The inside rules of the publishing game
September 25th 2008 06:39
I was contacted by Business Beagle who wrote a post after he attended a session at the Brisbane Writers’ Festival, having paid $63 to hear a group of publishers say how impossibly hard it is for writers to get published.
Really Long Link
Having experienced some frustration myself, I thought I’d respond to his critiques, because I am sure many people have had the same feelings of despondency thinking, ‘how will I ever do this?’
Firstly, I think it’s important to separate the attitude of particular individuals in the publishing industry from the industry of publishing itself. And let’s wholeheartedly agree that there can, at times, be that infuriating arrogance, or that air of paternalism that would make any aspiring writer feel worthless, even ridiculous for assuming a publisher may actually be interested in anything we have to write. It’s not only publishers who treat writers like this, but agents too.
[Just as an aside, I’ve been trying for the past four years to get an American agent. I ludicrously assumed that since I am already a published author with one of my books on the best seller list in Germany, that this might count in my favour. Ha! I’ve written polite, engaging and carefully worded emails, being sure to call each one Mr or Ms, and in one in ten cases I’ve actually received a reply. The reply doesn’t start Hi Joanne, or Dear Joanne, it is a one-liner ‘Send me the first five chapters of your manuscript.’ As if I don’t already know that I am bugging them, that they are busy and don’t have time for niceties or politeness. I have a pile of rejection letters for every reason conceivable. I get frustrated and annoyed at times, but I am persisting. If indeed it is the case that there is not a single American agent who will take me on as a client, so be it. But I will keep trying until I have exhausted all options. In the meantime, I am keeping tabs on my rejections and will hopefully have enough research for a book ‘How Not to Get an American Agent’ someday.]
But what about the industry itself? I will try to answer these two questions based on my experience, and the few conversations I have had with publishers: Firstly, why are publishers so quick to judge our manuscripts based on a covering letter or the first few pages of our books? And secondly, how crucial is it to have an agent?
It seems horribly unfair for us to send off our manuscripts only to find out that publishers rarely get past our covering letter before they reject us and tell us ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ But before we get our urine in a froth over this, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the publisher.
Imagine if every day when you opened your email, you found over a hundred emails there, each consisting of over 300 pages. What would you do to figure out which emails to read? You’d read the first paragraph of each one, wouldn’t you? If you found that the first paragraph engaged you and made you want to read on, you’d read a bit more. But really, no-one would (or could) read 300 pages of each email before sending a ‘no thanks.’ And you’d probably set up a spam filter so that you could regulate the number of emails that required your attention.
Well consider that publishers receive literally hundreds and hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts every month. Someone has to read them. Since we haven’t as yet devised a computer programme that can scan these manuscripts and let the publisher know if this is good or not, actual people have to do the reading.
Given the volume of manuscripts that arrive, publishers have to have some filters in place, to winnow out the good stuff from the crap (and truthfully, a lot of it is crap, truly crap – just about everyone I’ve ever met thinks he or she has a book in them and that a publisher ought to drop everything it’s doing just to publish it).
Agents act as a sifting system. Agents are if you like, the front men in the industry, or the spam filters. They also field a gazillion inquiries every day so if an agent takes you on as a client, it means a) your book has been read and b) someone believes it is publishable (or there is a market for your book). Good agents are savvy about the market and will only take on something they believe will sell. So if an agent brings a manuscript to a publisher, the publisher knows this manuscript is not just someone’s diary entries for the past twenty years, but is a manuscript that has been worked on, probably edited or rewritten, and has someone’s attention.
If an agent sends a manuscript to a publisher, it will get top priority. This is especially the case since agents have relationships with specific publishers, (publishing is very much a ‘who-you-know’ game).
If, try as you might, you cannot get an agent your book will land on the slush pile. Once a week or thereabouts, there is a slush pile meeting where a group of the publishers gets together and goes through the pile. Because people cannot read at the rate of a speeding bullet, (they are only human after all), they will read the covering letter first. If that covering letter is badly drafted, if there are spelling mistakes, if there is a problem with the grammar or the letter is just dull and boring, the publisher probably won’t read any further. Before we get too irate about this, let’s just think about this for a moment – why should a publisher read even one page of a manuscript if the accompanying letter doesn’t grab them? Publishing is a writing business. If someone can’t even write a decent covering letter, why on earth should a publisher think the manuscript will be any good? I don’t think we can judge publishers harshly for this – unless someone can think of a viable alternative.
Publishing is a business, it’s not a lonely hearts club. Just because your book means the world to you, doesn’t mean it will sell. I think as writers we can make the mistake of thinking that everything that happens to us is of interest to others – it isn’t. Marcia Hines on Australian Idol took a woman aside, who had been trying for three years to get in, and told her with great compassion, ‘just because something is your dream, it doesn’t mean it is going to happen.’ If you can’t sing, it doesn’t matter how much you want to be a singer, it’s not going to happen. Likewise, if you can’t write, you’re probably not going to be able to get your book published. And sometimes – and this is where it really hurts – even if you write really well, you may get knocked back by publishers. I know, it sucks. There are so many reasons a publisher may not take a well-written book on ranging from what other books on are on their list, what the market is interested in at the time (just like clothing, there are ‘season’s and fashions in the publishing industry too), the topic may be too hard to sell to the market etc etc…
Though it is hard for us to separate ourselves from our writing, it’s crucial not to take this rejection personally. Often it can be about tenacity and just finding the right person who loves your writing and your book.
The publishing industry is an industry - just like the music industry, or the modeling industry or the film industry. It isn’t easy. Think of how many people spend their lives trying to make it in these fields. The arts is not a lucrative business except for a select few.
Of course there are filters and standards - there have to be. We can complain about them or we can learn the rules of the game and then play the game. So what should an aspiring author do who has tried and been knocked back?
1.I think that it is important not to give up the first time you get knocked back Get some robust feedback and find out whether you really can write or not. If you actually can write, then get some constructive feedback and rework. Then try again. If you get knocked back, get some more feedback and rework. Then try again… and so on.
2. Try to get an agent
3. Write a shit-hot covering letter – really spend time on your covering letter, make it as important as the manuscript
4. Create a portfolio – get some articles published in reputable magazines or newspapers. This way, when you write your covering letter you can show that your writing has been published (another filter)
5. Be willing to learn – though it feels harsh to be told ‘we don’t want your book,’ learn the rules of the game. Find out what it takes. Talk to people in the industry, find out what the tricks are. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Refine your idea. Do the research.
6 .If all else fails, consider self-publishing: if in the end, you simply have tried and tried and cannot get anywhere, there are many options for self-publishing (online or in print) which you can explore. Also blogging is a great way to share your writing without having to go through a publisher.
I hope this helps a bit.
Good luck.
www.joannefedler.com
Really Long Link
Having experienced some frustration myself, I thought I’d respond to his critiques, because I am sure many people have had the same feelings of despondency thinking, ‘how will I ever do this?’
Firstly, I think it’s important to separate the attitude of particular individuals in the publishing industry from the industry of publishing itself. And let’s wholeheartedly agree that there can, at times, be that infuriating arrogance, or that air of paternalism that would make any aspiring writer feel worthless, even ridiculous for assuming a publisher may actually be interested in anything we have to write. It’s not only publishers who treat writers like this, but agents too.
[Just as an aside, I’ve been trying for the past four years to get an American agent. I ludicrously assumed that since I am already a published author with one of my books on the best seller list in Germany, that this might count in my favour. Ha! I’ve written polite, engaging and carefully worded emails, being sure to call each one Mr or Ms, and in one in ten cases I’ve actually received a reply. The reply doesn’t start Hi Joanne, or Dear Joanne, it is a one-liner ‘Send me the first five chapters of your manuscript.’ As if I don’t already know that I am bugging them, that they are busy and don’t have time for niceties or politeness. I have a pile of rejection letters for every reason conceivable. I get frustrated and annoyed at times, but I am persisting. If indeed it is the case that there is not a single American agent who will take me on as a client, so be it. But I will keep trying until I have exhausted all options. In the meantime, I am keeping tabs on my rejections and will hopefully have enough research for a book ‘How Not to Get an American Agent’ someday.]
But what about the industry itself? I will try to answer these two questions based on my experience, and the few conversations I have had with publishers: Firstly, why are publishers so quick to judge our manuscripts based on a covering letter or the first few pages of our books? And secondly, how crucial is it to have an agent?
It seems horribly unfair for us to send off our manuscripts only to find out that publishers rarely get past our covering letter before they reject us and tell us ‘thanks, but no thanks.’ But before we get our urine in a froth over this, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the publisher.
Imagine if every day when you opened your email, you found over a hundred emails there, each consisting of over 300 pages. What would you do to figure out which emails to read? You’d read the first paragraph of each one, wouldn’t you? If you found that the first paragraph engaged you and made you want to read on, you’d read a bit more. But really, no-one would (or could) read 300 pages of each email before sending a ‘no thanks.’ And you’d probably set up a spam filter so that you could regulate the number of emails that required your attention.
Well consider that publishers receive literally hundreds and hundreds of unsolicited manuscripts every month. Someone has to read them. Since we haven’t as yet devised a computer programme that can scan these manuscripts and let the publisher know if this is good or not, actual people have to do the reading.
Given the volume of manuscripts that arrive, publishers have to have some filters in place, to winnow out the good stuff from the crap (and truthfully, a lot of it is crap, truly crap – just about everyone I’ve ever met thinks he or she has a book in them and that a publisher ought to drop everything it’s doing just to publish it).
Agents act as a sifting system. Agents are if you like, the front men in the industry, or the spam filters. They also field a gazillion inquiries every day so if an agent takes you on as a client, it means a) your book has been read and b) someone believes it is publishable (or there is a market for your book). Good agents are savvy about the market and will only take on something they believe will sell. So if an agent brings a manuscript to a publisher, the publisher knows this manuscript is not just someone’s diary entries for the past twenty years, but is a manuscript that has been worked on, probably edited or rewritten, and has someone’s attention.
If an agent sends a manuscript to a publisher, it will get top priority. This is especially the case since agents have relationships with specific publishers, (publishing is very much a ‘who-you-know’ game).
If, try as you might, you cannot get an agent your book will land on the slush pile. Once a week or thereabouts, there is a slush pile meeting where a group of the publishers gets together and goes through the pile. Because people cannot read at the rate of a speeding bullet, (they are only human after all), they will read the covering letter first. If that covering letter is badly drafted, if there are spelling mistakes, if there is a problem with the grammar or the letter is just dull and boring, the publisher probably won’t read any further. Before we get too irate about this, let’s just think about this for a moment – why should a publisher read even one page of a manuscript if the accompanying letter doesn’t grab them? Publishing is a writing business. If someone can’t even write a decent covering letter, why on earth should a publisher think the manuscript will be any good? I don’t think we can judge publishers harshly for this – unless someone can think of a viable alternative.
Publishing is a business, it’s not a lonely hearts club. Just because your book means the world to you, doesn’t mean it will sell. I think as writers we can make the mistake of thinking that everything that happens to us is of interest to others – it isn’t. Marcia Hines on Australian Idol took a woman aside, who had been trying for three years to get in, and told her with great compassion, ‘just because something is your dream, it doesn’t mean it is going to happen.’ If you can’t sing, it doesn’t matter how much you want to be a singer, it’s not going to happen. Likewise, if you can’t write, you’re probably not going to be able to get your book published. And sometimes – and this is where it really hurts – even if you write really well, you may get knocked back by publishers. I know, it sucks. There are so many reasons a publisher may not take a well-written book on ranging from what other books on are on their list, what the market is interested in at the time (just like clothing, there are ‘season’s and fashions in the publishing industry too), the topic may be too hard to sell to the market etc etc…
Though it is hard for us to separate ourselves from our writing, it’s crucial not to take this rejection personally. Often it can be about tenacity and just finding the right person who loves your writing and your book.
The publishing industry is an industry - just like the music industry, or the modeling industry or the film industry. It isn’t easy. Think of how many people spend their lives trying to make it in these fields. The arts is not a lucrative business except for a select few.
Of course there are filters and standards - there have to be. We can complain about them or we can learn the rules of the game and then play the game. So what should an aspiring author do who has tried and been knocked back?
1.I think that it is important not to give up the first time you get knocked back Get some robust feedback and find out whether you really can write or not. If you actually can write, then get some constructive feedback and rework. Then try again. If you get knocked back, get some more feedback and rework. Then try again… and so on.
2. Try to get an agent
3. Write a shit-hot covering letter – really spend time on your covering letter, make it as important as the manuscript
4. Create a portfolio – get some articles published in reputable magazines or newspapers. This way, when you write your covering letter you can show that your writing has been published (another filter)
5. Be willing to learn – though it feels harsh to be told ‘we don’t want your book,’ learn the rules of the game. Find out what it takes. Talk to people in the industry, find out what the tricks are. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Refine your idea. Do the research.
6 .If all else fails, consider self-publishing: if in the end, you simply have tried and tried and cannot get anywhere, there are many options for self-publishing (online or in print) which you can explore. Also blogging is a great way to share your writing without having to go through a publisher.
I hope this helps a bit.
Good luck.
www.joannefedler.com
| 109 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
Comment by Lara M
Love Speaks
A friend who's doing his second round of edits with his agent/publisher shared the following...
- take on board the critiques without being too emotional from it as that is how it'll make to another good round (if not the final!)
- be prepared to be patient...very patient...
Comment by Chris Champion
moneywhither
Vyoos
Zoomies
Bloggercises
NewlyOld
The Blog of Lists
But first, I'm sending a copy to my mum. Maybe now she'll stop nagging me to write something.
Seriously, this is the best and fairest summary of the industry I have seen. Many thanks.
Regards,
Chris
Comment by Jayne Kearney
Writers In Writing (and other writing)
Brilliant! As always.
Comment by Mrs M
Mum's Word
A couple of weeks ago I was helping my daughter write a speech for the public speaking competition at her school. As she was writing it, it occured to me that this might make a good children's picture book.
So over the course of a week I wrote a children's picture book. I have absolutely no idea if it is any good. There are so many courses out there about how to write children's stories that I don't know if I've totally missed the mark or what.
But nothing ventured nothing gained. I didn't think I would be a published author...and I still might never be
But hey, thanks for the hot tips. I think if the book doesn't go anywhere I won't be too upset because this is a surprise to me.
What I really want to be when I grow up is a screenwriter.
Love & stuff
Mrs M
Comment by Randy Inman
Football Dogz
NCstuff
The Right Side