Our newest title in the Write Great Fiction series, Revision & Self-Editing by James Scott Bell (who also authored Plot & Structure), is now widely available, and reviews are starting to appear. Here's a snippet from C.J. Darlington's review at TitleTrakk.com:

Speaking of writing conferences, that’s what reading this book felt like—attending a break-out session presented by a skilled wordsmith who knows of what he speaks. Like a caring English Professor, Jim hovers over your shoulder pointing out the problems and dishing out the fixes. He pulls no punches, and you can tell he wants those who read this book to succeed. With lots of sweat, burning desire, and these techniques in your back pocket, you truly can.

When Plot & Structure released I said, “If you can only buy one writing book, buy this one.” Well, it’s time to make space on your shelves for one more. Revision & Self-Editing deserves it.

You can …

• Read the full review here.
• Read an excerpt, "Tips for Revising Your Manuscript."
• Read a Q&A with author James Scott Bell.
  

Next spring (2009), HOW Books will release a handbook on how to defend yourself from aliens. I just saw the sales materials cross my desk and wanted to share some images with you. Immediately below is the cover image.

Here are a few defensive moves you should know about, in case aliens should invade before the book releases. The first is the eye gouge, the second is the choking maneuver.











I recommend you print out a copy of this post and keep it in your wallet, should disaster strike.

It is now mid-year, and that means everyone is starting to discuss mid-year performance (and individual performance). Right now I'm in the process of summarizing the 2009 outlook for my imprints at F+W, my new publishing initiatives, and anything else that proves my area will be more profitable next year rather than less profitable.

Just in time, there is a fabulous article today in the Washington Post by respected publishing veteran Jonathan Karp. He directs an imprint called Twelve (which publishes 12 books each year).

He discusses the pressure on publishing houses to be profitable, and summarizes the ugly options, of which I am all too familiar:

1. Add more titles to augment sales. (I hate this option the most. More titles, more work, usually fewer sales … plus you inevitably publish titles of lesser quality.)

2. Sell more copies of existing authors and titles. (As Karp points out, most executives don't accept this as a viable option when the industry is flat, at best.)

3. Ask popular authors to "increase output."

4. Diversify your "product line."

5. Cut costs, pray to the gods of movie tie-in paperback editions or hope that one of your authors gets his or her own talk show.

The final paragraphs of Karp's article offer hope that we can all soon get off this infuriating treadmill of more-more-more product. Emerging technologies will eventually give publishers only one way of standing out in the market: quality product. (Imagine that!) He says:

… publishers will be forced to invest in works of quality to maintain their niche. These books will be the one product that only they can deliver better than anyone else. Those same corporate executives who dictate annual returns may begin to proclaim the virtues of research and development, the great engine of growth for business. For publishers, R&D means giving authors the resources to write the best books -- works that will last, because the lasting books will, ultimately, be where the money is.

Read the entire article at the Washington Post, "Turning the Page on the Disposable Book."

At a recent writers conference, I heard a literary agent say that one of her top criteria when deciding whether or not to represent an author was: Could she spend eight hours in an airport with that person and like them afterward?

Here in my office, we all try to avoid working with or becoming the dreaded PITA (Pain In The Ass). Word to the wise: If you ever see a PITA surcharge on an invoice you receive, you are one of those people. The next sabotage is pretty clear, yes?


No editor or agent wants to take on a project or an author that will drive them crazy, suck up all their time and energy, or make extensive demands.

What characterizes high-maintenance authors?

• Demands answers immediately; e-mails or calls repeatedly; everything is urgent
  
• Insists on having everything their way
• Unwillingness to negotiate or compromise; general inflexibility
• Tremendous self-importance (ego, ego, ego)
  
• Demands everyone else conform to their schedule and preferences

Editors and agents fall in LOVE with people who are:

• Confident in themselves, but not egotistical
• Flexible and know how to compromise or handle change
• Strive for excellence; seek every opportunity to improve their work
• Have a positive attitude and don't play the victim
  

A few additional words about the author-editor dynamic, and a thank-you to Executive Editor Kelly Nickell for these points:

• It’s likely that you and your editor will have some good and bad times.
• It’s easy to be kind during the good times, but it’s just as important—if not more so—to be kind during the bad times.
• Remember that your editor is your voice—your supporter and champion—within the publishing house. If you throw a tantrum or resort to name-calling, etc., your editor is likely to come to think of you as a “problem author.”

It falls on your editor to create and maintain in-house interest in your project. She’s the one responsible for making sure that your book doesn’t get overlooked by sales and marketing. Cultivating a strong partnership with your editor (as well as your agent) is vital to the future success of your book.

The overarching lesson: Be a pleasure to work with, rather than someone that people take pains to avoid.

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Almost exactly 10 years ago, Story Press (a former imprint of F+W Publications) released a fabulous instruction book by Bill Roorbach, Writing Life Stories.

I'm thrilled to announce that we've just released a second edition of this valuable text, still under the Story Press imprint, in what we're calling the 10-year anniversary edition. In this new edition, Bill (with the help of Kristen Keckler) has taken care to fully update and revise the text. In his preface, he writes:

So much has changed in the ten years since the first edition of Writing Life Stories was published. For writers, perhaps the biggest development has been the wholesale advent of the Internet, with its constant evolution, its endless opportunities for interaction, for instant research, for locating and speaking directly to readers via e-mail, blogs, and Web sites. Everyone's typing now. …

Memoir as a popular genre has moved past most of its early controversies, and enjoys new standing in the world of letters and in the university. But there's also brand-new hullabaloo, such as the James Frey scandal … or the Deborah Rodriguez dustup … And is this the end of the world? Of course it's not. That roar you hear comes from the explosive power of narrative as applied to real life. What is the role of memoir and the essay in the quest for truth? Or even Truth? You'll answer these questions over and over, always in your own way, with every paragraph you write. …

Old friends of Writing Life Stories will find plenty here to re-charge their batteries, lots of new ideas and fresh instruction. First-time readers will join those returning to find new exercises in every chapter, clearer explanations of difficult issues like the use of metaphor, more up-to-date information on publishing, examples from newer writers, and more recent titles to complement the dozens of examples in the original edition, and a much more sophisticated look at the Internet.

Phillip Lopate and Lee Gutkind were kind enough to praise the first edition, and this second edition is even better. Be sure to check it out if you're actively writing or teaching creative nonfiction; we've posted an excerpt from Chapter 2 on our site, "Challenging the Limits of Memory."

This shouldn't be news to you, but the Internet affects your ability to get published—whether for the first time or the second time. When editors/agents receive a query, proposal, or manuscript, they almost always Google the author, and check out the strength of the author's Web presence, reviews, and publication history (if any), and involvement with a particular community. Professionals can form an impression (and perhaps even reach a conclusion) before reading a word of the author’s actual manuscript, meaning:


Often, the most efficient and effective way to reach a readership is online, through Web sites, blogs, interviews, discussion groups, etc. If you haven't noticed, today’s pop culture thrives on multimedia entertainment, the interactivity of social networks and messaging, and the instant shiny gratification of iPhones and search engines. Progressive publishers and authors must look beyond the power of words alone to stimulate readers.

As a smart acquisitions editor and editorial director, I have to search for projects that can go beyond the printed book. The F+W sales and marketing division is no longer satisfied with a great print product; I have to envision how the content can be shaped and promoted online, in digital formats, and through multimedia channels. My company will eventually cease being a book publisher and become a media/content company. Will you, as an author, be prepared? How will you and your content be defined or delivered in an online or digital environment?

Larger life lesson: It's not just about the culture any more (or "young" people), but the very way we consume and create knowledge. Our very brains are changing. (Read this article in Atlantic magazine, Is Google Making Us Stupid?)

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It's common wisdom, supposedly, that you should always look out for yourself—always watch your back, or always put yourself first, because no one else will do that for you.

This is the kind of wisdom I like to turn on its head; in fact, authors who always put themselves first can sabotage their efforts. Thus:


You are not No. 1.
The reader—your audience—is No. 1.

If you write a book primarily for fame, fortune, or glory (or even for art's sake, I must admit), you run the risk of forgetting the reader or audience who will make your book successful in the first place.  Here are ways I can tell the orientation of an author:

(a) Unpublished authors
A query letter or submission that focuses on the author at the expense of audience/market is a red flag. Look at your own query or submission materials: Do they focus on the story of why you wrote the book, or how you came to write the book, or how hard you've worked on it, or how much your family loves it? Time to revise.

(b) Published authors
Authors who focus too much on themselves often ask their editor or agent, "What have you done for me lately? What are you doing or spending on my book's behalf?" Successful authors, rather than waiting for others to serve them (and that might be a loooong wait!), are growing their community, and actively serving readers.

In the most general terms: Write for that ideal reader and consider how your book can benefit them—not how your book will benefit you.

In life philosophy terms, I think the following quote sums it up: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." (Winston Churchill)
 
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