Huge Changes in Book Publishing

I can hardly believe the changes I've seen in publishing in the past year. (It's been that long since I actually sat down to add to this blog.) Digital has gone from an explosion to truly a revolution--and in the long run, I think, for the better. It has given editors, agents, and writers new opportunities. And it's allowing readers to help determine what's going to sell earlier on in the process, rather than forcing publishers to guesstimate what they think is going to sell.

All this has caused quite a bit of overtime in the industry.

2012 was certainly the year of the ebook. At many publishing houses, electronic books went from being the neighborhood kid at the dinner table to a true member of the publishing family. Ebooks are no longer an afterthought. They are an integral part of every title, and they affect everything, from design to marketing. Ebooks are books, of course, but they're also excerpts, used as a "teaser" or "trailer," to attract the consumer to buying a whole book. Ebooks typically publish simultaneously with their print counterparts, but more and more, they're publishing ahead of their print siblings or are appearing as e-only titles in the digital marketplace. Meaning: no print book at all.

Electronic publishing has been nowhere more explosive than in romantic fiction. Editors are acquiring and publishing electronic-only and self-published titles at a furious rate. It makes sense; it's a lot less risky to try a self-published or a first-time author now, for two main reasons: (1) the cost of publishing an e-only product are significantly lower than a print book and (2) the turnaround and sell-through on these titles are lightning-fast.

In essence, publishers are trying to provide what readers want: more choices, right now.

This is great news for writers, though an exploded marketplace doesn't always elevate the art and craft of writing. In the past five years or so, some of the bestselling books have been ones that were not elegantly written. Most publishers are businesses, though, so their interest has to lie in what people will buy, even if they don't read what they buy.

But people are reading! They're not just reading what the publishing houses are offering, either. Anyone can be a publisher now. Publishers Weekly offers listings of self-published books in its magazine--some industry professionals predict that 400,000 self-published books will become available in 2013. Not so long ago, many of us in the industry grimaced and held our noses at talk of self-published books. Why? Because so many of those books simply weren't very polished. That is changing, hand in hand, right along with ebooks. And popular "online storytelling" websites such as Wattpad are connecting writers and readers in a way that makes even Margaret Atwood take notice.

The only downside to all this publishing diversity is of course, the dilemma of sorting through too many choices. But from a reader's perspective, this is a great problem to have.

Read on!

Hope for Writers
The name of this blog reminded me of something. Aspiring writers, take heart: Publishers are more interested in your storytelling ability, not your mastery of grammar. It's easy to hire a copyeditor to fix grammar, spelling, and punctuation; it's not so easy to take a poorly executed story and turn it into a page turner.

Literary Agents - The Other Guys at Your Party

Somewhere along the line, someone decided that literary agents were the bad guys of publishing, and a whole slew of people - mostly aspiring writers, from what I have observed - jumped on that bandwagon. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that publishing has become such a bottom-line business, and less of a creative literary outlet.

Now, before anyone considers sending me hate mail or a first-person account of why an agent sucked big-time or was a junk-yard dog, let me state for the record that not all agents are equal. (Of course!) They may not know what they're doing, they could be shysters, they might disguise themselves as agents when they're really just looking to take advantage of the unsuspecting and inexperienced. I'm not referring to the predators. Any writer looking to get a traditional book contract has a responsibility to him- or herself to do the research and be smart about what they're doing before they sign anything. Period.

Literary agents have 2 main functions, in my opinion: They serve as the front line in the publishing industry (that is, they know what editors are looking for--and are uniquely suited to match your manuscript with the right editor), and they negotiate your contract. (If you've never seen a literary contract, you don't have a clue as to what a quagmire it can be. Be grateful for this.) As a bonus, your agent can offer solid editorial feedback to improve your manuscript and increase your chances of getting a contract.

Agents typically get 15% of anything a writer earns--usually right off the top. If you sell your manuscript, the advance check (if there is one) is routed through your agent...and the agent takes his/her cut and forwards you the rest. This percentage is "in perpetuity," which means your agent is forever attached to the success (or failure) of the works represented. He/She is entitled to 15% of foreign rights, movie rights, ANY other rights that the work generates, ad infinitum. This burns some people's bacon. For others, it's a reasonable price for their work.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with author Josh Berk, who writes middle grade and YA fiction. Berk's first book, The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, was represented by Ted Malauer and sold to Alfred A. Knopf. Pretty impressive. The book received starred reviews and a nomination for a Read Kiddo Read award. By almost all standards, it quickly became a success. For a first-timer, this is huge.

"I thought I should just retire now," Berk says of that initial success.

Berk's agent, Malauer, was the middle man who made the deal possible. Could Berk have found the editor on his own? Possibly, but unlikely. Berk knows the importance of a good agent.

"He knows how to get the best out of me," Berk says of Malauer. "In fact, he should probably get more money, for all the pro bono psychiatric services."

So, before you jump on that bandwagon of people that says agents don't deserve "all that money they take from their writers," do some research, interview people who would know both the pros and cons, and then draw your conclusions.

Book Trailers: They're Hot

While some people are sweating about the whirlwind shift in publishing from paper books to digital files, others are turning the new technology into lucrative and creative businesses. For instance, there are whole new companies popping up that specialize in digital book trailers - miniature movies that promote a specific book - and other fun animations. These advertising and marketing tools will become more important, I think, as the shift to digital really takes hold. People will demand polished, well produced clips to help them decide where to spend their "reading dollars."

Instead of judging a book by its cover, readers (particularly digital readers) will be judging by the trailer.

Here's an example of a nicely produced book trailer for a title that has been called a "dystopian YA novel" but also received critical acclaim. This trailer will likely be superseded, but only as soon as FOX has something to promote the movie. The book hits shelves (and cyber stores) in February 2012.

Keep on reading!

Free iPad App Fun for Readers and Authors

It's not often that I pull content from a press release, but Subtext, a new e-book app, looks like a ton of fun...for readers and authors. For the record, I don't own an e-reader myself--I rarely have time to read for pleasure anymore, but don't cry for me. I get paid to read! I do quality control on e-books, so I'm a fan, just not a user yet.

If you can bear to join yet another social network for readers, see below for an abbreviated version of the company's press release:

Right from the pages of an e-book, Subtext members can:

• Engage in conversations with friends, community members, authors and experts, even if they are not on the same page at the same time.
• Access author, expert and community-generated insights and information and contribute their own.
• Easily add and explore links to relevant articles, images and multimedia on the Web.
• Personalize the experience so they can engage with the people and information that matter to them.

Members can also see all the discussions and activity related to the books they are reading in “Discuss,” a Facebook-style reading feed that serves as the community center of Subtext.

“Here, at last, is a platform that allows authors to add video, audio, photos, links and notes to enhance their books—and it is as easy as changing their Facebook status. Best of all, Subtext frees authors up to approach their subject in a different way, to speak in a more intimate voice and to lift the curtain on their process,” explained Amy Stewart, the New York Times-bestselling author of Wicked Bugs. “I'm midway through my next book, and I'm already thinking about how I can enhance it in Subtext.”

Subtext’s First Shelf Showcases 18 Enriched Books

For its launch, Subtext collaborated with notable authors from several U.S. publishers—including Byliner, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Penguin Group (USA), Random House, Inc., Simon & Schuster and Algonquin, a division of Workman—to offer consumers a collection of eighteen books spanning genres such as literary and popular fiction, mystery, suspense, business and science. All books are enriched with additive content, including author and expert commentary, and available with free previews. The company also announced that it has integrated with the open Google Books API, allowing Subtext users access to their Google eBooks library as well as the ability to add additional books from the Google eBookstore.

This initial effort aligns with Subtext’s plan to serve as a platform that connects authors and publishers directly with consumers and supports the first marketplace for value-added book content.

Examples of Additional Content in Subtext

• George R.R. Martin’s editor and researcher offer insider commentary in A Game of Thrones.
• David Eagleman, a popular neuroscientist and author of Incognito, spends a week “in the book” discussing the complexities and contradictions of the human mind.
• Frances Mayes refreshes her classic Under the Tuscan Sun with updates on popular characters and new off-the-beaten-path locations.
• Spencer Quinn reveals the secrets behind a good mystery in The Dog Who Knew Too Much.
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is brought to life with scenes from the new movie and interviews with author Lisa See and director Wayne Wang.
• Lev Grossman gives a behind-the-scenes tour of the magical world of Fillory in The Magician King.

Complete List of Books on First Subtext Shelf

1. The Baby Chase, a Byliner Original, Holly Finn
2. The Chairs Are Where the People Go, Misha Glouberman & Sheila Heti
3. The Dog Who Knew Too Much, Spencer Quinn
4. A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
5. Girl in Translation, Jean Kwok
6. Incognito, David Eagleman
7. In the Plex, Steven Levy
8. It All Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs…, Larry Smith & Rachel Fershleiser
9. The Lotus Eaters, Tatjana Soli
10. Machine Man, Max Barry
11. Miss Lonelyhearts, Nathaniel West
12. The Magician King, Lev Grossman
13. A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick
14. The Sherlockian, Graham Moore
15. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See
16. The True Memoirs of Little K, Adrienne Sharp
17. Under the Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes
18. Wicked Bugs, Amy Stewart

(More titles to come.)

Subtext was designed to allow consumers to access and read books from multiple sources. The Subtext bookshelf can sync with users’ bookshelves on other platforms, and its system supports annotations across different ebook editions.

(Subtext received $3 million in seed investment from Google Ventures, Mayfield Fund, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Omidyar Network.)

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First Big eBook Author Signing

On Saturday, September 17, author Jonathon King signed free copies of his Edgar Award-winning book and had photos taken with fans at Bouchercon 2011, the national mystery conference.

This is pretty big news for digital publishing. It was the first "national" eBook signing, and also gave a large audience a first-hand look at how the autographing technology works. Now when readers open their eBooks, they'll find a screen containing King's signature, and those who had pictures taken with the author will find them on this same screen. Readers can also "share" that photo via Facebook, Twitter, and other usual social media.

Look for more technologies like this to emerge at an increasing pace in a kind of "digital euphoria."

The Elements of Story: Light Reading for Writing

Recently, while I was housesitting for some friends, I had the occasion to read The Elements of Story: Field Notes of Nonfiction Writing by Francis Flaherty. I found this book, with its short chapters, a very good companion for standing on the platform for the commuter train, riding an elevator, or waiting for a lunch date.

Though there is nothing earth-shattering about the author's advice or examples--read your Strunk & White, for example, referring to The Elements of Style, the classic little book on writing well--it is still decent reading. Consider it good "beach reading." Much of what he says applies to novel writing, screenplay writing, and other writing, too. Here are 10 of Flaherty's nuggets:

1. Nothing is so trivial or technical that somebody won't get dreamy-eyed about it, or red in the face.
2. Readers are greedy for life; their own is not enough.
3. People don't talk in straight lines, especially about emotions.
4. A villain drawn by a savvy writer will leave readers not just saying, "Bad dude," but, "Bad dude--yet I see where he's coming from." After all, we're all guilty with an explanation.
5. A writer is like a gardener who knows that one tree can serve as a focal point, but that many trees will just muck up the impact of each.
6. No detail belongs in a story if it doesn't serve some role therein. As Chekhov said, don't put a gun on the stage in Act I if it doesn't get used by the end of the play.
7. Lavish much attention on your verbs; they are the engine of your text.
8. Brevity comes from selection, not compression.
9. Of the two jobs a writer must do--make a story move, and describe and explain--movement is the more important.
10. People can be swayed by the sequence of things, rather than just by their substance.