There are almost no agents in poetry and short story publishing, this is because they can’t make any money out of the genres. You’ll have to work as your own agent in finding the right press. A common mistake in pitching books is poor research. Sending books to publishers you’ve never bought [...]]]> 100 words

There are almost no agents in poetry and short story publishing, this is because they can’t make any money out of the genres. You’ll have to work as your own agent in finding the right press. A common mistake in pitching books is poor research. Sending books to publishers you’ve never bought from, whose books you don’t know well, is like choosing a spouse by sticking pins in a telephone directory and ringing to ask if they’ll marry you. Get to know a list: its editors and authors and books. That includes actually buying stuff from your potential literary publishers.

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If you?re not on the Web, pretty soon you won?t exist in the minds of readers. Only networked writers will survive. This is an issue of discoverability and of consumption. Being a writer has a lot to do with the three Ps: profile, publicity and presence. That?s Web presence. Out of thousands [...]]]> 100 words

If you?re not on the Web, pretty soon you won?t exist in the minds of readers. Only networked writers will survive. This is an issue of discoverability and of consumption. Being a writer has a lot to do with the three Ps: profile, publicity and presence. That?s Web presence. Out of thousands of books published each year we encounter very few and choose less from among them. The back story to a book is as important as the book itself. Readers must know you to choose you. This is a core competence in using the Web, because collision equals sales.

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Most books have less than a minute to sell themselves to booksellers. A buyer in a store tends to ask a small range of vital questions. Have I heard of this writer? What?s special about this book? Why would anyone buy it? A sales rep will need some answers to these questions: [...]]]> 100 words

Most books have less than a minute to sell themselves to booksellers. A buyer in a store tends to ask a small range of vital questions. Have I heard of this writer? What?s special about this book? Why would anyone buy it? A sales rep will need some answers to these questions: ten second answers before they move on to the next title in the catalogue. Writers should spend time answering those questions, too. A ?selling point? is a compelling reason why a bookseller should stock your book against thousands of others. It?s rarely about the quality of the writing.

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There are three questions I always ask myself when considering a new writer. 1. Is this work any good? 2. Can I sell this book? 3. Can I work with the writer. The answer to the first question is a given. The second question asks whether this great bit of writing has [...]]]> 100 words

There are three questions I always ask myself when considering a new writer. 1. Is this work any good? 2. Can I sell this book? 3. Can I work with the writer. The answer to the first question is a given. The second question asks whether this great bit of writing has a market. The last question is the most important, life is too short to work with difficult people, so I will pass over a great book I can sell if I think the writer will take up more time than I can afford. Social skills really do matter.

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Great writing doesn’t always make for great books. Lots of great books fail. In fact, commercially, most books fail. But some don’t. Those that don’t often have shared characteristics. The author has an anonymous audience (i.e. she or he doesn’t know everyone who reads them), the book is publicisable (i.e. it has [...]]]> 100 words

Great writing doesn’t always make for great books. Lots of great books fail. In fact, commercially, most books fail. But some don’t. Those that don’t often have shared characteristics. The author has an anonymous audience (i.e. she or he doesn’t know everyone who reads them), the book is publicisable (i.e. it has hooks which people can remember) and it has zeitgeist (i.e. it feels it’s part of today’s world). Only one thing can be effectively managed there, the publicity. Three things about your book will be enough to sell it. Knowing what they are is the key to getting published.

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The best way to beat the slush pile is to avoid it in the first place. Unsolicited submissions are the worst way to reach an editor, less than 1% succeed. Most editors are receptive to recommendations (some ask their writers to be on the look out for talent). In a people business [...]]]> 100 words

The best way to beat the slush pile is to avoid it in the first place. Unsolicited submissions are the worst way to reach an editor, less than 1% succeed. Most editors are receptive to recommendations (some ask their writers to be on the look out for talent). In a people business like publishing, who you know really matters. Writing is social. A couple of recommendations from the right people will open doors for your writing. It reveals two things: firstly, other published writers think you?re worth investing in, and secondly, you are already building your profile and finding readers.

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