Faber Writing Academy Getting Published course

Publishing feedback

This weekend I got to take part in the Faber Writing Academy Getting Published course. It was an exciting adventure, and I believe a good learning experience. I think it is important for us never to believe that we are beyond education. Life long learner is a human condition.

here is a link for Melbourne and Sydney courses http://faberwritingacademy.com.au/

Anyways, onto the stuff people might care to know. The course is facilitated by Allen and Unwin; I didn't think the advice given were strictly for Allen and Unwin. Sue was quite knowledgeable in the entire process and obviously knew how the world worked outside the single publishing house she now represents.

WHAT PUBLISHERS WANT At the end of the day, a publishing house is a business, and their reputation is only as good as their last sale. While it might be cruel to think about, their job is not to make dreams come true, but to pay their employees. So, above all else, a publishing house is looking for something that is commercially sound. That is why it is important to do some research about the publishers before you send in your manuscripts. If you are writing fantasy, do not send your work to a romance publisher.

You would be surprised how often that happens (apparently)

Publishers are looking for professional stories. So they must follow the traditional story arc or beginning, middle and end. You can be creative with presentation, but do not try and be flexible with expectation. Use speech marks, proper capitalisation, and all those grammar and formatting tricks we learnt in school

Try and be published in a magazine, or self-publish. When presenting your manuscript, this doesn't just tell your reader that you are serious, but that you also have some idea on how to sell yourself. Allen and Unwin do have a marketing team. However, they want serious submissions to work with. Sell yourself. More on this later, though.

Finally, the great advice is maybe the scariest. You only need to convince a single person that your work is good. At first, I thought this was great. I can totally impress one person. Then I realised how scary that is. One person will ultimately decide my fate. A lot of what if's started to show up.

What if... they have a bad day? What if... they don't enjoy my genre? What if... they don't like how I bent the rules of the genre? What if... they don't like my title? What if...

I am sure you have more what ifs of your own. The point is that all these questions are valid, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. The truth is you need this one other person to love you. If they do, they will fight for your book harder than anyone else (except for yourself)

HOW TO IMPRESS THIS ONE PERSON Lucky, Sue went through the kinds of questions the editor will ask themselves when they read your book. * is it a good example of the genre? So if you are writing Fantasy, can the reader tell that it is a fantasy book. This doesn't mean it needs to be a copy of Tolkien. But, it needs to be recognisable for what you are trying to sell it as. * Is it interesting? * Does the book create a believable world? * Do I want to read past page one? They will read your entire sample, but that first page is crucial for grabbing interest, so read your first page and ask yourself is it good enough to catch a reader? * Marketability. How many can the business sell in six months? How much of an advance royalty are we willing to pay? * Can I convince others this is good. Is there enough information given to make a good argument that it is worth reading and publishing the rest of the book?

So, not too many questions right? Seems so easy and achievable now.

BEFORE IT ALL GOES DOWN... There is a lot that you need to do before you seriously consider meeting with a publisher. You can go cold turkey, but seems to be the best way to fail because you won't be prepared. Before you met with a publisher, you need to know how to sell yourself. I mentioned this before, and will expand on it a bit now.

* know your market. Know who your buyer is, and what they expect. * Introduce yourself to the world as an author. Remain professional * get good at explaining your book to other people. You have roughly sixty seconds to get into someone's head. Find your pitch and fine tune. * be the queen (or king) of social media. It is now an expected part of the business, so you need to know how to exploit it to its full potential * self-publishing is a blessing and a curse. This was the biggest eye opener for me. I felt that most of what I was told were already evident, but this was a curve ball. Self-publishing is good. The publishers see that you are serious about your craft. You are willing to do this alone and believe in your own words. However, a publishing house will not publish something you have already published on your own. Because you have already put it out into the market, they will be losing potential customers before it even begins. So by all means, self-publish as a way of marketing yourself as an author, but be prepared to produce something completely new to sell to publishers.

YOUR PITCH You have something new, and ready to sell it. So how do you get your pitch? There are a few little things you can do to help your chances. * do not stress too much on formatting. The Editors will do all that stuff to their own specification. Stick to the basics. Capitalisation, spacing, indenting your paragraphs, and of course spelling and grammar checks. * only send your manuscript to a publishing house that releasing similar books. Research the company, and do not waste your time with publishers that are not interested in your genre. * always personalise your cover letter as often as you can. Use the name of the editor, use the name of the House, and for the love of all things please check the spelling of people's names. * stick to the rules. If the company asks for particular details, give them. * if your manuscript covers two genres (and most of them do) avoid discussing genre at all. It will make you look wishy washy on your writing and direction. * mention any credentials you do have. Awards, publications, etc. * Do not bother with a pitch unless you have a finished manuscript. * add the contact details. Name, phone, address, and email * use a simple font and good reading size.

AVOID THESE THINGS The easy guide to what to avoid. * do not be funny * do not demand an interview * do not apologise for sending your manuscript. They want them * do not mention family support. Of course, your mum loves it. She is your mum * do not make demands on price, release date or if it will be hard back * use the right terminology * simple synopsis that gets to the heart of the story. * do not offer to send more. if they like it, they will ask.

AGENTS Getting an agent seems to be a personal choice. While Sue said they are useful, they are not needed. It appears to be regional. In the UK and America, an author can not cold submit their manuscripts. If you do not have an agent, then it is almost impossible to be seen by a publisher. Australia is more relaxed. Since I am an Aussie author, this is only Australian advice. Most of the publishing houses here will take manuscripts from anyone. However, the wait might be longer before you hear back about them.

If you have an agent, they have personal relationships with the editors. Sue said so herself that she will take a manuscript more seriously if it comes from an agent friend. However, that does not mean you will not get seen. You will still be read, and might still be published. You just have a better chance of getting your book on the right desk at the right time if you have an agent.

Agents are also important for those people who do not like to negotiate. If can happen that two publications will be interested in a single manuscript, and a bidding war can commence. For some people, that can be very intense to work with. For others, they enjoy that atmosphere. Personally, I think it would be kinda magical and stressful at the same time.

If you want an agent, be aware they get a 15% cut of your royalties. Also, you need to decide before you start sending out your manuscript. If your manuscript is rejected all over town, then you have exhausted all of your markets, and the agent will have no territory left to work with.

Sue suggested keeping a lawyer instead. For a one off fee (about $200), they can look over the contracts before you sign them so you can be sure that you have a good deal, and not being screwed over - it happens a lot.

FINAL THOUGHTS I decided I didn't want an agent. I think I can handle myself fine. I am not sure if I want a publishing contract. Because I have self-published the first part of Extol, I can't sell any of the sequels because they lump together. It might be a while before I can approach publishers seriously. I am still conflicted, and doing this blog has only confused me more about the pros and cons of having a publisher.

Many of the smaller houses do not do much of the work. They do not have a marketing team, or really avenues to sell your work beyond their own website. I think it is only work going through major players to eap the full benefits of a professional contract.

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