Rounding Up For Friday

This week in publishing, Laura from Combreviations rounds up the week:

Hi dee ho, reader types, and welcome to the (kind of slow but that's okay) week. We found out that not only is the iPad still coming (gasp!), but Steve Jobs has okayed an official biography, which we will all distill into reasons we are not Steve Jobs. That man will endure, just like Orwell endures. Hopefully, his bio will not be mostly fantasy, like those rascally biopics, and he'll reveal his secret life, like these four secretive children's authors and not these top ten unreliable narrators.

But, as we worship Steve Jobs, we have to wonder: what is American writing? Is it that created by the Easton Ellis generation? Or that created by true lurve, like these perfect book couples? Or is it perhaps t-shirt based? On the international stage, we should laud Cuba's literary revolutionaries, and those who call to account the state of Irish literature (and those who call to account the account callers).

Well, reader types, enjoy your weekend, and try to be more dramatic next week, for round up purposes!

Rerun Thursday: More on Comp Titles

I'm particularly swamped this week, mes auteurs, so I'm running an oldie-but-goodie from last October. Enjoy! — E

Episode: "More on Comp Titles"
Originally aired: Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I've posted about comp titles before—those magical, previously sold books (sometimes yours!) that are used to ballpark the future sales of new books. And yes, I've said that you don't have a huge amount of control over what title(s) your book will be comped to when it's sold in to buyers at the major accounts, which remains true.

However.

I've treated you all to a fair amount of doom over the past few weeks, so I feel I owe you a bit of sunshine every now and again. The truth is, you can (and should!) exercise a small amount of influence over the comp titles chosen for your book, and it begins relatively early in the process. That is, with (drumroll, please): the query letter.

If you read Nathan's blog (and who am I kidding? 99.9% of you are here because you do), you may know that when writing a nonfiction book proposal, you're expected to do market research, which partly entails (you guessed it) coming up with a list of previously published books that are similar to, but not quite just like, your book. Necessary for nonfiction, and, à mon avis, a great idea for fiction as well.

Caveat (there's always a caveat): if you choose to do this, be smart about it. Do not compare yourself to Dan Brown or any other mega-bestselling author. While it may be true that your new paranormal thriller has secret societies and child wizards in it, who's going to take you seriously if you write "Lost Symbol meets Harry Potter" in your query? No one, that's who. So do a lot of research, pick a couple of books that have been published in the last few years that are similar to your own, and only devote a small portion of the query to said books (remember, you're selling you, not somebody else. Vende te ipsum*, and all that). Of course, if your book is nonfiction, you can (and should) spend more time talking about potential comp titles and the similarities/differences between them and your book, as that's supposed to be part of the package.

And another thing: please, please, please resist the temptation to say (or even think, if you can help it) that your book is 100% unique and original, and nothing like it has ever been published in the history of publishing, because this is almost assuredly untrue. Yes, your book should stand out in some way from the crowd, but it's probably similar to a lot of other books already out there, and (counter-intuitive though it may seem) you actually stand a better chance of demonstrating the unique qualities of your book by explaining how it's similar to, but ultimately different from, the existing books in the genre, rather than coming off as ignorant/arrogant/what have you by insisting you've written something totally unlike anything that's ever been published.

Now, after all that, the upshot of including a well-chosen comp or two in your query is this: if and when you get an offer of representation, said comp(s) will already be floating around in your agent's brain when (s)he starts shopping your manuscript to editors. It's likely (s)he will mention said comp(s) when doing so (you can always ask him or her to do so if you feel strongly about it, though you may want to check the BookScan numbers beforehand). Now those comps are floating around in the editors' heads, meaning that if one of said editors acquires your book, those comps are already being talked about long before the book is ever sold in. With a little luck, those might be the very books the sales team uses as comps when they sell your book to the major account buyers.

So, in trademark Bullet-O-Vision™:

• Admittedly, you don't have a lot of direct influence over those pesky comp titles, but there are some things you can do: namely, include a couple of well-chosen comps in your query and spend the appropriate amount of time discussing them (less for fiction than for non-).
• Be smart about the comps you choose—don't go crazy comping yourself to mega-bestsellers and don't go around telling everyone you've got nothing to compare yourself to because your book is that groundbreaking.
• Don't be disappointed if they don't stick, but if they do, talk with your agent (once you've got one) about mentioning them to the editors they're shopping your MS to. Consider checking the BookScan numbers (your agent may be able to do this for you) to make sure you're not inadvertently shooting yourself in the foot.
• Whether or not the comps you prefer are used, it can't hurt to have your agent ask the publisher what titles are actually being used as comps. If you're sufficiently hands-on/neurotic, feel free to read these books, check their BookScan numbers, &c to get an idea of to what and to whom you're being compared.
• At the end of the day, your writing is your writing, and you're selling yourself and your book, not the guy next to you clutching his. Write well, work hard, and take advantage of any opportunities that come your way. And good luck!





*Not bad for a guy who never took Latin, no?

Prithee, Inform Me: What Makes a Good Story?

Confession time.

I was a holdout on Lost for a long time. I watched the pilot and the first few episodes and wasn't hooked. Over the past few years I've seen a handful of episodes from different seasons and, though I enjoyed speculating about what that crazy smokey dragon is or whether Richard Alpert is wearing guyliner, I still didn't get the appeal and was not drawn into the byzantine and myriad plots or the strange mythos of THE ISLAND ZOMG. I kept thinking to myself, "What, Gilligan's Island meets Myst? Surely you jest, J.J.!"

However.

I did watch the "summary" hour before this season's premier, and now I feel I've got enough information to really enjoy the show. Some people have derided me for doing this, since I apparently lack the patience and focus to watch a show that generates ten questions for every answer it provides for five. Whole. Years.

This got me thinking, then, author-acquaintances (thanks, Le R!): would you read Lost if it were a book? (Sidebar: I really enjoyed Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves, which is the closest thing to Lost-as-a-book that I can think of.) In the case of Lost, however, you'd have (in my opinion) a book with an infinitely long introduction, a well-paced (though brief) climax, and a rushed and unsatisfying denouement (my prediction, based on Alias), not to mention a cast of characters that is way too large and unwieldy. Yeah, The Simpsons can pull it off, but they've been on the air for twenty years. Baby steps.

Therefore, prithee, inform me: what, in general, makes a good story (apart from—or perhaps in spite of—the oft-heard elements of "rich characters, engaging plot," &c)? What about a book makes you read it, re-read it, love it, recommend it?

An Apple a Day Keeps the Pirates Away

If you missed me yesterday, 1.) you read too many Internet blogs (or, at the very least, too much of this one—not that I don't appreciate it!), and 2.) it was because much of the industry (unlike most used car salesmen) had President's Day off, so I wasn't in the office.

So!

As we all probably figured would be the case, publishers are already becoming wary of Apple's shiny new iPad and iBook store. Some are wary of Apple's hesitance to share consumer data, but most of those publishers are newspaper publishers, so their opinions don't really matter. I mean, come on, I don't even remember the last time I read a physical newspaper.

All kidding aside, though, there are some hang-ups in the real (read: book) publishing world as well. (Okay, now all kidding aside.) Apple plans to employ its tried-and-true FairPlay DRM in the iBook store in an attempt to ward off piracy. Whether this will be a permanent affair or whether it will eventually be phased out à la Apple's game plan for music remains to be seen.

What do you think, gentle readers? Should book DRM be run the same way as music DRM? Would (or do) you subscribe to e-magazines and e-newspapers? And when Apple and Amazon engage in the clash of the titans that will PROBABLY END THE WORLD, whose side will you be on?

Romantic Round Up

For all of your Valentine's Day publishing news, Laura is visiting from Combreviations to round up the week:

Happy last day of work until after Valentine's Day, reader types! Eric has already marked himself a staunch advocate of the "read and eat candy" V-Day plan, which, although not bad, does not even hold a candle to my plan: watch Tyrannosaurus Sex on the Discovery Channel and eat candy on the 15th, when it is on sale. Gen. Ius.

If you are going to celebrate in a more traditional, less dinosaur sex way, be sure to follow these rules of love according to romantic comedies and read Slate's love poetry anthology while steering clear of these favorite literary cheaters, or you will end up listening to this playlist of break-up songs and pontificating on the problem of ending novels (and probably relationships).

To see a true act of love, look no further than Kirkus being bought by the owner of the Pacers, or past the author who can't write because of her admiration for another. If you're looking for something other than romance, and you live in Philly, you should check out this literary salon for erotica (this is not-so-brotherly love, unless you happen to be a Jolie), and the new adult version of the Sweet Valley novels, which may not be so sweet. Either way, don't forget these good wines under $20 or that beer is good for your bones, as these facts will help you get through the weekend of love (or the rest of this post).

As we celebrate a holiday that may or may not have been made up by Chaucer, I think we should take a moment to appreciate the many forms books can take. Sometimes you need to hear 3 minutes of fiction, or The Great Gatsby read aloud, or even some guy reading to you while you do your yoga (before yoga devolves into snack time). Or maybe you need your Anne Rice vook, or to go to a bookstore to stop yourself from reading, or even worship your new author-god. And if you're a little tech-y, you can hack your netbook into an e-reader and feel really, really productive. Sometimes you've got to give your reading eyes a break and give your weird-but-fun-book-experiences brain a chance to shine.

I wish you all weird-but-fun weekend experiences, which I am keen to hear about (if they are not too emotionally disturbing). And remember: candy on the 15th is super cheap! Don't be a fool and buy before then!

Books > Diamonds

Okay, this one's kind of a stretch. Books may be generally less expensive, less shiny, and less physically enduring than diamonds, but since I won't have another opportunity to mention Valentine's Day before it shatters the hearts of the lonely unites the hearts of couples around the globe (or at least the country) this Sunday, I figured I'd make my case for books = gifts now.

I think buying any book your boyfriend / girlfriend / husband / wife / mistress / mister(?) / favorite prostitute (male or female) would enjoy is a great idea for Valentine's Day, though there are a few books that are specific to the holiday. as I've said before, buying someone a book is a great way to show them you care and know something about them without having to make something yourself or go totally broke.

So, while I humbly submit that books are The One True Gift this coming weekend, I'd be remiss if I didn't ask you, dear readers, what you plan to be up to. Me? I'm going to eat my weight in Necco candy hearts and re-read Cat's Cradle.

Les Réponses

As promised, ladies and gents, my answers to your questions from yesterday:

christicorbett writes:

How much does author initiative for marketing and promotion matter to a first book deal?

As with everything, it's secondary to your writing, but authors who are willing to do more for their book absolutely have a leg up over authors who aren't. MORE TK.

Lydia Sharp writes:

Define "midlist."

According to Wikipedia:

Midlist is a term in the publishing industry which refers to books which are not bestsellers but are strong enough to economically justify their publication (and likely, further purchases of future books from the same author).

According to Wikiquote:

Unlikely to be more than modestly successful.

According to Bookjobs:

Midlist: Books with a strong intellectual or artistic bent which have a chance of significant success but are not assumed to be likely bestsellers.

According to me: an author with potential.

Scott writes:

Has the vampire thing about run its course?

Who knows? In my opinion: yes, unless Stephenie Meyer releases a new book in the next year or two. Zombies already seem to be the next cool thing, followed by (ostensibly) steampunk.

-30- writes:

If I were to publish my book, and in the course of my travels to visit friends and family wanted to stop in at my favorite old book shops and retailers to sign some copies, would I have to coordinate with the publisher or just give the store a call directly?

You generally want to run these sorts of things by your agent, as (s)he will be in touch with your publisher and will be aware of any media opportunities that may arise from such visits, but if you're a debut author, you'll probably be able to call the store directly (if you want to schedule a signing event). If you just want to sign some stock, you might be able to just drop in, but again, best to check with your agent.

Jodi writes:

If I were to sell my books at a signing—say at a library—do I have to charge tax, have a tax ID number, or what?

I don't recall anyone charging tax at any of the smaller signings I've attended (and I've attended several), but you'd want to check with your state government regarding applicable tax law. Some states will require that you have a state tax license (and this may change depending on how much revenue you're generating), and others won't.

Eric (not me!) writes:

When I sent out my nonfiction book proposal, I had two publishers interested. As one consideration in selecting the publisher, I went to Barnes and Noble to see how many books from these publishers were on the shelves. Turns out quite a lot for one of them. I went with that publisher, considered a leading religious publishing house.

Now that the book is published (this past November) I don't see any books from this publisher in my local Barnes & Noble. Including mine. Has there been some sort of re-organization or winnowing of publishers by Barnes & Noble bricks-and-mortar over the past couple of years?

No, not to my knowledge. It's possible something specifically occurred between Barnes & Noble and your publisher, but without knowing who they are, I really couldn't say. Feel free to e-mail me if you want to discuss further.

writingstudio writes:

How do you find out what books were/are considered successes within a publishing house? Years ago I asked an editor at a conference about a book that I had thought was a success and he just shook his head and said 'it didn't earn back its advance.'

And, as an adjunct to that question, is there a place to find out what books took off with the buying public versus those that disappointed when both were on the bestseller lists?

Without talking to someone in-house, it's pretty difficult to tell. You would have to know the author's advance, royalty structure, the number of units sold (and at what discount), and a host of other details that you would probably only find in the P&L or in-house POS data to know whether a book, regardless of how many copies it sold, was profitable.

As for a place where one might find out which bestsellers outperformed others, your best bet is our old friend BookScan.