Try, Try Again

So this week I sent out six new agent queries. I'll do more next week; it takes a lot of time to explore agents and pick those who you think will connect with your writing. I feel good about it, even though statistically speaking I likely won't end up with any of them as my agent. I am pretty sure I'm not the only one who gets frustrated by this merry-go-round of submissions and rejections. Why do we keep doing it?

I'll tell you why I keep doing it. I am not interested in self publishing. I have nothing against it, per se. It gains more and more credibility every year as a viable path. But I want to write. I don't want to negotiate contracts, pay for my books to be printed, market all by myself. I just want to write my books. So I keep doing it. (I will say that most of the self-pubbed books I've read have not been of the same caliber as traditionally pubbed books. This isn't to say it's not possible, but traditional publishers have teams of people who work on your book. It's bound to improve the quality of the thing. I should also add that I edit for self-publishing authors, and I think those who hire an editor end up with a much better book.)

I have several friends who were almost at the end of their proverbial ropes when they finally signed with an agent and sold one or more books to traditional publishers. Their stories lift my spirits when I want to give up.

Here are a few of things I've learned over my many long years of writing, submitting, being rejected, and trying again.

1. If the same work keeps getting rejected, maybe it's time to set it aside and work on something new. I know for a fact that each book I write is better than the last. And every time, I think this one is it, until it's not. Each one teaches me something I didn't understand before. So don't put all your eggs in that one basket.

2. I am confident that I am a good writer. Maybe even a great writer. I know this because I go to a lot of workshops, conferences, retreats, and critique groups with professionals, and they tell me this. Also because I've been practicing for a very long time. Also because I read by the ton, and I know what's out there. Also, because I have no ego left, so I can assess my own writing in a fairly unbiased way.

3. It's a good thing that some of the agents and editors I've submitted to have rejected me. As mentioned, I been in this rodeo quite a long time, and I've seen the big stall that can happen to a writer with an agent who isn't right for them. Inevitably, that partnership ends, and one has to start all over. As I have gotten to know some of the agents I once thought would be perfect for me, I cry happy tears that they didn't sign me.

4. Agents are just people. Very fallible people. Very nice people. Professional people. But there is nothing to be afraid of. I have given up the role of sweet little author who needs the help of an agent (if that ever was me), and I have started being completely myself when I query and submit. I tell people straight out what I want, what I'm willing to do, and what my vision for a particular book is. I am too old to tiptoe around, hoping my good behavior will get me in the door. You know that saying about well behaved women rarely making history? That.

5. Even when nothing happens, something is happening. I spent the last year hoping to nail down a particular agent. She asked for fulls of two manuscripts, read them, sent back copious editorial notes. I spent two months revising one manuscript per her notes, resubmitted at her request, and waited. For six months. Nothing. All my writing friends said to move on, which I am doing. But that was a good experience, because it gave me more confidence, revision notes to work with, and some good revisions came out of it.

6. Never, ever sit around and wait for that reply. Be working on new things and revising old things and researching and everything else. It gives me so much energy to be working on the next, new, shiny manuscript that I can forget there is ever one making the rounds out there. It keeps me from obsessing or worrying. It keeps me moving forward and writing better books.

I wish us all the best luck this year in achieving our writing and publishing dreams.

Indie vs. Self: What's the Difference

By Julie Daines

There's a lot of confusion out there about indie publishers and self-publishers. Let just get straight to the point. Here is this:

From Judith Briles on AuthorU.org (June 2014)

Don’t Confuse Independent Publishing with Self-Publishing

Indie, Independent and Small Press Publishing Are So, Soooooo Different from Self-Publishing, Vanity Presses and Pay-to-Publish “Publishing”  

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a zillion times: yes, dear author-to-be (and those already published), there is a difference between self-publishing, vanity presses, pay-to-publish, a small press, and independent publishing. Don’t mix them up. Don’t get confused.

She quotes Wikipedia: 

The majority of small presses are independent or indie publishers, this means that they are separate from the handful of major publishing house conglomerates, such as Random House or Hachette. The term ‘indie publisher’ should not be confused with ‘self-publisher’, which is where the author publishes only their own books.

  Defined this way, these presses make up approximately half of the market share of the book publishing industry.

This is a great article if you're confused about any of these terms. Go and check it out.

Unfortunately, I feel the term independent publishing (Indie) is going the same way so many words have already gone--Verbicide. It is used so frequently in the wrong sense that it's original meaning is becoming lost.

The Most Important Editorial Tool: Patience

by Deren Hansen

If, after all suggestions to the contrary, you're convinced your NaNoWriMo masterpiece is ready for the world after two weeks of editing, do yourself and everyone else a favor and review, "Ten Things I’ve Learned from Evaluating Self-Published Books for a Year," by Jessica Bennett, writing on Writer Unboxed. Here's a sample:

"2. Many Self-Publishers Publish Too Early

"One of the hardest decisions for an author to make is to decide when their book is “ready” to publish. I think a lot of newer authors lack the experience and patience to give their book that last needed scrub before putting it out on the market. Many of the self-published books I’ve read could benefit from a couple of months in a drawer to “breath” and then one last no-holds-bar edit.

"3. Self-Published Authors Need To Care More About Grammar

"Grammar is the most common quality standard that our submitted books miss at Compulsion Reads, which is a shame, because it’s also the easiest writing issue to fix. When you publish your book it’s no longer just art, it’s also a product. I’m amazed at how many self-published books I read that are filled with grammar mistakes."

Read the full article here.

Deren Hansen is the author of the Dunlith Hill Writers Guides. This article is from Sustainable Creativity: How to Enjoy a Committed, Long-term Relationship with your Muse. Learn more at dunlithhill.com.

Confronting the Post-NaNoWriMo Temptation To Publish

by Deren Hansen

If you're too impatient to take Bruce's excellent suggestion that you should work through your NaNoWriMo manuscript and prepare to workshop it at WIFYR next summer, then you should at least consider the six questions Laekan Zea Kemp poses, in a guest post on The Read Room, for anyone who wants to self-publish. Here's a sample:

"Despite the fact that every person and their dog thinks that they can write a book, living the life of a writer is not for the faint of heart. And whether you choose to publish through a traditional route or independently, the road to success isn’t an easy one.

"There’s a misconception about self-publishing that it’s somehow easier. And the draw for a lot of people is this ignorant idea that going indie means you get to skip all of the hard parts. But I’m here to tell you that, not only do you still have to suffer through all of the revisions and rejections and self-doubt, but you have to go through these things alone.

...

"2.  What are your intentions? ... If building a career is truly your intention, don’t rush into self-publishing. And more importantly don’t rush your story for the sake of putting it on sale as fast as possible.

"3.  Do you have the stamina? If you’ve only written one book in your entire life, you’re not ready to self-publish. Now, remember, this is just my opinion and I’m only speaking to self-publishers looking to become career authors, BUT knowing that you have the will-power and the desire to FINISH is extremely important. And when I say finish, I don’t mean one book. I mean finish what you start, each and every time. I didn’t self-publish my first book until I was halfway through the first draft of my third. Why? Because I wanted to be strategic about when I published and I wanted to prove to my readers that I was in this for the long haul. Careers aren’t built on just one book (and don’t give me some one in a million example of an author who did just that *cough* Harper Lee *cough*) they’re built on hard work and consistency. So before you even think about self-publishing, focus on building a backlist that will prove to you and readers out there that you’ve got what it takes to be a career author."

Read the entire article here. And then come back and tell us what you're going to do with your NaNoWriMo manuscript.

Deren Hansen is the author of the Dunlith Hill Writers Guides. This article is from Sustainable Creativity: How to Enjoy a Committed, Long-term Relationship with your Muse. Learn more at dunlithhill.com.

Publishing Options and Exploiting Your Intellectual Propery

by Deren Hansen

Given the recent discussion of traditional and self-publishing, I feel the need to join in with some structural observations. My aim is to give the conversation a baseline of economic reality.

First, however, I have to say that the degree to which partisans are vilifying each other reminds me of the Mac vs. PC religious wars of the '90s. As someone who understands that all Turing-complete computational devices are provably equivalent, I grew impatient with the name-calling in that context until I came to understand that the deep feelings arose because people needed to justify the $3000 - $5000 investment they'd made in one platform or the other.

In addition to the investment dynamic there's a notion of art and its noble pursuit wrapped up in our aspirations as writers. You're here because books have affected you deeply--probably more so than any other expressive medium. That experience elevates reading and writing from the level of mere commerce. But the fact of the matter is that if you want to trade your words for money you're squarely back in the realm of business.

Writers who charge for their work are in the business of exploiting their intellectual property. It's unfortunate that the word, "exploit," has few positive connotations because it is the correct term: you're trying to derive benefit from your words and the stories they contain.

In the past, the best way to exploit your intellectual property was to license it to a publisher--effectively entering into a partnership designed to benefit both parties. Similarly, in high tech launching a start-up became practically synonymous with securing venture capital because the necessary equipment was too expensive to finance yourself. In both cases the pattern of trading future returns for current working capital was so dominant that alternative approaches could be written off as non-starters.

But things change.

In high tech you can rent all the computing power you need (and only what you need) from cloud computing providers. In publishing, you no longer need $30,000 to $50,000 to print, store, and sell books. In other words, it's now not only possible to exploit your intellectual property rights yourself--doing so in the right circumstances might make better economic sense.

All of which is a long way of saying that finding a publisher or becoming your own publisher can and should be a clear-headed business decision. And just like any other business, you must understand the full implications of your options: licensing your intellectual property to a publisher doesn't guarantee you'll be taken care of; publishing it yourself isn't a short-cut to the fame and fortune the gatekeepers have wrongly withheld from you. Both paths (in all their variations) require hard work over a long time with no assurance that you'll ever see a return on your investment.

We need to move past trying to justify one approach over another and take a clear-headed look at the promises and pitfalls of all the expanding opportunities for writers.


Deren blogs at The Laws of Making.

Self Publishing...Or Not...Again

By Julie Daines

There's been some sparks flying--again--on the whole To Self Publish or Not debate. So, I'm chiming in with my two cents.

Here is a great quote by Edan Lepucki (The Millions) from an interesting article about her reasons for not self publishing. I agree with with much of what she has to say, but not all.

I found this especially in line with my own thoughts:

Readers themselves rarely complain that there isn’t enough of a selection on Amazon or in their local superstore; they’re more likely to ask for help in narrowing down their choices. So for anyone who has, however briefly, played that reviled gatekeeper role, a darker question arises: What happens once the self-publishing revolution really gets going, when all of those previously rejected manuscripts hit the marketplace, en masse, in print and e-book form, swelling the ranks of 99-cent Kindle and iBook offerings by the millions? Is the public prepared to meet the slush pile?

Is the public ready to meet the slush pile? I'm not. And as more kids are getting e-readers, parents have to be doubly vigilant to ensure their kids aren't downloading anything worse than just a poorly written book.

But, as she points out, blogs and other forms of reviews are already popping up to help readers wade through the slush.

My personal reasons for going with a traditional publisher are similar to Ms. Lepucki. Mainly, I want my manuscript to be its best. I want an editor telling me what's working and what's not. I want that stack of revisions to make the story better.

I recently started reading a self-published book with at least FIVE editing errors on THE FIRST PAGE! I don't want that to be me. I had to put the book down.

I have nothing against self-publishing whatsoever. It's just not for me--at least right now.

What are your thoughts?

Janette Rallison's Comments on Self-Publishing

Rick has covered this topic pretty well, but I'll add a few things. 1) You will notice that many if not all of the people Rick mentioned who started out self-publishing their books, when given the chance moved onto a traditional publisher. That should tell you something about the problems involved with self-publishing. 2) Keep in mind that traditional publishers send out ARCs (advanced reading copies--which look like paperbacks) to reviewers to create some buzz about their books. For My Fair Godmother, my publisher sent out 1,200. If I recall right, James Dashner's Thirteenth Reality had 4,000 ARCs sent out. If you're self publishing it's up to you to find out who those reviewers are and send out all those review copies. Also, you'll need to keep in mind that a lot of reviewers won't review self published books.

I tell people that unless you have an outlet to sell your books (You routinely give talks to large crowds about your organizing method, and you've got a book on organizing) then it's better to stick to the traditional route.

Janette Rallison

"Fame, Glory, and Other Things on My To Do List" IRA Young Adults' Choices List 2007
"It's a Mall World After All" IRA Young Adults' Choices List 2008

JanetteRallison. com
janette-rallison. blogspot. com

Stacy Whitman's Comments on Self-Publishing

I think you could pretty much group everyone's comments on what someone who
self-publishes has to do under the umbrella of "you're the publisher." That
means you take on ALL the roles that a publisher does, without the clout a
mainstream publisher has. That means you're no longer just the writer--all
the pre-production and production issues are yours (editing, copyediting,
proofreading, design, interior and cover artwork, administrative tasks like
ISBNs (beware a vanity publisher who says they'll get your ISBN--often
they're getting it in THEIR name, not yours, which causes problems in
reprints if you get that far), copyright registration, getting quotes from
printers and other vendors, etc.), and then the marketing, PR, sales, and
distribution are a major hurdle that you're handling yourself as well. As
many have already noted, you're not going to get your book in most
bookstores unless you have several books, and the quality of the book in
presentation and editing are always going to be an issue.

That's not to say that there aren't some great self-published books out
there--look at Schlock Mercenary and several other webcomic artists' books.
But they definitely fall in a niche--a niche for which they already had a
built-in audience from the webcomic of tens of thousands of fans. If you
don't already have an audience in place, it's definitely something you'll
have to consider, because building an audience for most books, at least
fiction, tends to be easier through a mainstream publisher.

Again, that doesn't mean it's not possible, but it is definitely daunting.
It's daunting for me as I start my small press, because I'm taking on a lot
of these roles myself, roles that when I worked with a larger publisher were
delegated to other employees. I will have to use all these kinds of
skills--skills that I've gained through working in a publisher--and be very
active on the selling end (going to shows, etc.) until we get at least five
books out because no distributor will even look at a small press who isn't a
self-publisher until you have at least five titles out.

The stigma against self-publishing in the publishing world is simply that
with all that up against the average self-publisher- -and nowadays the
average self-publisher *tends* to be the kind of person who insists they
know publishing better than the experts, despite never having worked on
either side of publishing as a writer or editor/other publishing staff--few
people have the expertise to manage all those roles and come out with a
well-written, well-edited, well-designed book that also sells well. Heck,
it's hard enough to do it when you've got a team of experts on your side.

Now, when I said "the average self-publisher" that often rules out anyone
who's doing their research, like networking through lists like this and so
on. Already you've got more knowledge than the literally millions of
self-publishers out there--most people who go to self-publishing honestly
think that's how a book gets published. I had an old roommate, who knew I
was an editor, ask me how much it costs to get a book published by Random
House--she honestly thought you had to pay to be published, and without more
information, would probably have ended up going with a scam.

The reason why the number of books published every year is so large is
because of all those self-published books. Few can stand out from a crowd in
the sea of all those books. But the ones that do know how to capitalize on
the skills everyone's talking about here. And it can be a very good option
for all the reasons Rick and several others have mentioned here. I know an
author who just wanted a copy of the book to hand to her daughter at a
certain age, so she decided to self-publish her picture book. For that goal,
it succeeded. She hasn't succeeded in selling out her print run, but the
emotional reason was more important to her at that time, and she has other
books she's writing for the traditional publishing route. Certainly family
and local histories have a limited, niche audience, and self-publishing can
be a great boon for those kinds of stories. Self-help nonfiction, as someone
mentioned here, can do very well in self-publishing because of all the
opportunities to use your platform at conferences and such to sell the book,
especially if you're already an expert in your field. I've heard the same
about real estate and finance kinds of books--again, those are authors with
built-in audiences, so the books will probably sell themselves.

But the thing to remember as you consider self-publishing is whether you
truly want to take on the roles of the entire staff of experts--or if you
don't want to do it yourself, if you want to enlist the help of independent
experts (there are a lot of freelance editors out there who would be glad to
help, but as Rick said, good help doesn't come cheap--I myself charge $50 an
hour for a developmental edit of a full manuscript) or if you have family
members with these skills. It's definitely possible, but it's a whole lot
easier to have a team of experts who are paying *you* to work on your book.

Keep in mind that the Eragons of the world are literally one in a million.
There are a million books out there, wanting the limited attention span of
the audience you're trying to reach. It's definitely wise to consider
whether you can and want to take on all the roles necessary to really
capture that attention. If you do, go for it. If you don't, keep going for a
regular publisher, working on getting your polished book into the right
hands at the right time--and they'll have that team of experts ready to go
at the right time.

Sorry if this appears pessimistic. I may have been the editor at last year's
WIFYR that someone said told them that "all" self-published books are bad.
If it was me, I believe I was misquoted. As I said above, *many*--not all,
but MANY--self-publishe d books tend to be of a low quality simply because
the author doing the publisher is a *writer*--not any of the other roles
that you have to fill to publish a book. There's nothing wrong with that.
But it's always best to consider these things and consider how they'll
affect the end product of your book.

Stacy Whitman
Editor
http://www.stacylwhitman.com

Rick Walton's Comments on Self-Publishing, part 1

Self publishing is just another option. It's only good or bad depending on the context.

Some good reasons to self publish:
You have a niche that you can uniquely access. (One thing the big publishers are not good at is accessing narrow market niches.)
You believe in your book, and are willing to risk the money, the time, and the effort to give it a chance. (Several successful authors have done this.)
You are doing a limited run for a small group, such as your family.

Some bad reasons to self publish:
Because the big publishers won't take you. (It might be that your book is not ready for publication yet, and by refusing to publish it, the publishers are doing you a favor. Instead of risking your money, risk your time and work on your writing. Improve the book.)
To justify your existence. (I've met some people who really don't think their life is going to have been justified if they don't have their name on a book.)
So you can be known as a published author. (Most people in the book industry look with skepticism on self published books. It's not there aren't good ones, there are. It's just that with the lack of screening and editing, the percentage of good books is much lower. Even if your book is great, you're going to be fighting that stigma every step of the way.)
Because you think there's something magical about having your name on a book. (Having your name on a book means nothing. It's what's in the book that matters.)

There are people who have successfully self published--Christop her Paolini (his parents had a press, which I consider self-publishing, if you publish your own kid), Richard Paul Evans, Hank the Cowdog, Wayne Dyer, Time Stops for No Mouse, 50 Ways to Save the Planet. Many successful publishing companies began as self-publishing operations. Klutz Press for example. So there are plenty of examples of people who have pulled it off.

But to do so, you need to do a few things.
Take it seriously. You're setting yourself up as a publisher, not just an author. Don't trust that your printer is going to distribute and push your books. They've already made their money off of you. They don't have much motivation to do any more.
Be willing to risk the money. It's going to cost a lot. Unless you do print on demand. Then your upfront costs are lower, but your per book costs are very high.
Make sure the quality of your book is as good as the national market books. Self published books have a reputation for being poor quality productions.

And it is true that you should not go to a vanity press. Vanity presses are called that because they appeal to your vanity. They put on the hard sell, making suggestions that they can do wonders for your books, because your book is wonderful. (To them, everybody's book is wonderful, because it brings them in money.) If you're going to self publish, shop around. Find a press that does a great job at a fair price. (Some self publishers have their books printed at the same Chinese printing companies that the big publishers use.) Get your book professionally designed.

In summary, there is nothing intrinsically good or bad about traditional publishing, print on demand, self-publishing, e-books, any other type of publishing, except maybe vanity publishing. They all have their pros and cons, and if you go into it with your eyes open, and make the right choices, you'll be just fine.

Rick Walton

Rick Walton's Comments on Self-Publishing, part 2

There are cheap ways of doing some of these things, but they are risky.

You can teach yourself to use a design program. And you can get a friend who has editing skills to edit your manuscript. And you can collaborate with an illustrator on speculation. However, you might miss something in the design, your friend might not be a great editor, and most good illustrators don't work on speculation much because they are getting paid for their work.

If anyone wants names of professionals, I can give them to you. They will be good, but they won't be cheap. if you have the time, the energy, and the ability to learn, with no mental blocks about technology,you can become fairly competent in many of these skills. But it will take work.

$3000, depending on the type of book and where it is printed, could get you between 500 and 2500 copies of your book.

Lois Brown's Comments on Self-Publishing

I think Rick's advice is very sound. Personally, I had a good
experience with self-publishing, but it was a narrow market niche and
the book subject lent itself to some obvious marketing channels. It was
a non-fiction, self-help adult book. I had to put myself out there and
get invited to women conferences to teach classes. Those I know who have
tried to self-publish fiction have a much harder time selling
it--particularly children's books. In the end, I did make money, but it
wouldn't have been worth it if I hadn't really enjoyed the subject
matter. Fortunately I did. I did not go through a vanity press. I found
a good printer myself. I did get the book into mom and pop bookstores,
and the BYU bookstore was great about working with me. However, I had no
luck with Deseret Book, Seagull, or Walmart.

Two things I would have done differently:
1. I would have gotten a better editor! My book had many typos and I
was somewhat embarrassed about it. Don't try and save money by doing
this yourself. It's worth it.
2. I would have investigated the possibility of combining my
self-published book with others of the same type to create a "line of
products." When I went to bookstores, most had the policy that they
would only take a product if the wholesaler had at least 3 to 5 products
to sale. That rules out self-publishers. My thought was, what if
self-publishers got together (each footing the cost of his/her own book)
and created a small line of products that they could then place into
bookstores? The books would be self-published but they would all be
connected with the ISBNs and an umbrella "wholesaler. " Anyhow, I don't
know about the legality of it all, but I think it's an interesting thought.

Best,
Lois Brown