Path To Publication

Deciding what I need to know

Living within my limitations has been one of the hardest, if not the hardest lesson to learn.  Some days, my limitations, which are in fact relatively slight in the scheme of things, feel heavy.  And I learn to see that my belief in limitations is more of a mental pattern than a physical reality – we all have limitations, the Earth has limitations – after all, what is gravity, except a limitation placed on floating? – and these are sometimes necessary.  Without gravity we would not be able to live or breathe, and without more personal challenges, how would we learn anything?

Excuse the clumsy link, but – where creativity and promotion meet, the avenues for promoting and networking are limitless; the space to invest time and energy and resources in them stretches to the horizon; and each devotee of every field will of course say that their field is the most valuable.  Invest with us!  Let us show you the way!

There are different types of expertise, each of which has their advantages and drawbacks.

• The expertise we gain from professionals who work for a fee;
• Knowledge we acquire from being with like-minded enthusiasts who are in roughly the same place as we are;
• The insight we acquire from working within our own strengths and limitations.

Sure, I could sign up for another few websites, all of them charging small annual fees, and all of which contain lots of useful information. Certainly, I can invest in the services of a proof reader, or a publicist, or an social networking maximization service, all of which doubtless do what they say.

But, do I need another twelve passwords?  Can my budget absorb another £150 in fees and subscriptions?  And do I have the time to set up more schemes, while managing the ones I already have? If the answer to these questions is an honest, heartfelt no, then I have probably reached my limit, and future investment in anything other than the most inspired and urgent projects is probably not going to attract the enthusiasm I need to make it worthwhile.

It is always a good idea to try and stay abreast of developments, to keep an eye on the shape of our ambitions and keep them lean, keep them clean, and moving and relevant.  Sometimes, though, more is not always better.  There is truly a limit to our time and resources.

It can save a lot of heartache, soul searching and money, if one day, instead of trying something new, we admit that actually, what we really want to do is write, rest, take it easy, laugh and go for a walk.  None of these requires the investment of that material resource called money, but each, in it’s own way, refreshes and enlightens our writing and motivation in ways that mere money cannot reach.

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Bridging the Expectation Gap

What assumptions do we make, about how the publishing process works for us?

We find an agent?  Great!  We assume they will find us a publisher.  We then assume that the publisher will sell loads of copies.  That is what they do, right?  So we sit back, while they work their magic.  We let them get on with it, because they are the experts, of course.

That is a bunch of expectations, and there are going to be gaps between what we expect, and what actually happens.  Compare what we expect, with what actually happens.

Here is what the professionals do:

An agent will try to find a buyer for your book.  That is not guaranteed.

A publishing house will aim to print, publish and set up distribution networks for your book, making it available through all the usual purchasing channels.  That, however, is not guaranteed.

Straightaway you can see the gap emerging, between what an author expects, and what actually happens.

An agent may not find a publisher interested enough to buy your book.

An agent does not necessarily involve themselves with promotion, networking or marketing.

A publishing house, having purchased, edited, printed and published your book and made it available through all the usual purchasing outlets, may make the policy decision that they do not do promotion.

And here we come to the crux.  There is a gap between what an author hopes will happen, and what the industry offers and delivers; a first-time author is always going to be somewhat idealistic and dumbstruck, just when they most need to ask questions and be clear about what services are on the table and what are kept discreetly out of sight.

Any author signed with an agency will make mistakes.  If they are first timers, this is usually because they are living in a state of incredulity and disbelief, but also because little is made explicit, and often a wall of silence descends.

At first, we don’t see the wall, because we are soaring so high above it.

As we come down to earth, we perch uneasily on it, gingerly feeling our way along the edge.

As we drop behind it, it is easy to be blind to the complexity of the relationships that agents and publishers have with each other.  To our general lack of knowledge, add the timidity one feels when first writing to an editor, and it is easy to see, in retrospect, that authors have more opportunities to slip up than a clown playing with a bunch of banana skins.

An author has to reappraise his situation constantly, and, when he finds that assumptions he has made are false, he has to deal with the fear of having misunderstood or badly miscalculated, and then find reserves of courage and self-belief to step over the gap and take on whatever jobs need to be done, to allow the journey to continue.

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Managing Expectations 

The first thing I have to acknowledge is that if I am to be successful in any endeavor, I have to learn to accept gracefully what I receive, from those who offer their skills, life experiences and talents, or who open up opportunities in business.

We all seek and meet people for the personal and professional satisfaction of being acquainted, and for what we can build with and for each other.  I do believe that altruism can be found in business.  Yet, it helps no-one if we attempt to impose our expectations on others, nor if we attempt to make others do what they do not do, or to expect more from them than they can give.

For example, if an agent tries to find a publisher for your book and finds none, this is not a sign, necessarily, that s/he has failed, and is no reflection on the quality of your writing, but probably has more to do with the time of year, the subject matter of your book, the apathy of the buying public, a significant holiday or event in the news, or the loss of a main contact in the industry.

So, it pays to be very clear about what we hope to receive from any professional we engage to help us, whether an editor, a publicist, promoter, website builder, agent or publisher.

When we engage a professional, or are lucky enough to obtain their services, we must be very clear from the outset what they are offering.  We must have the courage to inquire and be sure as far as possible that their services and their work ethos are a good match for us, that we are happy to accept what they offer, and not expect a great deal more from them than that.  Often, those who help us charge fees, though the most valuable and sustaining help that we find on our travels has no price tag.

Because someone charges us a fee for services rendered, we often assume that they know what we are asking them to do, and that of course, they will do that for us.  However, since most business relationships are formed at the outset, and since at that stage we tend to be under-informed; and since there are only so many inquiries we can make without sounding like the inquisition, the gap between what I hope will evolve from my working relationships and what actually happens can sometimes come as a shock.

How we notice the gap and take steps to cross it before it becomes a yawning chasm will make or break our future prospects.

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What to expect from a mainstream publisher

Publishers all want a blockbuster, preferably last week, preferably written by one of their “stable” of authors with a cast-iron reputation for producing best sellers.

Large publishers, especially, are very concerned about maintaining their market share, so, despite their size and their apparent diversity (which might make you believe they have room for your offering) they tend to be risk averse, and, in some ways, we have to feel a bit sorry for them.

The global reach of traditional, international publishers makes them expensive to maintain, so their creative hunches are constantly being held back, overtaken by defensive thinking which leaves them at the mercy of such questions as, “Do you think Tesco/Walmart/WH Smith will stock this book?” Alternatively, if they are sympathetic, they may ask, “Can we make this a best seller?” which, since they are risk averse, will usually yield the reply, “No, sorry, we don’t think so.”

It tends to be the smaller publishers, with their lower overheads, that can afford to be more flexible. They can move faster, less hampered by nightmares about their wages bill. It must be hellish being a commissioning editor for a large publisher.

Commissioning editors are extremely busy. If we have dealings with them, we can expect them to contact us when they need something.  Because face-to-face contact is rare these days, I find it extremely important to write clearly. A minimal, direct communication style reduces the chances of misunderstandings. I have learned that it helps to have the courage to state exactly what I prefer, and if I am unsure, to sleep on it and return to the question the next day.

Again, when I have sent something, or returned a draft, I do not expect an acknowledgement. Unless an editor happens to be at their desk, and happens to have a moment between calls, s/he will not have occasion to send a ‘thank you’. As with submissions, I have learned to live with the benign assumption that everything I send is received and properly considered.

An editor is a professional who has probably reviewed and produced more manuscripts than I have had hot suppers. If I may make a driver’s analogy, as a total beginner, I will be proceeding cautiously at twenty-five miles an hour along a familiar route through town. An editor will be whizzing along the highway at top speeds.

Thanks for reading.

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What to expect from an agent

It is a good idea to always check, before we sign on the dotted line what to expect from an agent.

Naturally, it feels a bit intimidating to enquire, ‘…Um, what exactly does this phrase in your contract cover?’  But, if it’s any comfort, they will really not mind the question, and would rather talk about the limits of their usual tasks early, than have to deal with a shortfall in our expectations later.  I know I didn’t feel like being business-like when Isabel agreed to take me on – I was just so happy!  But it would have helped us both if I had known firstly, what questions to ask, and secondly, that Isabel would have been more than happy to answer them.

The primary job of an agent is to find a buyer for the manuscripts they agree to represent from the shrinking number of presses available.  So, we have to assume they will do their very best with that.  My agent pulled off a miracle.  But what else might we expect?  If they achieve that, and keep your account ticking over, it is a very big deal.  Thank you, Isabel.

As a rule, literary agents do:

• Try to place manuscripts.  This is not guaranteed.

• Collect sales income and disburse accounts six monthly in arrears.  This is standard industry practice.

• Keep in touch with publishers and publishing trends as much as they can

• Get busier all the time.

As a rule, most agents do not:

• Check syntax, grammar or spelling, though they may suggest changes, if they feel strongly about them.  Syntax and grammar should all have been gone into before, and hopefully, all the different views you have canvassed will help with that.

• Suggest or promote publicity or arrange readings, signings, interviews and opportunities.  These are most often handled by agencies which specialise in marketing and promotion.

• Always accept second or later manuscripts.

Agents may send out pitches to select publishers, asking for notes of interest to be submitted by a certain date and time (“Noon, on the 5^th of February”).  Thus, all bids received at around the same time can be compared.  Most communication is done electronically, though if an agent has a good working relationship with a particular publisher, s/he may be invited to pitch in person.  (It is truly awesome to consider that someone likes our work enough to want to go to such lengths, especially if you are new to sales and find public platforms a little intimidating.)  But most agents will enjoy that part of selling.

If your agent needs something from you, they will let you know.  Expect them to be in touch and take the hint when they contact you.  If an agent introduces you to your commissioning editor, drop the CE a line thanking them for commissioning your work.  They will appreciate it.

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What agents can do for us

Just because we have secured the services of an agent, does not mean s/he will manage to sell our work to a commissioning editor.

Most agents are good sales people, confident, very capable and ahead of the field.  If they cannot secure a sale, it does not mean they have failed, or that we have failed.  It only means it is not the right time or place.  Agents will hold on to material they like, and keep trying for it, if they believe in it enough.  If they spot an opportunity, they will make the most of it, since that is what they do for a living.

Find something else to do in the meantime, or the waiting to hear whether your book has found a publisher will drive you slowly crazy.  Get out into the real world, relax, write another book, visit friends, go for a job interview, but don’t obsess about your book.  Let your agent do that.

At the start of any business or legal relationship, before we sign any contract or undertaking, it is essential that we are clear what services a particular agency provides – and, more importantly, those they do not.  When new writers think of agency services, we may assume these include not only securing a deal and collecting royalties, but also support for publicity and promotion, leads and so on.  But post-publication services such as these are more often offered by other agencies that specialise in marketing and promotion.

A writer new to the world of business, contracts and negotiation is very often living in a state of suspended belief, and most unlikely to put an agent offering their services through their paces with a series of searching questions….We have to take our chances where we can, and we cannot know all there is to know, before taking up business opportunities.  Even so, it pays to be aware of the limits of agency services, or else, what I call the ‘expectation gap’ can yawn wide, setting us up for disappointment.

Agents live by earning commission from sales to publishers.  Typically, their commission is 15% of any fees or royalties they negotiate on your behalf.  So, understanding that we are happy with an agent’s services, have we the confidence to trust them, and let them do their jobs in peace?  I do hope so.  If we want to help our agent, it is useful to deliver what they ask for as soon as we can, be clear and with our communications, and trust them to do their best.

Thanks for reading!

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