tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post1150987089726935177..comments2023-09-15T04:27:57.129-04:00Comments on Commentarama: What’s Old Is New AgainAndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-6968384011836805302009-10-03T14:01:51.807-04:002009-10-03T14:01:51.807-04:00Wow, thanks. I really had no idea the process was ...Wow, thanks. I really had no idea the process was that detailed. It appears to be quite costly and so the high rate of rejection is understandable.<br /><br />I have a ton more questions but I won’t bombard you. Looking forward to your next post.<br /><br />Thanks!FB Hinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04070980563164999574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-31692162176342415102009-10-02T19:29:02.608-04:002009-10-02T19:29:02.608-04:00Fred, you are quite welcome. I'm glad you find...Fred, you are quite welcome. I'm glad you find the series helpful.<br /><br />You ask a lot of really good questions. First, between the time you sell a manuscript to a publisher and the time it actually hits the shelves, a lot does happen, at least initially. First, there are the edits that you will be asked to make by the editor (almost a guarantee) who acquired your manuscript. These can be a handful or almost a rewrite. Then, after probably at least one face-to-face with your editor, you meet with the sales department and discuss the promo plan for your book. This can vary and will depend on the strength of your name/book. Example: The promo plan for someone like Dan Brown will be much more extensive than someone who is a debut author. You should probably consider hiring a publicist, if one is not assigned to you by your publisher.<br /><br />Somewhere in there, the publisher is developing the cover of your book. Meanwhile, you start to market your book before it hits the shelves--e.g. talking it up on your blog, on other blogs; creating book trailer; attending writer conferences. You're pretty much doing anything you can to ensure your book is a success. To make a long story short, the fun doesn't start when the book hits the shelf. It starts WAY before that time. <br /><br />Regarding self-publishing, there are pros and cons and, admittedly, I do not have a lot of experience in this area, although I have my opinions. The pro's are that you retain more control, you make more per book (royalties), you don't need an agent/traditional publisher, and you can get started on your dream TODAY. Drawbacks are that it sounds easier than it is. However, if you have, for example, a great book, a ready audience, and plenty of passion and energy, why not do it? Self-publishing has come a long way. Do your research first, though, before you go down this path. Talk to people who've done it. Don't just talk to the sales people at the self-publishing companies. <br /><br />I've got it on my list to do a future post on self-publishing vs. traditional publishing. That is an excellent idea. <br /><br />Hope I've answered your questions. Good luck, Fred, and thanks!Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-17578716625219100492009-10-02T15:40:34.258-04:002009-10-02T15:40:34.258-04:00Writer X, great, great series! As a “struggling” w...Writer X, great, great series! As a “struggling” writer I am finding a lot of information and wisdom from what you’ve written. I am new to the publishing world and maybe my question will make a good post by you in the future or, if not, a simple one or two sentence response. <br /><br />You mention that it takes 18 to 24 months for the book to hit the shelves. What happens in the intervening time? I’m assuming that the clock begins when the novel sells. I would think that with more modern technology and better distribution channels that this time would have been shortened somewhat.<br /><br />I tell you, the more I learn about the process the more I like the idea of self-publishing. I will take a giant leap into the traditional waters but as a marketing person, I kind of like the idea of packing up the trunk of my car and hitting every book store between here (Houston) and New York, begging and pleading that my masterpiece will, in fact, change the world as we know it (heavy sarcasm – I really am not that high on myself) and set all kinds of sales records (that I do believe!). Thanks.<br /><br />FredFB Hinkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04070980563164999574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-21565207278939589792009-09-30T17:13:43.246-04:002009-09-30T17:13:43.246-04:00rlaWTX, great observations!
The blurbs (and the b...rlaWTX, great observations!<br /><br />The blurbs (and the book jacket) are designed to give you a taste of the book so that you'll go to the front page (and hopefully buy the book). As an author, you hope that the "hook" of your blurb lives up to the expectation of the rest of the book. If it doesn't, not good!<br /><br />Covers are a little different in that it has to convey the right emotion, sense of the book, even the genre all wrapped up into one. Covers get people to buy books. <br /><br />But, most of all, you want to dazzle (not disappoint) your readers with your book, the title, the blurbs, and, yes, the story itself. <br /><br />It's very convoluted! :-) I hate it too when a book blurb doesn't meet the expectations I had for a book. When that happens, I'm not likely to purchase a book from that author again.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-30301685330866478672009-09-30T16:58:35.730-04:002009-09-30T16:58:35.730-04:00I do wonder about the blurbs on the back of a book...I do wonder about the blurbs on the back of a book. There's been many a book that I've read and realize that the cover took a minor point and inflated or took that point and made the wrong assumption/conclusion. Sometimes it's irritating because the plot described on the back - and the reason you bought it - doesn't match the inside. And sometimes it bugs because I really like the book and think that the cover missed the point and what if someone else doesn't like it because it doesn't match. <br />[convolute much?) :-)]rlaWTXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09319344164726195144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-29526524432001937912009-09-30T16:15:41.866-04:002009-09-30T16:15:41.866-04:00Sounds like an interesting post. :-)Sounds like an interesting post. :-)AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-49313197823462568222009-09-30T16:04:08.114-04:002009-09-30T16:04:08.114-04:00Andrew, you're shown a few draft covers and yo...Andrew, you're shown a few draft covers and you get an opportunity for input but the final decision remains with the publisher. Naturally, if something is just wrong about a certain cover, you're going to speak up and voice your concerns and the publisher will listen. But most of these art/graphic people are pros; they know what makes a good/bad cover.<br /><br />I think a more detailed discussion about the importance of book covers (and book titles) will be a great idea for a future post.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-17710207285077271372009-09-30T15:56:08.241-04:002009-09-30T15:56:08.241-04:00Writer X, To follow up on Mega's question, do...Writer X, To follow up on Mega's question, do they show you designs, do they ask you what you want, do you get some sort of final approval?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-63885607921693549242009-09-29T23:35:46.679-04:002009-09-29T23:35:46.679-04:00MegaTroll, thanks! Glad you enjoy the posts!
Rega...MegaTroll, thanks! Glad you enjoy the posts!<br /><br />Regarding cover art, the publisher's art/sales department develops the cover. The author does get some say in it but not necessarily final approval. <br /><br />Book covers are absolutely critical and can make or break a book. Consequently, a lot of thought and consideration goes into this process.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-57314888733194892582009-09-29T22:54:26.112-04:002009-09-29T22:54:26.112-04:00I really enjoy these articles. Thanks for writing...I really enjoy these articles. Thanks for writing them. It might be kind of cool to see your own book on the shelf?<br /><br />Do you design your own cover for your own book or approve it or how does that work?MegaTrollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03234420338804013858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-26115388110812467092009-09-29T19:22:49.846-04:002009-09-29T19:22:49.846-04:00Sorry, Stan! I usually try to be more discreet tha...Sorry, Stan! I usually try to be more discreet than that. :-)Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-58840275168903260262009-09-29T19:18:57.123-04:002009-09-29T19:18:57.123-04:00Nice piece WriterX. I was in a book store just las...Nice piece WriterX. I was in a book store just last evening with my daughter, so it was a writer that was shadowing us, it makes sense now. Yeah man, if you’re in the book business go to where they sell books.StanHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07395708786509590321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-14266103859525450472009-09-29T18:19:53.890-04:002009-09-29T18:19:53.890-04:00rlaWTX, you're welcome!
And I'm with you:...rlaWTX, you're welcome!<br /><br />And I'm with you: I like to escape, too. Isn't that the beauty of reading a book? Other than the right snickerdoodle cookie, nothing is better than finding a book that you cannot put down! And then wanting to read it all over again! Formula or not, that takes beautiful writing. <br /><br />Yes, sadly, there is a gap between finishing a book and publication. It generally takes me 3-6 months to write a book. Others take a year or more while others report that they can write a book in a weekend. No clue how a writer pulls that off, though. Then when you finish, you give it to your agent who tries to sell it, if you're not already under contract with a publisher. The publisher can take months to decide whether to publish it--longer if you're a debut author. <br /><br />Frankly, it's a miracle that we get any books on our shelves when you look at all the obstacles in the way!Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-53848020955179555232009-09-29T18:05:50.062-04:002009-09-29T18:05:50.062-04:00I love books. and I love reading. But I have disco...I love books. and I love reading. But I have discovered that, at this point in my life, I want ESCAPE!! I read scifi/ fantasy/ romance types (yes, I know...) because, even the formulaic (sp?)ones (assuming sorta well-written regardless of formula) give me another place to be, other people to think as.<br /> Thanks for the article. I also didn't realize the time gap. The gap I notice most is when I catch up to an author and I read much faster than they write!!!!rlaWTXhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09319344164726195144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-18917899781907780122009-09-29T15:42:03.188-04:002009-09-29T15:42:03.188-04:00TennJed, if a bookstore sells snickerdoodle (or ch...TennJed, if a bookstore sells snickerdoodle (or chocolate chip) cookies, it doesn't take much more than that to get me inside. ;-) Throw in iced coffee, stacks of books, and I'm pretty much in heaven. <br /><br />I don't know how these editors decide what will be hot or not. In my mind, I picture that they must meet in some unmarked building somewhere, seated around a long executive table, smoking endless packs of cigarettes. Then they toss a coin. Heck if I know. <br /><br />Glad you enjoyed the post, Jed!Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-28057286525644969522009-09-29T15:33:27.950-04:002009-09-29T15:33:27.950-04:00Writer X - since it goes without saying I enjoyed ...Writer X - since it goes without saying I enjoyed your article, I will skip those things others have already said better and try tossing out a couple of different observations.<br /><br />1) You just had to torture me with the gratuitous (o.k, o.k., it wasn't gratuitous, but it sounded neat to say it) reference to snickerdoodle cookies and iced coffee. For shame!<br /><br />2) When you referenced how editors have to try and see into the future to what people will like two years hence, you reminded me of one of my old boss' wife's job. She was a color consultant who was brought in by automobile paint manufactures to mix up the colors that would be found on cars three to five years in the future. Who knew? Thanks again Writer X.Tennessee Jedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10604275115906776992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-2622786222729840512009-09-29T15:16:25.142-04:002009-09-29T15:16:25.142-04:00Scott, that's what I love about bookstores--yo...Scott, that's what I love about bookstores--you can meet some of the strangest (and nicest) people. The lesser known chains are a little more interesting because they can sort of do their own thing.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-50602821348125025582009-09-29T13:35:44.419-04:002009-09-29T13:35:44.419-04:00Writer X -
After film school (new blog coming so...Writer X - <br /><br />After film school (new blog coming soon!), I worked in a bookstore called Books-a-Million. It closed a few years ago but there are other ones... I believe it's mostly a southern chain.<br /><br />Anyway, for the six or seven months I worked there, it was okay. Met some nice people and the managers were alright (most of them, anyway). Some people thought we were a Christian bookstore because of the rather large religious section. Others thought we were evil because we kept the XXX magazines on the shelf and not behind the counter. (I'd call that a win-win!) :-)ScottDSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-20635849807684604202009-09-29T12:10:11.164-04:002009-09-29T12:10:11.164-04:00LawHawk, you are welcome!
Your bookstores are d...LawHawk, you are welcome! <br /><br />Your bookstores are different than the ones I frequent in Phoenix. But, that's not to say that the aisles, particularly in the chain bookstores have more than just a few aisles of Obama books. He could be his own genre. As an aside, walking through the front door just last week, I almost tripped over the Ted Kennedy display. Interestingly, didn't notice too many people leaving with Ted's book in hand.<br /><br />I do buy online occasionally, but I still have a thing for visiting bookstores. Love the scifi authors you mentioned, particularly Asimov.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-49830262136427610832009-09-29T12:05:39.524-04:002009-09-29T12:05:39.524-04:00Patti, take heart. Amish as a genre is quite popu...Patti, take heart. Amish as a genre is quite popular right now! Regarding young adult novels, just when I think they can't get any darker, they do. Dark is okay but 300 pages of hopeless is another thing. Don't give up, Patti!Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-7246955510536671022009-09-29T11:59:31.523-04:002009-09-29T11:59:31.523-04:00WriterX: In San Francisco, you have to get past t...WriterX: In San Francisco, you have to get past the three-aisle Obama biographies, then the gay/lesbian masterpieces, then the radical politics section, then the Planet Gore section, then the histories of prostitution in San Francisco, the Native American oppression aisles and finally the sex-manuals for children under the age of twelve. By then, it's time to go home and watch old TV shows. I buy strictly on-line today.<br /><br />Even though SciFi has exploded over the past few years, I haven't liked very much of it. I'm a fan of Heinlein, Asimov, Dick and Farmer. The more recent writers have developed either a ridiculously splashy style, or follow the Robert Silverberg school of psycho-scifi. I like space opera!<br /><br />Thanks for another very informative article.LawHawkRFDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17800255923675295515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-81888569445033903712009-09-29T11:59:12.883-04:002009-09-29T11:59:12.883-04:00i have had two recently published young adult book...i have had two recently published young adult books sent to me, and while it's a trend among so many writers that want publication, i just don't get it. they are dark. depressing even. all i wanted to read at that age was anything that would give me insight to adults and their world. if the stuff available today had been around, i would have shunned it like the amish and whiskey. but then again, that's just me (not that there's anything wrong with being a young adult writer). seriously, what do i know, miss can't get an agent?!<br /><br />damn, i think i have taken the amish shunning thing a little too far here...pattihttp://www.notawonk.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-42083062426737488022009-09-29T10:15:29.655-04:002009-09-29T10:15:29.655-04:00Andrew, and the scary thing is that some editor, s...Andrew, and the scary thing is that some editor, some publisher, thought the book you read was fantastic--or it was written by an established author that had proven herself/himself with a bankable sales record on previous books. <br /><br />As an aside, I'm reading a book now that I'd recommend, although it's literary fiction: POPE JOAN by Donna Cross. The writing is beautiful and each time I pick it up, I feel like I'm in Rome in the 800's. Incredible.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-82775989552541231172009-09-29T10:11:32.790-04:002009-09-29T10:11:32.790-04:00Writer X, I think you're probably right. The ...Writer X, I think you're probably right. The thing that truly distinguishes the Lord of the Rings, for example, is not that it was first, but that it was so beautifully written.<br /><br />Tolkien choses the right words, the right images, and the right mix of dialog and narrative to keep it moving smoothly but still giving you an incredible picture of the world which the characters inhabit.<br /><br />I can't tell you how many books I've read that when I'm done, I didn't have a single real image in my head.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4425587034622601550.post-16417436569322191372009-09-29T09:56:42.773-04:002009-09-29T09:56:42.773-04:00Andrew, I would have to agree with you about scien...Andrew, I would have to agree with you about science fiction/fantasy stories about vampires and werewolves. And now zombies. But a book can set itself apart with beautiful writing. As I said, in order for a science fiction story to capture a person's imagination, it must have the right amount of visual writing, believable dialogue, and believable characters. If the writing is beautiful, I can almost disregard a familiar plotline. Example: THE OUTLANDER series by Diana Gabaldon. Even though she writes about time travel, her writing is so amazing that you believe (want to believe) it can really happen. One caveat, the later books in her series became too narrative and she kind of lost me, but I do love her earlier books.Writer Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16505411188186283813noreply@blogger.com