tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post1489712592595585606..comments2023-11-02T06:57:11.400-04:00Comments on BookEnds Literary Agency: The Business of Writing by Sally MacKenzieBookEnds, A Literary Agencyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06287278822065839469noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-14464707228871606652010-06-14T16:26:47.006-04:002010-06-14T16:26:47.006-04:00Good useful post. So much to think about beyond th...Good useful post. So much to think about beyond the writing, dammit.<br />I have finished book no.1. But I'm not sure whether to go with my next first idea, or to come up with something that follows on from the first book in sequence. decisions, decisions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-59254275718961119322010-06-01T22:46:27.735-04:002010-06-01T22:46:27.735-04:00It's great to read posts like these. Especial...It's great to read posts like these. Especially when you just got a no to your partial *sigh* But I will face it like business and the re-write will make it spectacular and I WILL get published.Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17648307410383451558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-35528771585312550012010-06-01T22:25:10.305-04:002010-06-01T22:25:10.305-04:00Really interesting post, Sally. It is good to know...Really interesting post, Sally. It is good to know what to do and not to do when it comes to selling a book, especially for me (being only eighteen years old and needing all the hints I can get). <br /><br />Thanks for all the helpful tips. <br /><br />Write on!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-16307379246772290742010-06-01T21:22:16.736-04:002010-06-01T21:22:16.736-04:00Sally,
Thanks so much for the reminder. I'm t...Sally,<br /><br />Thanks so much for the reminder. I'm trying to look at this as a business and start those "business habits" now with writing schedules and such.<br /><br />Looking forward to reading about your Viscount.<br /><br />AmyAmy Nicholsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-62106112092188387972010-06-01T20:07:38.483-04:002010-06-01T20:07:38.483-04:00Amy, tell yourself anything that gets you to keep ...Amy, tell yourself anything that gets you to keep writing. I pretty much don't read reviews any more because they mess with my head too much. Yes, we all need to develop a thick skin, but we also need to protect ourselves so we can keep creating.<br /><br />Wry writer, I probably was around, pecking away at my electric typewriter as clueless as anyone--more clueless that most today as those were the years before the internet. I had a few "almost solds" when my kids were young and I was writing picture book texts--and then I quit writing for publication for about eight years when I was heavy into the carpool scene. I'm thinking very, very few, if any, writers have a smooth, straight path. As far as I can tell, there is no job security in this biz.Sally MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166303880685146915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-11653856609698551242010-06-01T19:47:39.653-04:002010-06-01T19:47:39.653-04:00When I was 23 I too 'sold by accident' my ...When I was 23 I too 'sold by accident' my first book; without an agent...I was without a clue. <br /><br />I thought that moment was my brass ring, providing me unending rides, to a writers life. <br />Duh !<br /><br />With my advance I purchased a used White Cadillac that drank more gas than an uncommitted member of AA and I bought a white German Shepherd dog that ate sticks and bit anything that moved, including me.<br />The car broke down, the dog was hit by a pick-up and died and I did not deliver. The book was never published but Thank God I did not have to pay the advance back.<br />Since then, I've been published many times,(not books.)<br />It has been many ass-kicking years years since my big screw-up. <br />Now, with one book done and another almost finished I am in query-for-an-agent-hell wondering if I should take up knitting.<br /><br />Sally,thank you for your incite.<br /><br />To all you young-uns out there heed her words, I just wish she was around when I went to buy my Caddy and Cojo.Carolynnwith2Nshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18394998702410764388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-13494633100857029752010-06-01T16:56:33.820-04:002010-06-01T16:56:33.820-04:00What you said about looking at your writing from t...What you said about looking at your writing from the business point of view is great advice. <br />I was struggling with this exact thing. I started getting back a few rejections from the queries I sent out, and I didn’t handle it like I thought I would.<br /><br />I knew I would get rejections; I even made a special folder to store them in. It was just a different ballgame when they actually started rolling in. I guess it felt like a direct attack on the material, which did nothing for my confidence in my work.<br /><br />So I just told myself, “Self. Those agents are way swamped. They don’t have time to read every query, so they have to form reject a few. Just remember, that rejection letter is not a direct attack on your work; it’s a reflection of the agent’s taste, client load, and whether or not they were hung over from drinking wine all night while reading great fulls.” <br /><br />LOL, that’s what I tell myself anyway. I’d argue with anyone who told me differently, ha ha.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04365970636991748401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-29465472413746068752010-06-01T15:09:51.117-04:002010-06-01T15:09:51.117-04:00Sally, thank you for taking the time to give us a ...Sally, thank you for taking the time to give us a peek at the business end of things. It sure shines a light on the complexity of being successful author.R.M.Gilberthttp://rmgilbert.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-5468112209035077612010-06-01T14:05:58.577-04:002010-06-01T14:05:58.577-04:00Great advice, thank you! I'll probably have t...Great advice, thank you! I'll probably have to hunt this down years from now when I get published! It's interesting, though, to see what it's like once you're at that point in the road, and it's good to know what I have to look forward to!April Plummerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12000526454256802504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-9025425984752472632010-06-01T11:41:58.338-04:002010-06-01T11:41:58.338-04:00Wow. What an incredible post. Thank you so much, S...Wow. What an incredible post. Thank you so much, Sally. There is a lot of good information in here. I really appreciate it.Kelley Vitollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13304868437913885003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-36384804564236073012010-06-01T11:24:26.620-04:002010-06-01T11:24:26.620-04:00Samantha, don't be intimidated! Write the boo...Samantha, don't be intimidated! Write the book--and then write the next one and the next one.<br /><br />Kate, yeah, I'm drowning here. I'm supposed to get two sets of author copies this month--the antho that's coming out in mass market (it was in trade last year) has arrived, but the Viscount is still missing. And all those books we get at conferences! I'm having to steel my heart and give most of them away unread.<br /><br />Kristan, the boilerplate thing really twisted my brain around at first until I finally got it sorted out. I was talking to agents and it was like we were both speaking English, but we weren't really speaking the same language. It makes sense, though, now that I get it. An agency takes the publisher's basic contract--the version most favorable to the publisher--and works at changing the clauses to better serve a client. When the next client comes along, agency and publisher don't go back to square one, they start at square two. Unagented author starts at square one and, in my case at least, probably doesn't have have the business sense or experience to even recognize the issues.Sally MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166303880685146915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-85287762942956490862010-06-01T11:07:21.452-04:002010-06-01T11:07:21.452-04:00"The acquiring editor may well tell you the c..."The acquiring editor may well tell you the contract she’s sending you is boilerplate. This is true. However there are different boilerplates."<br /><br />VERY interesting, I had no idea. Thanks for a great, informative look at the business side. It's very helpful.Kristanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04771013578685419826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-26680388806055959342010-06-01T11:07:08.636-04:002010-06-01T11:07:08.636-04:00Sally, you have nailed SO MANY important points in...Sally, you have nailed SO MANY important points in this post! I wish I'd seen something just like this before I sold my first book. It's all excellent advice, but when you figure out "stuff management," please let me know what works?<br /><br />That's one that's WAY beyond me!Kate Douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05486916548114546095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-11392769711000001992010-06-01T10:50:26.115-04:002010-06-01T10:50:26.115-04:00Thank you so much for all this insight. I'm st...Thank you so much for all this insight. I'm still a student, and trying to work on my first novel. I'm pursuing an English major but I may consider taking some business classes if I can. Now it's time to decide whether to give up from intimidation or press ahead with this newfound knowledge. I hope to succeed from the latter! Thanks again.Samantha Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14969160287220159446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-54360425061267789612010-06-01T09:49:32.018-04:002010-06-01T09:49:32.018-04:00I have to say my business side is constantly evolv...I have to say my business side is constantly evolving. I admire writers who embrace all the business stuff enthusiastically from the get-go, but I'm a little more of a foot dragger. I think everyone has to strike the balance that's right for them. We can't ignore that we are CEOs of our small businesses, but we still have to protect our creative wells. For example, blogging may make good business sense, but I can't maintain a regular blog and still get my contracted writing done. Others can.<br /><br />Anonymous 9:09, I don't know how it works with offers from epublishers--it used to be that agents rarely were involved in those deals, but that could have changed--but when I got an offer from my NY publisher, I called the agents who had expressed interest in my work. Jessica moved quickly to read my published book and offered representation. If you don't have an agent, I'd suggest having a literary attorney look over any contract before signing as it is possible to severely tie up your career with a legal false step. I didn't do that with my first contract, but I got lucky. Relying on luck is generally not a great business plan.Sally MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15166303880685146915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-22849452378627322542010-06-01T09:45:48.585-04:002010-06-01T09:45:48.585-04:00Thanks so much for this post. It's always help...Thanks so much for this post. It's always helpful to hear, first hand, what an author has to tackle after their first call. It gives us an invaluable peek at what to expect...especially regarding the business side of things.<br /><br />I think all college students should be required to take a few business classes, regardless of their major. It doesn't matter if you plan on being an artist, doctor, teacher or writer...there's a business aspect to all professions.<br /><br />Thanks again for your insight.Rula Sinarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01703015110251843280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-66119076605554847222010-06-01T09:09:09.638-04:002010-06-01T09:09:09.638-04:00I learned most of that from being a blogging book ...I learned most of that from being a blogging book reviewer, through observation and interacting with authors.<br /><br />One thing though. If you've been slugging your way through Queryland for a while and the economy goes into the toilet, you're going to move into the old proverb-<br /><br />"Beggers can't be choosers."<br /><br />Then, you're gonna be tempted to grab whatever contract comes your way. <br /><br />I'm stacking up requests for Fulls right now and it's kinda scary. What if an offer comes from a reputable ePublisher while a Full's still out with an uber-agent? I can't help but think, "Hey, that agent's going to reject anyway, if she responds at all."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-48501129961025802652010-06-01T08:59:14.969-04:002010-06-01T08:59:14.969-04:00Thank you for this great post. Most business-relat...Thank you for this great post. Most business-related posts come from from agents, with a few from indie publishers. These are informative but often miss the author's POV. Most author posts cover the creative side only. It's nice to see one that balances both sides of what is, after all, a business. <br /><br />I been in the art world for many years and found some of the most talented artists are still working their day jobs because they are focused 100% on the creative side. Those who learn the business side - just as they had learned the creative side - are financially successful. Beyond that, marketplace demands also forced them to grow as artists. We're all a bit lazy. Having something external hold our noses to the grindstone helps us in the long run.<br /><br />Thank yousteeleweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02077739629921574784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-25356957038151967202010-06-01T08:30:41.114-04:002010-06-01T08:30:41.114-04:00Thanks so much for the wonderful advice, Sally, an...Thanks so much for the wonderful advice, Sally, and for the insight into the world of deadlines and career planning. Very informative post!<br /><br />Congratulations on all of your publishing successes!anitanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-19515499278453396582010-06-01T08:30:27.245-04:002010-06-01T08:30:27.245-04:00Holy Cow! Thank you so much for this insight into...Holy Cow! Thank you so much for this insight into the 'business' side of it all. Most of these things had either never occured to me or I just didn't know where to look for information. I found this really really interesting. Thanks so much for sharing!Creepy Query Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18115161057496086972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23051453.post-59493406552100903622010-06-01T08:17:47.968-04:002010-06-01T08:17:47.968-04:00Great advice, Sally! The "planner" in me...Great advice, Sally! The "planner" in me thanks you and I'm sure I'm not alone.Heidi @ Decor & Morehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13914552225252918719noreply@blogger.com