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The Power of an Apology
All The Best Sara
Monday morning, Publishers Weekly Editor-and-Chief, Sara Nelson, posted an article stating that she was feeling optimistic about our country and industry. She mentioned the new government, the economy, and that her hope that layoffs in the publishing industry were abating. A few hours later, the word went out that Nelson had been caught in the PW layoffs.
The irony aside, Sara should feel optimistic about publishing and our world.
The publishing blog Beyond Hall 8 pointed out that publishing seems to belong to the young. To the casual observer, 28 year old phenoms are taking over the media. Even PW has a regular feature called 40 under 40. We should celebrate the energy and innovation that a constant stream of young hopefuls brings to our businesses. We should not begrudge the phenoms their moment in the sun.
But neither should we forget the contributions and value of our industry leaders. Sara Nelson showed herself to be a very capable leader. She grasped and touted new technology and innovations and never hid behind the comfortable “because we don’t DO it that way in publishing.” stance. Age is not the issue in publishing, innovation and willingness to pay attention is the issue in publishing. Sara Nelson paid attention.
Our industry is going to survive and grow because of people like her. Publishing is better off because of Sara Nelson. She is a consistent, classy, intelligent member of our community who spent her time at PW participating in industry events, showing new-comers a great deal of patience, and still found the time to post well-reasoned, well-written articles that kept our industry well-informed.
Best of luck, Sara… let us know how we can help… we owe you!
Job Security
These wonderful, intelligent, people invested their money in and spent their days working for other people’s companies. They believed in the comforting and well-advertised idea that fund managers would increase their wealth and that companies would reward their loyalty.
A few years ago, I traded my savings and retirement funds for the opportunity to start a small business. With that decision, I gave up any comfort my investments may have supplied and, instead, invested in my own future.
While friends and loved ones shook their heads in private while giving their unwavering support, they all wanted to know: “How are you going to deal with the insecurity of not having a real job?”
Today, it is easier to answer that question. I cannot be “downsized”. My portfolio cannot be halved. Today, my risks, hard work and efforts are not a guarantee of security, but the results are more firmly in my grasp than those working for others. A venture-capitalized board of directors will never again have power over my future.
The sad truth is, no one has a “real job” anymore. Real jobs have not existed for decades.
Your query letter IS your cover letter
Would you spend hours working on a resume only to throw together a quick generic cover letter and hope you get an interview? Probably not. In fact, in today’s tough economic times, your cover letter is probably the most important piece of your “package” in any job search.
- Address your letter to a specific agent or editor at a specific agency or publisher. Don’t send out something generic.
- Make sure that you’re sending your letter to an agent or publisher that works in your genre. One of the biggest mistakes that authors make is not doing their research. Agents and publishers list their interests and previously sold titles on their websites. Check them out and make sure your project is a good fit.
- Show that you’ve done your research. Mention a book or an author than an agent has represented in your first paragraph. Identify why you picked this particular agent or publisher to query.
- Sell yourself. Give you and your platform a full paragraph. Explain why you are the best author for your book and how you can sell yourself and generate book sales.
- Be courteous. Let people know if your project is on multiple submission.
- Identify a market for your book. Really. A real market. Add a statistic or two.
- Be respectful. Use appropriate business etiquette.
- If you’re just sending a query letter, let the agent or publisher know what else you have available – i.e. A full proposal and two sample chapters are available upon request.
- Have someone else read your letter before you send it. Even the best of writers needs an editor. Typos have no place in a good query letter.
- Be succinct. Keep your query to one page. Identify why you’ve chosen a particular agent or publisher, pitch your book, identify your market, sell yourself, thank them for their time.
Sued Over Returns
Everyone Will Want to Read My Book…
No they won’t.
The first rule in publishing is to know your audience. For authors and publishers, this means know your reader (the end consumer) and your business partners (retailers).
While you may believe that you’ve found the “perfect” book that is uniquely qualified to be all things to all people, it’s important to really know your audience.
Let’s look at this through the eyes of a potential publisher:
The Retailer—While the publishing business is moving more and more to online sales and marketing and finding a solid audience, it’s still important to ensure your book is “shelved” in the right place. While you may have written a novel for 8 year old girls that can have a positive impact on her 12 year old brother with special advice for mom and dad, that particular shelf doesn’t exist in the bookstore. Your book will be shelved in one category. This is important to know before you ever write your book proposal. You need to identify where it goes in the book store so you can determine what editor or publisher to send it to. They know their retail market, do you?
The Consumer—The consumer is the end audience for your book. This is the person that will pick it up, skim a few pages, and ultimately make a purchase. Whether it be for themselves, as a gift, or required reading for their occupation, that consumer is your audience. That means you need to know: Who they are? What they buy? How they shop? What the competition for their business is? Does your book “fit” your consumer? Do you have the right cover design, price, trim size? Are you shelved in the appropriate category?
These are just some of the questions that agents, publishers—and retailers—ask when they are pitched your book alongside thousands of other books. If you want to stand out in a crowded marketplace, it’s important to know your audience.
What Does Borders Need to Do to Survive?
Ingredients for the Perfect Nonfiction Book Proposal
Lately, we have been getting a lot of calls and emails asking what goes into a book proposal. We are happy to post on any questions, but we thought this overview might be helpful.
When you are ready to pull together your “bits and pieces” and introduce yourself to the agent and publishing community, here are the elements you need to have ready to go:
Strong Positioning Statement – this is your elevator speech. 4 sentences or less on why your book will sell, who will buy it and why you’re qualified to write it. Remember, 4 sentences or less.
Overview—You get a full paragraph or two here. Describe what the book is, the subject matter it covers and why it’s relevant. Make sure you use marketing language and put your best face forward. You’re selling here.
About the Author—Make yourself shine. Highlight your media appearances. Talk about your blog or seminars or workshops. Be specific about your expertise and experience. Convince a publisher or agent that you have something to say, people are interested in what you have to say and you know how to sell your content.
The Market—While statistics may just be numbers, the reality is that numbers matter. You need to show that there is a large population of readers that will by your book. If you have a self-help book, talk about the number of people facing the problem that your book discusses. Business book? How many business out there are struggling with a problem that you have a solution for? Percentages, populations, and lots of facts drive the message here. If you have a message that people are clamoring for, most likely you’ve found an audience for your book.
Marketing Plan—The days of the publisher doing the marketing for your book are over. Any well-crafted book proposal includes the author’s own marketing plan. How are you going to sell your book? Think strategically and realistically within your budget. Do you have a website? If so, how many unique hits do you get a month? Have you been doing any workshops or seminars? Do you plan on writing articles for your local newspaper? Do you have contacts in the media that will help you get on radio or television? Have you posted articles about you and your book online. What’s your plan to get the word out about the book?
The Book—Include a detailed outline. If explanation is needed, 2-3 sentences per chapter that provides an overview is most likely enough to get you noticed.
The Competition—And yes, there is competition out there. If there’s no book exactly like yours, what books will be shelved near yours? What books have the same purchaser? List the competition. Consider including a sentence or two under each competitive title and highlight why your book is unique or different. Be realistic when listing competitive titles and how you’re book appeals to the same audience.
Endorsements—Talk to your friends. Talk to your colleagues. Talk to your acquaintances. Call in any favors. You want to show that people are reading your book and are excited about it. If they haven’t read the book (because it’s not quite finished, which is fine), get a quote about you and your program. How are you changing lives? How have you and your message impacted the people around you?
Sample Chapters—Read the guidelines for the agent or author you’re submitting to. How many sample chapters do they request with a proposal? Remember to proofread, proofread, proofread. No typos here. Include the best sample chapters of your book. This is your opportunity to show that you know your subject, know how to write about it, and can create a polished manuscript.
SASE—If you’re submitting unsolicited proposals, remember to enclose a SASE. Otherwise, you may never hear back from the publisher or agent with valuable advice or feedback.
Good Luck!
Before You Sign on the Dotted Line….
- The Publisher – Do they have your best interests at heart? Does your book “fit” with their existing list? Are you satisfied with the relationships you have built with that publisher?
- The Deal – Make sure you read any contract carefully before you sign. Does that offer you’ve been made match industry standards? Have you done the math – and fully understand –the amount of money you’ll be making per book? Have you figured out the number of books that must be sold for you to earn back your advance?
- The Marketing—While many people believe that a marketing plan should come with the contract, that’s simply not the case. Publishers, and editors, are too busy to develop a marketing plan for each book they take on. However, you can do some digging on your own.
- Request a Catalog – have you heard of the Publisher’s books? Specifically, can
you research some of the books they’ve published in your same category and find
out if they’ve received any press - Speak with a Publicist – it’s perfectly appropriate to request 10 minutes of a publicist’s time to find out if they have experience working with your type of book and find out their “generic” marketing plan for your category.
If you’re satisfied with the publisher, the deal, and the marketing department, it’s time to move to the contract. If you don’t have an agent, we’d strongly suggest that you get a second set of eyes to review your publishing contract. Unfortunately, your family lawyer probably isn’t qualified to do it for you. Talk to other authors. Get online to check out publishing contracts. Call a consultant. Make sure that you’re getting outside advice on what you should be asking for.
Finally, don’t ever be afraid to negotiate. While the reality is the publisher may not be able to meet all your demands, you won’t know until you ask.
Advice for Self-Help Authors Looking for an Agent or Publisher
Yesterday, The Cadence Group received an email from an e-book Self Help author who wanted some advice. She says she will soon be looking for an agent and wanted to know where to start. My intrepid partner, Bethany Brown, offered her this great advice:
1. If your plan is to seek a publisher or agent in the near future, you need to start building your platform right away. In particular, if you’re writing nonfiction. It’s important to make sure that you – and your book – stand out in a crowd. A great way to do this is to start blogging, build a website, write articles for newspapers and magazines, and perhaps try to secure some speaking engagements and/or workshops using some of the ideas from your book.
2. Start thinking about your book proposal now. There are a lot of great books out there to guide you through the process. But a good book proposal requires a lot of research and planning. Mapping out the elements now will help you “fill them in” as you do your competitive research, build your platform and think about your marketing plans and strategy.
3. Get to know your category. Your book will only be shelved in one place in the bookstore. Make sure you understand your competition. How do you differentiate yourself? Is there a market for your book? Do you have a unique hook? Does your book “fit” with your category in regard to length, content and packaging.
4. When you’re ready to move on to trying to find an agent or publisher, might I recommend that your first stop be your local bookstores. Pull out books that are similar to yours and/or that you really like. Check the acknowledgement page. A good agent will often be thanked by the author in the acknowledgements. Look at the copyright page. Who published the book? Make a list of your top 10 – 15 agents and publishers and go home and check out their websites. Do they accepted unsolicited proposals? What format do that want to see your proposal in? Do they prefer a query letter as first contact? Pay close attention to their requirements and follow them – you don’t want to be discounted from the outset for a minor mistake.
5. Always make sure you research any agent and/or publisher before agreeing to work with them.
How to Write a Book Proposal, Michael Larsen
Nonfiction Book Proposals Anyone Can Write, Elizabeth Lyon
How to Get a Literary Agent, Michael Larson
Write the Perfect Book Proposal: 10 That Sold and Why, Jeff Herman
Writer’s Market 2008
Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents 2008: Who They Are! What They Want! How to Win Them Over!
D5 Creation