Links and Useful Websites for Writers
Subscribe on-line to Writer's Weekly and get free new
markets updates by email. Go to
www.writersweekly.com.
Want to catch the latest publishing deals and all the
hottest news? Try www.publishersmarketplace.com.
There's a modest monthly fee for full membership that's
well worth the cost.
Catch lots of articles on the craft of writing, as well as
contests and information. Best feature is a huge
database of publishers' info.
www.writersdigest.com.
Subscribe on-line to Writer's Weekly and get free new
markets updates by email. Go to
www.writersweekly.com.
Want to catch the latest publishing deals and all the
hottest news? Try www.publishersmarketplace.com.
There's a modest monthly fee for full membership that's
well worth the cost.
Catch lots of articles on the craft of writing, as well as
contests and information. Best feature is a huge
database of publishers' info.
www.writersdigest.com.
Aspect
the newsletter of Talcott Notch Literary
July 2008
New Sales and Upcoming Releases
It's been a super-successful week
for us, with three new deals to
report.
Sold: LIVING WITH SOMEONE LIVING
WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER, by Chelsea
Lowe (author of Everything OCD) and
Harvard Medical School professor, Dr.
Bruce Cohen, to Alan Rinzler at John
Wiley & Sons.
101 COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS by Linda Matias, to Ellen
Kadin at Amacom Books.
Two books in the new ZOMBIE TOWN
urban fantasy series, by N.L. Conner, to
Ace/Roc Science Fiction (Berkley
Publishing Group).
Other recent sales include:
LOVE HIM, LOVE HIS KIDS, a guide to
successful step-parenting, by Dr. Stan
Wenck and Connie Hansen to Paula
Munier at Adams Media.
BREAKING THE CO-SLEEPING HABIT, the
solution to getting your kids out of your
bed and getting your life back, by Dr.
Valerie Levine, sold at auction to Paula
Munier, Adams Media.
TWINSENSE, everything you need to
know to survive newborn baby twins,
by Dagmara Scalise, to Bob Nirkind at
Amacom Books.
CASH-VERTISING, how to make money
with your advertising like the big
companies, by Drew Eric Whitman, to
Michael Pye at Career Press.
MADE HERE, BABY!, a comprehensive
guide to American manufacturers of
products for your baby and your family,
by Bruce Wolk, to Bob Shuman, at
Amacom Books.
New Releases: Look for Ron
Franscell's true crime memoir, THE
DARKEST NIGHT, by St. Martin's Press.
This book's paperback edition, published
as FALL by New Horizon Press, has
already won the 2007 Book of the Year
from ForeWord Magazine, and has been
among the top-selling true crime
paperbacks every week.
Eric Grove's zany word book, BUTT
ROT AND BOTTOM GAS, a glossary of
tragically misunderstood words, from
Quirk Books,continues to sell well. His
newest work, DIVINE BABY NAMES, is
scheduled for release shortly through
Sellers Publishing.
THE CONNECTED CHILD by Dr.
Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross and
Wendy Lyons Sunshine, a parenting
guide for parents of adopted children, is
now in its fourth printing, and continues
to be the #1 adoption book in America.
Special Notes: For a comprehensive
list of our sales, visit our page at
PublishersMarketplace.com or run a
search in their deal archives.
Client News:
Author Beth Fehlbaum's debut novel,
COURAGE IN PATIENCE, (Kunati,
9/08) won a very positive review in the
August 1, 2008 edition of BookList,
saying 'this hard-hitting but readable
story...will resonate with all readers.'
Congrats, Beth!
It's been a super-successful week
for us, with three new deals to
report.
Sold: LIVING WITH SOMEONE LIVING
WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER, by Chelsea
Lowe (author of Everything OCD) and
Harvard Medical School professor, Dr.
Bruce Cohen, to Alan Rinzler at John
Wiley & Sons.
101 COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS by Linda Matias, to Ellen
Kadin at Amacom Books.
Two books in the new ZOMBIE TOWN
urban fantasy series, by N.L. Conner, to
Ace/Roc Science Fiction (Berkley
Publishing Group).
Other recent sales include:
LOVE HIM, LOVE HIS KIDS, a guide to
successful step-parenting, by Dr. Stan
Wenck and Connie Hansen to Paula
Munier at Adams Media.
BREAKING THE CO-SLEEPING HABIT, the
solution to getting your kids out of your
bed and getting your life back, by Dr.
Valerie Levine, sold at auction to Paula
Munier, Adams Media.
TWINSENSE, everything you need to
know to survive newborn baby twins,
by Dagmara Scalise, to Bob Nirkind at
Amacom Books.
CASH-VERTISING, how to make money
with your advertising like the big
companies, by Drew Eric Whitman, to
Michael Pye at Career Press.
MADE HERE, BABY!, a comprehensive
guide to American manufacturers of
products for your baby and your family,
by Bruce Wolk, to Bob Shuman, at
Amacom Books.
New Releases: Look for Ron
Franscell's true crime memoir, THE
DARKEST NIGHT, by St. Martin's Press.
This book's paperback edition, published
as FALL by New Horizon Press, has
already won the 2007 Book of the Year
from ForeWord Magazine, and has been
among the top-selling true crime
paperbacks every week.
Eric Grove's zany word book, BUTT
ROT AND BOTTOM GAS, a glossary of
tragically misunderstood words, from
Quirk Books,continues to sell well. His
newest work, DIVINE BABY NAMES, is
scheduled for release shortly through
Sellers Publishing.
THE CONNECTED CHILD by Dr.
Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross and
Wendy Lyons Sunshine, a parenting
guide for parents of adopted children, is
now in its fourth printing, and continues
to be the #1 adoption book in America.
Special Notes: For a comprehensive
list of our sales, visit our page at
PublishersMarketplace.com or run a
search in their deal archives.
Client News:
Author Beth Fehlbaum's debut novel,
COURAGE IN PATIENCE, (Kunati,
9/08) won a very positive review in the
August 1, 2008 edition of BookList,
saying 'this hard-hitting but readable
story...will resonate with all readers.'
Congrats, Beth!
My Pub Date's When? Realistic Expectations
regarding scheduling your book's release.
regarding scheduling your book's release.
You're flying high. Your agent or editor just called to
tell you of an offer for your book. After getting the
basic business details (advance, royalties, revisions)
out of the way, the next question is usually "When will
my book be published?" The answer can sometimes
leave a new author confused and very disappointed. A
wait of a year and a half is very typical, and a lag of
two to even three years isn't unheard of. A moment or
two of stunned silence often lapses before the author
can frame the question; Why?
I often get query letters from people mentioning that a
pub date in six months would bring their book out 'just
in time for Christmas, the start of school, beach
holidays', fill in the blank, but the assumption that a
book can be turned around and on the stands in that
period of time is often extremely unrealistic.
There are a number of excellent reasons why your
book is not going to be on the stands quickly, and
many you should be very supportive of. Keep in mind
that publishers have a specific number of slots they can
usually fill for a month or quarter. Books by their
established authors must be timed and spaced for
maximum effect, while still providing space for some
new writers. Books purchased on a multiple-book
contract are often slotted (though tentatively) into the
schedule years ahead of their completion, and 'new
writer' slots may be few and far between, stretching
your pub date out. Additionally, if your book is slotted
for one of the prized A or B-lead positions, the wait
can be even longer, since they are carefully managed
and usually reserved for a publisher's top existing
authors. Publishers schedules are often filled two years
in advance, save for the rare book they feel compelled
to bring out quickly to take advantage of timeliness or
buzz.
Preparing your manuscript for publication takes time,
effort and careful attention. Most often, a writer is
requested to do revisions to their original manuscript,
and a period of several months is usually allowed to
complete the work. The revised manuscript must then
be submitted and approved, and then forwarded for
whatever editing/copyediting the publisher will do
themselves. Time is reserved at the printers and
bindery, and the books are usually shipped and sitting
in the warehouse for a couple of months prior to the
date they are due in the bookstores.
Publishers must plan their programs carefully to
maximize their opportunities to promote and advertise
books. Covers are planned long in advance. Quotes
are requested from recognized authors and experts.
Sales packages are prepared at least six months in
advance to use to solicit orders for books from the
booksellers. Print advertising has to be prepared for
those books they can provide it for, galleys need to be
sent to overworked reviewers.
As you can see, there's a flurry of behind-the-scenes
activity taking place while your book is in the pipeline.
Each one requires careful execution to ensure the
quality of the production. And as you move from
first-time author to one of their 'regulars', you'll begin
to really appreciate the work, and time, your publisher
puts into your work. Soon, you'll find yourself so busy
with constant deadlines (a new partial's due, you need
to check your galleys over, and the art fact sheet needs
filling out), that you barely notice the wait.
tell you of an offer for your book. After getting the
basic business details (advance, royalties, revisions)
out of the way, the next question is usually "When will
my book be published?" The answer can sometimes
leave a new author confused and very disappointed. A
wait of a year and a half is very typical, and a lag of
two to even three years isn't unheard of. A moment or
two of stunned silence often lapses before the author
can frame the question; Why?
I often get query letters from people mentioning that a
pub date in six months would bring their book out 'just
in time for Christmas, the start of school, beach
holidays', fill in the blank, but the assumption that a
book can be turned around and on the stands in that
period of time is often extremely unrealistic.
There are a number of excellent reasons why your
book is not going to be on the stands quickly, and
many you should be very supportive of. Keep in mind
that publishers have a specific number of slots they can
usually fill for a month or quarter. Books by their
established authors must be timed and spaced for
maximum effect, while still providing space for some
new writers. Books purchased on a multiple-book
contract are often slotted (though tentatively) into the
schedule years ahead of their completion, and 'new
writer' slots may be few and far between, stretching
your pub date out. Additionally, if your book is slotted
for one of the prized A or B-lead positions, the wait
can be even longer, since they are carefully managed
and usually reserved for a publisher's top existing
authors. Publishers schedules are often filled two years
in advance, save for the rare book they feel compelled
to bring out quickly to take advantage of timeliness or
buzz.
Preparing your manuscript for publication takes time,
effort and careful attention. Most often, a writer is
requested to do revisions to their original manuscript,
and a period of several months is usually allowed to
complete the work. The revised manuscript must then
be submitted and approved, and then forwarded for
whatever editing/copyediting the publisher will do
themselves. Time is reserved at the printers and
bindery, and the books are usually shipped and sitting
in the warehouse for a couple of months prior to the
date they are due in the bookstores.
Publishers must plan their programs carefully to
maximize their opportunities to promote and advertise
books. Covers are planned long in advance. Quotes
are requested from recognized authors and experts.
Sales packages are prepared at least six months in
advance to use to solicit orders for books from the
booksellers. Print advertising has to be prepared for
those books they can provide it for, galleys need to be
sent to overworked reviewers.
As you can see, there's a flurry of behind-the-scenes
activity taking place while your book is in the pipeline.
Each one requires careful execution to ensure the
quality of the production. And as you move from
first-time author to one of their 'regulars', you'll begin
to really appreciate the work, and time, your publisher
puts into your work. Soon, you'll find yourself so busy
with constant deadlines (a new partial's due, you need
to check your galleys over, and the art fact sheet needs
filling out), that you barely notice the wait.