tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post6925973215312728299..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: The Fate of Self-Published WorksBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-54654082148965906882011-09-17T00:04:48.791-04:002011-09-17T00:04:48.791-04:00My name is Kelvin L. Singleton, the self published...My name is Kelvin L. Singleton, the self published author of It Is Written. I'm going to try a different tactic that may seem to make absolutely no sense because I haven't tried to sell any books yet. Therefore, book sales may just become less of a hinderance. I'm compiling a list of agents and publishing houses that are open to new writers, but I'm going to ambush them with a copy of my novel, and a humble yet bold query letter. What I won't send is an SASE of sufficient size to return to the novel. A rejection letter --yes, but not the book, even if it ends up in the trash. Call it low-tech, low-class, or low-brow Neanderthalic and doomed to fail if you like. You see, having no sales due to life's constant need for adjustment and it's constant demand for attention amidst upheavals actually sounds better than poor sales. It's both good and bad that this market is so competitive that newbees are scarcely given a yawn, but in adversity their is the possibility of both defeat and reward. The artwork, title and subject matter of It Is Written have been carefully woven together to intrigue the unwinable critic's interest. And I've found that white people seem to like reading about the Ku Klux Klan. God, I hope I get a racist. Throughout 2012, It Is Written will be featured and cataloged at book expos in at least 12 foreign contries including the hardest country of all to get into--New York. It's not my goal to fight the sludge by doing it all myself. I haven't written three other completed novels, started two others and written a collection of over 100 poems just to slink off with my tail between my legs. I'm no niave hopeful, however, because my W.E.(Writers Ego) has been sufficiently bled. However, failure is not an option when I plan to start a race war and a new religion With Black Tide Rising. The campaign will begin soon people, and I have honed my craft well. Good Luck to you all.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02000836206037839005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-82798531013763531032010-09-08T02:22:48.632-04:002010-09-08T02:22:48.632-04:00I am new I have written a lot of stories but haven...I am new I have written a lot of stories but haven't tried to do anything with them because I'm confused on how to go about it. I've read about self publishing. But I haven't read anything about e<br />publishing or how to go about finding out how to do it? Would someone out there please give me a clue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-69816308446960773842010-05-09T05:53:30.365-04:002010-05-09T05:53:30.365-04:00Surely there are also some other things to take in...Surely there are also some other things to take into consideration here. For instance, let's say you got picked up by HarperCollins and released your book into the big wide world... and it didn't sell at all. In my limited experience, this would mean that another publisher would be even less keen to pick you up than if you had self published?<br /><br />Also - if you have self published and sold 7,500, commercially surely you would actually make more money than sharing your pot of gold with publishers and agents? (I'm not saying this is right but you can see how people may think it is!)Sion Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05251349568547180733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-62171926746312050662010-05-06T14:53:56.841-04:002010-05-06T14:53:56.841-04:00Enjoyed reading all the comments! Much wisdom from...Enjoyed reading all the comments! Much wisdom from such a diverse range of opinions! I self-published my new novel The Holly King, Part I of the First Triad of The Fairy Lore of Ghost Horse Hollow. The book Web site has been visited by 94 nations on seven continents with over 114,000 hits. The Book Trailer on You tube is steadily gaining views (over 1700) under the title Ghost Horse Hollow. The Popular Fantasy is dedicated to world conservation, tolerance, and ending child trafficking within our lifetime. I was motivated to get the novel series off the ground and to trust that it would find a successful pathway in the publishing world. Already, a movie producer has expressed an interest in reading the novel. Our first book signing sold out. I attended the LA Times Festival of Books this past April, and noticed that self-publishing was very attractive for the readers and shoppers. The crowds was just looking for good books! Self-publshing took up an entire corner of the Festival. I invite everyone to visit the Ghost Horse Hollow site where global conservation is combined with a heart-pounding family adventure! www.ghosthorsehollow.com In time, I do hope the series will be picked up by a traditional publisher to increase its visibility. I am now beginning to query agents with the second novel, The Snow Feast, but I am proceeding very carefully. Good luck to all the great writers who posted comments! Thank you so much for your information. <br />Anne Severn WilliamsonAnne Severn Williamsonhttp://www.ghosthorsehollow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-71625709693113712312010-05-05T14:48:32.956-04:002010-05-05T14:48:32.956-04:00Question: Where do the agents and publishers get t...Question: Where do the agents and publishers get the sales numbers for a self-published book? The author? Does the author provide financials as proof? Or is there another way to know for sure how many copies have been sold (not just printed)?Kristie Cookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01649966564896771373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-30169130165345306862010-05-04T23:00:25.021-04:002010-05-04T23:00:25.021-04:00Several authors whose books were selling well in t...Several authors whose books were selling well in the Kindle format have recently received book deals from major publishers...Katyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14618886866798905292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-10423009438994620242010-05-04T21:41:24.302-04:002010-05-04T21:41:24.302-04:00Discouraging. I'd heard that self-publishing w...Discouraging. I'd heard that self-publishing wouldn't help me get published, but also that agents and publishers want authors to have a "platform" and a single genre, so I decided just to self-publish one genre while trying to make a go of others more traditionally. Still hoping...Sheila Deethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13465615546936319164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-30176066503465992662010-05-04T14:39:19.740-04:002010-05-04T14:39:19.740-04:00From previous commentators, I draw these points to...From previous commentators, I draw these points to which I agree:<br />1) I think most agents go for the ‘herd mentality of rejection reasons’ when it comes to viewing a self published work because it is hard for them to think out of the formula box of the past, and it requires them to work harder, pushing the boulder up the hill, to overcome a NYC publisher’s mind-set of must-be 100,000 print runs and NY Times and Oprah. And self-publishing means vanity to them, not seeing e-book sales as validation.<br />2) Self-publishing works best for non-fiction but only if the author is out there as a self-promoter. It does not mean a good marketing author of fiction cannot succeed, only that person must be a tireless over-achiever.<br />3) Current publishing norms don’t exist today and that is the cause of all the angst of which way to go. The author should not have to wait for the agent to open the right door, because in this market it could be a long wait.<br /><br />From my personal experience, I wrote the fiction mystery, Vegas Die. Went the agent/rejection route for a year and then went forward on my own. I held some advantage that I had been a magazine publisher for ten years so had a little learning curve experience but it was a whole new world of self-education and reading smart blogs like BookEnds. Also, with fiction, I had to have a better marketing hook to go up against 400,000 books published annually: so I go around hiding murder weapons with clues in the book, so the finder can redeem for a cash prize. The jury is still out if it there is value added for book sales to overcome the $25,000 cash prize. But on the second year anniversary, the mystery, Vegas Die, has sold 10,000 copies. Another marketing trick: the story is written for a regional niche market with a strong tourist base (30 million visitors a year to Vegas) and therefore it will have a longer shelf life. Finally, agents talk about ‘platform’, so instead of Twitter and blogging, I am hosting a once a week book review radio show that also allows my audio version of Vegas Die to be serialized to attract further public interest.<br /> <br />The next niche (Hawaii, again 25 million tourists) with treasure hunt mystery (geo-caching involved) is Captain Cooked, a culinary mystery featuring recipes from the top restaurants on the islands. Had fun doing the research!<br /><br />Certainly I would want the outstanding agent who signs up the NYC publishing house with their own marketing team, but until then the new maxim might be: when the agents/publishers finally want you they may be running to catch up.Stephenhttp://www.QuestMystery.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-88815221458055601502010-05-04T05:31:04.133-04:002010-05-04T05:31:04.133-04:00The real idea should not be just to "sell boo...The real idea should not be just to "sell books," nor (and on this I agree with the above post) to "get published," but to create stories that you love and have that passion flow through to others. Only your love for the craft will keep you going. <br /><br />I realize that to an unpubbed writer, 'getting published' seems like some holy grail, but in fact it's only an invitation on the expedition to go look for the grail. The real truth of the matter is, that unless you have a smash mega-bestseller, it won't change much for you. Regular people (those outside of writing/publishing) won't think it's anything really special (including friends & family, even if they won't tell you so), because, hey--it's just not that much money! So you have to really love it to keep going long enough to have a real chance of success is my point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13256574648739433092010-05-03T21:19:03.970-04:002010-05-03T21:19:03.970-04:00Just stay flexible. The idea is to sell books and ...Just stay flexible. The idea is to sell books and accumulate readers, not to "get published." Be open to everything, from the traditional ways to the yet-to-be-seen ways and everything in between. Always be writing something new. Get the best deal you can for it, in any medium, with any publisher, and move on. There's no such thing as "this is better than that" it's all just about getting the best deal you can for each project as you continue to write more books. <br /><br />When the deaal-makers start coming to you instead of the other way around, that's when you need an agent. Until then, it doesn;t really matter what you do except to write and sell more books until such time as they come to you. At that point, you'll still need to write and sell more books. See a pattern here?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-19544293328175046322010-05-03T20:53:42.324-04:002010-05-03T20:53:42.324-04:00It costs nothing but time to self-publish digitall...It costs nothing but time to self-publish digitally. Kindle. Smashwords. (Edit. It's your responsibility.) It's a new world of publishing where those with the whip hand may find fewer people willing to be whipped.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-55996995955602644462010-05-03T18:58:49.571-04:002010-05-03T18:58:49.571-04:00I honestly can't believe people are still argu...I honestly can't believe people are still arguing this issue. There are no sure bets in publishing. There is no SAFETY in publishing. It is all a risk. <br /><br />But right now we are on the cusp of a major shift in how readers consume content (ebooks), and while we've heard forever about how ebooks were coming and they didn't come, they are here now and they are growing exponentially every year.<br /><br />The time to ask whether or not you should put a book on the Kindle is past.<br /><br />The real question now is... Is the book ready to be published in any form? If so, get it out there. <br /><br />If you can't write and market well enough to do halfway decent, the odds you were ever going to get a trad contract are slim anyway.<br /><br />The "gold rush" of self-publishing is sort of upon us right now. While people are arguing and waffling over the issue I'm getting my work out there. <br /><br />I understand trad publishing is a big dream for many, but it's become increasingly irrelevant to me and my happiness as an author.<br /><br />I wonder how many other people would be much happier if the only people they had to please was themselves and their readers.Zoe Wintershttp://www.zoewinters.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-4567485796242752872010-05-03T18:33:11.511-04:002010-05-03T18:33:11.511-04:00Good information to keep in mind when deciding wha...Good information to keep in mind when deciding what route you choose to go as an author.Lisa_Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17238496789960349077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-14387698567886409852010-05-03T17:07:46.658-04:002010-05-03T17:07:46.658-04:00QUESTION for Bookends:
I sold a novel direct to a...QUESTION for Bookends:<br /><br />I sold a novel direct to a small/medium press for an advance; I had no agent. It releases soon.<br /><br />I would like to sell some foreign rights translation for this book; those rights are owned by my publisher but I get a percentage.<br /><br />Do agents ever represent foreign or sub-rights only for a book if the traditional rights have already been sold? I guess the query would say something to the effect of, "I'm seeking an agent to represent foreign rights only for my recent release..." <br /><br />Or is that kind of thing too small-potatoes? Lemme guess: depends on the sales of the recent release? <br /><br />I can't help but feel that if they're not coming to you, it's just not that big. I the writer has to seek representation, then they don't really need it. Because if the book sells a million copies, then the foreign rights people will come running no matter what you do. So, is it a waste to seek representation for that?<br /><br />Thanks, great post today and last week, too!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-60609554670535447052010-05-03T16:57:31.418-04:002010-05-03T16:57:31.418-04:00A lot of people consider themselves 'self-publ...A lot of people consider themselves 'self-published' when they went with were really vanity presses, POD or otherwise. They were not the publisher, did not own the ISBNs, did not do the layup or cover or interior design. They just uploaded a DOC or PDF and let Xlibris or Lulu or PubAmer or someone else publish them.<br /><br /> One can often self-publish non-fiction quite successfully and profitably. <br /><br /> I will soon self-publish (with Lightning Source doing the actual printing on a POD basis) two volumes of Western history and one of memoirs. These will never sell in large volume but they will sell forever - which is exactly what POD is best at. I will have to market them myself, which is doable.<br /><br /> My late brother and his wife self-published her fantasy novel(?). He knew the book business quite well and they did produce a great product - best paper, great cover-art, good interior design, fine binding. <br />She had a flair for marketing and lots of contacts in books, art, cultural world, did a lot of talkshows, booksigings, etc. They sold out the first printing, which was probably about 3000, did a second printing,most of which are still in boxes, unsold.<br /><br />The real edge mainstream publishing has is marketing. As more is done online, the game may change, but that's where is at for now.steeleweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02077739629921574784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13650492433879866722010-05-03T16:47:38.263-04:002010-05-03T16:47:38.263-04:00The self publishing paradigm is changing because t...The self publishing paradigm is changing because the industry is changing and I think some agents have a little catching up to do. <br /><br />I self-published my novel last fall. I promoted like a crazy person, got a lot of great reviews from book clubs and independent reviewers (no trade coverage), and averaged over 500 kindle sales a month. <br /><br />An executive editor at a publishing house emailed me expressing interest in my novel. That helped me get an agent and that led to a couple of offers from major publishers. <br /><br />I think more and more publishers see self-publishing as a proving ground, a way to find market-tested material. And if your book is saleable, gets good reviews, and has some commercial potential, then you stand a much better chance of getting picked up than even a year ago. I think a problem is that some agents don't understand that things have changed. They think publishers are thinking the same old way...and things are a'changin'. If someone is racking up sales on Kindle and you love their book--except for the fact that it's self-published--it might be worth giving it a second look--even without the big numbers. Check publisher's lunch for recent sales from Kindle authors recently. I think there's like 7 or 8 deals, some of them pretty major. Certainly not a lot, but probably more than you'd expect. <br /><br />I'm proof of it. No 25,000 sales or even 7,500 sales. If you want a big laugh, it's African American women's fiction/chick lit for goodness sake. Should've been dead coming out of the gate. lol<br /><br />Two offers from two major publishers...so far. <br /><br />Things are changing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-78367425998273003772010-05-03T16:00:29.796-04:002010-05-03T16:00:29.796-04:00As a self-published author, I have no interest in ...As a self-published author, I have no interest in attracting an agent or a publisher - or I'd be querying, rewriting, requerying, producing another book and querying that, right? <br /><br />But I do find it fascinating to read this take (and as ever I wonder if it varies from country to country, having heard the opposite from the UK branches of Random House and Harper Collins). The agent-publisher model is very geared to the mainstream, it seems. The thing is, there are lots of small presses who will take submissions direct from the author, and they are gaining more and more critical success (the standout example being Catherine O'Flynn's multiple award-winning What was Lost, published by the tiny Tindal Street), leading to commercial success, and agents are in danger of being cut out of this model altogether (as they are more reluctant than such presses to take self-published books or not obviously commercial books). Which is fine, unless or until the industry's changing model overtakes them.<br /><br />I'm also fascinated to hear the answer to Mira's question about e-publishing, with more publishers offering e-only deals. It's certainly something for authors of certain kinds of book to bear in mind that increasingly agent-first is NOT the only, or even, possibly, for them, the best way to publication.Dan Hollowayhttp://yearzerowriters.wordpress.com/our-books/songs-from-the-other-side-of-the-wall/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-830362959269433232010-05-03T15:02:52.228-04:002010-05-03T15:02:52.228-04:00One more thing -
Last week, Jessica, you talked ...One more thing - <br /><br />Last week, Jessica, you talked about agents representing for small or medium publishers.<br /><br />Where are agents on the e-pubishing thing? Have they considered getting involved at the e-publishing level - with the intent to represent for mainstream down the road....I don't know how that would work exactly, but it's just a thought.Mirahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558405035294107657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-35951744886673569802010-05-03T14:59:22.846-04:002010-05-03T14:59:22.846-04:00My goodness, that's such a dire title. The fa...My goodness, that's such a dire title. The fate of self-published works. :)<br /><br />Well......I have conflicting thoughts about this. <br /><br />If you have a book that's not going to sell - well, it won't sell in mainstream publishing either, and that's a career killer - I've heard. Being a mid-list author can stall your career completely - to the point where people come up with new names in order to sell their works.<br /><br />For that reason alone, e-publishing has an appeal for me. Why not test out the market first? Of course the market for e-books and the market for brick and mortar are different, but still - it's the best test we've got.<br /><br />And then royalities are three times higher for e-books, so even if my book doesn't sell well, I still make more money than if my book didn't sell well through traditional publishing.<br /><br />These are all just thoughts I'm having. The wide distribution through mainstream publishing, and the opportunity to work with some terrific people still lead an appeal to mainstream publishing.<br /><br />But it's worth thinking about...<br /><br />Very interesting discussion, Jessica - thank you.Mirahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558405035294107657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-7802961255962326112010-05-03T13:43:45.809-04:002010-05-03T13:43:45.809-04:00Personally I think it's a truly bad idea to se...Personally I think it's a truly bad idea to self-publish your book - especially if it's a novel - only because you want to eventually get it picked up by a traditional publisher. But they ARE benefits to self-publishing other books. For example, while writing my novel I self-published an entirely different book, a travel memoir (www.mousetrappedbook.com). Sales have been good but not anything spectacular, however an agent happened to read it, got in touch and is now representing me (for the novel). I think writers need to think more along these lines - self-publication leading to something better - rather than 'Will my self-published book eventually get picked up?'Catherine Ryan Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13835845514554062259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-36558643552195931122010-05-03T13:36:42.625-04:002010-05-03T13:36:42.625-04:00I do not have the funds to self-publish, so I'...I do not have the funds to self-publish, so I've never really considered it as an option. The difference in opinion as to whether it is a plus or a minus would probably turn me off if I did have the ability.Janet Morgensternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07375749198677365760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-36659166585662222172010-05-03T12:51:14.232-04:002010-05-03T12:51:14.232-04:00Based on what I’ve seen, self-publishing won’t kil...Based on what I’ve seen, self-publishing won’t kill the career of a good author and a bad author isn’t likely to succeed, not matter what decisions he makes concerning self-publishing. The benefits of self-publishing usually outweigh the risk that people will be turned off by low book sales. Given the number authors who have self-published and then later got a traditional publishing contract, I really don’t think the risk is all that great. I think the biggest problem is that most of the people who self-publish aren’t very good at writing to begin with, then when they are rejected by traditional publishers they assume it is because of their self-publishing attempts rather than because they can’t write.Timothy Fishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06554064732811895577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-63232351765922663522010-05-03T12:18:31.225-04:002010-05-03T12:18:31.225-04:00As others have mentioned, I think it all depends o...As others have mentioned, I think it all depends on the circumstances. There are certainly models for turning self-published into a traditional publish (The Shack, comes to mind); however, as the response indicates these are exceptional cases. <br /><br />I think this brings up a valid warning to authors as opposed to saying it can't be done: if you self or ePublish and your book doesn't sale fast and often that story might be dead in terms of future traditional publication.<br /><br />That being said, I don't see that as having to be be a negative, particularly in the case of a first-timer sans track record. If your sales are strong, and the content is good, you might be able to lure an agent/publisher to take you on so your next story can be published traditionally. Furthermore, there are some authors out there making a solid living off of ePublishing, and that trend will most likely continue to rise in the next few years. Will any of them ever get rich and Oprah famous? Who knows, but how many traditionally published authors get rich and Oprah famous? (Percentage wise, not many.) <br /><br />Interesting topic for sure. Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00273059558675234923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-18007974750996375292010-05-03T11:45:44.296-04:002010-05-03T11:45:44.296-04:00Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing!Interesting thoughts. Thanks for sharing!Nichole Gileshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12536148445303996747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-46762738948724231962010-05-03T11:19:49.077-04:002010-05-03T11:19:49.077-04:00I actually wrote about this on my own blog. I self...I actually wrote about this on my own blog. I self-published my first book. Never even went through the submission process. Now I am querying for my second and my past may come back to haunt me.<br /><br />http://thewriterrevived.blogspot.com/2010/04/pros-and-cons-of-self-publishing.htmlElizabeth Flora Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11729450308659877966noreply@blogger.com