Information updated October 2008

Note: I write fiction for adults. Some of the information here will be applicable to writers of any genre.No matter what, look for other resources to learn about the craft and the business.

I hope you'll find some good leads based on the resources and links included on this page.

I'm sorry I'm not able to answer individual questions, comment on queries, or review manuscripts.

FIND THE SUPPORT,

FINISH THE BOOK

Writing is my passion, but I feel blocked to pursue it.

What do I do?

If only there were a magic potion. . . For some ideas, read this article I pulled together, Listen to the Deep Know: The Urge for the Writer's Life. Ultimately, this is a very personal struggle. There is no one right way--but there is your way, when you find it.

I want to connect with other writers.

What should I do?

Be clear on what you mean by “connect.” Some people just want to chat with other writers about being writers. Some folks are looking for others to critique their work. Some want information on how to get published. Once you know what you want, there are plenty of ways to find a group right for you.

Use the Web. If you’re reading this now, chances are you have enough skills to maneuver the Internet. Type the words “writing groups” into Google (or another search engine)--and look what shows up. You can find groups specific to your genre, ones that meet in person, and ones that meet online. Another option is Myspace--where many hopeful and published writers manage to find each other.

Look right under your nose, sort of. It could take a bit of sleuthing, but you may be able find a group in your own community.

• Some libraries and bookstores provide free meeting space for writing groups. Visit or call them to find out whether they offer this and who the contact people are for the groups.  
• Coffee shops often have community bulletin boards. See if there are any local writing groups looking for new members.
• Writers’ Guilds or Leagues are more formal organizations that host workshops, conferences, and other networking activities.
• Colleges and universities may offer leisure or continuing education classes, where you can meet fellow writers. For some people, it might make sense to go back to school to earn a degree.

If all else fails, start your own group. There are many online resources available to help you figure out how to attract and organize your own group. (Again, Google search “writing groups.”)

What’s the secret to writing a novel?

I have no clue, but this is what worked for me the first time.

1. Discipline. Some people say that a writer MUST write every day. That’s not true. You have to figure out what works for you, and that might take a few years to discover. My process is to do lots of research and thinking--I take notes, of course--and then write three to five days in a row, eight to sixteen hours a day, weeks at a time.

2. Passion. Love what you’re working on. Even when you hate it, love it.

3. Study. Read what you love over and over again. There’s a reason you love those books; those authors are your teachers. Make a point to read new books every now and then. With them all, take notes, draw diagrams of the structures, and find those sentences that hold secrets in the balance.

Are there any books that you'd

recommend to help writers?

There’s only one book I recommend constantly, and that’s IF YOU WANT TO WRITE by Brenda Ueland. It’s the only book for aspiring writers that ever made sense to me. There are no directives to write every day, no exercises in character development or dialogue, and no promises to make you a bestselling author. Instead, it gives practical guidance to finding your true voice as a writer.  

Step-by-step guides didn't do it for me--but they may work for you. I think I became a better writer because (a) I studied novels I liked to figure out why they work, (b) I had outstanding critical readers who gave me excellent feedback, and (c) I thought deeply about what I was writing and then wrote a lot.

Below is a list of books that I’ve read which I found interesting or instructive. Some writers do need exercises to help them get started or focused. You have to figure out what works for you. I actually did use exercises in some of these books with my students, and they helped a number of them.    

• If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland
• On Writing by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott  
• Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft by Janet Burroway  
• Writing on Both Sides of the Brain: Breakthrough Techniques for People Who Write by Henriette Anne Klauser (The branching technique is phenomenal. I still use it to take notes and organize presentations.)
• Writing Fiction Step by Step by Josip Novakovich  

Visit your local library or bookstore to browse through books for writers, too. You may find a few that inspire you in a new way.

I want someone to read my work before it goes out.

Should I hire someone, like a book doctor or editor?

You probably should get someone else to read your work, if only to check for technical errors. It helps to have a good critical reader (or two, or five--I had about 15)—not someone who’s going to say “Oh, I liked the part when . . .” or “This was so nice.” You want someone who’s going to be tough and tell you if a character isn’t consistent or there’s a chapter that must be deleted.

I don’t know anyone who’s ever hired a book doctor or freelance editor. I’m sure there are some very good, reputable ones. Like with anything, check references and ask questions before you hand over your life’s work and possibly a chunk of your life’s savings.

Should I get a Master’s of Fine Arts degree (MFA)

in creative writing?

Maybe. You have to be entirely clear on what you hope to gain from the experience. I pursued one because I wanted to spend three years in the company of other writers and professionals from whom I could learn. I wanted the pressure of grades to force me to produce work. I wanted the credentials to teach at the college level, if I so chose. My ultimate goal was to leave a far better writer than I was when I went in.

Many wonderful writers have never stepped their toes into graduate programs, and that will continue to be the case. My guess is that they are either remarkably good judges of their own writing and/or they have insightful readers critique their work as they go along. Low-residency programs are all the rage now, of which I have mixed opinions, but that might be a good option for some. Frankly, each writer must figure out the route that makes the most sense for him or her.

If you do want to enter a writing program, The Association of Writers and Writing Programs website offers several resources.

FIND AN AGENT

What is an agent? (What is a literary agent?)

Quite simply, an agent is your advocate and business manager. She (or he) is the person who will get your book into the hands of editors, negotiate your deal, and handle any business matters that arise. All monies that you earn will go from your publisher to your agent then to you.

I want to be published by a major publishing house. Do I really have to have an agent?

Yes, if you want to sell a novel to a major publishing house. Yes, if you want to sell almost any book-length work to a major publishing house. Long gone are the days when you could send a manuscript directly to an editor. RARELY will an editor at a major house take a look at an unsolicited manuscript. In general, an agent is necessary to get an editor to consider a submission.

A good agent looks out for your best interest. The business end of, well, this business is complicated. It’s important to have someone who understands the jargon, pitfalls, and legalities.

I think a university press or an independent press would be a better fit for my book. Do I still need an agent?

University and independent presses are far more likely to consider work that isn’t represented by an agent. An agent could possibly help in these situations, but often one isn’t required. You will bear the responsibility of researching these smaller houses to determine which would be the best fit for your work. You will also be on your own to negotiate your contract and all other business related to your book’s release.

One more note, if you choose not to get an agent: Please consider hiring an attorney to review your contract before you sign it. You will want to find someone experienced in dealing with LITERARY contracts. In some cases, you might be able to find a person to help in the book deal negotiations.

Okay, I need an agent. What do I do?!

Keep reading this page, or read this short article I wrote:

Tips from a Slush Pile Find: How One Writer Got an Agent.

How did you get your agent?

Divine intervention. I did the things we’re told to do—meet agents at conferences, keep in touch, get referrals from other writers. When that didn’t work for me, I approached getting an agent as if it were a job. (Face it: It is a job.)

First, I set my criteria. I only considered agents who were members of the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). I wanted someone with a track record of sales to major publishing houses. And finally, which was out of my control, I wanted an agent whose faith in my novel was as intense as my own.

Second, I created a database that held the names, addresses, and pertinent information on dozens of agents. They represented writers I liked or novels similar to mine in subject matter or theme. Each was ranked based on how interested I thought they'd be in my work and on how much information I could find. Some were held pending more research; others marked "do not send" because they were allegedly disreputable.

Third, I sent out individually tailored queries and accompanying excerpts to those ranked highest in my database. In total, I submitted to 60 agents. From 50, I received outright rejections. The other ten read the manuscript.

In the end, I was pulled out of a slush pile. The first 30 pages of my novel were read by an intern who gave it to the agent who was, in turn, intrigued enough to see the whole manuscript. This was Interested Agent #10, my last resort before I had to send another round of queries. There’s a happy ending. My search stopped with Jandy.

The truth is, as hard as the search and rejection were, it was worth every minute to get the amazing, brilliant, and devoted agent I have now. I totally got lucky. I cannot stress this enough.

Wait.....What is a query letter?

It’s similar to a cover letter you’d write to accompany a resume. It’s a brief introduction to your work and to you as a writer. Like resume cover letters, there is a specific format that queries must follow. Do your homework! There are dozens of websites with tips on how to craft a good one. I found many of sites by typing the words “sample query letter” in a Google search.

Here are a few I found interesting and helpful.

• Agent Query: http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx (very good article)
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc: http://www.sfwa.org/writing/query.htm (good article)
• Preditors and Editors: http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubquery.htm
• Writing.com: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/844651

How do you know whether you’re getting a good agent?

Do your homework early. One starting point is the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR). Members agree to adhere to a standard of ethics, all of which are listed on the organization’s website. (You could get a wonderful agent who isn’t an AAR member, of course.) When you research prospective agents, you will learn about the agencies they work for, what writers they represent, and what books they’ve sold to various publishers. This information is valuable--it establishes their credibility. You will also find that there are websites that list agents who are allegedly disreputable. Make notes about this.

If you find an agent who charges reading fees or expects some form of payment BEFORE your book is sold, run in the other direction. There are many other red flags to keep in mind, which are comprehensively listed on the Writer Beware page of the SFWA site.  (Kudos to whoever gathered this information.)

What is your specific advice to someone looking for an agent?

Have an unwavering faith in what you created and want to get published more than you want to live. Searching for an agent will likely consume many waking moments and rob you of a few sleeping ones, too. Be prepared for the sincere, unexpected compliments you’ll get in rejection letters, as well as the soul-testing, awful comments that will make you question your existence. You’ll get no sugar-coating from me. This is a competitive business we’ve chosen/been dealt and only the persistent survive to get published.

Here are some tips I developed, based on my experience, and a few links. Note that each person’s approach, resources, and experience will be different.

• FINISH YOUR BOOK FIRST. Period. This will make your life much easier in the long run.
• What books have you read that you admire? Find out who represented those writers. When you write a query to an agent, make sure you briefly share how much you enjoyed his/her client’s work.
• What books currently on the market are similar to yours? Again, find out who represents those writers. Your query should reflect that you know something about the book and that you state why you think your work might be of interest to this agent.
• In many cases, once an agent’s listing hits a market guide you can buy at a bookstore, the information is obsolete. The Internet is going to be a far better resource for you.
• Check, double check, and triple check your information. Agents--especially ones who haven’t been in the business long--move around a lot. It may be necessary to Google an agent and search through multiple sites to ensure that you have correct information. Of course, if you’re lucky enough to have this person listed on a literary agency website, that’s helpful. But sometimes updates to those sites are delayed. Basically, do your homework.
• Google every agent. Find out every little detail you can about a person--what s/he represents, what conferences s/he attends, what kind of dog s/he has. You never know when a tiny piece of information will help you.
• NEVER e-mail an agent a query and/or excerpt unless you know FOR CERTAIN that s/he accepts e-mail submissions. Obviously, never e-mail your manuscript.
• Send an agent ONLY what s/he asks to see and in the format s/he wants. If he wants a query letter and 30 pages, send that. Some agents even have submission guidelines about margins and font style, so do your best to see what they want. If you cannot find information on someone’s submission requirements, a safe rule of thumb is to send ONLY your query letter, the first 20 pages of your book, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply. Do not send your entire manuscript unless it’s requested.
• Send out your queries and excerpts in batches--10, 20, 30, whatever works for you. Try to avoid agents who require exclusivity just to see a query. Sheer numbers are in your favor.
• If you sign with a literary agency that does NOT have a lawyer on staff, be prepared to hire your own attorney. It’s a good thing to have, no matter how good your agent is. When you see your first publishing contract, you’ll understand why.

SIDEBAR: As of this writing (October 2006), a friend of mine is searching for an agent. She said there seems to be a trend of agents interested only in query letters. How in the world can you judge fiction by a query, I don’t know, but anyway... Mary also said that more agents will take material via e-mail. (BUT REMEMBER, every agent has different requirements—so check first before you send anything.)

Are there any websites with information about agents?

I used some of the ones listed here. I included others that looked promising.

An agent wants to represent me!

What’s the next step?

You’re going to enter into a contract with this person. Remember that you have every right to ask questions before you sign. If you’ve done your homework, you should be confident this is someone you want to work with. At the same time, you’ll want to know more about him/her. Schedule a time to talk to the agent, and have a list of questions ready when you call. Click here to see some sample questions. Also, feel free to ask for names of clients you can speak with. Keep in mind you’re hiring someone to work for YOU.

Once you sign the contract, you’re officially represented.

Next, you’ll run toward the next hurdle. . .

GET A PUBLISHER

I don't have a book yet, but I do have some short stories / poetry / nonfiction. What should I do?

There's a saying that in order to get published, you have to BE published. In other words, it might help if your short work has appeared in literary journals and magazines. Someone else has taken an interest in your writing, so maybe that will encourage someone else to do the same. There are hundreds of online and print journals. It will take some research to find the journals best suited to your work. Here are a few good sites that provide links to many journals: Poets & Writers Magazine and NewPages.com--Literary Magazines and NewPages.com--Online Lit Mags.

Is it a good idea to work on the manuscript before it’s sent to editors? My agent and/or I think it needs a little more attention.

These days, most editors don’t have time to scrutinize manuscripts, and they expect polished work to appear on their desks. It’s worth the time to go over your book again, especially considering months may have passed since you last read it. If you’re lucky enough to have an “editorial” agent who wants to you to tweak the book, do it. (I’m very grateful that Jandy was so involved in the final go-over.) If your agent doesn’t work like this, and you feel there are some changes that need to happen before your book goes to editors, talk to him/her about it. You only get one chance to make a first impression with an editor.

What’s going to happen when my agent starts

to shop the manuscript for a book deal?

This is a BRIEF explanation of the process of what’s LIKELY to happen. There are always exceptions, you know.

Your agent will come up with a list of editors who would be interested in your book. This is one of the reasons why having a good agent is valuable. She will have knowledge of the tastes of specific editors and publishing houses--information that takes years to accumulate.

Your agent will write a pitch letter that describes the book and may include information about you. Extra copies of your final manuscript will be made.

Some agents will send out several copies at once, calling each editor personally to pitch the work and pique his/her interest. Some agents may send only one or two copies out at a time, with the pitch letter as the only introduction.

Your agent should save all rejections and share them with you when/if you request them. You should be kept posted on all developments--rejections and interest.

THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND: An editor--often also called an acquiring editor--is the first to read the manuscript. If she likes it, she will share it with other people in the house. These readers will likely be other editors, publicists, marketers, and possibly the publisher (head of the house) himself/herself. If the rest of the team doesn’t feel strongly about the book, it will be rejected. Why? Because the decision to buy a book is both subjective (they love the work) and economic (they must think it can sell). If the team is highly enthusiastic, an offer will be made.

When you have an offer, your agent will negotiate the deal. The big point is, of course, the advance. The other details include manuscript delivery, royalties, rights, bonuses, author copies, and various legalities. Your head WILL swim.

Most writers will wait months before a book is picked up by a publisher. The wait could be two, three, six, even twelve months--or more. This may be a reflection of your agent’s connections or tenacity, or it could be that the timing isn’t ideal for this manuscript.

Few writers will be offered a pre-empt. That means a publisher offers a deal that entices the writer to take her book off the market and sign with them. In other words, if other houses are interested in the book, they’re out of luck if the writer accepts the pre-empt.

Rarely will a writer’s book go up for auction. That means several publishers are hot for a book, and they get into a bidding war. A writer doesn’t have to go with the highest bidder. He can choose the house that fits best with his vision for the work, as well as his career.

For more information, see "Inside Publishing: How Editors Acquire Books," a good, concise article on this subject in the January/February 2006 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, p. 71-78.

I accepted an offer from a publisher! What’s next?

From the moment your book is “acquired,” you will wait between 12 and 18 months before it appears in bookstores. (You’ll see that I broke this out by quarters. It’s a rough estimate at best. My first novel came out in 10 months, so my timeline was compressed.)

1st Quarter

Your editor will thoroughly read your manuscript. You will receive an editorial letter that outlines your editor’s suggestions. The letter could go on for pages and pages. Phone calls and e-mails will fly back and forth for a while. You won’t always agree. There may be changes you refuse to make, and some that are totally reasonable. If you’re lucky, this will be a smooth, collaborative process. (It was for me. Sarah, my editor, was terrific.) If you’re not so lucky, this could get uncomfortable, complete with agent intervention and yelling. (I’ve heard tell. . . )

The finer points of your contract should be ironed out by now, and you’ll sign on the line.

2nd Quarter

Publicity and marketing team members will read your book and begin to come up with ideas. The publishing team will also begin to talk about cover design. Depending on the in-house excitement over your book, strategy meetings might start.

You’ll probably get the first set of page proofs to copy edit. Some writers are NOT included in this process. Talk to your editor if you want to participate.

Toward this end of this period--or maybe the beginning of the 3rd quarter--plain galleys might be printed. These are rough mock-ups of your book. The interior page design is in place, and the trim size--the dimensions of the book--has been set. The cover will have the title and your name but no art. Galleys are used to send to key contacts in the industry and to writers who might blurb the book. (A blurb--also known as a testimonial--is a quote endorsing your work from another writer or a review.)

You may see drafts of the cover art. Unless you’re wildly famous, you have no veto power or say-so about your book jacket. You’ll possibly be asked for your opinion, and your team might consider your suggestions. Some writers don’t get to participate at all; the final book jacket just simply appears, like it or not.

3rd Quarter

Advance Reader Copies, called ARCs, will be printed. The cover art will be on the front, the inside pages have the final design, and the back cover will include a synopsis, anticipated tour stops, and publicity/promotion plans (such as ads, interviews, etc.).

• Depending on how hard your book is being pushed, copies will be sent to industry “big mouths,” long-lead magazines (i.e., Entertainment Weekly, O, People, Redbook), media contacts (print, TV, and radio, on the national and local levels), and pre-publication review sources (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal).
• Some will be sent to authors to solicit blurbs.
• Sales team members will give copies to bookstores. Again, the number that goes out depends on how hard your book is being pushed.

You will get to see final page proofs. This is your last chance to make any changes to the text of the book. Some are minor (mine were--I changed one paragraph and tweaked a few sentences); some are substantive (I’ve heard of writers taking out huge sections). Most of the changes will be little details like punctuation and grammar.

Your publisher’s catalog for the next season will be released, which includes your title. (There are three book seasons: fall, winter/spring, and summer.)

The publicity and marketing teams will begin to finalize their plans for your book. A lot of changes can happen here--no matter what the back of your ARC says. If they are scheduling a book tour for you, it could end up much bigger, or smaller, than originally planned. You could end up with no advertising--or multiple ads in major newspapers.

For more info on publicity, click here.

4th Quarter

Around this time, your publisher will finalize a decision about the print run. Some of this is based on bookstore orders. A literary novel could start with 2,000 or fewer copies in print. A book a publisher wants/expects to be a blockbuster could have an initial print run in the six figures or beyond. (Think Harry Potter. . .)

Your publisher will decide if it will invest in co-op for your book. A co-op is special placement in a bookstore, most often a chain, paid for by the publisher. This includes the tables and shelves right when you walk into a store, end caps (the little shelves on the sides of bookshelves), and special cardboard displays. Co-op is expensive, and few books are chosen for such positions.

Not every book gets a pre-pub review from one of the major sources, but if you do, this is the time your publisher will hear from from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, etc.

Your book may have been nominated for honors months ago. ARCs were sent for this purpose. Toward the end of this period and within weeks after publication, you’ll find out whether your book has been selected for any honors such as Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers, Borders Original Voices, and Book Sense Picks.

Everything will be finalized regarding publicity and promotion, including your tour (if you have one).

For more information about how a book gets into the bookstores, read "Inside Publishing: The Business of Bookselling," a forthright account, in the May/June 2006 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, p. 57-61.

LEARN ABOUT THE BUSINESS

For a debut writer, there is no learning curve--it’s a vertical lift. No matter how well-informed you think you are from the beginning, the good and bad surprises that happen along the way will knock the wind out of you sometimes.

What you read beyond this point are scraps and tidbits that I’ve gathered. It’s based on my own experiences and that of fellow published writers. I hope it’s helpful to you.

PUBLICITY

What should I expect for my book’s publicity?

(This information is meant for those who aren’t veterans.)

For a good overview, read “Inside Publishing: A Publicist’s Guide to the Business” in the March/April 2006 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, p. 67-73.

Here’s the big lesson I learned with my first novel: Writing the book is the easy part. Today, a writer must play an active role in her book’s promotion in order to improve its chance of success.

You have to keep in mind that your book will be one of dozens your publisher promotes in a season. Your in-house publicist has a lot on his/her plate. Funding, time, and personnel are all limited. If you’re very lucky, your publicist will land you a few reviews in prominent newspapers. You might get ads in a major paper or trade journal. If you’re win-the-lottery lucky, you will get major national mass-market press (such as Entertainment Weekly, People, USA Today) and/or a sweet interview on a nationally-broadcast NPR show and/or national TV exposure. Remember that your book is competing for attention with about more than 170,000 other titles per year--and that nonfiction will almost always win out over fiction.

Some writers choose to hire their own publicists to supplement the efforts of their assigned publicists at their houses. There is no guarantee that this will improve your book’s viability. This is a costly option, too, which could run $5,000 to $15,000 per engagement. And you have to book a publicist four to six months in advance of your work’s publication date.

You have options with freelance publicists. You could choose someone who sticks with the traditional way of doing things--reviews and interviews through print, radio, and TV. Some publicists specialize in radio campaigns, booking several interviews (10-20, depending) in a couple of days to blitz the airwaves in key markets. On the rise is web publicity, an approach that targets blogs, review sites, and other venues to promote a book. A benefit to web publicity is that links stay active for years, especially important if you plan to have a career as a writer. PLEASE TALK TO YOUR AGENT AND FELLOW WRITERS TO GET RECOMMENDATIONS!

Regardless of whether you decide to rely solely on your in-house publicist or hire additional support, you can do plenty on your own. Publicists are typically willing to help you be successful with things you do yourself, so ask their guidance and suggestions.

• Get a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to give information about your work. If you so choose, you can post an e-mail address so that people can get in touch with you.
• Develop strong relationships with booksellers in the city where you live. Visit every few weeks just to say hello. Offer to sign stock--that means you autograph copies they have in the store.
• If it’s feasible to go back to your hometown every few months, visit with booksellers there each chance you get. (The smaller the hometown, the more attention you’ll likely receive.)
• Work to get local media attention as much as possible. Include even the smallest radio stations and newspapers. You never know. . .
• Schedule additional tour stops on your own. Target those cities where you have friends or family willing to get people to your event. If you have a signing in a city where you don’t have a base, it’s a great opportunity to get to know bookstore staff but it’s highly unlikely you’ll have a good turnout. Do EVERYTHING you can to get TV, radio, and print media to publicize the event! Some cities have popular bloggers, so if you can figure out how to get hooked in, do that, too.
• Always keep postcards of your book jacket with you. If the tidbit that you’re a writer ever comes up in conversation, you can whip one out and hand it to the person with whom you’re chatting.

BOOKSELLER SCOOP

GENERAL OVERVIEW

For more information about how a book gets into the bookstores, read "Inside Publishing: The Business of Bookselling," a forthright account, in the May/June 2006 issue of Poets & Writers Magazine, p. 57-61.

BARNES & NOBLE, THE BIG DOG

For the record, Barnes & Noble is the most powerful force in the book industry. It’s not just that its sales are well above that of their competitors. There are other forces at work. Get in a room with a few published writers, and at least one will tell you the story of how B&N influenced a change in his book jacket. Supposedly, this doesn’t happen often, but I’m not so sure. If B&N will increase its order by a few hundred (or thousand) if there’s a jacket change, what would you, as a publisher, do?

BOOKSELLER SALES FIGURES

As a writer, you may be interested to know where people are buying their books. The figures below were pulled from the 2007 annual reports of several major booksellers. (They’re easy to find online.)

Sales in Millions

In numbers for regular folks, that means B&N’s 2007 sales were more than $54 MILLION, Borders were about $37 MILLION, and so on. Please note some of these companies have international reach and sell more than just books. The numbers reflect that.

I haven’t been able to track down a solid number for independent bookstores, but one source stated that they accounted for 9 percent of all customer book purchases in 2004.

BOOKSTORE COUNT

Another eye-opener is the number of stores out there. These numbers were pulled from 2007 annual reports and ABA's website.

• 713 Barnes & Noble stores in all 50 states
• 85 B. Dalton stores (these are being phased out)—owned by B&N
• 509 Borders stores
• 490 Waldenbooks (being converted to Borders Express stores)
• 206 Books-a-Million stores, located primarily in Southeast U.S.
• 1,200 (approx)  independent bookstores that are American Bookseller Association members
• ___????___ independent stores affiliated with other associations or none at all

TIME AND PLACEMENT

Time: The following I can’t document, but this is what I’ve picked up through hearsay.

A book has six weeks to take off. That begins the minute it hits the shelves. If your book isn’t climbing a well-known bestseller’s list within those 42 days, there are two options left. Possibly, it could be one of those sleepers, a book that gets attention slowly through word of mouth. More likely, it will quickly fade from everyone’s attention. There’s always hope for the paperback edition. However, the six-week rule applies then, too.

Another time issue is related to when a book rolls into remainder. Typically, a year passes between a book’s hardcover and paperback releases. (Some books have a shorter span than that.) By the time your paperback is out, your hardcover will likely be in remainder. If you had a paperback original, or if you only have a hardcover, your book will likely go into remainder after about a year as well. This means that any extra stock that a bookstore has not returned to the publisher is sold to customers at a highly reduced cost--60% or less than the retail price. What you should know as a writer is that you will earn anywhere from mere pennies to nothing on these books that are sold.

Placement: The first 80 feet in a bookstore are the most important. A man who worked in sales for a major publisher for 40 years told me this. What’s with those 80 feet? This is the magic zone where all the new releases vie for your attention. (Remember the mention of co-ops?) Any books past that point, he said, are basically forgotten. An occasional browser will venture beyond this zone, and generally, that reader has a specific title in mind.

DARE TO COMPARE

Sales Numbers

I was told--point blank--that we (meaning a writer, her agent, and her publishing team) do not share sales numbers. This is a matter of etiquette that I appreciate. It allows one to gracefully decline to answer the people who ask, “So how are your sales?” (Seriously, this is so rude. What’s behind a question like that?) If this understanding weren’t there, I don’t want to imagine the crass and uncomfortable moments that would pop up. Never mind that publishers gladly break the taboo to throw out figures of their huge bestsellers, and mean-spirited book industry people delight in exposing those whose titles didn’t do as well as anyone expected.

That being said, it’s natural to want to know how your book sales compare to others out there. You don’t need the names of specific titles in your genre and their numbers. You want a statistical benchmark.

For the most part, Bookscan--a service of Nielsen--provides those sales numbers. Publishers, some large literary agencies, and occasional book industry big mouths subscribe to the service and can get somewhat reliable numbers quickly. It records around 70 percent of all sales, capturing sales only from those bookstores that report.

I’m still trying to find legitimate sources that provide sales numbers on average. Below is a hodgepodge of information. Please note, I don’t know how reputable some of it is.

• Approximately 172,000 books were published in the U.S. in 2005, according to Bowker.
• The salesman I mentioned earlier told me that 93% of all books published sell fewer than 1,000 copies.
• An author responded to this issue on Yahoo! Answers, and this is his reply.

In 2004, Nielsen Bookscan tracked sales of 1.2 million books in the US.

Of those 1.2 million, 950,000 sold fewer than 99 (yes, ninety-nine) copies each.

Another 200,000 sold fewer than 1,000 copies.

Only 25,000 books sold more than 5,000 copies.

Fewer than 500 sold more than 100,000 copies.

Only 10 books sold more than a million copies each.

THE AVERAGE BOOK IN THE US SELLS ABOUT 500 COPIES.

Advances

An advance is aptly named. This money is given to an author with the expectation that a certain number of his books will sell. In a perfect world, that means a writer who gets a $25,000 advance will sell approximately 9,350 hardcover copies. (This is more complicated in reality. I oversimplified it for the sake of an example.) When the author’s royalties--a percentage of each book sold--add up to the advance, the writer has “earned out.” He will then receive money from his royalties from that point.

Yes, getting a big advance is nearly every writer’s dream. But if you receive a $150,000 advance and only sell 5,000 books, your publisher--and you, to a certain degree--are in the hole.

I’m still trying to find reputable information about the average range for advances. I’ve seen numbers from $10,000 - $25,000, for fiction and nonfiction.

Check out this article about the risks and rewards of huge advances: The New Literary Lottery.     

I did find some numbers on Publishers Marketplace.com that are NOT entirely reliable. That’s because they share data only about books reported to them--those deals with plenty of razzle dazzle. The Debut Fiction Sales Trends sample page from Book Deals 2005 is interesting, but one needs to look closely.

• All fiction deals reported to Publishers Marketplace: 1,034
• Debut fiction deals reported: 176 (17%)
• Debut fiction deals with advances of six-figures or greater: 16% (38 titles out of 1,034)
• Fiction as a whole with advances of six-figures or greater: 14.3% (148 titles out of 1,034)

(Forgive the following analytically faulty extrapolation. )

Bowker does track the industry as a whole, and if one looks at their 2004 and 2005 press releases on book production, you’ll figure out that more than 20,000 adult fiction titles were released in each of those years. That means there were approximately that many book deals in each of the years before.

Hypothetically,

• If the total number of fiction deals is 20,000,
• and if the Publishers Marketplace report of fiction advances six-figures and above is accurate,
• then about 0.20 percent of debut fiction advances and 0.75 percent of ALL fiction advances were six figures or more.

In other words, there’s less than a 1 percent chance that a fiction writer’s advance will be six figures or greater.

Royalties

Royalties are a percentage of each book sold that is paid to the author. The amount is calculated on the catalog retail price of the book. Throughout the industry, royalty rates are pretty standard.

Hardcover:

• 10% for the first 5,000 copies sold
• 12.5% up to 10,000 copies sold
• 15% thereafter

Softcover Trade: 7.5% to 10%

Mass Market: 10%

If a hardcover is $22 retail, and 12,000 copies sell, the royalties will look like this:

(10.0%) 5,000 copies at $2.20 each=$11,000

(12.5%) 5,000 copies at $2.75 each=$13,750

(15.0%) 2,000 copies at $3.30 each=$6,600

Total Royalties Earned: $31,350

AMAZON RANK OBSESSION

When your book comes out, you’re going to check your Amazon ranking several times a day for many weeks, maybe even months. It’s a rite of passage. It’s pointless, but you’re going to succumb. Perhaps the addiction will be short-lived--or better yet, thwarted, after you read these articles about how rank is calculated.

• How Amazon.com Sales Rank is Calculated
• Navigating the Amazon Sales Ranking

If only I knew then what I know now....

LINKS

American Booksellers Association

Association of Writers and Writing Programs

Book Sense  

Manus & Associates (click Info for Writers link) 

                                 See Publishing Deal Points and Basic Contract Checklist

Publishers Marketplace      

Publishers Weekly 

Poets & Writers Magazine 

Writer’s Digest Magazine

Writing Advice by Lawrence Watt Evans (I found this very informative.) 

U.S. Book Production chart 

Listings of Literary Journals, Print and Online

NewPages.com--Literary Magazines

NewPages.com--Online Lit Mags

Poets & Writers Magazine--Literary Magazines

BLOG: Campaign for the American Reader

BLOG: Conversations with Famous Writers