spot in our gut, a vacuum that can't be filled. Compound this with "And it's the perfect story--exactly what they're looking for."
 
 I was looking at my submission spreadsheet tonight and feeling pretty depressed by the amount of non-responders showing up. My submissions dates for small press and some of the larger independents are dating back to the 11th month of 2011. I have about 47 submissions dating from that time up until just yesterday. When I receive a rejection I black bold the publisher's title/name so it stands out. Needless to say, I've never seen so much white space in all my life.  My three agents over the past 24 years have complained of the same thing--"They won't answer my queries or submissions." Or "I can't believe how long this is taking." Or "I'm sorry this is taking so much time."

And yes, I know about Tor and Baen and the others that can take up to a year or more.

Then those feelings surface and I wonder if I'll have the strength to go through the ritual again. Why do I keep telling myself I should have to? It's a needless, almost torturous experience. You instantly fear that a nudge is going to speed things along all right, but in the negative. You feel like you're putting a gun to their head. Then they pull on the emergency brake and stop the train just for you, digging you out of the pile, scanning the files looking for your story title and your name or pen name. I hope you supplied then with a submission date so they know how far back to look. If not, you've just taken up more of their time and they're apt to give you the heave-ho after failing to find you in their system. Nothing can be more awkward than that. Except one thing:

Calling them on the phone.

Don't even do this. Unless they state that a quick, polite call is allowed, bury those feelings in your backyard about 10 feet under.  If they suggest that you can nudge after a six to eight-week wait, then do so but give them another two or three weeks margin. They might have had an open call or a conference attendance that's driven their email traffic up, creating a back-slog of material. I generally nudge about the four-month mark after a query, synopsis or 3 chapters. If sending in a full manuscript is standard, I let it go about six or seven months--no kidding, that long. For a requested full, about five to six months is adequate. I really wouldn't carve into their time much sooner than that, but you can try and hope you get away with it. 

When should you give up? If they don't reply to my nudge in three months I sign them off and make a note (spreadsheet) of their unwillingness to contact me. By the way, this has been happening more and more in the past three years. You can nudge twice but what's the reason for it if they haven't responded by your second letter. You should also check the writing and warning boards and publisher listings--you might be beating a dead horse--a folded publisher. If they respond to your nudge and tell you they're reading it right now or it's next on their list, I would not nudge them again. Ever. If it's good news it'll come. You've said enough.

How should you do it? In the subject line, I put "Submission Status Question." That's real safe and it gets their attention. Especially anything with "Question" in it. Works every time, if they're organizing their emails carefully. Try to find the proper contact email for a question or report. It's usually called the "support" link or url. You can email the regular submission email, and surprisingly, they do fish those out pretty quick. Very fast, in fact, like instantly or the next day. 

How about the wording? How about something like this or a variation of it:

"Hello or Dear, (Agent or Editor)
Good tidings for the New Year! (seasonal suck-up salutation). Please consider this a polite inquiry in regard to the status of my full submission of Fusion, an adult thriller, to Wonderful House Publications on 3-18-2012. Any information about its ongoing reading or rejection would be much appreciated.
Yours most kindly,
Chris Stevenson"

Make it swift and painless. Don't go into any complicated or emotional spiels, threaten, bribe or beg. You were just la, la,la wondering what happened to little old/young you, seemingly lost in their magnificent database, and would they be kind enough to well...GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE OR OFFER SOME GRACE AND SALVATION, FOR GAWD'S SAKE!

Creating a Vile, Believable Antagonist

I have probably had more comments and reactions from my character the Wax Man, than any other. He appears in The War Gate, a paranormal romance/thriller. He is actually a sub-antagonist, an assassin hired by the main antagonist. Most of these observations have come from beta readers and direct email, only one popped up in an Amazon review. I'll list it here. It was quite a nice cap feather.

"Thoroughly enjoyed this novel, enough it makes me reluctant to start another book! I want more! Yet I cannot fully explain the hows or whys of how it gripped me... and I've never been 'freaked out' by anything I've read, including years of Stephen King however the Wax Man now reigns as the one who did it for me!"

Any antagonist you create must be a multi-dimensional, faceted and just as complicated and real as your protagonists or main characters. Physical description is one dimension--special skills and intelligence are another, and MOTIVATION is yet another. A little history and back-story doesn't hurt either.To fully draw a believable villain you must humanize them somehow, even if it is some type of monster or mythological creature. You have only to draw comparisons to human emotion and motivation to give us a hint about what possesses this creature or being to act the way it does. 

The best antagonists are the ones that we can empathize or sympathize with--it's not all negative and evil we're after. Batman's Joker is a prime example of a deep, vengeful character. He was betrayed. The antag in The Incredibles was first seen as a young kid who wanted to join the super hero establishment, but was denied. We can feel for him, knowing that we share those same types of desires. Gollem, in the Lord of the Rings, has a terrible addiction to the Ring, which is why he does what he does to the Hobbits in order to repossess it. Gollem is sick and suffering, and he pursues the ring like a heroine fix. It's out of his control. We can feel sorry for him in spite of his treachery. The Grinch was persecuted as a child from his classmates.  

If you're going for pure shock value in an antagonist you will  need to draw that character even more intricately and show some type of personality balance. Your villain might be totally normal and at peace with himself in one setting, but when he meets or comes in contact with the MC, it totally sets him off because of a perceived slight or unjust act. 

Greed and power is a common motivator for most antagonists, but if you can use another, less cliche motivator, explore it and use it. Strive to get outside the box and take a chance with the desires of your villain--why he does these terrible things. Although I can't paste the entire character makeup of the Wax Man, I can show enough of what, who and why he is. His motivation is a cure--he's tortured, unbelievably so by multiple afflictions. 


An excerpt from the storyline, showing PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Drake saw a shadow move across the inner wall of the truck. It was followed by the figure of a human dressed in very dingy clothing. Drake walked closer to get a better look. The figure wore an olive green rain slicker, a filthy orange hat, and what looked like snow boots. The face resembled a smear, still indistinguishable from the distance.

Drake moved closer, stopping within fifteen feet. He could smell something like a wet dog—the odor wafting from the confines of the truck interior. Another odor assaulted him, the cheesy putridness of decay. Closer now, the face within the truck looked wet, so did his hands, the only parts of his flesh that were visible. The lips of the man were gray, cracked in a slight grin that showed teeth that looked like broken cashews. The eyes were either gray, or spoiled with cataracts, it was hard to tell. Drake put the face appliances on, since he had no idea what kind of human stood in his presence. This had to be the Wax Man, whom Auggie had referred to earlier.

“This is Mr. Drake Labrador,” said Auggie aloud, serving as liaison between the two.

“Uh.” Drake extended a hand but made no move to close the distance. He watched the Wax Man take a few steps toward him, the rain slicker waltzing in sway.

Drake got a good look at the face. The cheeks were drawn, the eyes were white voids. Numerous inflamed ulcerations, some of them leaking puss, pockmarked the man’s face. A perceptible heat radiated outward from the body, and with it, Drake could detect more of the strong fetid smell through the mask. Indeed, the face looked like it was made of wax, changing form when the light shifted upon it.

Drake had never seen such a disgusting transient in all his life. He didn’t know whether to call an ambulance or animal control. There had to be a mistake in soliciting this individual for anything or for any reason.

The Wax Man drew an asthmatic breath. “A little warmer here than New York.” The words were a gargle. “Don’t come any closer. You’ll thank me later.” The man turned his hand over in the sunlight, giving the appearance he was bathing it in the heat—testing it. Something resembling yellow varnish hung thread-like from his fingertips. Several drops of the goop plopped to the asphalt to sizzle in the hot sun.

WHAT IS THE WAX MAN?

 There was nothing in the back of the refrigerator truck that resembled a piece of luggage or tote bag. Not even a paper sack. Drake’s next question concerned practical matters. “I can’t tell if you’re packing or not. Are you carrying, or do I need to provide you with something?”

“Carrying?” The Wax Man’s smile broke open like a blister. “I’m carrying just about everything I need, a little bubonic plague, typhoid, rheumatic fever, influenza, tuberculosis, cholera, rabbis, even some hoop without the cough.” He laughed but it tuned into a gag, prompting him to spit.

Drake took a few steps back, staring at the vile discharge on the pavement that resembled a large maggot. Auggie stared wide-eyed over his mask.

The Wax Man held out a trembling hand. “I’m a repository for just about everything that’s wiped out mankind from the dawn of time. Any respiratory or blood borne pathogen has found a comfortable little home right here in this vessel. The Center for Disease Control calls us healthy carriers, but the debate goes on about the ‘healthy’ part in my prognosis. Suffice it to say, I’m toxic to the touch, dangerous to inhalation.” He smoothed the fur of the opossum with a finger. “Judas is the only contact I’ve had with a living organism. He’s immune. Nothing else is. Would that answer your question?”

“Jesus Christ, man,” said Drake, his breath puffy in the mask. “How long have you had this affliction? Are we safe standing here?”

The Wax Man tucked the opossum back under his coat. “I’m from a long line of carriers. They say it started with Typhoid Mary’s lineage. Bullshit. That was just an excuse to gloss over the real facts. My bloodline has been infected for centuries. Since then every new generation has picked up a new pox to add to the soup. I’m guessing it started with leprosy around twelve hundred BC.” He looked at each of the Cyberflow men in turn. “You asked about the risk factor. Always remain at least three meters distant from me. Don’t ever touch me. Always wear protection. Keep your breaths shallow in my presence if you’re not wearing a mask. That’s enough to avoid transference.”

THE WAX MAN'S MOTIVATION (WHAT HE WANTS)

“Then what could you possibly need?”

“I need a cure. That’s the price you’ll pay. I am not talking about some bimbo from Hopkins, Harvard, or Mayo. I need the top epidemiologist or virologist from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. I want Ignatius Struthers, the director. You’ll arrange a private meeting for the purpose of consultation. I’ll take it from there.”

Drake gave Auggie a perturbed glance. “Don’t just stand there. Take this down so you can make the arrangements.”

Auggie scribbled on a pad.

“I’m in agreement with that,” said Drake. “I don’t know if you should get your hopes up. I have no knowledge about your disease or if a cure is possible, but if there is any way to help you, I’ll keep my end of the bargain. To be honest, I expected some other type of payment.”

The Wax Man shuffled backward toward the refrigerator truck. “Do you know what it’s like to walk unimpeded over a park hillside with the sun on your face and the wind in a full head of hair? Do you know what it’s like to feel the embrace or kiss of another, the weight of a child on your lap, a puppy’s tongue on your cheek, the nudge of a kitten against your leg? I have done all of those things many more times than you have—in dreams—visions. I can describe each of those sensations better than you ever could. It’s because you take them for granted. Me, I’ll take them any way I can get them. I’m not alive. Not yet. Maybe one day I will be. The one prayer I have forever asked for is a release from this damnation. Funny, it was never answered.”

Be Careful What You Write

At the forefront of my earliest years of writing and publication I queried quite a few professional authors for advice and guidance. I wanted to know the easiest, less painful ways of achieving publication with full size books. I had a plethora of old-timers and experts from which to gain any hints or tips that would cut through the crap and get me off to a good start. These contacts came primarily from the Science Fiction Writers of American. They had some standard warnings and insider information for me, which has served me in my later years. I was first told that non-fiction books (at the time) outsold fiction 3--1, and if I had anything near a respectable platform, then to produce an informative non-fiction title. I did so--twice in a row--and was rewarded with almost immediate publication, with nice advances and global bookstore presence. I couldn't believe how dead-on their advice was. I was also told what not to write in a fiction or non-fiction format, since the chances of certain types of books hadn't much of a chance of acceptance or publication. I was warned away from several types, and these books are often the target or favorites books of brand new writers. Herein lies some examples with "danger zone" written all over them:

Memoirs and Autobiographies 

Writing is expression and passion put to paper. It's an outlet that can convey frustration, deep, inner feelings, conflict, anger-rage, concern and even accomplishments and joy. One of the first attractive stories a fledgling writer is apt to gravitate to is a story about themselves. It could involve growing up in a difficult or dangerous family setting, overcoming a divorce or job change, the formative teenage years, battling cancer, sexual abuse and domestic violence, the death of a family member or pet, a stint in the armed forces...you get the idea. What often happens in the prose department is that stories like these become blatantly self-indulgent, egocentric, rife with personal opinion, spiritual or religious in nature, politically motivated or even preachy. And this is the worst kind of author intrusion you can commit. They usually end up with entirely too much "I,I,I," and "me, me, me." Almost always, First Person POV is the default writing style. And it seems everyone n terra firma has a story to blow off their chest.

Your biggest obstacle here is platform and notoriety. Common folk, like you me, are apt to write the same boring story, and the only thing that might be different is the byline and plot. The themes have been thrashed to death--man against man--man against God--man against nature--and man against himself. You're nobody, really, and why oh why should your story be any more relevant than any other? Unless you're an A-list actor who has gone through rehab, a serial killer that needs to confess, a star athlete with a checkered past, a past president, a madame that has a little black book, or one of the other socially exciting figures who everyone has heard of, swallow a couple of aspirin, go into a dark room, lay down and wait for the feeling to pass. You will get rejected more times than you thought possible.

Granted, in just the last three or so years, memoirs and autobiographies have seen an upsurge and comeback, even from some perfectly unheard of authors. Opra's Book Club might have had something to do with this--but there be dangers, toils and snares there too since some recent titles have been fabrications and tagged frauds. I wouldn't suggest that you bury your notion about writing your personal memoir, but you better be damn certain there will be a likely market for it. And there just aren't that many publishers looking for them, which will hamstring you from the starting gate. A good question to ask yourself: what are you famous for and how many people already know about it?

Poetry

There is a very small market for this type of writing. The markets that do exist pay very little or nothing, other than a contributor's copy or two. There must be a 100 million poets out there that first began their adventure in this style whilst in high school. If you don't have any poetry credits, say, some literary clips, you're not likely to impress a publishing house that is serious about poetry. Oh, and did I day it doesn't sell? Poetry is very difficult to master and there are several styles. If you insist on writing it, master the styles that teach you rhythm, beat, tone and nuance. Poetry is a great teacher of emotion and extended narrative where words are used to paint and describe. There's nothing wrong with writing poetry for your own enjoyment and satisfaction. But beware that it's uphill battle and the competition is fierce. Money? There is none. Did I say that?

Short Story Collections

Lots of writers start out writing short fiction and end up trunking most of it. It's difficult to write, since it requires lean, mean prose where every word counts. You have to read tons of it in order to learn how to write a pound of it. The competition is staggering. Unlike poetry, though, there are thousands of anthologies, journals and magazines looking for the stuff. We're talking about single, standalone short stories. If you can sell a dozen short stories to some the of the semi-pro and pro markets, you stand a slight chance of landing a deal with a publishing house that might take your collection to print. Might. And there's only a few such publishing houses out there for collections from unknowns. I think I could name them on one hand. So odds are very much stacked against you. Compared to novels and nonfiction books, SS collections are terrible sellers. Submitting them is hardly worth the effort unless you're a brand-name author in one of the popular genres, like science fiction, thriller, horror and fantasy. The best short story collections for the new writer are probably horror, what with the recent popularity of vampires, werewolves, ghosts and zombies. We're going through a zombie phase at the moment--they can't seem to get enough of the stuff to the readers. 

Nonfiction Books

You better have a platform here, or have precious writing credits in the field in which you write. That includes degrees and working experience. If you're writing about science or health, make sure you are a master in the field with lots of experience and years to your credit.. The only other job vocation that might help you, is if you're an award winning journalist, TV commentator, or top-notch reporter. There you can objectively report, as long as all your facts and research is inline and spotless. Because you will be fact-checked. You might be responsible for your own artwork and photographs, in addition to some celebrity blurbs, an extensive table of contents and footnotes up the wahzoo. Non-fiction books that explore any facet of the core sciences are horrendously difficult to write and get right. The money is very, very good here, though. Chances for publication are very high, with good advances and distribution. Even niche or regional titles do surprisingly well. 

Stop and think before you lay fingers to keyboard. Know the risks and pitfalls. If you can't be deterred from writing any of these types of books or collections, I bid you good luck and God's speed.

There's Nothing New Under the Sun

This post was inspired by a thread in the AbsoluteWriters forum. It really hit home with me, since I've had my own experience. It went something like this:

Where do I begin? How do I begin?

Over the last year I've had three fans, four counting my publisher, compare my book, Planet Janitor Custodian of the Stars, to the Firefly concept/world. The last fan asked me if I'd ripped off Firefly to create my now planned series. I told him I didn't even know what Firefly was, having never seen the TV shows. Strange, I know, for a die-hard SF writer to not keep up to date on such matters is beyond reason. But honest to gawd, crucify me on the Tree of Woe if I'm not telling the truth. I'd only had time to watch most of the New Generation Star Trek stuff, and not much else since my time was strictly dedicated to punching keyboard plastic and getting pixels on the screen for new books. And I had no cable TV from 2001 to 2005.

I broke down last night and watched two episodes: Heart of Gold and Objects in Space. Then I saw a 10-year reunion interview with the cast, and later the full Serenity feature movie. I had no idea that Josh Whedon was directly tied to the franchise in a producer capacity.

I was totally blown away--haunted, disturbed, endeared and very shocked in a happy way to have discovered this phenom. It seemed like my book had been brought to film, but not in its full scope with all the details. But the similarities were so striking, I wondered who in the hell had been channeling who for an idea like this. Then I discovered that the series began in 2002 and my story was written in 2006. I was late to the game--Whedon beat me to it! But the story lines and settings were far enough apart to distinguish both of these titles as separate concepts. I was deeply humbled and honored when I saw what the writers, director and producer tried to accomplish with this series. Then I discovered that it was canceled in 2003! But Why?

I can't even begin to list all of the similar concepts, ideas and hardware that crossover between PJ and Firefly. I'll try.

My ship, Shenandoah, is a broken down used Russian Ore freighter that is described as an insect: a "big fat beetle." She runs on hydrogen drive within close solar system jumps. Her name, Shenandoah, means Daughter of the Stars. Captain Zaz Crowe adores this old girl and keeps working on her to improve the systems and interior. This ship is always on the move.

Serenity, a Firefly class ship that is described as looking like a Firefly (insect). This ship also looks like a used freighter. It appears to run on hydrogen fuel (non-FTL), just from my observations. Serenity stands for comfort, peace, calm, etc,. Serenity's captain also loves his ship. This ship is always on the move.

The interior of both ships looks like an oil refinery had coitus with an executive suite--both are rather grungy, worn, and dark, but very lived in. Both ships are equipped with small shuttles--mine are called "zip shuttles." I also have metal staircases and similar bunking arrangements. My ship is about 1,000 feet long--don't know the dimensions of Serenity, but it looks close to that. The fuselage of Shenandoah and Serenity could pass for near duplicates. Mine has no airfoils or tail structure.

My crew of Eight

Zaz Crowe--Captain--40 years old and handsome.
Dendy Dollar--Botanist/nurse, 20 years old, black hair and petite
Galoot--Mechanical engineer/security officer. Eight feel tall, 500 pounds
Carl Stromboli--Demolition expert--excitable and brash
Carybell--stowaway whore
Samantha King--Nav officer and pilot--extremely intelligent and buxom.
Paddy Jackson--Geologist--old
Lyle Wagner--Cryptozoologist--old

You all know the crew of Firefly; I believe there's nine living on board. My crew also calls the ship their home. Firefly's crew will work for hire, just about any job that comes along. But something always seems to go wrong with a simple mission, often transpiring the plot into a fight for their lives. And this sometimes requires mercenary action. Most of the mission assignments are very strange.

My crew is also for hire and will tackle any job assignment, but they're primarily space junkers, picking up all kinds of flotsam like broken sats, discarded fuel stage tanks, abandoned ships, and frequently hunt for asteroid minerals. They are environmentalists, primarily. But something always goes wrong with a simple PJ mission, forcing them into a mercenary status. Both crews used old or new percussion pistols/rifles. PJ has very strange, out-of-the box mission assignments.

Both crews are devastatingly loyal to each other, willing to sacrifice their lives at a moment's notice to save another. The main theme focuses on a loving family unit, cooperation and coordination. Falling in love with the characters comes before falling in love with the adventures of space. None of them are above pulling some illegal stunts for gain, but both captains really have Boy Scout personas and prefer to do things the right and moral way. PJ has three romantic relationships going on at once, and I think Firefly has an equal number of attractions and passionate underpinnings cooking just underneath the surface. Secrets abound with both crews.

BTW, the official PJ website and the FireFlyfans.net character logos are almost identical. I mean the cartoonish type renderings of the crew. As soon as the domain is reinstated, I'll list it. It's a shocker. Looks like the same artist was used.

I could go on and on, but this isn't really about me. I would like to give tribute to Firefly in some way--pay my respects. Because, obviously, it's near and dear to my soul in kind of a double whammy way. I'm writing the sequel to PJ right now. So I'll construct a complete acknowledgment and dedication page for Firefly. Hell, I can always say I was inspired by FF, and even do some subliminal tagging in the sequel.

After my marathon night with all things Firefly and Serenity, I admit to being a little misty eyed when it was all over. A profound sadness came over me that's hard to describe. Especially when I saw the emotion on the cast's faces as they talked about their brief run, the joys, pitfalls and accomplishments. It's like I'd just met an intriguing friend and they were whisked away from me before I could get better acquainted. Why do I now yearn for 2002? So, in a very intimate and private way, I understand the loss of this potential franchise.




Anyway, it just goes to show you that there's nothing new under the sun.

Thanks for reading. I'll red-shift now and get back to work.

My Submisson Spreadsheet

I thought I would throw out an example of my submission record, for anyone that might have one of their own. I'll bet yours is more precise and organized than mine, and that you might even use a form/database on QueryTracker or one of the other resources. Mine is personalized and simple, and I'm able to examine it at a glance. I usually put a one-word descriptor of the book, like "Fusion" which is the actually title, but I'll cut it down for longer titles like The Girl They Sold to the Moon, which will end up "Girl." PJ will stand for Planet Janitor, and Wolfen will stand for The Wolfen Strain. I'll use parenthesis to show the contact editor (when I know it), then the mode of submission--synop, full, query, or R&R. If if receive any requests for partials or pages, I'll state that. Everything that is in bold indicates a rejection. The last statistic is the date I submitted. If I have a request for further material or a contract offer, I'll pepper it with exclamation or asterisk marks to draw attention to it. It's kind of simple, but effective. The idea is to get the information down and keep track of all responses and correspondence. In some I'll list a token or negotiable advance by "token" or "neg adv."  Form submissions are market as such.

Here's is the current list, and it primarily covers SF, Fantasy, thriller, paranormal romance and is some cases horror. I consider these outfits about the best in small press quality, distribution and possible advance. Nearly all of them do not require an agent--my agent is handling the majors at the moment. I try not to cross paths with my agents submissions, but when I suspect that we might be on the same wave length, I'll let her know who they are--like Snowbooks, Soho, Zharmae, Pry, and some of the other better independents. Anything marked in yellow is a special circumstances case, which might be a referral or indicate a later date to send.

Everything in non-bold are awaiting replies. You can see some of them are approaching or have reached the 1-year mark. What I might do in the future is add a response date so I can judge their response time. But you can probably discern some of the publications that are obviously non-responders, like Crescent Moon Press.  

Zharmae (Agented) Susan wants structural re-writes on Fusion.--6-7-2012

Sunbury Press, sysnopsis and full Screamcatcher, to Mr Knorr on 1-13-2012 (Try Girl)

Entangled—Query of Screamcatcher—12-27-2011

Oceanview Press—3 Chapters of Fusion—1-6-2012

Anachronpren—D.I. Pages or Full—12-16-2011

Crescent Moon—Screamcatcher—Full--10-10-2011--Nudged 4-12

Musa—Screamcatcher--Full--1-7-2012--ACCEPTED****************

Dark Quest—Scream--Chapters or Full—9-11-2011

Crossed Genres Pubs—Scream--10 pages and synopsis--12-4-2011

Elder Signs Press—Scream--Synop and 3 chapters--1-16-2012

Red Deer Press—Sceam--Query and 3 Chapters—1-26-2012

Bell Bridge Books—query—synop--Full--Scream--1-27-2012 This is a rejection, but they want to see it as a first sub in 2013—Debra liked the plot.

Medallion—form--Scream—query--1-29-2012

Wild Child—full--Dispossessed Accepted*****************************

Entangled—(Ms. Howland)--Girl to Moon—synop-3 chapts 2-28-2012 (adv)TURNED INTO FULL REQUEST ON 6-21-2012

Crossed Genre Pubs--(ms. Holt)--Form--Girl--synop and 10 pages—2-28-2012(adv)

JournalStone Press--(Joel)--Girl--3 Chapts (single-space)--query--2-28-2012-Turned into full!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Try Scream)

Morrigan Books (Mark)--Girl--synop--3 Chapts—2-28-2012 (adv)

Zharmae Press (Ms. Grundy)--synop--3 Chapts—Girl--2-28-2012 (adv) JUST REQUESTED THE FULL ON 6-5-2012

Hirst—Diane--Query--Form--3-16-2012

Steward House—Shafer—Fusion--full--synop--3-18-2012

White Cat (Charles)--Fusion--3 chapters and synopsis—4-22-2012

Glasshouse Press (Judy)--Girl--Synopsis--4-25-2012

Sourcebooks—Girl--query--synopsis--full--4-27-2012 (advance) (Scream later)

Medallion—Form--Girl--Synopsis--3 chapters—4-27-2012

Nightbird Pubs—Fusion--Synopsis--4-28-2012

Entranced Pubs (Diana)--synop-query-full--Girl--5-1-2012 ($200 first prize)--Girl is on its way to final round judgement—possible contender to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST WON FIRST PLACE—200 ADVANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LLDreamspell—5000 words, single space, synopsis, Fusion—5-8-2012 (250 adv) REQUESTED FULL ON FUSION 6-25-2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Diamond Heart Press—Query and bio—Girl--5-10-2012 (neg advance)

Diamond Heart Press—Query and bio--(form)—Scream--5-12-2012 (neg advance)

Red Deer Press--(Mr. Carver)--3 chapts, query—Girl--5-17-2012

Journalstone—(Joel)--Scream--3 chapters single—query--5-18-2012--(neg adv)--Joel wants the full and a bio of my books and sales—sent requested full 5-31-2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dark Fuse Books—Form--synopsis and bio/credit—Fusion—5-31-2012 (POSSIBLE MISTAKE HERE—SENDING WRONG FULL—YOU MUST SEND FUSION—LIBRE FOR THIS ONE. ANY OTHER IS NO GOOD

Prometheus (Seventh Street)—Mr. Mayer, Full, synopsis, marketing plan—Fusion--5-31-2012

Crossed genres—form--synopsis--10 pages—DI--6-1-2012

Steward House—Fusion--synop and full--(negotiable advance)--6-1-2012--ATTENTION: THIS IS A DOUBLE SUBMISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Atom books—Girl—Synopsis, 3 chapters—6-4-2012 (NOTIFICATION FAILURE)

Bolinda—Girl--query only and question—6-4-2012

Clarion—(Ms. Stevenson)--Girl--full and synopsis—6-4-2012

Lands Atlantic—Girl--Synopsis and 1 chapter—8-21-2012

Amulet Press—Girl--Query and five pages (Ms Metre)--9-3-2012

Albert Whitman and Co—Girl--Query and five pages (Whitman)--9-3-2012

Atom Press—Girl--synopsis--3 Chapters—9-3-2012

Diamond Heart Press—Girl--synopsis and three chapters (form)--9-3-2012

Sunbury Press—Girl--(Mr. Knorr)--synopsis--9-9-2012
Dark Quest—Girl--(ms. Morris)--query--9-9-2012

Snowbooks—Girl--synopsis--full--9-9-2012

Ephemera Publishing--Girl--query--full--9-9-2012

Arctic Wolf pubs—Girl--synopsis--3 chapters—9-9-2012

Shaddowfall Press—Girl--online form--full--9-9-2012

Jolly fish Press—Girl--synopsis--3 Chapters—9-9-2012—REQUESTED 150 PAGES ON 9-18-2012—FULL REQUEST ON 10-9-2012*********************************************

Luminis Books—Girl--synopsis--10 pages in body—9-9-2012

Post Mortem Press—Girl--synopsis--full--9-11-2012

Pyr Books (Prometheus—R. Sears)--synopsis--full--Girl--9-11-2012

White Cat Press—Girl--synopsis--3 Chapters—9-11-2012

Month9Books—Girl--Pitch on FB--9-16-2012

Belle Books—Girl (deb dixon)--full--synopsis--9-17-2012

Precious Gems Pub—Girl (Ms. Lignor)--query only—9-17-2012

Montag press—girl—full, copyright and synopsis—9-18-2012

Lerner Press (Carolrhoda books—Mr. Karre)--Girl--SENT FULL—9-20-2012

Coliloquy Press—Girl—Synopsis--(Ms. Rutherford)--9-20-2012

Haven Books—Girl—Synopsis--9-20-2012

Damnation Books—Screamcatcher—synop--marketing, 3 and last chapters—9-22-2012--REQUESTED FULL 9-24-2012 ACCEPTED FOR CONTRACT**************************

Harper Voyager Teen—Form: Girl, synopsis, query, and full--10-1-2012

Harper Voyager Teen—Form: Scream, synopsis, query, and full--10-1-2012

Harper Voyager Teen—Form: Fusion, synopsis, query, and full—10-1-2012

Alloy Entertainment—query, first five pages, Girl—10-02-2012

Dark Fuse/Delerium—Scream—query, synop—10-2-2012

47^th Street Publishing (Amazon), Girl—synopsis, marketing, full—10-3-2012

Zharmae—Screamcatcher--synopsis--3 chapters—10-11-2012

Crossed Genres Press--Dispossessed Inc. (Form-10 pages, synopsis- 10-17-2012

Blue Leaf Books—Scream (J. Grant) marketing, synop-4-chapters—11-5-2012--REQUESTED FULL ON 11-08-2012********************

Jolly Fish—Scream--synopsis and 3 chapters—11-15-2012

Snowbooks—Scream--synopsis and full—11-21-2012

Pyr Books (Rene Sears)--Screamcatcher--full and synopsis—11-26-2012

Quirk Books (Jason)--Girl--Query--3 chapts—11-28--2012

Soho—Scream--3 Chapts—Synopsis--(ms. Kowal)--11-29-2012

Spencer Hill press (ms Rilely)--Girl--query--10 pages--12-10-2012

Etopia Press—RTF in Full and synopsis—Fusion--12-13-2012 Advance 100 to 1,000

Sourcebooks—Scream--query--synopsis--full--12-15-2012

Arctic Wolf Publishing—Scream--synopsis and 3 chapters—12-15-2012

Month9Books—Scream--synopsis and full (From FB pitch)--12-1502012

Turner Publications—Fusion--Query to Mr. Bottorff--12-18-201

NOTE: IF YOU'VE HAD ANY TROUBLE WITH ANY OF THESE PUBLISHERS, OR YOU'VE FOUND THEM WANTING OR LACKING IN PROFESSIONALISM, PLEASE DROP ME A LINE HERE IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND WE CAN DISCUSS IT. YOUR EXPERIENCES MIGHT BE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN MINE.

OR DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING POSITIVE TO SAY ABOUT ANYONE, WHO MIGHT BE CITED FOR EXEMPLARY BEHAVIOR? LET IT RIP! 

.

Got An Agent? Why Not Double-Tap?

Now, I'm not talking about bumping your agent off, although I'll bet it's crossed the minds of some writers out there. Kidding aside, I've had more people ask me this question than any other over the years, so I thought I might 'splain' myself. And, of course, this is Guerrilla Warfare For Writers, where I tend to do some things that might be unconventional, or suggest things you haven't heard of before. To the gritty, here's the question:

"Chris, why in the hell are you submitting to publishers when you have an agent?"

Answer: "Because I wouldn't have it any other way."

I've had three agents over the last 24 years--good agents--A-listers, and if there's one thing that I do stipulate in a contract with an agent, or make perfectly clear via email or over the phone, it's that I intend to be PRO-ACTIVE in my association with them. And that is the perfect word to use when describing your intentions. You wish to be pro-active and part of the submission process. It goes without saying that your agent knows what he/she is doing, has been doing for (probably) years, knows the submission ropes, contract snafus, and, above all, has the contacts in the industry. This is a given and we hope our agent has all of those bases covered. What your agent doesn't have is an endless amount of hours to pour hundreds manuscripts into the Valley of the Editing Damned, considering he/she might have a hefty client load, and that's besides little ole you, who might be a new addition to the fold, and an unknown, nobody, whosit. 

In the first place, don't even think about submitting (the same manuscript your agent has) to the Big Six, or is it the Big Five now? You can't anyway--their door swings open only for agent subs. Stay away from the huge independents that might not require an agent submission, but are most certainly known to your publisher in the pertinent genre, like Baen, Daw and some of the others. However, keep on the lookout for major publishers who sponsor "open calls", (like Harper Voyager) which are designed to open the flood gates to new authors without agents. Your agent might miss a few of these, and you can certainly alert him/her to the notice, or ask if you could send in a sample. This goes for major contests too, and you can really shine here and add some heft to your submission stock. Also, new publishers crop up all the time. The ones to take notice of are the one's who pay advances and have a good, legit distribution--it happens--some publishers come into the arena fully prepared--I know of about six houses that have just surfaced and offer mildly lucrative contracts, even if the advances run from $200 on up to $2,500.

Just to put you at ease: I've never had an agent refuse my offer to help out. Never. In fact, they appreciated the offer. This also works out when you find or suggest a publisher to your agent that he/she might have missed or never considered. I just recently tipped my agent off to a publisher who just started accepting thrillers. The result was a $6500 advance and contract to one of her clients; one of my stable buddies. I was thanked profusely. Not the first time this has happened. When you have your eagle eye on the markets like I do, you can bust out with the latest info or opportunities and alert your agent. That's just one way of showing support and helping out. 

SOME GUIDELINES FIRST:

Research the living daylights out of your prospective publishing houses. Go to sites like Predators and Editors and AbsoluteWrite.com for the low down on all of them. You'll find them and their current rating, unless they're so new they haven't made their first boot print in the snow. Look up their published titles on Amazon--look for good rank and lots of positive reviews. Contact an author or two if you're curious about how personable and efficient the pub house is. You definitely want publishers who pay advances, small and on up, and have the ability to get your book into libraries, bookstores and supermarkets. You would be shocked to know how many small and independent presses there are out there who can do this.

 Send your tentative list to your agent and let him/her peruse it. There might be some bad eggs on your list, or ones that he/she intends to solicit. And lots of agents pitch on the phone--a very effective and swift mode of  contact. Make sure you do not cross-list with your agent's list--this is very important and could cause a train wreck down the rails if two like manuscripts end up under the eye of the editor, or you have two manuscripts floating around in an office shared by two editors. 

Don't go hog wild. Give yourself a submission limit. Send out about a half dozen or so to test the waters. Wait for the responses. Keep your antennae tweaked for any comments or rewrite suggestions (see item below). Your sub train can start out right along with your agent's, but truthfully, this works best toward the end of your agent's submission process. You know, that ugly time when it doesn't look so good and you've taken a dozen or more rejections on your book and you feel or suspect your agent might be winding down? This also works great after your book has gone the agent route and there's seemingly no hope for it.

If you get a request for a rewrite, an R&R, go ahead and do it if you think the outcome will give you a much better book. Don't make any promises to the publisher. You can decline, and then actually perform the rewrite later if you want. What about rejections that suggest certain work on areas that need it? What if more than two publishers tell you that you have serious problems with plot, pace, characterization, typos, grammar problems, genre confusion, or other problems? If you agree with their reason why your book got the boot, and you can fix it, by all means forge ahead and do the rewrite. You've just been blessed by an editor and it hasn't cost you a nickle--another positive perk to getting feedback you can use. Do your rewrite and send off the new edition to your agent. It's not all that much of a bother to swap it out--delete one--paste in the other.

What if you get an offer? Politely tell the publisher that you would like your agent to check the contract. Explain that you always hand the ball off to your agent for the fine details, and you follow his/her directions before acceptance. What if the publisher writes back and wonders why in all that is holy and decent did you not state that you had an agent, and why did you make the submission in his/her stead? This won't happen if you list your agent's name and company name at the bottom of your query letter--the place where your bio and credit list goes. Second answer: "I'm allowed to be pro-active and take care of some of the smaller press and independent submissions. My agent is aware of my activity, and knows who I am submitting to.

Multiple offers? Send all that information to your agent. Your agent might have an offer on the table as well--this can all work great for a leverage type deal, or even an auction or preempt. 

Let your agent know of any major developments. But DO NOT utter one word about negotiations, deals, contract changes, rights, advances or royalties with an offering publisher. Nothing. Mouth shut. Do the lateral hand-off to the pro. Ask your agent what he/she thinks of the deal. Go ahead and express your gut feelings, if you want, but don't argue, beg or plead. Listen and pay rapt attention. If your agent thinks that a solid independent niche publisher is a perfect fit for you, pay heed and get ready to rock and roll. 

So, is double-tapping unethical? No. It's being pro-active. And in this day and age of trade publishing where it can take up to 1.5 years for your agent to land a deal, this process gives it a little fast track that can only work to your advantage. So don't sit on your ass and complain after the dust has settled. Ask to help out--be part of the process either from the beginning or toward the end. But so help me, if you feel that your agent hasn't worked for the deal that you land, and you leave him/her out of the deal, I'll come through this screen and throttle you properly.







   

Reexamining Some Publishing Truisms

I would say, for the most part, the following publishing mantras still hold some water. But a few of them are questionable or failing to pass the test as we reexamine them in view of today's marketplace. We've all heard these before, lived by them, practiced and held them dear to our hearts when we've drawn blanks or found ourselves depressed. But folks, things are changing...and fast.

Write More Books

This one primarily comes from the self-publishing crowd who believe that the more content you have for sale, the more you will sell. The caveat here is that series and novels written in the same genre are the best candidates. That might have been true two years ago (the Golden Age), and up until a few months ago, but what kind of opinions are we seeing on the Kindle boards lately? How about sales drops for the majority of the authors in the past three months? There are some notable exceptions, but I'm constantly seeing a decline in my personal sales, and reading some very disparaging remarks coming from some veteran self-publishers. Not meaning to put a negative twist on it, but are we seeing the very beginning signs of a sales halt or wind-down? Has the bubble swollen to the point of near bursting? Are the predictions coming true, which state that an ultimate threshold will be reached, and that no matter now many freebies or books are offered, the self-publishing industry has become a gluttonous repository where demand no longer equals or eclipses supply? Are these the early warning signs of our literary self-pub apocalypse? Or is this, as some claim, a seasonal drought or extended Amazon glitch and there's nothing to be worried about? The Boy Scout Motto is "Be Prepared."

One Book Publishable by One House is Publishable by Another

 There are too many variables for this truism to hold water--editor's tastes, marketing decisions, genre, book length, publisher experience and longevity and scores of other reasons. Two small press publishers can vie for the same manuscript but for entirely different reasons. One publisher could have very low acceptance parameters, or be willing to publish strictly on the strength of the author's bio and credit list. It's doubtful that two Big Six editors could even agree upon the same reasons for accepting the same manuscript and, indeed, would probably never see eye-to-eye on the editing and marketing of such a book. After 25 years and over 4,000 rejections, I had this happen twice to me--this is not a wide-spread trend, by any stretch. I just had a book receive a grand prize, first place award in a novel-writing contest, but after sending out multiple submissions, I'm not seeing anyone beating down my front door with a contract in one hand and a pen in the other. Lightning has not struck twice, even with this book. I think the only time this truism holds up is when the book goes to auction and several publishers engage in a feverish cat fight over it.

A Great Book Will Find Publication

 I don't think John Kennedy Toole, author of  A Confederacy of Dunces, got that memo. His book was passed over scores of times, and he ultimately resorted to suicide out of frustration and deep depression. Ironically, his book was later awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Publishers have a hard time picking a diamond out of the carbon pile as it is, so how can every editor on this planet pick out all of the great books and bring them to print? Folks, there are just so many publishing slots in each genre and category to publish each year. And that's it. No more. It takes a bit of luck and pluck to get yourself on that lineup to begin with. If all great books eventually found publication, and I mean books that drew huge reader populations and produced millions of sales, then I'm wondering what happened to Harry Potter in it's early days, as well as Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey. How about Wool? And all of these other self-published best-sellers that were passed over by these publishers, whose job it is to find really great books. The only way a great book will find publication is by reader vote, and they are the ones who determine who will see print, especially Big print.  And right now, books that have had severe editing problems have still gone on to make the bestseller lists, with some manuscript's prose actually left intact!

Start at the Top and Work Your Way Down

This works if you've written perfection. And I mean a slab of prose that is ready for prime time; one that has no errors: plot holes, typos, inconsistencies, pacing problems, genre confusion, weak characters, cliches...you get the picture. Those books are ready for agents and A-list publishers. But what if your manuscript is not perfect? What if you expect an editor to give you some good socks and lay it on the line? What if you have some creeping doubts, as small and minor as they might be? Now that's me in a nutshell, and that's why I start out with the small press, for a limited number of submissions. Why? It's simple, and not unfair at all to anybody--I use small press as an editing guide, or my first Beta reader. If I garner the same editorial feedback from several publishers, usually more than two, I'll halt my sub train and perform a revision--especially if I agree with the suggestions. Any and all comments are welcome and I'll evaluate all of them before I even contemplate a rewrite. I'll then start at the top with the best crafted  manuscript, with at least the assurance that I've made some viable and logical changes that were recommended by a credible editor. If I have a major or minor flaw, the last person I want to hear about it is, is from one of my favorite Big-Six editors. By then it's too late and I've wasted a perfectly good submission. Now If I receive an offer from a small press, I'll politely decline, but keep them in the bullpen for a later chance at bat. Note: this doesn't work for everyone. You're certainly no worse off following it...unless you'd like to try an alternate method that might work for you.

Bookstores--Still the Only Viable Sales Platform

Not. Unless that publisher has full distribution to nearly every bookstore in the United States. Small and independent presses are woefully inadequate for getting books shelved, and many of them are dropping print lines or requiring a threshold of e-book sales. The problem is, with the recent demise of Borders, we have less and less bookstore options and they're dropping like flies as we speak. Never mind independents, the large chains are cutting back and reserving shelf space for the brand name draws or the hottest breakouts. With shelf longevity lasting from six to eight weeks, you better make your splash or face a mountain of returns. Don't get me wrong, print isn't dying. It's just seriously wounded, all for except the largest publishers with the most bookstore presence. Digital publishing has now reached nearly a 25% market share and it's still climbing, although it's slowed somewhat. To see the difference between print and digital sales, randomly pick an average author (or dozen or two of them), and compare their e-book sales rank with their trade print sales rank (forget hardbacks). Tell me what you see. Even the ten-buck e-books are winning the race.

Is this blog post a scathing revamp of everything that we've been taught and followed? Not by a long shot. It only professes to show how change is affecting the industry, and explores some alternative actions and thoughts about an industry that we have to constantly adapt to. Simply speaking, nothing is written in stone.