Dear Jeff: The future of publishing?

Dear Jeff: We hear about all these changes in the industry with people being laid-off. What do you see happening in the future? Linda Well, first of all, I don't see why all these talented people who were laid off at the publishing houses haven't put their differences aside and brainstormed a way to form their own companies rather than being at the mercy of a media conglomerate. I forsee in the very near future a large percentage of authors skipping the entire agent to publisher route and publishing their books as ebooks directly. This could be through Kindle or whatever the IPod for books will be. I forsee them hiring outside experienced editors, publicists/e-marketers and book cover designers (perhaps some of these talented people that were laid off?)   There will always be the scared authors who'd rather stay under the umbrella of an agent or a publishing house but the other half who "get it", those that realize they need to be more than just authors and more like author-preneurs will take the reigns in their career. Does this mean that we will no longer need agents if authors choose to simply upload their books on a Kindle type device?  Not for the really smart agents who will expand beyond representing simply the World & Foreign Print Rights and realize the real money will be in representing the authors as a whole entity. This will mean agents representing them for their speaking fee tours, sponsorship packages, film and television, web content and all the other ways author-preneurs can make money. Other authors will opt to simply hire an IP attorney to negotiate and make sure their rights are exploited properly. They may hire an outside firm at a flat rate to take care of the other money-making opportunities, along with their outside editors, publicist/e-marketers (once again, likely with some of these talented laid-off people). Perhaps literary agencies and managements companies who have not done so already, will restructure their companies to include such services or merge or co-represent authors for these other services all-inclusive. And if were an agency I would think of a way to start representing these recently laid-off editors, book designers, sales people, etc. and somehow have a division (without dealing with conflict of interest issues) to start procuring more work for them as freelancers. Jeff Rivera

GumboWriters Article: How to Cash In as an Author Even With Economic Changes

There are so many other ways to make money as an author. In fact, many authors make more money doing other thing than writing books. Advances can be very small. Some authors receive an advance as small as $3000.00. But the really smart authors know how to take this small advance and turn it into much more money so that you can make a living or at least supplement your income. Leveraging your notable credibility as an "author", even if you're a self-published author can open up a lot of doors for you if you take advantage of the opportunities. Let's explore a few ways you can make extra money in addition to your advance.: 1) Traditional Advance for World English Rights. 2) Exploiting foreign rights 3) Exploit your Film Rights 4) Exploit your Television Rights 5) Creating Creative Web or Internet Content 6) Create Speaking Fees Opportunities 7) Create Ebooks 8) Create Audio Products 9) Create Sponsored tours 10) Create Consultation Fees Opportunities 11) Get Hired for Panel Discussions 12) Become a Spokesperson 13) Book Shepherd 14) Become a Journalist 15) Create supplementary books for back in the room sales 16) Become a Radio Host 17) Become a Internet Columnist 18) Become a YouTube Star Smart literary agencies are exploring other rights besides the fast buck from an advance or the slow drip of a royalty check and you should be exploring those rights too.

GumboWriters Article: How to Write a Winning Query Letter in 4 Easy Steps

First off, if you'd like to approach agents this query should be crafted as a letter; a personal yet professional letter. Not a summary, not a synopsis, not a haiku (believe it or not I've seen all of these). Follow these 4 steps and you're off to a great start: It needs a strong emotional hook (even with non-fiction) to grab them in the first sentence. Followed by brief 1-2 sentence summary of your book why it's different than anything else and what other successful books it'll be similar too.  Compare your book to not mega bestsellers like Harry Potter but successful books like Eragon. Then wrap it up with a brief summary of your credits (articles, other books) media connections, basically your platform. And lastly, an invitation for them to contact you. Your query should be no more than 1/2 page to a page. That's it. Get in, get out.  Hook 'em and leave.     JEFF RIVERA author www.JeffRivera.com

GumboWriters: How to Snag an Agent in These Economic Times (article)

GUMBOWRITERS: HOW TO SNAG AN AGENT IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES by: Jeff Rivera I do extensive work with seasoned and aspiring writers to attract the right agent for them. I deal with literary agents every day on some level, either in matching them with the right authors or helping their clients to promote their current books, or even more important and lasting helping to build their authors' platforms.  So, I'm in a very unique position to listen carefully to what agents are looking for and what they say they want right now.  We are constantly receiving an influx of media messages about economic changes and how that is or could be effecting the future of book publishing. Some agents are scared with some of their key relationships in the editorial departments at publishing houses being laid-off and publisher's tightening their purses on the amount of an advance for a book they acquire, this is effecting the agents' pocket books. They are having to redefine their interests, sometimes "selling out" as one agent put it and taking on projects they normally wouldn't be interested in but that they know will sell. Right now, if you want to attract an agent you need to be concentrating on two things, whether you write fiction or non-fiction. 1) A fantastically written book or non-fiction proposal 2) A strong platform. Some would argue this has always been what a writer should be concentrating on, but it is true now more than ever. When I ghost or co-write a query letter for a writer, I see the difference in responses from agents between those that have a strong platform and those that do not. It is night and day. Let's talk about the importance of Category 1: a fantastically written book.  Do whatever you need to do to make that book unbelievably fantastic. You can no longer rest on something with a great concept that is written mediocre.  There are no trends like chick lit or street lit to fall back on.  You need to make that book zing. What does that mean? That means if you need to find a qualified freelance editor like John Paine or those provided by aeionline.com or a host of other freelancers such as Marcela Landres who can line edit for you, then you do it.  If you need to find a ghost writer with a track record of NY Times Bestsellers, like Pat Tucker to take your writing to the next level, then do it.  You do what you need to do to make that book unbelievable. If you're writing a non-fiction book including a memoir then you better make sure that book proposal is solid.  Talk to someone like Nancy Padron who specializes in writing book proposals. And secondly, which brings us to Category 2: you need a strong platform. What is a platform? A built-in fan base. It can mean a YouTube audience, it can mean blog with thousands of subscribers, it can mean you are vetted as an expert by the national media, it can mean you have a radio show with thousands of listeners and you have a roster of thousands of fans poised and ready to buy your book.  These are people who aren't just potential buyers but who are guaranteed buyers. This goes for non-fiction obviously but fiction too, nowadays. Agents always comment about how difficult it is to sell fiction, but you better believe that if you've built a loyal following of thousands of fans (and you can prove it), thousands of fans that follow your weekly short stories and it's all leading up to what happens in a novel that agents and editors will take a good look.  How many people do you need in your fan base? One agent says you need so many that those not in  your target market will have heard of you. But I will go even further and say you need to have at least 10,000 fans (though you might be able to get away with 5,000 fans.)  Did you know if you have 10,000 fans you can actually make a living? Here's a link to an article about that very subject, here. To give you an example of how important a platform is to agents: One client we did a query letter campaign for yesterday had been in 3 national magazines, had a database of thousands of people and within 3 hours she had 12 agents requesting her work. To date, less than 24 hours from her campaign she's had 75 agents requesting her work (all top agents).  Another client we did a campaign for yesterday also had won a major award, and we worked with him to get committments for over 12 television stations to write letters saying they guarantee to have him on their show when his book comes out. The result?  over 70 agents so far requested his proposal in 24 hours.  Platforms are important to agents in these economic times and they need to be just as important to a writer who is looking to snag an agent now. To find out more about how you can build your own platform visit: www.GumboWriters.com

Dear Jeff: I Hate My Agent

Dear Jeff,
I hate my fucking agent. She NEVER returns phone calls and I don't even call her every week. I talk to her like once a month, cause quite frankly I don't want to be a pain and I've got a life and I'm busy writing. It takes her like 3 weeks to get back to my emails. I actually came up with a publishing deal on my own, handed it to her as free money and it took her 2 months to respond to the deal with an email to me saying, "Oh, did I get back to you about this?" And I'm thinking no motherfucker, I negotiated the deal myself after waiting for your ass that long.

I feel bad because I've recommended many authors to her and they're all having the same experience. She says she'll have a manuscript read in two weeks and I patiently wait for 2 months. She says she'll call by tomorrow and I don't hear from her in 3 weeks. That's bullshit and ridiculous. If you can't do it then don't say you're going to do it. I'd rather have you say I'll call you back in one month and do it then tell me a week and not do it for a month. Be a woman of your word.

I have been through agent nightmares with countless agents and they're all exactly the same. Nice people, but flaky. Is this the norm or have I just had bad luck with agents? -- Diane



Dear Diane,
My God, you sound frustrated and based on what you're saying you have every right to be. Have you tried talking to her? Then again, you probably can't even get her on the phone or to return a call.

There's a couple of things you can do. Either grin and bare it, because most agents aren't any better (trust me, I've been through my fair share of them) or get out.

If you get out, you should start looking for another agent discretely. They say it's better to have one bird in the hand than two in the bush. This means not blasting a bunch of query letters around town looking for an agent because it's a very small town, a very small community and everybody knows each other. Agents are in the business to sell books. They are glorified sales people. That is how they put food on the table and feed their children. So, naturally they're going to spend more time on a client that is bringing them more money. You're right, taking that long to return a call or email, really is unacceptable. One thing I will say, however, that many writers do not realize is that agents are people too. They're not just people that sell books and there may be things happening in their office or in their personal life that you may not be aware of. That said, at the end of the day, it's business.

So, ask a friend to help you get a new one. Once you've had one agent, you often get a better look at an agent because you've received a "right of passage". But you better have a good track record for sales. If your first book tanked the agent maybe leery of signing you, if you have a bad reputation for being a demanding, obnoxious, diva that may taint their decision too. If you don't have any of those things going against you, and you really are amazingly talented then getting a new agent shouldn't be difficult. Happens every day.

The other thing I'd like you to know, like all authors to know is that you should take control of your careers. Make your own deals. Besides the major publishers there's tons of smaller reputable publishers that are definitely open to reading unagented submissions. Pitch your book to them directly and when you score a deal take it to a new agent and use that as leverage for signing with them.

If you do decide to leave your current agent do try to reach out them at least once, at least by short courteous and polite email, then send them their notice via certified mail and be done with it. Some agents will beg you for another chance. But in my experience, if they gave you problems before it's just a matter of time before the exact same thing happens again. Just like when you give a boyfriend or girlfriend another chance.

Hope that helps!

Jeff Rivera
GumboWriters.com


If you need help with your book promotion contact brokewriter@gmail.com and we'll find a way to help you within your budget.

Dear Jeff: My Publisher Sucks What do I Do?

Dear Jeff:
When I got the news that I was going to be signed with a major publisher I was elated. They even had a big meeting with the head of marketing there, the associate publisher, the head of publicity and every other head of this or that where they made promises of the type of promotion they were going to do. Well, in short it never happened. I ended up doing all the promotion. The only thing my nightmare publicist got for me was one blog, one article in a magazine and um ... I think that's it. She and I did not get along at all. And in fact, she and I never had a sit down or phone conversation about what we were going to do specifically to publicize the book. Never went to coffee with them, nothing. She was always "too busy". Jeff, I'm so irritated and confused. What should I do from this point on? -- Robert


Dear Robert,
Sounds like you have cause for concern. But here's the news, your experience is not that unusual, even for authors that have had huge advances. There's something broke in the publishing industry that just is not working and makes the process not so fluid in-house. I do believe the publishing house had all good intentions to do everything they said they would but perhaps they ran out of money in their budget for your book. Each book has a budget. Then again, some publishers will say anything just to get the book off the market so none of their competition gets it, who knows? The point is, don't feel alone, feel motivated. You want respect from the publisher? Sell a lot of books.

Call the special sales department and do speaking gigs, ask the people that book you in lieu of or in addition to your speaking fee for them to buy a certain number of books, say 30 copies. By going through the special sales department they're often 50% off and this will go toward your royalty statement as well. Take control of your career. Get on the road and sell.

Publishers nowadays are nothing more than printing and shipping houses, that's it. The author needs to come to the table with their own marketing & publicity company and their own sales staff even if that company and staff is only them.

The more you can do to not only give your book exposure, but sell books directly, the better. You can no longer blame a book's failure on the publisher because, like I said, they are nothing but a printing and shipping house, that's it. The rest is up to you.


Jeff Rivera
GumboWriters.com



If you need help with your book promotion contact brokewriter@gmail.com and we'll find a way to help you within your budget.