An Athletic Approach to Leadership and Life
|
FAQs - Writing and Publishing © Mariah Burton Nelson How Can I Become a Better Writer? (the question no one asks)
Original ideas or old ideas presented in a new way; a facility with the language; courage, persistence, fortitude, a tolerance for solitude, and lots of time. Unless you want to write the whole book first, then look for a publisher (and risk not finding one, or publish it yourself), it also requires a book proposal. How Do I Write a Book Proposal? Read How to Write a Book Proposal (Michael Larsen) or The Shortest Distance Between You and a Published Book (Susan Page). Remember that a proposal is a demonstration of your writing skill as well as your ideas. How Can I Find a Literary Agent? Read Literary Agents: How to Get and Work with the Right One for You (by Michael Larsen), Literary Agents: A Writer’s Guide (Debby Mayer), Literary Agents of North America, or Literary Market Place. Also, look in the acknowledgments section of books that are similar to the one you want to write, find the agent’s name, then find that agent through the author or the books above. Attend writing seminars and conferences where you can meet agents and learn more about them. Do I Need to Have an Agent to Get a Publisher? Depends on the publisher. Most major publishing houses will not look at manuscripts or proposals unless they are submitted by an agent. However, self-publishing no longer carries the "vanity press" stigma it once did, and is a viable option if you have a market for the book and can distribute it to that market. There are many books and websites about self-publishing; start with Dan Poynter's site: parapublishing.com. What Do Agents Charge? The standard agent’s fee is 15 percent of all proceeds from the work that agent represents. An agent should not charge to read your proposal. What If A Publishing Company Offers Me a Contract Directly? If you sell a manuscript or proposal without an agent, have a lawyer or agent review the contract (for a flat fee). Publishing contracts (drafted with the publisher’s interests in mind, not yours) can include 50 pages of legalese, and a professional will make changes (with your permission) on your behalf. All contracts are negotiable, but only before you sign them! What Else Should I Know About Agents? If an agent expresses interest, ask for some references from other authors with whom that person has worked. As with any professional relationship, trust, rapport, and contracts are all important. Don’t work with an agent who evades your questions, who does not return calls, who does not seem to understand your subject matter, or who refuses to put the agreement in writing. Agents are flooded with submissions. Whether in writing or on the phone, be respectful of an agent’s time, and don’t expect him or her to teach you about the business. What If I Want To Self-Publish? Start here. How Can I Get Articles Published? Start with a book called The Writer’s Market. Available in libraries or bookstores, it lists publications and tells you what sort of freelancers they hire. Or start with publications you or your clients read. Go to their websites and look for Writer's Guidelines. RESEARCH publications to find the right fit with what you've written or want to write. What sort of readers care about your topic? Who will pay you to write about it? Some publications do not work with freelancers, so don’t bother. Others work only with established writers - so don't bother there either, until or unless you've got a track record. Study the sections of the magazines, then write the kinds of things they print, at the right length (generally 800 words for a column -- one mag page -- about 2000 or 2500 for a feature story. Contrary to traditional wisdom, I recommend you write the whole article, not a query letter. That way, they can see what you have in mind. If that feels like too much work with no guaranteed results, you're probably not a dedicated writer, and should try to get your message out some other way. Take great care with the cover letter. Good writing LEAPS out at editors (or interns) who sift through stacks of unsolicited articles. And take great care with the article itself. Be sure it's as good as it can possibly be before you send it in. As with all things, relationships matter. Be nice to editors. Don’t quibble over minor edits that they make, even when it hurts. They need to put their mark on manuscripts, and they're sincerely trying to improve them. Usually they're right. If you put up a fight over commas, or complain after the fact that they ruined your masterpiece, you’ll look like an egotistical amateur, and they won't hire you again. What Do Newspapers and Magazines Pay? Fees range from nothing (small newspapers, small magazines, many but not all trade publications) to a few dollars per word (major national magazines.) The Writer's Market will tell you what individual publications pay. And there's usually some negotiating room. When you're confirming the fee with the editor, it's okay to ask for a little more. Over time, as you establish a relationship with a particular publication, you can expect a small raise. What If I Send Them My Idea and They Steal It? Most ideas are not unique. If they publish something you pitched to them, chances are, they really did think of it on their own - and other publications are probably writing about it too. In other words, don't worry about this one. If they steal your words verbatim, that's another story. You can go to court and prove that you wrote it first. But this virtually never happens. For some reason, plagiarists are more likely to steal from published material. Do I Need to Copyright My Material First? No. But you do need to be careful about what rights you are selling, or giving away. If they send a contract, read it and edit it (adding your initials) before signing. Do not sell “world rights” or anything resembling that. Sell only “first North American serial rights.” That way, you can reprint your own work later, to your heart’s content, getting paid for it again or assembling it in a collection of your essays or whatever. If they do not send a contract, send them one, confirming the length, topic, fee agreed to, date you expect to be paid ("on acceptance" or "on publication" are your two choices. Choose the first whenever possible), kill fee (see below) and that you're only selling “first North American serial rights.” (Unless of course you're not in North America.) What's A Kill Fee? This is the fee the publication agrees to give you if they buy an article from you and agree to publish it - but don't. You earn the kill fee if you submit an acceptable article (if they agree that it's "good enough," which is subjective) but they choose not to use it. Usually a kill fee is 30 percent of the agreed-upon fee. Small compensation for your hard work and high expectations, but now you're free to sell it somewhere else. A final word of advice: Be patient and persistent and disciplined! “A work of art is first of all work.” -- Paul Engle
Questions? Contact Mariah at Mariah@MariahBurtonNelson.com |