Panel of Agents

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, Angents' Panel made up of Regina Brooks, Sheree Bykofsky, Paul Fedorko, Paul Levine, Rita Rosencrantz and Paige Wheeler.

1.) "What was the last book that you signed, and what drew you to it?"

-It was an unsolicited query letter by an author who was well-tied to the project, researched the competition, and made a clear case as to why they were the best author.

- It was someone who introduced the agent to a world (new/familiar) and got the agent excited about that category of writing.

- The author had done his/her homework.

- The agent "fell in love" and felt that the book was worth the journey.

- The agent learned something. The book transported him/her. It was an escape.

2.) "Can you provide advice about writing a query letter?"

- Pretend that you are reviewing your book in the New York Times.

- Write the back cover for your book.

- Look at other reviews, other book covers.

3.) "What motivates an agent?"

- They are able to see past the defects and immaturity of your manuscript to what your book might become, and they have the finesse to get you there.

- The thrill of the hunt: The discovery process in every day.

- Your book fits their list in terms of category.

- Your book will sell.

4.) "Any advice for writers?"

- Write your book proposal first, then draft the query.

- Take the time you need because if an agent looks at your work once and turns it down, they are less likely to take a second look.

- Wait until it's perfect before you submit it, or the second time it's only leftovers.

- There is no incentive for an agent to send out lackluster work to publishers. Honing your work deserves your full attention. Sometimes that might entail the scaling down of your story in order to make it more readable to the public.

How to Get An Editor to Read Past Page 2

Notes from Columbus Writer's Conference, Sally Kim, Shaye Areheart Books, Crown Publishing Group.

The first two pages need to be so powerful that the editor literally cannot put the book down. It's important to nail that first page and nail that first line, the opening scene. The first page must be so powerful that the editor cannot put the book down.

As Sally Kim stated, "It's your book. Reel us in."

Character Driven:
Meeting a character is like meeting a future spouse. You want to feel a connection, a spark, right away.

Voice:
The voice needs to ring true from the first, and reveal a sense of the character. What is he/she like? Perhaps a better version of myself. Is this someone that I would root for and be willing to go to the mat for?

What is at stake for the character? Why should I feel an emotional investment? Does this feel true to me? Do I want to spend 200 pages reading about this person?

Balance Between Too Much/Not Enough Information:
It's important to set the tone of the story without giving the whole farm away. Reveal the conflict. Craft your scenes so that questions come to the forefront for the reader. Provide visceral images so that the reader feels that they are truly there.

RED FLAGS FOR THE EDITOR:

1.) An opening page that is too quiet: Beautifully written prose that is boring. Navel-gazing wherein the author basically just admires their own prose.

2.) Slow opening with nothing happening: What is this book about? Editors will put down a book if it is slow and lagging. They want to be with the character every step of the way.

3.) An opening that's much too fast: The reader can't follow the character, because too much is happening at once.

4.) Characters that aren't interesting and multi-dimensional

5.) Uneven tone

FINDING THE RIGHT EDITOR
A good editor with the right vision can get a book into shape.

Kim estimates that 25% of every page an editor will tinker with... Ten different publishing houses might shape the same book in ten different ways, depending upon their focus. (This is where agents fit in! Who better than an agent to steer a writer in the right direction?)

Using Your Magazine Research in Creative Ways

Following up on earlier posted notes about magazine submissions, here is one example of how research on one subject (e.g. ducks) could be expanded into several different types of articles.

General Topic: Ducks
Possible Angle: Migratory patterns
More Specific: Migratory patterns and spreading of disease
Variations: Avoid duck disease
Men's Angle: Duck sexual prowess
Women's Angle: Down comforters
Children's Angle: Ducks as pets
Angle I've Never Seen Before: (Well, that would be impossible to link to, wouldn't it?)
Angle I've Seen But Can Twist: Why do ducks float?

Sources:
Lori Murray, Columbus Writer's Workshop
Renegade Writer's Query Letters That Rock by Linda Formicelli

Sample Query Letter to Magazine

Centered on the top: Your name, street address, phone number and email address

Date

Editor's Name
Editor's Title
Magazine Name
Street Address

Dear (Editor's Name),

HOOK:
Grab the readers attention
Demonstrate your writing ability
Demonstrate your familiarity with the publication

PITCH:
Why you want to write the article
Why readers will be interested in this subject
Why it fits within the scope of the magazine

BODY:
Information and facts that support your idea

CREDENTIALS:
Why you are the best person to write this article
Brief summary of your credentials
Brief summary of your professional and personal expertise

Sincerely,

Your Name

(Source: Lori Murray, Columbus Writer's workshop handouts. Please note: Lori is in the process of developing her personal web page, and I plan to link to it as soon as it is available).

Panel of Editors

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, Editors' Panel made up of Helen Atsma, Stacy Barney, Katie Gilligan, Jack Heffron, Sally Kim, and Peter Lynch

What are editors looking for in a memoir?
- Voice
- Unique approach
- World I haven't seen before
- Emotional truth, universality
- Themes I can identify with
- Structure: sharp sense of focus, theme or event that unites it

The manuscript is most important:
Concentrate on the first book, so that the editor will fall in love with it. Take the time to make that first book shine.

The editors revealed that most of them started out wanting to be writers, but as Peter Lynch stated, "I discovered that I'm not very good with the blank page. But I am very good at taking other people's work and strengthening it by bringing out their voice."

The job of the editor is not to create from nothing, but to work with what's already on the page. Their goal is to acquire books in order to build their "list" and get promoted. They take pride in what is on their list: books that resonated with them personally.

What they want from writers:
- High quality of writing
- Hook: commercial appeal
- Concise pitch
- Someone who can reach the audience that this book is seeking
- Depth and breadth of reading in your field

Writing Memoir: The Art of Sharing Memories With Others

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, presentation led by Paul Martin, author and professor at OSU

Why do we write about the past? Why would we want to relive it? Is it just for ourselves? Or is there something that we want to impart to our readers from our experiences?

Writing a memoir is about the artistic shaping of experience. The artistry of memoir creates insight for others, and furthers our understanding of ourselves. Memoirs are similar to fiction in their arc and structure. They provide a vivid dramatization of story, like a short story or novel.

Exercise: Close your eyes and think of three pairs of shoes that you wore during your childhood. What memories are attached to each pair of shoes? What was their significance in your life?

1.) Challenge of Selection:
The first thing that we must deal with is the matter of selection: "What memories belong in this book?" This is difficult, because with memoir, you have a huge canvas to work with. Where to begin, what to focus on, and what will contain it?

Think in terms of radical events: moments from our past that somehow shaped our personalities: Who was I? Who did I become? Which people from my past had the most dramatic effect on the person that I am today?

2.) Crafting Each Scene:
Memoir relies upon the basic element of scene, like in a play.

In those scenes, there are always at least two characters present: you as the character (past) and you as narrator (present). You are moving about in space and time, between the person you were then and the person that you are now.

Each scene exists for a purpose. There are reasons to make a scene: It needs to be a formative event. You are sharing what it opens up in the character telling the story. Something is unsettled within, and we need to tame it with narrative and story. The story turns at the moment that you have an emotional response that is layered and complicated.

Report: What happened
Evaluate: Make sense of the experience
Turn/Shift: The event opens up a new thing in us

3.) Recall of Sensory Details:
Readers form a stronger emotional connection to the story through concrete details. It's important to notice everything: how it looked, what it sounded like, what the texture was, how it smelled...

Precise, accurate detail will make the scene more vivid. So it's important to be a person who notices everything regarding sensory details, a person upon whom nothing is lost.

4.) Structuring the Story:
The story is really about the journey of the narrator. All the other characters in the book carry storylines of their own. What deserves to be a chapter? What deserves to be a scene?

Questions to ask yourself:
How did this make me who I am? What did it mean? Why does it matter? How did I make sense of it at the time, vs. now? Is there a common theme throughout my story that persists?

5.) Veracity in Telling the Story:
Some people stretch the truth in their memoirs, saying things like, "I'm not writing fact, I'm writing memory" or "Memory has its own story."

However, Paul Martin believes that there is an ethical line in the sand that exists, and that a writer will always know when they overstep it. He believes that it will prick their conscience. I am inclined to agree with him.

Book Recommendations: Writer's Room (Shelmutt), .,Why I Live At the P.O Writing Life Stories, and Living to Tell the Tale

Magazine Markets

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, presentation led by Lori Murray, Freelance Writer

Lori Murray began her workshop by saying that "Writing is the only thing that people say, they think they can do it, but they never start. Just put your butt in a chair and write!"

Lori writes primarily for magazines rather than newspapers, because magazines are more lucrative.

It's important to set goals: What are you trying to accomplish?

In the beginning, you'll be writing a lot of query letters. In order to break into the business, you'll have to work hard to get assignments - and worry about writing the actual article later. Once you start getting assignments, you can slow the flow of query letters to 2-5 per week.

The magazine business has frequent turnover. If you establish a relationship with one magazine editor, he/she might leave to work for another magazine. Or, sadly, the magazine might fold. So, you will need to continue building relationships all the time and keep on marketing yourself.

The important thing is getting your name out there. You are planting seeds.

1.) Study the Publications: What are they looking for? You need to know their publication. Each magazine wants to think that they are unique. Visit bookstores and the public library to look at the last six issues of each magazine that you are interested.

Make sure you know if the magazine allows freelancers to contribute to "front of the book" pieces. These are short pieces, but they make it easy for new writers to break in.

2.) Look At the Sections in Each Magazine:
- The cover (featured stories)

- How often they publish (monthly, quarterly, annually)
- The advertisers (tell you about target audience)
- The masthead (size of staff, amout of contributing writers/editors)
- What do the bylines say? Is the article's author one of the magazine's staff or a freelancer?

3.) Pick A Core Group of (4-6) Magazines That You'd Like to Write For:
- Study each magazine and know what they are looking for (don't repeat last month's idea!)
- Send a query letter to the editor, addressing him/her by name
- Use standard business letter format, pasted into an email
- Limit yourself to a one-page query, out of respect for busy editors
- Give them your pitch in a page; they will tell you if they need more information
- Include a working title for your article in the query: "tentatively titled"
- Show the editor that you have a good source

RULES OF THUMB:

1.) Don't query something that you can't deliver if the magazine editors says "yes." Lori keeps a tickler file with all of her research and ideas about stories that she wants to write.

2.) Consider "lead time" from the time you pitch an idea to when it's published. Timing is everything. Larger magazines are writing their Christmas articles in July!

Writer's Market will tell you the lead time for each magazine. Usually, the lead time for national magazines is nine months in advance. Regional magazines might only have a lead time of four months.

3.) Proof-read your query letter. It demonstrates skills as a writer and your familiarity with their publication. It shows them that you can be efficient and accurate. During the draft process, the body of your query letter might start out as bullet points that you later weave together into sentences.

Write your query in MS Word, and then paste into an email. Most editors will not open attachments, for fear of viruses. The hook from your query might end up being the first line in your article.

4.) "Writing clips available upon request" - Be prepared to send PDF copies of your previously published articles if an editor requests them. Demonstrating that you have worked with a certain publication more than once shows that you are able to meet deadlines and easy to work with...

The magazine will keep a copy of your clips on file for future assignments. If they forget, just remind them: "You already have my clips on file."

5.) When listing the publications you've written for, don't include the dates, unless requested. Consider creating a website with your clips.

6.) If you don't hear back from a magazine within two weeks, email them again, pasting the original query letter underneath. You are likely to receive a response the second time.

7.) Your acceptance letter will include all the information about the assignment, including the deadline, that you need. Your contract will spell out all your rights. Don't sell all rights to an artice.

Keep in mind that freelancers receive a lot of rejection letters, and try not to take those to heart. They aren't rejecting you as a writer, it's just that this idea doesn't work for their publication, or has already been done by someone else.

It's all about persistence. The magazine market is a small, tight-knit world. Many women work for a magazine, have a baby and then come back as freelance writers. They have the advantage.

Magazines have a quick turnover. If your first idea doesn't work, just go on to the next thing. Besides, they might contact you with something else down the road.

8.) Don't multiply submit the same pitch -- give it a new twist and change it! For example, Lori wrote one article on how to pick out a Christmas tree with your family, another on Ohio evergreen trees and a third for a national magazine titled "10 Fun Facts About Christmas Trees."

She was able to use her research many times, in creative ways. Fresh slants on old ideas are the best way to go! Look at the focus of a magazine to see how your previous research might work in terms of a story that would fit.

9.) Don't phone editors uninvited, and don't request meetings, appointments or personal critiques. Editors are busy, busy people. Once you get to know an editor, you can send them more than one pitch at a time.

10.) Turn down assignments that you are not comfortable with, and if a story takes a twist, let the editor know. When you interview people, the source can't review the story ahead of time, but you can fact-check your quotes with the sources (that will reassure them that they are not being misquoted).

And, don't forget to pay TAXES on your freelance work!

Book Recommendation: Query Letters That Rock!

Web Recommendations: http://www.freelancesuccess.com/

How A Literary Agency Works

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, presentation led by Peter Fedorko, Trident Media Group


Being an agent, for Peter Fedorko, is all about hope. "You hope you will find a great writer. You hope to connect with a great editor. You hope that book will resonate with a great audience."

In his mind, the most important thing are the writers; "Without writers, there would be no books!" Agents need clients. They need authors. So much so that if Peter sees a manuscript that's not right for him, but might work for one of his colleagues, he will pass it onto them.

Editors are also vitally important. Peter's background is in sales, and he considers being an agent as a sales job, because, "You have to know what they are looking for... "

An agent has to know editors in order to tell who is right or wrong for this particular project. It's also important to know whether or not this book fits into the list of books being sold by a particular publishing agency.

Agents keep a master list of publishers, who likes what. That way, if they find a book, they can pitch it to 10 editors at the same time.

Contract Negotiation:
- 15% pay-out on signing
- Delivery & acceptance
- Publication
- Royalties (if applicable)
- Negotiating rights (foreign, film, audio)

Dealing with Platform

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, presentation led by Peter Lynch, Sourcebooks, Inc.

What is a Platform?
1.) Your credentials in a particular subject area
2.) Your marketing ability and marketability
3.) Your publishing track record in this area

Questions to Ask:
- Are you willing to buy your own books and sell them on your own?
- Do you have a built-in fan base of guaranteed sales?
- Do you have the ability to take on marketing and PR in place of the publisher?

Acquisitions Decisions:
There are over 250K books published each year. Not all of them sell well - and publishers want to make money. The quality of your writing is most important. However, if a publisher is lukewarm about your book or leery because you are a first-time writer, platform will be a reason for them to take the risk and build you as an author.

Bookstore Chains:
Platform carries weight with bookstore chains as well. In Barnes & Noble, for example, there is one book-buyer for each subject category. That one person is responsible for how many books are sold by B&N for that category and where each of those books are placed in the bookstore for every Barnes & Nobel store in the country.

Author Credentials:
- Are you an expert in the field about which you are writing?
- Where did you study? What awards have you won? What is your position?
- Do you have some degree of fame in the field that you are writing?
- If you don't have a degree in this field, perhaps you have a co-author who does?

Author Marketing:
- Energy to promote your own book
- Marketing know-how
- Online presence: Build-in fan base
- Realistic expectations
- Willingness to contribute to publisher's marketing campaign
- PR presence, PR history, willing to do PR appearances

Publishing History:
- How many books published?
- How well did they sell?
- Are they in the same subject area?
- A good sales history always helps
- Self-publishing history is okay, as long as you sold well

How to Build Platform:
1.) Increase your experience: degrees, work experience
2.) Blurbs from famous authors or credentialed figures
3.) Co-author with a credentialed person

How to Build Marketing:
1.) Author marketing and PR seminars
2.) Attend writer's conferences
3.) Get an agent with market savvy

Book Recommendations:
Savvy Author's Guide to Book Publicity
1001 Ways to Market Your Book

How to Build Author History:
- Write for magazines
- Develop an online presence
- Write for hire projects (ads in writer's magazines, e.g. Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Author-Agent-Editor Relationship: How It Works

Notes from the Columbus Writer's Conference, presentation led by Helen Atsma, Henry Holt & Company, formerly of Little, Brown & Company. Books that Helen has sold lately include: Transparency, Afternoons with Emily, and Bank: A Novel

As an editor, Helen Atsma first reminded conference attendees that agents play a vital role in getting a book published. Publishing is a small industry, and most of the editors and agents know each other.

Most editors and agents reside in New York. The agent "courts" different editors by asking them out for lunch. During that meal, the agent is usually able to ascertain the personal tastes of this particular editor.

Many houses, like Henry Holt & Company, do not accept unsolicited manuscripts. The agent's role is to preselect books that this particular editor might like -- it's very targeted and specific.

Editors do all their reading of manuscripts on their own time. They are not afforded the luxury of being able to read manuscripts at work. They are too busy signing contracts, etc. Since an editor might have 60 manuscripts on their desk at any given point in time, they often ask their assistants to prescreen them.

As an editor, Helen receives about 10 submissions (mostly novels) per week, and she doesn't have time to read each one of them in their entirety. So, as she shared with us, "To be honest, I read until I know that I'm not going to buy the novel. Sometimes I can tell in the first two pages; other times in the first 50 pages."

But if an agent who knows Helen well and has been out to lunch with her might email or call her and say, "Helen, you are going to love this one because of (insert knowledge of Helen's personal tastes here)," then Helen is likely to take the manscript home and read it that night.

Helen is the first to admit that reading preferences are very subjective, so the role agents take in pairing the right editor to the right manuscript is infinitely valuable.

Criteria in Deciding to Purchase a Book:
1.) Editor falls in love with it: the voice, the writing style
2.) It's perfect for the house in terms of the kind of material they publish
3.) They don't have anything else like it on their lists right now

If an editor falls in love with a book, he/she will take it to their editorial board and promote it in-house at their next acquisitions meeting. Members present will include sales, marketing/ publicity and foreign rights representatives. The editor will come to this meeting prepared to state the case for "Why are we the right house for this?" and if everyone else agrees, then they will make an offer.

In a best-case scenario, several editors will fall in love with a certain manscript, which will spark a bidding auction. This will mean more money for the writer and agent, and it also generates enthusiasm for the book -- which often translates into more sales for the publisher.

Another reason that agents are helpful to writers during this process is because it's not all about the money. It's also about selling a book to a better house or a more enthusiastic editor. Agents have the know-how to balance these factors.

Signing the Contract:
1.) The agent and the editor hammer out the details
2.) The agent and the publisher's legal department hammers out the rights

During the months that follow this initial signing, it's important for the writer to recognize and respect the fact that the publishing house slots books into months and categories, in order to follow a traditional publishing schedule.

Writers need to make every effort to meet deadlines. Please respond ASAP to any correspondence. Keep your answers concise and summarized, because the editor is busy. For example, if an editor asks you to "Tell me the titles of books on amazon that have book covers that you like," send all the covers in one email.

The agent remains vitally important as the writer's advocate. After all, the editor works for the publishing house and will be your cheerleader within that house -- but the agent works for you.

Example:
There is a deadline for the book jacket, right before the catalog is printed. This is a crazy-busy time for the art department. Let's say the publishing house picked a cover for your book, and it was horrible. Your editor can't say anything, because he/she works for the publishing house.

It's up to your agent to speak up and advocate for a better jacket. The agent can carry clout because even if your project is "just a small book," the publishing company might also have bigger deals with that agent, and can't afford to alienate that agent.

(However, this should be balanced by the fact that book jackets need to appeal to a wide audience. If you write a book about your grandmother, her face might not be the one on the cover. It might be a model instead).

When the book comes out, the editor is almost done with your project and has moved on to another book which will be published six months from now. You are left in the hands of the publicity department.

Publicizing Your Book:
How you publicize it depends upon the type of book. There are less book tours now than ever. Be aware that advertising is expensive. Don't expect a column in the NY Times: that costs $30,000. A publisher might pay money to have your book placed in the front of a store display.

Tips on Relationships With Editor:
1.) Appreciate the 20+ hours that he/she has spent editing your work
2.) Always be nice to their assistant on the phone
3.) Know that your editor wants your book to sell, and go into 2nd, 3rd, 4th printing

I never knew that was where this quote came from...

My father's quote originated with Dylan Thomas:

"After the first death, there is no other."