Chip MacGregor .com

The Good, the Bad, and the Faux Deep

2009-11-14T09:50:23-08:00

The Big News in publishing today is that they've refined the Google Book Settlement. (If you're unaware, Google is going to digitize nearly every out-of-print book and make it available for sale -- that's huge news to anyone involved in the publishing industry.) They still plan on setting up a Book Rights Registry to make sure some of the money goes to the rights holder of those oop books, but they couldn't get all those pesky foreign governments to work with them (the nerve!). So now the settlement will basically be limited to books published in English -- that is, books from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. So the pool of books, while still huge, has been limited considerably. The other big changes include: an oversight board to look out for orphaned books (where it's not clear who the owner is), a reworking of the financials, and a clause that allows someone other than Google to control the whole mess. Is this done yet? Not sure... but it certainly looks like we're moving toward some sort of digital book registry, so that every book ever published in the English language will be available to you in a digital format. And yes, I still think this is a good thing, if you consider the big picture.

Over in the world of Christian publishing, novelist Ted Dekker made a big splash, showing incredibly poor judgment in deciding to slam the biggest segment of publishing, apparently because it doesn't make him happy. He took aim at Christian romance publishers in general, and Harlequin's Love Inspired in particular, poking fun at their rules and offering a big list of words they can't use. (You can read the whole diatribe at http://www.teddekker.com/2009/11/07/whats-wrong-with-this-picture/ ). He then turned it into a crusade, suggesting all right-thinking religious writers "call out" the terrible issue of...um, not being able to use the word "hooters" in fiction, I guess.

Um... Ted. These are novels. The readers buying these books want clean, safe, romantic titles. They won't be buying YOUR books, which are none of the above. Instead, they'll look for a good story, with no bad words or obvious sexual sidelines. What's wrong with that? When did we decide banning certain books was a good idea? And there are a LOT of these readers -- something we can safely state, since in a terrible publishing year, Harlequin actually GREW. In fact, they posted the biggest gains of any publisher over the past twelve months. So maybe they're on to something. If that list of words they don't want you to use (which, taken out of context, is admittedly pretty funny) gets you all hot and bothered, don't buy them. Buy something else -- a Stephen King novel, maybe. Or something racier, if that's what gets your motor running. But your argument suggests that there are good Christian novels (the ones you like) and bad Christian novels (the ones romance readers like), and that we apparently need to stand up and demand... what? That they stop doing the books you don't like?

This is a straw man argument. It's easy for speculative readers to attack romance novels, just as it's easy for academic writers to attack the writers of popular reference. You start shouting, claim the other side is stupid, and give evidence of a couple dopey things they've done. In Ted's case, he wrapped it all up in a veneer of spirituality, asking the "What Would Jesus Do" question. It's what is called a "deep vs shallow" argument, and it goes like this: "What I write is deep... what you write is shallow."

My response: Bull. (And yes, I'd have used a stronger word, but I don't want to lose all those romance readers.) Ted's novels aren't deep -- they're chases and thrillers that tell a good story and, occasionally, offer a spiritual thread. But they're very dark (and, frankly, getting darker all the time). None of them cause you to think deeply about your faith, nor do I know anyone who has come to a deeper walk with God because of reading them. (I suppose it could have happened, but I don't know of anyone who would make that claim.) Different readers want different types of stories. If some people are offended by certain words or situations, isn't it legitimate to write a book for them? In my view, a writer can create a "real" book without using words that might offend a select audience. In fact, we do it ALL THE TIME. Ted's books don't have the F word -- why? Because it would turn off his readership, to say nothing of the retailers. So this is just an argument of degree. I guess, if you read Ted's post, this means I'm voting "A" -- that I call him out for a biased, shallow argument, and tell him the only thing I'm appalled at is his arrogance.

On a happier note, check out http://www.ajc.com/news/blogger-raises-30k-in-193483.html .

Jon Acuff, the genius behind the popular Stuff Christians Like website, told his readers he'd like to help the Samaritan's Purse organization raise $30,000 to build an orphanage in Vietnam. (This came about because Jon's six-year-old daughter read a story about starving children in that country and she wanted to help.) So Jon challenged his readers to make a donation -- and something that would have taken the organization months to accomplish was done in 18 hours. That's right -- he raised $30,000 in 18 hours, just by asking his friends on his website. In fact, the money came in so fast that Jon decided to try and double it -- and raised $60,000 so Samaritan's Purse could build TWO orphanages. Shows you something about the power of the internet to build a community of like-minded people, doesn't it? Amazing stuff. Check out Jon's website at www.stuffchristianslike.net .

And, by the way, Jon's book, Stuff Christians Like, comes out with Zondervan next March.

Creating a Critique Group

2009-11-09T19:16:04-08:00

This email came from Jess: "You once said we should get all our words down on paper, in order to create a crappy draft. I know you're talking about writing a nonfiction book here, but I've heard the same thing about fiction. My question: Where do our critique partners come in? I sure don't want to pass along a crappy first chapter or two to them...so I write and rewrite, trying to make it perfect before moving on. Any advice on how to make a critique group faster and more productive?"

Sure. First, let me explain to everybody what a critique group is: A collection of fellow writers who come together to improve each other's writing. (And, yeah, occasionally they come together to smack down the arrogant, or to make themselves feel better by criticizing someone else...but the GOAL of the group is to help everyone improve.) Sometimes you'll just have one or two people who are your crit partners; other times you might be part of a group that gathers on a weekly or monthly basis. You pass your work around ahead of time, the others make notes, then they come and share them with you.

Second, let me take issue with a couple things you said. I'm talking both fiction AND nonfiction. In my experience, nearly every writer benefits from having crit partners. And I think you may be stressing too much on showing people your bad work. Everybody has some bad work now and then. The point of the group is to IMPROVE. So get it out there -- let your partners see your work. It will help them as much as it helps you, since they'll be able to see how you handle certain writing problems.

Years ago, in another life, I made my living doing dopey magic tricks and telling jokes. (Really.) I played some nice places (the Comedy & Magic Club of Hermosa Beach was one), and I played some awful places (insert the name of any smoky bar where the customers are more interested in Budweisers, Camels, and the opposite sex). One thing I noticed about the venues: Even if the place was a dive, I learned lessons. Being in front of a living, breathing audience forces you to change your act. You have to work really hard to get people to laugh. All the rehearsal in the world wasn't going to cause me to perfect my act -- for that, I had to go be bad in front of people.

There's a lesson there for writers... A lot of potential writers are simply too sensitive. As a writer, you need a place to bad, so that you can learn to be good. So if your ego is too fragile to allow someone else to read your work, it's time to learn this lesson. Allow yourself to be bad. Give somebody else (preferably not your mom, your spouse, or your best friend) the permission to be honest with you about your writing.

Yes, this takes courage. And it means you're going to have to find a couple people you trust. If you get into a large crit group, chances are you're going to have one person you don't like, who always hammers you for something. Learn to live with it. Paste a smile on your face, say "thanks very much," and move on to somebody whose opinion you actually care about. BUT somewhere, in the midst of all that fake niceness, be willing to at least hear what that individual has to say about your writing. A fresh set of eyes is exactly why you joined the group, so at least listen to the criticisms others have, even if you think they're all wrong and you're above this sort of thing.

Scottish people have a saying: Learn to unpack a rebuke. In other words, don't reject a criticism out of hand. You don't have to like it. You don't have to agree with it. But give it a little time. Take it and play with it. Be willing to at least examine the criticism and see if, just maybe, there's an ounce of truth in it.

I recently had somebody challenge me on this blog -- they basically snarled at me, "You're playing it too safe! Where's the edgy Chip I've seen on other sites? You've pulled it all in, hoping this 'nice' Chip will be more appealing!" My first response? I slapped her. (No, not really. There I go again, playing it safe.) My first reaction was to defend myself. "No, that's not true." Then I offered a bunch of reasons why I was Mr. Edgy. Except...she was right. I've felt the same thing -- that I was toning it all down. I don't know why, but I felt it, and when I read back over my replies, I could see it. So I unpacked the rebuke. And now...um...I don't know. I'm not going to become Mr. Snotty, but I probably need to cut loose a bit more. I don't want people checking my site at bedtime in order to help them nod off.

Of course, sometimes you'll get a rebuke that's wrong. Somebody will tell you "that idea will never sell" or "you shouldn't do that novel in first person," and your only response is to smile, say thanks, and ignore the moron. That's okay. At least you got another perspective. But you gain an immense amount of wisdom when you allow other people you respect to look at your words.

Okay, so third (and yes, this is really "third" -- look way up there and you'll see there was a "first" and a "second"), I want to suggest that handing around a bad first draft is EXACTLY the point of a crit group. Let them see what you're doing and offer some direction for your writing. You may not agree with all of it, but the point is that you're getting another set of eyes to review your work. I've seen thousands of pages of paper wasted on under-written book proposals. Sometimes these were good ideas, they just needed more work. But I rarely seen an over-written book proposal -- one the author simply over-designed, over-thought, and over-wrote. So my sense is that you probably need to spend more time on your project.

Having a critique group can help you move forward. Besides, having writing friends gives you somebody to share your success and failure with. When those rejections come in, they'll pat you on the back and tell you that, yes, you're a fine writer, you just need to stick with it. Maybe they'll go buy you a Guinness. (Another reason to like critique groups!)

Fourth, you asked how to make them faster and more productive. As for "faster," send the writings out one week and talk about them the next week. (That said, I don't know that making a group faster is the goal. But I know how frustrating it is to get into a group where one person dominates all the needs.) In terms of making things more productive, I encourage groups to WRITE their comments. It's too easy to weasel out of a tough criticism when we're all sitting around the living room, drinking tea and commenting on Daphne's stupid prairie romance. ("Um...I don't know...but since this is set in the 1830's, maybe you shouldn't have your heroine eaten by intergallactic space aliens.") Instead, ask people to write their criticisms onto the page, then you can talk through them, and hand them to the author, before giving her (a) a kleenex to wipe her eyes, and (b) the number of a good suicide prevention counselor.

Fifth and last, don't think about trying to make it perfect. Seeking perfection in writing is what freezes people up and keeps them from writing (or from participating in an honest crit group). Look for progress, not perfection. You ain't going to make it perfect. So try to make it "better than last week."

Hope that helps. (And yes, I said this before, about three years ago. I thought the topic needed to be covered again.)

Sandra's Self Evaluation ...

2009-11-06T14:21:21-08:00

My husband came home from work one day this week and we briefly discussed the results of a review he'd done for one of his employees. Nothing confidential, of course, and to this employee's credit, most everything my husband had to say was quite positive.

It got me thinking, though, how much I DON'T MISS the formal quarterly job review process. The nerves leading up to it. The pre-evaluation work required. The "wonder if I'm cutting it?" worries. The hoping for a fair raise and the resulting reminder that as much as I'd like it to be otherwise, my performance was not always directly linked to my paycheck.

When I worked as an employee, my review results were always very positive. "Hard worker. Excellent work ethic. Resourceful, respectful, creative, team player," yada yada. All good skills.

Of course, it's different when you work for yourself. The feedback system is just ... different.

Now, Chip and I discuss our work all the time. We talk through the frustrations and challenges, and celebrate victories together. Work out plans for the future. Help each other figure out strategies for moving our authors move forward. This friendly partner relationship is much more fun than filling out accountability evaluations, trust me. And it's a blessing to know I can go to someone with the wealth of experience he brings to the job of agenting without worrying that I'm exposing my performance "weaknesses." I've learned more this past 18 months than I thought possible.

And so, realizing that I've hit another milestone in my new(ish) career, I decided to do my own performance review. Chip and I talked about these things earlier this week (while he was in my home office unknowingly spreading the flu bug, thank you very much!) and then I thought since people are still asking me "hey, how's the agent thing going?" and because I'm way overdue for a blog post, I figured I'd share the results here.

Because I usually approach everything from a "what can be better" angle, I started with my "Needs Improvement" list:

1. I don't blog often enough (yeah, yeah, I know ...).

2. I'm still not the email Ninja I wish I was, but I'm working on it.

3. I have a tendency to keep trying new tracking systems - have yet to find the ONE perfect foolproof and simple system which works for me. I need to just pick one and make it work.

4. I tend to over-analyze, and over-think things. (Hence number 3).

5. I still carry a fair amount of "not good enough" around in my head all the time, specifically as it relates to my work. I still struggle with my perfectionistic tendencies - don't know whether I owe this to the left over father abandonment junk I still carry around with me, or maybe Staff Sergeant Goo (yes, that really was my drill instructor's name). Ahem. That's quite personal, isn't it? Oh well. See #4, I guess.

6. My personal disciplines (excercise, daily devotions, domestic routines) have taken a serious hit this past year.

And of course, to balance things out, I created a list of areas where I've seen improvement and where I feel I excel:

1. I'm progressing in working out the professional vs. personal life balancing act of working (mostly) at home.

2. I'm slower at submitting than I'd like to be, but getting better.

3. I'm good at evaluating and helping my authors create proposals. REALLY GOOD, actually.

4. I have good instincts.

5. I create excellent comp lists for work I'm planning to submit. It's time consuming, and takes me awhile to get to sometimes, but I find this one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

6. I'm a good critiquer.

7. I've done a solid enough number of deals during a crappy economy to convince me I know what I'm doing and that I'm going to be good at this for the long haul.

8. I get along with people and generally, people tend to like me.

9. I get great feedback all the time from editors who say how comfortable it is doing deals together.

10. My authors consider me a friend.

11. I'm still taller than Chip. And, so far, I still look better in a skirt than he does.

I should probably come up with one more just to round this to an even dozen, but, I figure that's enough self-examination for one week.

But hey, one more thing ... it was such fun this week to place "my" first book on the shelf I recently cleared in my office for those I've agented - Tia McCollors' THE LAST WOMAN STANDING, from Moody's Lift Every Voice line. (And I laughed when I realized it took 18 months and that someone (certainly not me) could have birthed two babies in that time.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sandra

This, That, and the Other Funny Thing

2009-11-05T20:54:03-08:00

There's a ton of information to report in publishing these days, so let me catch you up...

First, it looks like the Google settlement could be tossed out. Too many arguments among the various parties. If you're an author, and you spent all that time filling out those arcane rights sheets so that you could get paid... sorry!

Second, Bill Anderson suddenly resigned as the Prez of CBA. It happened after a stormy board meeting. He's been president since the mid-80's, and was a gracious man with a positive attitude. (Bill was always nice to me, even though I sometimes said some things on my blog that made him mad. In my view, I was just reporting the truth -- that CBA is in a world of hurt.) We had our differences (I thought the organization was slow to let charismatics and Catholics really be a part of the organization, and I still think they've done a terrible job involving African-Americans, meaning the core of CBA is still middle-class white conservative evangelical... but they'd argue that's just demographics). Still, the industry came a long way with Bill at the helm. I think he'll be missed, and it'll be interesting to see what direction the organization goes now.

Third, self-publisher Lulu announced they're now doing e-books, and paying ten bucks on a $13.99 e-book. Wow. If you can actually SELL your books, that's a nice deal.

Fourth, in case you haven't heard, Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon are in a price war. Honest. They're each trying to drive the others out of business by charging less for hardcover novels. (I don't think I've heard the words "price war" since Shell and Texaco had one back in the 1960's. Imagine... paying 29 cents a gallon for gas.) And yes, that's just another nail in the coffin for good bookstores everywhere.

Fifth, in response, Thomas Nelson has talked of staging a rollout with new books (that means having them available only in bookstores first, and in Wal-Mart and on Amazon later) and having a minimum advertised price (a concept that is much debated -- some don't think it's legal, others question if it's enforceable). This will be fascinating to watch -- but it's nice to see a publisher side with actual bookstores instead of the big retailers.

Sixth, in honor of Dan Brown's newest book release, British newspaper The Telegraph put together a list of what they considered to be the 20 worst Dan Brown sentences. You can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/r6tye2. Thought you'd enjoy marvelling at how such a lousy writer can sell so many copies of his books.

Seventh, I've had a couple people write to ask, "Are there any humor writers who also write about the church?"

There are a few. Jon Acuff, who runs the fabulous website Stuff Christians Like. Perhaps the funniest thing on religion in America you can find (and currently one of the most-read religious websites in the world). You can find him at http://stuffchristianslike.net/

Others would include Mark Twain (his "The Diaries of Adam and Eve" has some touchy humor about the church, but some is laugh-out-loud funny -- if you're interested in this topic, check out McCullough and Baetzhold's The Bible and Mark Twain), Dave Meurer (a very funny storyteller with a nice voice in his writing), Dave Barry (you may not know this, but his father was a Presbyterian minister, and his writings on religion are generally insightful, over-the-top, and hilarious), and Garrison Keillor (his faith stories are warm and funny). Two similar writers are Michael Lindvall's The Good News from North Haven and Haven Kimmel's A Girl Named Zippy.

I suppose we could talk about Anita Renfroe (humor for women that's actually funny, whereas many of the women trying to be funny in CBA are simply boring...so it's time we all admit that Barbara Johnson is not funny) and Phil Callaway (he's a funny guy, but he always pulls his punches so as not to offend) and Becky Freeman Johnson (some of her tales of life with family are a riot). If you like funny stories about those of us who grew up in church, read Todd and Jedd Hafer (Snickers from the Front Pew and Mischief from the Back Pew) and Charles Marshall (I'm Not Crazy But I Might Be a Carrier). Finally, Patricia Klein's Growing Up Born Again is a great book from twenty years ago, and if you haven't seen Joel Fitzpatrick's A Field Guide to Evangelicals and their Habitat, by all means pick yourself up a copy. If you have any ability to laugh at yourself (something MANY Christians are unable to do, seeing how they're serious people who need to set the world straight on this whole end-of-the-world scenario), you'll find page after page of laugh-out-loud humor.

That should get you started...

The Dumbest Thing I Ever Did

2009-10-31T11:20:08-07:00

Okay, we've all made stupid mistakes. Done things in a hurry and later regretted them. I remember once, a couple decades ago, when I was working as an associate pastor at a church, and we had a puppet team come in to work with our youth group. They had those big foam Muppet-like puppets, and were training our kids how to use them to do inner-city puppet shows. The girls were all handling the girl puppets, the boys the boy puppets, and we were all doing our Muppet voices and acting dopey. So, when the woman in charge announced we were going to take a break, I happened to be standing next to one of the girl puppets. I picked it up, slid my hand into it (which meant sliding it under the puppet's dress), and said, "I'd like to see how one of the girls feels."

Oops. The room suddenly got real quiet. "Um... that's not what I meant!" I ended up having to call all the parents of the kids to apologize. Yikes. Sometimes it's the little things that come back to bite us.

I tell that story because it's a Saturday morning, and I woke up to discover that, last night, while racing to catch up on some work, I did the dumbest thing I've ever done in more than a decade of agenting. Some background: As an agent, you try and figure out which editor and publishing house is a fit for each project you represent. You put together a list, and you query people, checking to see if they would, in fact, like to look at the manuscript.

I've got a great novel that I'm representing, from a fine author. I've been really excited about this one, thought it had broad appeal, and put together a nice list of editors. Last night I sat down with that list, opened the proposal... and then SENT EACH OF THEM MY QUERY LIST INSTEAD OF THE PROPOSAL. That means when each editor reads my email and opens the document, instead of looking at the author's words, they'll be looking at a list of other editors and houses who are also receiving this query. Good grief. I've never done anything like that before, and it's such a stoo-pid rookie mistake that... well, I was in shock when I woke up today, checked my email, and saw a note from an editor friend saying, "Uh, Chip, you sent me your query list." AAAAAACK!!!!

Some days, I know I'm a good agent. Over the last year, I've sold more projects than any other agent in the country. I represent great authors. I have an ability to recognize good writing. And then, other days... I do something SO bad it leaves me shaking my head, aghast. Yikes. I'd like to be able to say, "That'll teach you." Except I don't really know what it'll teach me. Not to be a bonehead, I guess. Or maybe to appreciate editor friends who can be honest with me, instead of rolling their eyes and refusing to ever read anything I send them again. Good grief. And the worst thing is that I rarely create a long send list any more -- the industry has changed considerably the last couple of years, so that the majority of projects we sell are actually only sent to one or possibly two houses, since we try and target publishers instead of querying a long list of people. In this case, with a new author... well, again, yikes. I am, indeed, a bonehead.

You know, years ago, when I was working as an agent at another company, we had something similar happen. We were working with an author named "Elizabeth," and she had a great project that two publishers were fighting over. One of the editors at one of those houses was also named "Elizabeth." Uh, you know how your computer will sometimes fill in the name in the "send" line of your email if you just type the first few letters? Well, my assistant MEANT to send a message to the author, laying out our strategy. Instead, she accidentally sent that email to the editor... who was NOT happy to find out she was being played, and who immediately withdrew from the whole deal.

Sigh... It turned out okay, I guess. We sold that deal to a great publishing house (in fact, that author is STILL publishing with them, ten years later). And the funniest part of the story is that my former assistant who made that mistake is now WORKING FOR ELIZABETH, the editor who withdrew from the proceedings. I guess people really do forgive mistakes and grace abounds after all. Let's hope.

Geez. What a lousy morning. I'll go apologize to the list of editors who are opening up their emails and wondering, "Has this guy lost his freakin' mind?!" But first, I need to go buy myself a Starbucks, so I'll feel better.

I've got this GREAT personal story...

2009-10-29T23:59:08-07:00

I frequently get proposals telling me about someone's cool personal story. Right now, I'm looking at a New York cop who busted several organized crime figures, a missionary who spent his life in the bush, the child of an on-the-road professional musician, a former Islamic soldier who became a Christian, and a very talented poet and songwriter who survived breast cancer. These are all fairly interesting stories, and I doubt very much I'll take any of them on. Why? Because there's no market for personal story books.

Here's what I consider to be a hard truth: You may have led a fascinating life, seen incredible things, and even had miracles happen to you. But in today's market, there's not much interest in publishing this information in book form. And while you may not like that truth, the fact is, it's where we are in today's publishing economy. No matter how successful these books used to be, or how interesting your story is to you, publishers just aren't selling enough copies of personal story books to make it worthwhile anymore.

I mention this because I've been seeing more and more personal story proposals cross my desk. (In hard economic times, MORE people create proposals, apparently thinking they're going to cash in and make some easy money. Ha!) But right now network television is filled with reality shows -- and these are basically personal stories. There are 20 million blogs -- many of them people sharing their stories. In fact, the web is filled with people who want to tell the world about their stories. So there are cool personal stories everywhere, and they're free. And that's taken away the incentive people have to purchase a personal story book, unless there is a great sense of celebrity or media associated with the book. I represented Lisa Beamer's post-9/11 memoir, LET'S ROLL, a few years ago, then did Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis' UP, UP AND AWAY, and last year sold THROUGH THE STORM, which was authored by Britney Spears' mom, Lynne. All of those books did well, but the latter had major celebrities tied to them, and the former was simply one of the biggest media stories in our nation's history. Would anyone have published Lisa's account of her life with Todd if he hadn't been killed while heroically trying to take back a plane from Islamic terrorists? No, they wouldn't. Would a publisher be willing to listen to a Louisiana mom talk about the lessons she's learned if her eldest child hadn't become one of the world's biggest music stars? No way.

You see, in our contemporary culture, there are a million great stories. It's rare for one of them to stand out enough that it needs a book to share that story with the world. It's why I've rejected at least a dozen books from finalists on various reality TV shows (Biggest Loser, Survivor, America's Next Top Model, etc). In the market's view, someone who has come close on one of those shows has HAD their fifteen minutes of fame. A book isn't going to put any extra time on that clock. If you have a great story, you may want to share it in other venues (such as the internet) in order to get your message out.

Speakers seem to have the hardest time hearing this lesson -- "But I've got a GREAT story! People who hear me speak at a conference all rave about me. Their lives change! They're never the same! They bark like dogs and wet their pants in excitement!" Uh-huh. I think that's great. But unless you're going to be there, to tell your story to potential readers and hand-sell each copy, that doesn't do the publisher any good. And that's why even busy speakers these days are finding it tough to get a deal on their personal story book. (That's why I routinely encourage busy speakers to consider self-publishing. An audience in a room CAN be persuaded to buy a book... and the speaker will make more on those self-pubbed copies than if he were getting a royalty anyway.)

Instead, if you've got this cool story that needs to be told, consider turning it inside out. In other words, don't focus on your personal story -- focus on the principles for living that come out of your story. Don't just use the book to tell what happened -- use the book to share the principles for living you've learned, and use your story to illustrate those principles. You see, people still want to live effectively. They want to learn how to lose weight, or make money, or be successful, or find peace with God. But they don't want to have to buy your book and hear about your life in order to do so. That said, they're still willing to buy a book that offers a big promise, that answers their questions, that solves the big problems of life. So if you feel you've got some sort of dynamite story, don't focus on re-telling everyone what happened in your life. Instead, focus on the lessons learned, write about them, and use some of your story as examples in your text. A MUCH more effective method these days -- and, if you have a platform, far more likely to help you land a publishing deal.

And one more word... What's clear recently is that the internet is killing nonfiction book sales. People have discovered they can find those same answers on the web for free, so nonfiction sales are in the toilet right now. Publishers, authors, and agents are trying to stay ahead of that curve by figuring out what nonfiction books readers ARE willing to buy... but the prospects in nonfiction self-help are pretty sketchy. People still want answers to the evergreen questions (how can I be healthy? how can I make money money? how can I be at peace? how can I know God? how can I ever be as cool as Chip if I'm not Scottish?), but we're not sure they're going to continue buying those answers in book form if they can get something just as good for free.

So before you decide to pen that cool personal story about how you kicked drugs, lost weight, found your muse, made a fortune, and learned to glow in the dark, be aware that there may not be anyone interested in reading it in a book.

Interested in Marketing Your Fiction?

2009-10-28T13:55:28-07:00

[Get ready. I'm going to offer a commercial. At the end, I might even offer you a Ginsu knife. You've been warned.]

I've long been bugged by the fact that most marketing books you read about in publishing are focused on non-fiction. They tell authors to create websites that give away content, or to go on a speaking circuit and talk about your topic, but most of the ideas are really best for non-fiction. What do you do if you're a novelist?

I've been talking about that a lot in recent months -- how novelists can create a readership, build a following, establish a presence as a novelist. Several of my recent blog posts have been focused on things like social media, and establishing an author brand, and the importance of social media. So, working with longtime marketing specialist Jim Rubart, we've put together a two-day seminar on marketing your fiction. This is aimed at writers who have a book coming out sometime in the next year, and want to be able to create their own marketing plan. In fact, the goal of this seminar is to make sure, at the end of our weekend together, each novelist walks away with a unique marketing plan for their upcoming book.

Okay, so we're not going to include a bunch of hype, or motivational you-can-do-it speeches, and there won't be any pie-in-the-sky, "maybe this could work" type of ideas. We're not going to sell you any products. Instead, here are a few things we're going to cover:

What a novelist’s brand is, how to, discover it, and how to establish it

Five things you can do to become your publisher’s favorite author (and get extra help because of it.)

What you should expect from your publisher, and what you shouldn’t

How get the maximum impact out of social media, your Web site, and your blog.

The seven keys to great ad copy, and how you can use those keys to get free (or nearly free) advertising

How to find new, untapped markets for your books

Three strategies for working successfully with an outside publicist

Most importantly, we'll show you how to create and implement your own, personalized marketing paln to make your novel stand out in a crowded marketplace. And we'll cover the philosophy behind WHY to do certain things. We'll get you thinking like a marketer.

Jim and I have already beta-tested this material, and found it to be really helpful to authors. We are going to do this next month -- November 20-21, in Dallas. Then we're going to repeat it December 4-5 in Indianapolis. We'll be meeting at a hotel conference room close to the airport, so you can either stay at the hotel, or drive in if you're local. (We plan to do this again next spring in Nashville and Chicago.) We're going to keep these small, so that there will be lots of one-on-one time for each author, and it'll be very hands-on. You'll be creating the plan, not just talking about it.

Okay, so the cost is normally $499. We decided to charge $399 for these first two, just as an inducement to get people involved. But then I had a bunch of readers of this blog ask about participating, so... tell you what. If you go to the website (www.themasterseminars.com) and mention this blog, you can come for $300. And yeah, space is limited. There's just two of us, and we can only work with a small group.

Can this sort of focused marketing really work with fiction? Well, I've been working with novelists for years now, and have a good track record of helping them move forward in their careers. So if you really want to figure out what to do in order to market your fiction effectively, plan to come join us. I'd love to meet you there. Thanks for letting me offer you a commercial.

(Yes, I should have worked for Ronco -- "And, if you order before midnight tonight, we'll send you this lovely set of cheese straightners for FREE!")

Questions about the Industry

2009-10-26T20:57:02-07:00

And it's back to questions from writers...

Stan wrote and said, "I've heard that about three or four CBA houses have sold in the past two years. What does this signal for the future? Is it the ABA getting greedy? Is the CBA selling out?"

I think this signals that the general market has recognized the value of Christian books, Christian writers, and Christian readers. And, yes, it probably means that more CBA houses will be sold (or come under the influence of) large general-market houses. As to the question "are they greedy?" -- good grief, they're running a for-profit enterprise. If "greedy" means "are they focused on making a profit," of course they're greedy. But I'd argue that CBA houses, for all the carefully-couched terms about having "ministry" and "doing the Lord's work," are also focused on making a profit -- that's how they stay in business. So maybe we should view this as a greater partnership, rather than a sell-out.

Sure, there are some questions to face down the road -- who will do commentaries and reference tools that aren't necessarily commercial but still have value to believers? What happens when a company faces a decision to publish a book at odds with believers? How will Christians respond when a company publishes some heretical tome? But, for those not in the know, those very questions are faced by some of us every day. Time Warner Book Group (the company I worked for as a publisher) was a marvelous company that did many wonderful books. We probably also published some books Christians would find offensive. But you know what? I was not responsible for every decision in the company. I was responsible to do good books with solid Christian content that would sell in the marketplace. I'm comfortable with the role I played, and I believed in the company. My guess is that people working for other houses feel the same way.

Stephanie asked, "How do you handle it when you have a change of editors (and editor styles) in mid-contract?"

This business is all about relationships. Editors move around quite a bit in the publishing world -- even more than in most industries (the reasons can be discussed in another post). So authors can expect this to happen to them occasionally. How to respond? Be polite, be positive, try to establish a new relationship with the new editor. Say hello. Send Starbucks. Show him or her that you're easy-going. Keep a positive attitude. Don't give the editor any reason to lose enthusiasm for your book, because every new person in a role is looking for projects that will succeed and make them look good. Make sense?

Ronnie wants to know, "What can we do as writers to stay current on this type of news?"

You mean besides "read my blog"? For CBA news, read Christian Retailing, Outreach magazine, World, Christianity Today (the magazine as well as their many excellent websites), maybe the CBA retailer's magazine if you can locate it. For ABA news, read Publisher's Weekly, subscribe to Publisher's Lunch, and keep tabs on book news. Go to the books shows to see what's happening with titles and covers and topics. Have conversations with other authors and editors.

And Steve asked, "What been the biggest change you've seen in the years you've been agenting religious books? If you could pick a trend (besides e-books!), that has been significant, what would it be?"

I'm tempted to talk about the growth of Christian fiction, but I've been saying for quite some time that the biggest trend in Christian publishing has been the distribution -- AWAY from independent Christian bookstore/gift centers and TOWARD general market bookstores. That has both an up and a down side, of course, but it's simply the marketplace at work. Christian readers would prefer to spend $12 for a book at Wal-Mart (and don't underestimate Wal-Mart in the Christian retailing market) than $20 for a book at Betty's Angel Book Shoppe. That has caused Christian independents to go under by the dozens, and it is rapidly forcing a reshaping of CBA as we know it.

Along with that has been the sale of various CBA publishers. Time Warner had its stock price stuck at $17 for three years, so in an effort to get some things moving (and to hold off Carl Icahn), the board decided to get out of the book business. They sold the Time Warner Book Group to Hachette Livre, a French publishing conglomerate that owns Hodder in England, Car & Driver and Elle magazines in this country, and numerous publishing ventures around the world. On the heels of that came the sale of Thomas Nelson -- interestingly enough, moving from a publicly held company to a private one. It was a significant change for them, and they went through a couple years of tweaking to get things right. (They also bought out Integrity Publishing.) Then Simon and Schuster, which is seemingly always for sale by Viacom, and who had not had a Christian imprint, decided they needed CBA exposure. So they purchased Howard Publishing, lock, stock, and barrel. It was an interesting move, since S&S had been going after "name" CBA authors but with no place for them to call home. Harper Collins was already in the business, since they own Zondervan (as well as HarperOne), and Random House has their Waterbrook imprint, and they bought out Multnomah. Wiley has a religious imprint at Jossey-Bass. Viking is still in process of figuring out how Christian books fit in their model. My point is just to say that Christians have firmly established themselves as a market, that every major publisher is going after that market, and that the market itself has grown and changed in recent years, most notably in the areas of distribution and sales.

One more thing: The fastest growing segment of Christianity is charismatic, and we have probably neglected to mention that some small charismatic houses (Strang, Destiny Image, Harrison House, etc) have recently sold a ton of books -- so certainly somebody is buying their materials, whether they are in big ponds or small, and whether they are in general markets or not. I mention this because I've had questions about the "big" vs "small" publishing houses.

Don't believe the people who say "big publishers are jerks who don't care about the little guy." I worked for a big publisher, and while I may be a world class jerk, there are still plenty of not-so-giant authors who would say I cared about them and worked hard to help them succeed. The stereotype of big business isn't always true, so don't accept that criticism as gospel -- particularly from people who may not know what they're talking about. Also, I don't see anything in Scripture that calls us to a ministry of "size." We're in love with size in America because we believe bigger is better, but God calls one guy to pastor ten thousand and another to pastor ten. There's nothing I can find in His Word that says "the guy who pastors ten thousand is therefore better, more spiritual, and higher on the kingdom ladder" (or whatever it is we're all placed on when God sorts things out). If you're called to write, then write your best. For some it will mean big dollars and a huge audience. For others, not-so-big dollars and a smaller readership. Some of the best books of all time haven't ever made a bestseller list or even been read by that many people. We're called to obedience, not noteriety. We're called to significance, not success.

Finally, Ben aksed, "You often talk about publishing news in your blog. Why is it important for authors to be aware of this sort of news?"

To impress girls at author signings and cocktail parties, of course. And, I suppose, to make wise decisions in your writing career (should you find that important).

Thinking about Careers

2009-10-23T19:39:52-07:00

I was at a big writing conference a couple years ago, and there was a glob of literary agents yakking it up on a panel. We were asked about the role agents play in the contemporary publishing industry, and one of the agents who spoke made a point of saying, "The most important thing we do is career planning for authors."

I almost laughed out loud. She happened to be an agent who...um...I want to put this delicately: She has no idea what she's doing. One of those people who can't seem to figure out what this job actually entails, besides sending emails and collecting checks. So to hear her talking about "career management" made me smile. It's not that I disagreed -- I happen to think that assisting authors with their careers is probably the most important piece of what I do. It's just that I believe to some agents "career planning" is nothing more than "find a deal for my author." In other words, a writer who doesn't have a book contract simply needs a deal in place, and he or she will have a "writing career." But anybody with a lick of sense could figure out that a book contract is sort of expected if you're going to make a living as a writer of books. I mean, every author who signs on with an agent expects to land a deal.

So, for an agent, there's a bit more to it. In my view, a career plan for an author is created by helping the author figure out (1) where they are now, and (2) where they want to be in the future. Because, you see, "success" is going to be defined differently for each author. There's no one rung we reach that equates to "success" for every writer. Some people really want to make their living writing; others don't care about the money so much as that they write regularly. One author may see success as making just enough to be financially feasible (say $2000 per month on average), while another author defines success as replacing her corporate job (making a minimum of $5000 per month). So part of this first stage is to simply figure out where you are and begin to define where you want to go.

It can take a while to get to that place -- you have to think about your past, your desires, your schedule, your personality, your platform, your calling. What's the message you feel God has given you? What are the books you simply HAVE to write? Do you know your voice? Do you know yourself well enough to recognize what your strengths and weaknesses as a writer are?

An author also needs to think about keeping life in balance -- having a career is more than just making money. Sure, you have to consider how much you'd like to earn and where it will come from, but you also have to think about how you can maintain a healthy marriage, stay physically fit, and have friends and a vibrant spiritual life. All of this has to get written down somewhere, so the author has a document from which to work.

THEN you start thinking about the steps to take in order to move forward. Sure, if you're unpublished or between contracts, most likely the first thing you need is a deal. But that's not the ONLY thing an author needs. One of the reasons I've tried to get the authors I represent to think through a written career plan is so that they can begin the process of noodling on their writing careers. A couple people have emailed their plans back to me with a note that said they've come to realize they don't want to be full-time writers. That's fine -- it's just nice that they have clarity. Others have found that writing things down has helped them get a better picture of where they are weak. An author with no platform is hoping the salability of her idea and quality of her craft will carry her to success...but that's become tough to do in today's market, so taking steps to build a platform may be necessary in order to move forward.

I think God has a unique calling for each of us. (I think that's true even if you don't believe in Him.) But I look around, and I see that this business allows one writer to have modest success and another to make a million dollars. Sometimes that can be traced back to a great idea or a great title or great writing or great marketing -- but other times it seems to be nothing more than a sovereignty of God issue. Maybe that's why He calls one guy to pastor a church of ten thousand, and another to pastor a church of fifty. I don't believe the pastor of a thousand necessarily has better talent, or received a greater blessing, or is any more or less obedient...sometimes God just calls people to different things. There have been far greater preachers than Billy Graham who are toiling obediently in small-town churches around the world. I happen to represent some remarkable writers -- some of whom haven't had huge sales yet. But God isn't just calling people to success; He's calling people to obedience. He wants us to use our gifts, whether we sell 5000 copies or 50,000.

My reason for writing all of this is just to encourage you to think carefully about your career. As an agent, I really want the authors I represent to feel as though they've got a plan in place -- something more than "I owe my publisher another book." Clarify where you are and where you want to be, and think through the steps to get there. On this blog, let's talk through things like how many books you ought to write in a year, and how much money you need to make, and what concrete steps you could take to improve your sales and visibility. Think about what you need to study or improve or build in order to move your writing career forward. Think about keeping things in balance, since God has called us to be more than writers -- He wants us to be strong, healthy Christians who minister to those around us and leave an impact on the world.

Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching. I was just going over notes to myself from some recent conferences, and had to ruminate on this issue a bit. I want the authors I'm working with to know they've got some sort of plan in place. When a fellow writer asks one of the authors I work with if they have a career path, I want my author to feel comfortable saying, "Yes, I do." Maybe I'm just tired of hearing people talk about writing as a career without stating clearly what that means.

So, in case you're not sure, a career writer, in my view, is one who makes a living from writing. You probably need to figure out what it means to make a living in your world, taking your community, your family, and your financial needs into consideration. And having a career plan means you've got a step-by-step plan in mind to move there from where you are now (or, if you really don't see yourself making a living at writing, at least you've figured out where you DO want to be, and what steps you'll take to get there).

It ain't simple. But maybe we could use less general talk about "careers for authors" and more concrete help with establishing those careers.

Some thoughts.

Chip

Today's Publishing Environment

2009-10-21T12:25:26-07:00

Frank wrote to say, "Why don't you take fewer questions and do them more often?"

A good point. I've thought about that... I'll try to answer more questions, and do so more frequently. But first, a note on the self-publishing posts of the other day. I had an author named Nicole write and say, "A note on using iUniverse to self pub. I had a fine experience -- it wasn't expensive (about $300), they actually read my manuscript and gave me feedback, which I used to revise, and the production values, while not lavish, were fine. I've got a paperback original that is sold as a POD, but looks fine on a bookshelf. So if you've got a family memoir or personal story that you want to have produced for a small group of readers, self-pub is the way to go. It's when you combine outside commercial expectations with self-publishing that you run into trouble."

Well said. Thanks for taking the time to write about your experience. As I noted, I have self-pubbed a few books (both paperback and hardcover), did it myself, and had a good experience. BUT I hired a professional editor to review the manuscript, used a copyeditor I trusted, reviewed the interior and cover designs carefully, and, most importantly, I knew how to sell the book. If you don't know how to sell the book, you're making a mistake if you have commercial expectations. Appreciate you writing to say that, Nicole.

Abigail asked, "As you look at today's publishing market, what's the most important development you see happening?"

I tough call to pick out one thing, Abigail. First is probably the news that Walmart and Amazon are having a price war, with both saying they'll sell their top books for less than ten bucks (even hardcover books). Yikes. Take a look at what David Young, the CEO of Hachette Book Group USA and my former boss, had to say in the Wall Street Journal and on Publishers Marketplace. He is quoted saying, "It worries me from the perspective of the independent bookseller community that is so vital when it comes to launching new careers." He's absolutely on target with that, coupled with Amazon's desire to make e-books cheaper than $10, there's not much money to stay in business. The implication is that booksellers will price each other out of business, publishers won't be making anything, and that leaves almost nothing for the author. Tough times.

Second is no doubt the growth of the e-book audience -- today Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook, which is their proprietary e-reader. It includes some of the best of the Kindle features (cell phone technology, the ability to highlight text) with some cool enhancements (a color screen for covers, will get newspapers and magazines, can hold 1500 books, and allows you to move Word docs and PDFs as well as book text to your computer or to a friend's device). They sell for $259, and can be ordered starting today. The price will drop eventually, but this is the big battle brewing on the retail front.

Chuck wrote this: "You seem to spend a lot of time talking about marketing on this blog. Can't a writer just focus on writing these days?"

Thanks, Chuck. Actually, I'd love it if a writer could just focus on writing. But this is a blog about publishing AND writing, and the reality these days is that a writer is being called to be his or her own marketing director. I don't really enjoy saying that -- I'm just calling it the way I see it as a longtime agent in the industry (as well as a former associate publisher for Time-Warner, senior editor for Harvest House, and author of a couple dozen books). I do think it's possible for a writer of literary fiction to just be a great writer, and choose not to get involved much with marketing... but I think that writer will always struggle in the marketplace (unless he or she hits the lottery and gets a ton of attention somehow -- something that is happening far less frequently than it used to). What we're seeing these days is literary novelists choosing to be involved in some way with the marketing plan -- whether that is doing a blog tour, or a booksigning and speaking tour, or a bunch of interviews and articles in print and web-based 'zines. So the idea of a writer doing his or her own marketing isn't something I'm pushing so much as it's the direction I see the industry has gone.

I just had a conversation with an author I represent. She's a literary writer, and she's never going to turn into a full-time marketer. That's fair -- I wanted to represent her because I believe in her WRITING, not because I think she's going to be a world famous marketing expert. And I know it's a struggle for an introverted, solitude-loving writer to suddenly be called upon to talk to people, press the flesh, and make herself available to groups. So maybe a writer like that just trusts in her talent, and does as much as she feels comfortable doing, and lives with the results in a competitive book market. I can live with that, so long as the author understands the sales projections will probably be much more modest than if she threw herself into marketing. Again, I'm not trying to be The Marketing Evangelist. I'm just trying to help today's writers understand how the world has changed, and try to be as well-equpped as possible to face the new reality and find some success.

Remember, I sell as much literary fiction as anyone. So if you're a literary writer, I understand your struggle. And I long for the day when you'll be appreciated for your voice and talent, not for your ability to go onto a TV show and pitch your book in 30-second soundbites. Until we get there (IF we get there), I figure my job is to help authors know how to best spend their time trying to be successful.

Chip