For those who aren't a member of the romance community, RWA is the Romance Writers of America national convention. Each year it's in a new location and brings in close to 2000 writers, editors, agents and other industry pros. There are workshops, signings, appointments, cocktail parties and meet n' greets. The entire week wraps up with a giant awards ceremony.
Just typing that exhausted me.
This year RWA convenes in NYC and while that makes it more fun for the writers, it makes for more work for the rest of us. My week started on Monday and I have appointments and meetings through Saturday. It's exhausting, it's exhilarating and it's definitely productive. Like with any professional conference (Malice, Bouchercon, Thrillerfest, etc) I'll be leaving with a long to-do list.
All of BookEnds (including our intern James) will be traveling the halls of the Marriott. We'll be taking meetings, taking notes and posting a lot of what we're learning on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. So keep an eye out to learn not just what's hot in romance, but what's hot in all of publishing.
If you see any of us, make sure to take a moment to say hi. If we have a spare moment we'd love the chance to pull up a stool and talk.
--jhf
BookEnds has moved! We can now be found at www.bookendsliterary.com BookEnds Literary Agency represents commercial fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages and in this space we hope to provide advice and inspiration for writers. Our goal is to teach, enlighten and build a community for writers, agents and editors.
Showing posts with label A Day in the Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Day in the Life. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Monday, November 17, 2014
Inside an Agent's Head
It's amazing how much a new submission can mess with an agent's head.
We take on a new project from a new client or we finally get that fresh manuscript from a client whose books we're always excited to read. And as we're reading we're getting more and more excited about how amazing this book is and how we can't wait to sell it. And then the panic sets in. Just as the excitement rises, so does the doubt. But what if it doesn't sell, what if I'm jinxing it with my excitement? Oh crap, I just told my colleagues how amazing it is, I'm sure to have jinxed it now.
So the next time you worry that you're bugging your agent or too neurotic to talk to her don't.
--jhf
We take on a new project from a new client or we finally get that fresh manuscript from a client whose books we're always excited to read. And as we're reading we're getting more and more excited about how amazing this book is and how we can't wait to sell it. And then the panic sets in. Just as the excitement rises, so does the doubt. But what if it doesn't sell, what if I'm jinxing it with my excitement? Oh crap, I just told my colleagues how amazing it is, I'm sure to have jinxed it now.
So the next time you worry that you're bugging your agent or too neurotic to talk to her don't.
--jhf
Monday, November 03, 2014
Stress Cures
I have one of those little squeeze balls on my desk, the kind that are supposed to help you relieve stress. This one says Squeeze a Cowboy and was a bit of swag I probably got at RWA. It was from author Rebecca Zanetti and I don't have a clue how old it is.
When I'm stressed I'll grab my ball and squeeze it. Honestly though, it doesn't seem to do me any good. It only reminds me how tense my hands feel. Or how weak they are.
Often working out will help, but its rare that I can leave the office in the middle of the day for a workout. I'd like to think wine would work, but if I'm really anxious wine actually makes things worse.
In the end I do think the best thing for stress, for me anyway, is just to walk away. Leave my desk, my house, the airport gate or whatever it is that's stressing me out. Take a break completely and come back later with, hopefully, a new perspective.
But that's just me. I'd love to hear any ideas for better handling stressful moments/days/weeks.
--jhf
When I'm stressed I'll grab my ball and squeeze it. Honestly though, it doesn't seem to do me any good. It only reminds me how tense my hands feel. Or how weak they are.
Often working out will help, but its rare that I can leave the office in the middle of the day for a workout. I'd like to think wine would work, but if I'm really anxious wine actually makes things worse.
In the end I do think the best thing for stress, for me anyway, is just to walk away. Leave my desk, my house, the airport gate or whatever it is that's stressing me out. Take a break completely and come back later with, hopefully, a new perspective.
But that's just me. I'd love to hear any ideas for better handling stressful moments/days/weeks.
--jhf
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Out of the Office
I wanted to let you all know that I'll be out of the office today. I have an appointment to have my ta-ta's checked.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, not that I probably need to tell you that, and coincidentally it's also the month for my annual mammogram. This is not normally something I'd share with my readers, but it's important. Really important.
If you're not getting exams or doing exams please add it to what I'm sure is already a very busy list of things you need to do. Make sure your mother, your daughter, your best friend, your wife, and your neighbor are getting them. Ask them. And men, this isn't just a woman's disease. Ask your doctor about breast cancer too.
We can save lives by getting an exam. Let's do it.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, not that I probably need to tell you that, and coincidentally it's also the month for my annual mammogram. This is not normally something I'd share with my readers, but it's important. Really important.
If you're not getting exams or doing exams please add it to what I'm sure is already a very busy list of things you need to do. Make sure your mother, your daughter, your best friend, your wife, and your neighbor are getting them. Ask them. And men, this isn't just a woman's disease. Ask your doctor about breast cancer too.
We can save lives by getting an exam. Let's do it.
Friday, November 21, 2008
An Agent's Time
Why are there never enough hours in the day? I know everyone feels this way and I’m certainly no different, however as I watch the submission piles grow and the equeries come in I sometimes wonder what I do all day. How come I can’t get any of it done? So out of curiosity I tracked myself. How long do things actually take around here. Keep in mind this is not necessarily one day’s list, but an idea of how long different projects might take me.
Jessica
- Reading and responding to 25 equeries: 1 1/2 hours on a Sunday morning
- Reading and editing the first 100 pages of a client’s next project, including sending it back with a letter: 3 hours
- Reading and editing a client’s proposal (synopsis for three books only): 1 hour
- Attending the BookEnds weekly meeting: 45 minutes
- Reading daily publishing news that comes to me through email: 10 to 20 minutes (depending on how many links I click through)
- Breakfast with a client: 4 hours (including travel time)
- Introductory phone call with an editor newly assigned to my client: 15 minutes
- Receiving a phone call from an editor with an offer: 10 minutes
- Calling and telling a client that she’s just made her first deal: 15 very excited minutes
- Read Publishers Weekly: 20 minutes
- Writing a blog post: 20 minutes
- Brainstorming phone call/career discussion with client: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Reviewing a contract from a publisher: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Lunch with an editor: 3 hours, 30 minutes (including travel time)
- Career planning conversation with client: 40 minutes
Jessica
Friday, November 02, 2007
A Day in the Life/Market Updates
It’s been a busy crazy week at BookEnds, but since it’s Friday and things have quieted down just a little I thought I could touch base to tell you what’s been going on both at my desk and in publishing in general.
Since Labor Day I’ve been busy with submissions and client work. I think most of my clients spent the summer writing and were ready to send me new books and new ideas once the leaves started to fall. You know, it’s really, really cool when you can read a client’s book and actually get the same chills all over again that you got when you first discovered her in the slush pile. Of course it’s even cooler when you send those books out to editors and they get chills too.
I also had a fun situation where two nonfiction authors I worked with years ago both reentered the picture. Both authors had published books at least three years ago and while we maintained our official author/agent relationship, things have been pretty quiet since their books came out. Coincidentally this week I heard from two different editors seeking books that made these clients immediately come to mind. I got in touch and both are working on book proposals as we speak.
I’ve finalized a couple of contracts this week that I’m very excited about. The paperwork is with the authors now for signature and shortly I’ll get the deals posted on Publisher’s Marketplace. I think I had mentioned that BookEnds is doing an entire contract (re)evaluation lately. We are going through all contracts clause-by-clause and discussing how we can better strengthen our boilerplates with all publishers. It’s been a fun exercise for all three of us. Okay, maybe not fun, but really useful and what we’re doing has already come into play with my negotiations. A big part of my job is to work to continually build stronger contracts for my clients and keep updated on new and ever-changing language.
And of course, it was Halloween! I skipped out early to do some trick-or-treating. We had great weather here and I even got a Snickers bar or two.
With all all of the submitting I’m doing lately it’s given me a real opportunity to touch base with editors and see what everyone is up to.
Kim said that the one thing she’s hearing over and over is that romance editors are excited about the resurgence of interest in historicals. It seems everyone is hunting for new, fresh historical romance voices so you historical authors should get cracking. You’re in demand again!
In talking with an editor at Avon I learned that publishing their Avon Red titles in mass market didn’t go nearly as well as they had hoped and it seems, at least from their perspective, that erotic romance buyers are a trade paperback audience and not mass market. She also said that for them single theme (erotic romance) novella collections by the same author sell better than full-length novels (again for Avon Red).
I also talked to an editor who recently made a change to Hearst Books, a division of Sterling Publishing. I have never sold to Hearst or talked to an editor there so I was interested in hearing more. She explained to me that most of the Hearst Books titles stem from content already existing in the Hearst magazines (including Redbook, Country Living, and Cosmopolitan) but they are planning to expand that list in new ways, especially into health and parenting and a little bit into career books. Any potential author would have to be comfortable writing with the magazine's voice and would, of course, need a strong platform.
An editor at Bantam told me she is hungry to add more contemporary romances to her list right now while a former romance editor at Grand Central let me know that she’s looking for female driven suspense and pop culture/commercial nonfiction (she’s no longer handling romance).
An editor at Kensington told me that their mystery list is booked pretty solid for a while, but he would love to see thrillers along the lines of Vince Flynn. He did remind me though that everyone is looking for those (and of course they/we are).
And lastly, I met a new editor at St. Martin’s. Not new really, but new to me. He’s someone who has what he calls a “guy” list, with a lot of military, sports, outdoor adventure, pop culture, humor and the occasional thriller.
I’m actually running out the door right now. I’m finally, finally getting a new laptop. I’ve been waiting for months for Leopard to be released (the new Mac operating system for those who might live in a cave) so I’m off to the Apple store to discuss how big and fast I really need said laptop to be. Should I be embarrassed by how excited I am? Christmas can’t hold a candle to a trip the the Apple store.
--Jessica
Have a great weekend everyone!
Since Labor Day I’ve been busy with submissions and client work. I think most of my clients spent the summer writing and were ready to send me new books and new ideas once the leaves started to fall. You know, it’s really, really cool when you can read a client’s book and actually get the same chills all over again that you got when you first discovered her in the slush pile. Of course it’s even cooler when you send those books out to editors and they get chills too.
I also had a fun situation where two nonfiction authors I worked with years ago both reentered the picture. Both authors had published books at least three years ago and while we maintained our official author/agent relationship, things have been pretty quiet since their books came out. Coincidentally this week I heard from two different editors seeking books that made these clients immediately come to mind. I got in touch and both are working on book proposals as we speak.
I’ve finalized a couple of contracts this week that I’m very excited about. The paperwork is with the authors now for signature and shortly I’ll get the deals posted on Publisher’s Marketplace. I think I had mentioned that BookEnds is doing an entire contract (re)evaluation lately. We are going through all contracts clause-by-clause and discussing how we can better strengthen our boilerplates with all publishers. It’s been a fun exercise for all three of us. Okay, maybe not fun, but really useful and what we’re doing has already come into play with my negotiations. A big part of my job is to work to continually build stronger contracts for my clients and keep updated on new and ever-changing language.
And of course, it was Halloween! I skipped out early to do some trick-or-treating. We had great weather here and I even got a Snickers bar or two.
With all all of the submitting I’m doing lately it’s given me a real opportunity to touch base with editors and see what everyone is up to.
Kim said that the one thing she’s hearing over and over is that romance editors are excited about the resurgence of interest in historicals. It seems everyone is hunting for new, fresh historical romance voices so you historical authors should get cracking. You’re in demand again!
In talking with an editor at Avon I learned that publishing their Avon Red titles in mass market didn’t go nearly as well as they had hoped and it seems, at least from their perspective, that erotic romance buyers are a trade paperback audience and not mass market. She also said that for them single theme (erotic romance) novella collections by the same author sell better than full-length novels (again for Avon Red).
I also talked to an editor who recently made a change to Hearst Books, a division of Sterling Publishing. I have never sold to Hearst or talked to an editor there so I was interested in hearing more. She explained to me that most of the Hearst Books titles stem from content already existing in the Hearst magazines (including Redbook, Country Living, and Cosmopolitan) but they are planning to expand that list in new ways, especially into health and parenting and a little bit into career books. Any potential author would have to be comfortable writing with the magazine's voice and would, of course, need a strong platform.
An editor at Bantam told me she is hungry to add more contemporary romances to her list right now while a former romance editor at Grand Central let me know that she’s looking for female driven suspense and pop culture/commercial nonfiction (she’s no longer handling romance).
An editor at Kensington told me that their mystery list is booked pretty solid for a while, but he would love to see thrillers along the lines of Vince Flynn. He did remind me though that everyone is looking for those (and of course they/we are).
And lastly, I met a new editor at St. Martin’s. Not new really, but new to me. He’s someone who has what he calls a “guy” list, with a lot of military, sports, outdoor adventure, pop culture, humor and the occasional thriller.
I’m actually running out the door right now. I’m finally, finally getting a new laptop. I’ve been waiting for months for Leopard to be released (the new Mac operating system for those who might live in a cave) so I’m off to the Apple store to discuss how big and fast I really need said laptop to be. Should I be embarrassed by how excited I am? Christmas can’t hold a candle to a trip the the Apple store.
--Jessica
Have a great weekend everyone!
Friday, September 07, 2007
Friday's random thoughts
It's Friday and I've had a busy week so I wanted to share some random thoughts with you. First off let me tell you what a bang my week started off with. On Tuesday I concluded an auction that moved one of my authors to a new house. All last week I was taking bids and negotiating with editors. It was a terrific way to end my summer and a fun new way for the author and I to start the fall.
In other client news, in the last two weeks I've received emails from more than one client sharing ideas they have for new projects. I have to say, I'm very, very excited. There are some cool ideas out there and I think my clients are grabbing on to them. And last night I read a partial from another client. I had read this partial previously and rejected it. The idea was sound, but the execution needed work. The author and I talked extensively and she spent a good portion of her summer rewriting and working on it. And can I say brilliant?! It's absolutely amazing and for those of you hoping that I'll venture more into fantasy it looks like we're starting to head in that direction. I'm so excited to talk with the author more about it and get it into the hands of editors.
You all have had me thinking too. In my post on market updates someone asked whether or not there was romantic suspense that didn't include law enforcement or the military. While I knew there was, I had to think a little.. The answer is of course, yes. The newest Lisa Jackson contains neither and I know there are others, but I'm going to turn to you. Any titles or suggestions for someone looking for romantic suspense without a military or law enforcement hero?
And lastly, I just read that author Madeleine L'Engle passed away last night and I have to admit this was sad for me. A piece of my childhood has passed on. If you've never read Madeleine L'Engle do so now. I only remember reading her A Wrinkle in Time Trilogy, but remember them as if I read them yesterday. Meg is an amazing character and the books literally bring you to new worlds.
Have a great weekend everyone!
--Jessica
In other client news, in the last two weeks I've received emails from more than one client sharing ideas they have for new projects. I have to say, I'm very, very excited. There are some cool ideas out there and I think my clients are grabbing on to them. And last night I read a partial from another client. I had read this partial previously and rejected it. The idea was sound, but the execution needed work. The author and I talked extensively and she spent a good portion of her summer rewriting and working on it. And can I say brilliant?! It's absolutely amazing and for those of you hoping that I'll venture more into fantasy it looks like we're starting to head in that direction. I'm so excited to talk with the author more about it and get it into the hands of editors.
You all have had me thinking too. In my post on market updates someone asked whether or not there was romantic suspense that didn't include law enforcement or the military. While I knew there was, I had to think a little.. The answer is of course, yes. The newest Lisa Jackson contains neither and I know there are others, but I'm going to turn to you. Any titles or suggestions for someone looking for romantic suspense without a military or law enforcement hero?
And lastly, I just read that author Madeleine L'Engle passed away last night and I have to admit this was sad for me. A piece of my childhood has passed on. If you've never read Madeleine L'Engle do so now. I only remember reading her A Wrinkle in Time Trilogy, but remember them as if I read them yesterday. Meg is an amazing character and the books literally bring you to new worlds.
Have a great weekend everyone!
--Jessica
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
In the News and Other Random Thoughts
I’ve had a crazy busy week. That’s what happens when you have an offer on the table. Yippee! So needless to say I’ve been negotiating, talking with editors and trying to keep up on my usual day-to-day activities. I wanted to pop in this afternoon with a list of things that have come to my attention today.
The first is that we’re saying farewell to Intern Lisa today and there's nothing good about that. Both Intern Lisa and Intern Jamie were absolutely amazing and I’m really impressed with the editorial eye each of them has. Very different, but very talented. So a warning to all of you editors out there. If either of them wants a publishing job after graduation next year I’ll be personally hounding you to give them a shot. I think we’ve found some real talent here and I know I’ll definitely miss them.
My second thought comes from an email I received this morning about The Gather.com romance writing competition. I’ll admit that I had heard nothing about this until receiving the email, but from what I can tell the winner of this competition will receive a $5000 advance and publishing contract with Pocket Books, which sounds absolutely amazing, but I have to wonder how successful these types of contests really are for authors. Most authors, when getting a publishing deal, have had the opportunity to really feel the sting of rejection, polish their work and essentially when chosen they are chosen because an agent, an editor and an entire publishing staff is excited, enthusiastic and feel personally vested in making that author’s work shine. Does winning a competition for publication give you that same sort of chance? Or do most writers who win such a contest end up with one published book and then find out it’s back to the drawing board? I have never done a formal evaluation of this, but would be curious to know.
My third thought comes from an AP story on how much Americans read (I first got wind of this through) Media Bistro). According to the story 1 in 4 adults say they read no books last year. My first thought when hearing this has nothing to do with the future of the publishing industry or my career, but everything to do with sadness for those who went an entire year without exploring the world a book can open up for you. I have no idea how many books I read in a year. I guess if you don’t count manuscripts I probably read 2-3 books a month. If you count manuscripts, proposals and all the reading I do for work you’re talking a whole heck of a lot more. I just can’t imagine living without books.
And my final thought...it’s driving me crazy that blogspot was down this morning. Really! How are people supposed to learn from my witty antidotes?
--Jessica
The first is that we’re saying farewell to Intern Lisa today and there's nothing good about that. Both Intern Lisa and Intern Jamie were absolutely amazing and I’m really impressed with the editorial eye each of them has. Very different, but very talented. So a warning to all of you editors out there. If either of them wants a publishing job after graduation next year I’ll be personally hounding you to give them a shot. I think we’ve found some real talent here and I know I’ll definitely miss them.
My second thought comes from an email I received this morning about The Gather.com romance writing competition. I’ll admit that I had heard nothing about this until receiving the email, but from what I can tell the winner of this competition will receive a $5000 advance and publishing contract with Pocket Books, which sounds absolutely amazing, but I have to wonder how successful these types of contests really are for authors. Most authors, when getting a publishing deal, have had the opportunity to really feel the sting of rejection, polish their work and essentially when chosen they are chosen because an agent, an editor and an entire publishing staff is excited, enthusiastic and feel personally vested in making that author’s work shine. Does winning a competition for publication give you that same sort of chance? Or do most writers who win such a contest end up with one published book and then find out it’s back to the drawing board? I have never done a formal evaluation of this, but would be curious to know.
My third thought comes from an AP story on how much Americans read (I first got wind of this through) Media Bistro). According to the story 1 in 4 adults say they read no books last year. My first thought when hearing this has nothing to do with the future of the publishing industry or my career, but everything to do with sadness for those who went an entire year without exploring the world a book can open up for you. I have no idea how many books I read in a year. I guess if you don’t count manuscripts I probably read 2-3 books a month. If you count manuscripts, proposals and all the reading I do for work you’re talking a whole heck of a lot more. I just can’t imagine living without books.
And my final thought...it’s driving me crazy that blogspot was down this morning. Really! How are people supposed to learn from my witty antidotes?
--Jessica
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Tuesday in August
It's been a while since I've done a day in the life post so I thought I'd check in. The last two weeks have actually been painfully quiet. You can definitely tell it's August and everyone is on vacation. I've been having periodic conversations with editors about various things, but other than that I've been doing what everyone should do in August. I've been catching up. I have to say, it's amazing.
My submission piles have gone down significantly. Of course they've gone up too. The other day I recieved seven! full manuscripts. Amazing. I didn't even know I had requested that many. Clearly I'm seeing some really great material cross my desk. And it's been lots of fun. As of this writing I haven't made any calls, but I'm hoping there's a real keeper in that stack.
What else have I been up to? I'm currently in the middle of submitting a nonfiction project I'm very excited about, I've been reading and critiquing/revising client manuscripts. So thrilling to see the ideas they're coming up with as well as the work they're doing. Some of the critiquing has been for material I'll hopefully be ready to submit soon and others has been for already contracted material. I have a couple of projects under serious consideration with publishers--I'm just waiting for the calls--and of course I've been reviewing contracts, hounding editors about payments, making sure the bills are paid and catching up on fun reading.
For now I'm off to read yet another full manuscript. I'll keep you posted!
--Jessica
My submission piles have gone down significantly. Of course they've gone up too. The other day I recieved seven! full manuscripts. Amazing. I didn't even know I had requested that many. Clearly I'm seeing some really great material cross my desk. And it's been lots of fun. As of this writing I haven't made any calls, but I'm hoping there's a real keeper in that stack.
What else have I been up to? I'm currently in the middle of submitting a nonfiction project I'm very excited about, I've been reading and critiquing/revising client manuscripts. So thrilling to see the ideas they're coming up with as well as the work they're doing. Some of the critiquing has been for material I'll hopefully be ready to submit soon and others has been for already contracted material. I have a couple of projects under serious consideration with publishers--I'm just waiting for the calls--and of course I've been reviewing contracts, hounding editors about payments, making sure the bills are paid and catching up on fun reading.
For now I'm off to read yet another full manuscript. I'll keep you posted!
--Jessica
Monday, July 30, 2007
A Day in the Life... and James Frey (again)
Maybe it’s a sign. Just before giving this one last look I accidentally hit quit and lost the entire post. Luckily it’s been saved, but it makes me wonder whether I should just skip it for today.
Anyway, I’ll brave it out since I have been wanting to do a day in the life post for more than a week now, but have been swamped and barely treading water. I promised though that today I would give myself 15 minutes to share a bit of that swampiness with you.
Since returning from RWA two weeks ago things have been a whirlwind. As you know I took the time in Dallas to meet with each of my clients individually. While I think it's fantastic for all of us, it always leaves me with a to-do list longer than my arm. Since returning I've been struggling to keep up with queries and submissions and I apologize because I'm not even coming close. I've been reading chapters, manuscripts, proposals and plot outlines from clients. I've been phoning editors to ask where's the money, the contract, the offer or my lunch date. And I've been generally acting like an agent. It’s great, but it’s been extremely busy.
In the past two weeks I've had three authors contact me with offers in hand. All are very talented so I need (or needed) to read those proposals and make decisions about whether or not I feel I would be the right fit. And lastly, I need to make sure I have enough blog topics to get me through August.
But beyond all of that I really wanted to write something about Nan Talese's comments regarding James Frey. As published in The Dallas Morning News Nan Talese blasted Oprah for her handling of the James Frey Million Little Pieces memoir situation and defended her own decision and the decision of others at the publishing house for publishing the book. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the situation and about its sudden reemergence in the media. I was disappointed when the issue first came up that Nan didn't speak more strongly for the publishers and extremely uncomfortable watching Oprah attack James Frey. So my question is how much of a responsibility do you expect the publisher to make when it comes to memoirs? After all, a memoir is, by definition, a story told from one person’s perspective therefore we must know that we're getting that person's interpretation of the facts and events. I'm not trying to defend James Frey. I would never do that, but I wonder why Nan Talese didn't act more boldly when on TV the first time? In all honesty, I think Nan Talese is right and given her version of the events I do suspect they were blindsided on the show. I also wonder why Oprah turned the situation into an issue about her and her feelings rather than confronting what would make a man so blatantly lie like that. As you can see I have a lot of questions and not many answers, but I thought it was worth putting out there. Besides contract, client queries and my long to-do list it’s what has me thinking today.
--Jessica
Anyway, I’ll brave it out since I have been wanting to do a day in the life post for more than a week now, but have been swamped and barely treading water. I promised though that today I would give myself 15 minutes to share a bit of that swampiness with you.
Since returning from RWA two weeks ago things have been a whirlwind. As you know I took the time in Dallas to meet with each of my clients individually. While I think it's fantastic for all of us, it always leaves me with a to-do list longer than my arm. Since returning I've been struggling to keep up with queries and submissions and I apologize because I'm not even coming close. I've been reading chapters, manuscripts, proposals and plot outlines from clients. I've been phoning editors to ask where's the money, the contract, the offer or my lunch date. And I've been generally acting like an agent. It’s great, but it’s been extremely busy.
In the past two weeks I've had three authors contact me with offers in hand. All are very talented so I need (or needed) to read those proposals and make decisions about whether or not I feel I would be the right fit. And lastly, I need to make sure I have enough blog topics to get me through August.
But beyond all of that I really wanted to write something about Nan Talese's comments regarding James Frey. As published in The Dallas Morning News Nan Talese blasted Oprah for her handling of the James Frey Million Little Pieces memoir situation and defended her own decision and the decision of others at the publishing house for publishing the book. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the situation and about its sudden reemergence in the media. I was disappointed when the issue first came up that Nan didn't speak more strongly for the publishers and extremely uncomfortable watching Oprah attack James Frey. So my question is how much of a responsibility do you expect the publisher to make when it comes to memoirs? After all, a memoir is, by definition, a story told from one person’s perspective therefore we must know that we're getting that person's interpretation of the facts and events. I'm not trying to defend James Frey. I would never do that, but I wonder why Nan Talese didn't act more boldly when on TV the first time? In all honesty, I think Nan Talese is right and given her version of the events I do suspect they were blindsided on the show. I also wonder why Oprah turned the situation into an issue about her and her feelings rather than confronting what would make a man so blatantly lie like that. As you can see I have a lot of questions and not many answers, but I thought it was worth putting out there. Besides contract, client queries and my long to-do list it’s what has me thinking today.
--Jessica
Monday, July 16, 2007
What I learned at RWA--Sappy Version
***WARNING! SAPPY BLOG ALERT***
I'm back from RWA with a lot of information I'm sure I'll be sharing over the course of the week. On the plane though, exhausted after only 3+ hours of sleep I was thinking about what a great event it is and how wonderful conferences are in general. If you've never attended (an RWA or otherwise) I would strongly suggest doing so. It's not only an opportunity to network and mingle with agents, editors and other authors, but it's truly a time to feel good about the craft of writing and what you do.
I want to thank all of the BookEnds clients for making me laugh so hard I cried, keeping me up at all hours of the night, and making me rise at all hours of the morning. The hours are crazy but well worth it and I'm hoping to find time this week when I can recover.
Mostly though thank all the writers in attendance for reminding me how much I love my job. I'm excited to be back and work on the projects we discussed. I can't wait to find another gem in my query stack and to read the manuscripts and the books from the gems I already represent. I'm really lucky to have found a career that couldn't be more fitting. I get to read great books and work with the authors and I get to wear great shoes. How cool is that?!
--Jessica
I'm back from RWA with a lot of information I'm sure I'll be sharing over the course of the week. On the plane though, exhausted after only 3+ hours of sleep I was thinking about what a great event it is and how wonderful conferences are in general. If you've never attended (an RWA or otherwise) I would strongly suggest doing so. It's not only an opportunity to network and mingle with agents, editors and other authors, but it's truly a time to feel good about the craft of writing and what you do.
I want to thank all of the BookEnds clients for making me laugh so hard I cried, keeping me up at all hours of the night, and making me rise at all hours of the morning. The hours are crazy but well worth it and I'm hoping to find time this week when I can recover.
Mostly though thank all the writers in attendance for reminding me how much I love my job. I'm excited to be back and work on the projects we discussed. I can't wait to find another gem in my query stack and to read the manuscripts and the books from the gems I already represent. I'm really lucky to have found a career that couldn't be more fitting. I get to read great books and work with the authors and I get to wear great shoes. How cool is that?!
--Jessica
Friday, July 13, 2007
Friday at RWA
It's a jam-packed day today so I wanted to pop in early to give you an update. Since I haven't had time to even spend 10 minutes with any editors or attend any workshops I don't have much market news, but I can give you a little of the day in the conference life.
My Friday started bright and early at 12:30 am with the bright lights and loud chimes of the hotel's fire alarm. Not knowing what that gawd awful ringing could possibly be I awoke by yelling across the room to Kim, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" As the foggy haze of my dreams started to clear away I realized that no matter how much she continued to whack away at the alarm that wasn't going to make a difference. Leaping out of bed we both kept our heads and started to run around the room like wind-up toys, bumping into beds and each other. Dashing to the closet to grab shoes my immediate thought (yes it's true) was, "which shoes to wear?" Grabbing a comfortable pair of slide-ons that would safely take me down ten flights of stairs I turned to Kim and suggested that while the new pajamas we had both purchased for the trip were cute maybe we wanted to throw something on over the time. After spending seconds debating over her purple denim jacket or a white linen blazer Kim decided the jacket would be the most appropriate choice for a fire. I think the jacket was the best choice.
As we dashed out of the room Kim commented that she knew I would be seeing her new pajamas, but had no idea she would be showing them off to most of Dallas, and RWA. It wasn't until we had reached the fire stairs that she thought to ask me whether or not I had grabbed a room key. I had.
For some reason our section of stairs took us into a parking garage. It took us more time to find our way out of the garage than it did to make our excellent fashion choices and when the 15 of us (I can't believe only fifteen people in our stairwell bothered to exit) finally made it to the front of the hotel the fire engines were leaving and we were allowed to make our way back to bed.
Not exactly the way I had planned to start my day, but so far this is my favorite story of the weekend.
****
Yesterday was spent meeting with clients. It always amazes me how how my clients can be in completely different stages of their careers and yet I often find myself having the same conversations proving that whether you are published or unpublished or anywhere in between the same concerns can continue to come up over and over.
One of the things that struck me was the importance of writing the book and not worrying about the publishing aspect of it. I think the most successful authors are the ones who aren't afraid to dig into themselves, to push the boundaries of their genre and think outside of the box. When you start to worry about whether a book is saleable, what an editor or agent will think or how your readers will react will start to edit yourself even before you're giving the book a chance. My best advice. Let the words flow. Worry about what to do with them later.
I'm sitting next to an editor who is frantically writing an editorial revision letter for a NY Times bestselling author so if you take nothing away from this post (other than to always have your room key at the ready) it's to know that rarely is your book ever going to be perfect as is. It takes a team of people to make a book a success.
My Friday started bright and early at 12:30 am with the bright lights and loud chimes of the hotel's fire alarm. Not knowing what that gawd awful ringing could possibly be I awoke by yelling across the room to Kim, "Turn it off! Turn it off!" As the foggy haze of my dreams started to clear away I realized that no matter how much she continued to whack away at the alarm that wasn't going to make a difference. Leaping out of bed we both kept our heads and started to run around the room like wind-up toys, bumping into beds and each other. Dashing to the closet to grab shoes my immediate thought (yes it's true) was, "which shoes to wear?" Grabbing a comfortable pair of slide-ons that would safely take me down ten flights of stairs I turned to Kim and suggested that while the new pajamas we had both purchased for the trip were cute maybe we wanted to throw something on over the time. After spending seconds debating over her purple denim jacket or a white linen blazer Kim decided the jacket would be the most appropriate choice for a fire. I think the jacket was the best choice.
As we dashed out of the room Kim commented that she knew I would be seeing her new pajamas, but had no idea she would be showing them off to most of Dallas, and RWA. It wasn't until we had reached the fire stairs that she thought to ask me whether or not I had grabbed a room key. I had.
For some reason our section of stairs took us into a parking garage. It took us more time to find our way out of the garage than it did to make our excellent fashion choices and when the 15 of us (I can't believe only fifteen people in our stairwell bothered to exit) finally made it to the front of the hotel the fire engines were leaving and we were allowed to make our way back to bed.
Not exactly the way I had planned to start my day, but so far this is my favorite story of the weekend.
****
Yesterday was spent meeting with clients. It always amazes me how how my clients can be in completely different stages of their careers and yet I often find myself having the same conversations proving that whether you are published or unpublished or anywhere in between the same concerns can continue to come up over and over.
One of the things that struck me was the importance of writing the book and not worrying about the publishing aspect of it. I think the most successful authors are the ones who aren't afraid to dig into themselves, to push the boundaries of their genre and think outside of the box. When you start to worry about whether a book is saleable, what an editor or agent will think or how your readers will react will start to edit yourself even before you're giving the book a chance. My best advice. Let the words flow. Worry about what to do with them later.
I'm sitting next to an editor who is frantically writing an editorial revision letter for a NY Times bestselling author so if you take nothing away from this post (other than to always have your room key at the ready) it's to know that rarely is your book ever going to be perfect as is. It takes a team of people to make a book a success.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Summer Quiet
It's snooze city here, as I imagine it is in a lot of places. I think everyone has already escaped for the holiday and with RWA next week those that haven't are trying to gear up for the big romance conference.
Despite the peacefulness though I've been busy. In the past few days I've negotiated a two-book deal for one of my romance authors as well as a foreign rights deal for another author. I'm also patiently waiting for an offer from another editor and have two contracts sitting on my desk that need reviewing.
And of course you all know about my recent trip for an author brainstorming meeting. I met with one of my mystery authors for a four-hour brainstorming session on her next book. This contract came out of the blue and actually fell between two books on her previous contract so it threw her planning and plotting for a bit of a loop. Together though I think we came up with a terrific plot outline and I'm really excited to see what she does with it. During brainstorming sessions with my clients, of which I do a lot, I see my role as someone who gets the ideas stirring. I throw out any thought that comes to me and watch the author mind work. It's really cool and I think it's one of the best things about my job. I love thinking that I can help an author create the work and generate the idea. What she does with it is, of course, entirely up to her, but it never hurts (in my mind) to throw an idea out there and see what happens. I make it perfectly clear to all of my clients that I don't expect them to listen to everything or anything I have to say, but if I thought flies into my head during conversations or while reading a manuscript I think it's only fair to share it.
I'm hoping to make this quiet week productive and so far today has proven to be very busy.
Despite the peacefulness though I've been busy. In the past few days I've negotiated a two-book deal for one of my romance authors as well as a foreign rights deal for another author. I'm also patiently waiting for an offer from another editor and have two contracts sitting on my desk that need reviewing.
And of course you all know about my recent trip for an author brainstorming meeting. I met with one of my mystery authors for a four-hour brainstorming session on her next book. This contract came out of the blue and actually fell between two books on her previous contract so it threw her planning and plotting for a bit of a loop. Together though I think we came up with a terrific plot outline and I'm really excited to see what she does with it. During brainstorming sessions with my clients, of which I do a lot, I see my role as someone who gets the ideas stirring. I throw out any thought that comes to me and watch the author mind work. It's really cool and I think it's one of the best things about my job. I love thinking that I can help an author create the work and generate the idea. What she does with it is, of course, entirely up to her, but it never hurts (in my mind) to throw an idea out there and see what happens. I make it perfectly clear to all of my clients that I don't expect them to listen to everything or anything I have to say, but if I thought flies into my head during conversations or while reading a manuscript I think it's only fair to share it.
I'm hoping to make this quiet week productive and so far today has proven to be very busy.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
A Day in the Life...
I'm having one of those days where I'm doing nothing but business and busy work. Oh, it's very important work, but it feels like busy work sometimes.
I've just finished my expense report. Something I'll often put off for months and that needed to be done.
I'm still working on setting Linda up, our new assistant, so I ordered her a new printer (one that works) and plan on getting that together yet today.
I reviewed some royalty statements and sorted through the mail.
I booked an Amtrak ticket and hotel to Washington, DC. I'm off to meet with an author for some brainstorming, editing discussions and overall business planning. She is in the DC area on business so asked that I make the trip down so we could talk. Obviously I can't fly all over the country every week or, truthfully, all over the world since I have authors everywhere. But when an author does ask and truly feels like she needs a sit down to discuss things I will make every effort to make that happen. I don't feel that my authors take advantage of me and I will drop things when necessary. When someone calls my cell phone at 7 pm or wants to book a phone appointment at 6am it's usually an emergency or, better yet, really exciting news. And I'm willing to take that call. I think giving people time when they truly and desperately need it means that they respect your time more. I haven't been taken advantage of yet, but I'm sure I'll keep you posted.
The most interesting thing I've done yet today is read an email from an attendee at the RWA meeting I spoke at last week in St. Louis. It's from an author who I had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with. I really enjoyed talking with her and respect her opinions. So when I opened myself up on the blog to discussion points based on that talk she used the opportunity to send me a three-page email of points I should consider. The email actually came on Monday, but today was the first opportunity I had to really sit down and study it. There were times when I laughed out loud. You can definitely tell she's a professor. I felt a little like my college paper was being edited/critiqued. Don't worry though. I promise I won't call and lambaste her for her comments. In fact, I'm thrilled she did it. I printed out the email and made notes throughout. You can guarantee that you are going to see a lot of this material show up on future posts. She mentioned talking points like how to set goals and plan for contract commitments, what happens when you don't fall in love with a client's future manuscripts, and a discussion of rational disconnects in manuscripts. I hope to get to all this and a lot more before summer is out.
Now I'm off to clean my desk, continue sorting through mail and, well, just figure out what's going on.
--Jessica
I've just finished my expense report. Something I'll often put off for months and that needed to be done.
I'm still working on setting Linda up, our new assistant, so I ordered her a new printer (one that works) and plan on getting that together yet today.
I reviewed some royalty statements and sorted through the mail.
I booked an Amtrak ticket and hotel to Washington, DC. I'm off to meet with an author for some brainstorming, editing discussions and overall business planning. She is in the DC area on business so asked that I make the trip down so we could talk. Obviously I can't fly all over the country every week or, truthfully, all over the world since I have authors everywhere. But when an author does ask and truly feels like she needs a sit down to discuss things I will make every effort to make that happen. I don't feel that my authors take advantage of me and I will drop things when necessary. When someone calls my cell phone at 7 pm or wants to book a phone appointment at 6am it's usually an emergency or, better yet, really exciting news. And I'm willing to take that call. I think giving people time when they truly and desperately need it means that they respect your time more. I haven't been taken advantage of yet, but I'm sure I'll keep you posted.
The most interesting thing I've done yet today is read an email from an attendee at the RWA meeting I spoke at last week in St. Louis. It's from an author who I had the privilege of spending a great deal of time with. I really enjoyed talking with her and respect her opinions. So when I opened myself up on the blog to discussion points based on that talk she used the opportunity to send me a three-page email of points I should consider. The email actually came on Monday, but today was the first opportunity I had to really sit down and study it. There were times when I laughed out loud. You can definitely tell she's a professor. I felt a little like my college paper was being edited/critiqued. Don't worry though. I promise I won't call and lambaste her for her comments. In fact, I'm thrilled she did it. I printed out the email and made notes throughout. You can guarantee that you are going to see a lot of this material show up on future posts. She mentioned talking points like how to set goals and plan for contract commitments, what happens when you don't fall in love with a client's future manuscripts, and a discussion of rational disconnects in manuscripts. I hope to get to all this and a lot more before summer is out.
Now I'm off to clean my desk, continue sorting through mail and, well, just figure out what's going on.
--Jessica
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Weekend with MORWA
I spent this last weekend with the Missouri Romance Writers group and want to thank them for making my time so enjoyable. I arrived in St. Louis Friday evening after a very short and uneventful flight where I was left alone to quiely read a submission I was excited about and catch up on some author material.
This particular event was not a conference, but the group flew me in to speak at their chapter meeting. I have to admit that in my old age I think I'm really starting to enjoy chapter meetings a lot better than conferences. For one, my workload is considerably lighter. Usually it's an evening and an afternoon and then I'm left to my own devices and two, since the group is smaller I'm also able to connect with them on a more personal basis.
Friday night we had an informal get-together/pot-luck dinner (I didn't bring anything) and Saturday I spoke for about 90 minutes and then took two hours of appointments. I commend the group for asking some really great questions and for not being afraid to ask whatever they wanted. We talked about contracts, what an agent does for you besides sell your book and they weren't afraid to ask about the most recent Triskelion issue, the Simon & Schuster contract clause and Harlequin in general. My only regret is that I didn't take notes as I went because I know some of the issues that came up would make good blog posts.
I wish I had a witty story about the stupid things writers do to share with you, but I don't. They were a really well put together and organized group. Everyone handled themselves professionally (yes, despite the talk of strippers) and I enjoyed meeting them all.
In addition to spending time with the MORWA group I also finished a submission I'm excited about (which I'll discuss later) and read an ARC (advanced reading copy) I enjoyed (which I'll also discuss later). Let's put it this way...I had two very interesting reading experiences this trip.
And now, I'm exhausted. It's amazing how much high heels, networking, "being on," and flying can wear a person out. So today I plan to catch up on those things I'm behind on and head out early to soak my feet, spend time with my family, and read one of my author's manuscripts.
If any MORWA members are reading and think that something came up in my talk that could or should be discussed in the blog, I'd be happy for the reminder.
--Jessica
This particular event was not a conference, but the group flew me in to speak at their chapter meeting. I have to admit that in my old age I think I'm really starting to enjoy chapter meetings a lot better than conferences. For one, my workload is considerably lighter. Usually it's an evening and an afternoon and then I'm left to my own devices and two, since the group is smaller I'm also able to connect with them on a more personal basis.
Friday night we had an informal get-together/pot-luck dinner (I didn't bring anything) and Saturday I spoke for about 90 minutes and then took two hours of appointments. I commend the group for asking some really great questions and for not being afraid to ask whatever they wanted. We talked about contracts, what an agent does for you besides sell your book and they weren't afraid to ask about the most recent Triskelion issue, the Simon & Schuster contract clause and Harlequin in general. My only regret is that I didn't take notes as I went because I know some of the issues that came up would make good blog posts.
I wish I had a witty story about the stupid things writers do to share with you, but I don't. They were a really well put together and organized group. Everyone handled themselves professionally (yes, despite the talk of strippers) and I enjoyed meeting them all.
In addition to spending time with the MORWA group I also finished a submission I'm excited about (which I'll discuss later) and read an ARC (advanced reading copy) I enjoyed (which I'll also discuss later). Let's put it this way...I had two very interesting reading experiences this trip.
And now, I'm exhausted. It's amazing how much high heels, networking, "being on," and flying can wear a person out. So today I plan to catch up on those things I'm behind on and head out early to soak my feet, spend time with my family, and read one of my author's manuscripts.
If any MORWA members are reading and think that something came up in my talk that could or should be discussed in the blog, I'd be happy for the reminder.
--Jessica
Monday, June 18, 2007
A Day in the Life
This is going to be one heck of a week. In fact, the next few weeks are going to be crazy for me. I'm going to be out of the office a great deal at lunches, meetings, and conferences. So while I'm going to try to keep up with my Day in the Life posts please excuse me if I miss a week or two.
So what did I do today? Let's see...
My first task was to sort through the huge stack of mail that I hadn't sorted through in close to a week. Oh sure I'd glanced through and sifted and pulled out those things that were extra important--like client checks, contracts and maybe a submission or two, but for the most part I tried to ignore the toppling pile. So today I tackled it. I sorted, skimmed and even read a proposal or two. So far there were no keepers in the pile that I could see so most of it went on the submission shelf, a few were immediately rejected and of course the checks were quickly sorted for depositing.
My next task, and the biggest of the day, was to prepare a submission. I received the proposal last week from a client and was really impressed. She had done all of the work and revisions I had requested and she had done them very well. So I sent off an email letting her know that it was ready to go and I was going to start the process. And then I asked a few questions that I knew would come up before an offer was made. Questions like how long will the book be and how long will it take to write (this is a nonfiction proposal by the way). And then I got to work.
I always say to authors that submitting to agents should take nearly as long as it takes to write the book. And of course I'm exaggerating, sort of. Submitting a book does take a long time. All day in fact. I have to draft a letter. A really fabulously exciting marketing letter. I want to grab an editor's attention with my first sentence and convince her that this is the greatest book to cross her desk this year, maybe even this decade. I would say that, on average, it takes me at least an hour to draft a submission letter that I'm happy with. I need to find the perfect pitch phrases and wording. What are the most important aspects of this project? The author's credentials or the book concept itself? What should I mention first and what can I leave out? What is going to be critical to a sale and what is better left unsaid?
And then I need to do my research. Sure I know most of these editors personally, but I need to double and triple check that their tastes, houses, or names haven't changed since we've spoken last. I need to know what each editor's most recent deals were. While I'm constantly in touch with editors, I'm not constantly in touch with every editor I know which means that in two month's time someone could have quit, moved, changed their interests or just plain disappeared off the face of the earth. It's my job to find all of these things out.
Once my letter is perfect I review of Publishers Marketplace. Here I can do a contact search and refresh myself on what some of my favorite editors have been up to. Publisher's Marketplace can give me insight into what they've been buying lately and most importantly it can tell me if they've recently bought something very similar to my project, which would take them out of the running. Once I'm confident that I have a strong list of editors who will definitely clamor for my project it's time to make the calls. Either by email or phone I make that initial contact to see if they are interested in my project and how they would like it sent--email or snail mail. In most cases the editors get back to me very quickly and I have my reply letter and attachment ready to go. In this case I contacted 10 editors right off the bat and most have replied to the affirmative. I also have a list of editors that I've yet to get in touch with and will do so tomorrow. They aren't necessarily second tier (in case you're reading this) I just needed to do a little more research before choosing which editor I preferred at certain houses.
This week will be spent reviewing and updating my submission list. Making notes on how editors reacted, who seemed the most enthusiastic and which editors are on vacation and until when. In about 4 weeks it's time to check in and start bugging editors for answers. If of course I haven't already sold the book.
Wish us luck!
So what did I do today? Let's see...
My first task was to sort through the huge stack of mail that I hadn't sorted through in close to a week. Oh sure I'd glanced through and sifted and pulled out those things that were extra important--like client checks, contracts and maybe a submission or two, but for the most part I tried to ignore the toppling pile. So today I tackled it. I sorted, skimmed and even read a proposal or two. So far there were no keepers in the pile that I could see so most of it went on the submission shelf, a few were immediately rejected and of course the checks were quickly sorted for depositing.
My next task, and the biggest of the day, was to prepare a submission. I received the proposal last week from a client and was really impressed. She had done all of the work and revisions I had requested and she had done them very well. So I sent off an email letting her know that it was ready to go and I was going to start the process. And then I asked a few questions that I knew would come up before an offer was made. Questions like how long will the book be and how long will it take to write (this is a nonfiction proposal by the way). And then I got to work.
I always say to authors that submitting to agents should take nearly as long as it takes to write the book. And of course I'm exaggerating, sort of. Submitting a book does take a long time. All day in fact. I have to draft a letter. A really fabulously exciting marketing letter. I want to grab an editor's attention with my first sentence and convince her that this is the greatest book to cross her desk this year, maybe even this decade. I would say that, on average, it takes me at least an hour to draft a submission letter that I'm happy with. I need to find the perfect pitch phrases and wording. What are the most important aspects of this project? The author's credentials or the book concept itself? What should I mention first and what can I leave out? What is going to be critical to a sale and what is better left unsaid?
And then I need to do my research. Sure I know most of these editors personally, but I need to double and triple check that their tastes, houses, or names haven't changed since we've spoken last. I need to know what each editor's most recent deals were. While I'm constantly in touch with editors, I'm not constantly in touch with every editor I know which means that in two month's time someone could have quit, moved, changed their interests or just plain disappeared off the face of the earth. It's my job to find all of these things out.
Once my letter is perfect I review of Publishers Marketplace. Here I can do a contact search and refresh myself on what some of my favorite editors have been up to. Publisher's Marketplace can give me insight into what they've been buying lately and most importantly it can tell me if they've recently bought something very similar to my project, which would take them out of the running. Once I'm confident that I have a strong list of editors who will definitely clamor for my project it's time to make the calls. Either by email or phone I make that initial contact to see if they are interested in my project and how they would like it sent--email or snail mail. In most cases the editors get back to me very quickly and I have my reply letter and attachment ready to go. In this case I contacted 10 editors right off the bat and most have replied to the affirmative. I also have a list of editors that I've yet to get in touch with and will do so tomorrow. They aren't necessarily second tier (in case you're reading this) I just needed to do a little more research before choosing which editor I preferred at certain houses.
This week will be spent reviewing and updating my submission list. Making notes on how editors reacted, who seemed the most enthusiastic and which editors are on vacation and until when. In about 4 weeks it's time to check in and start bugging editors for answers. If of course I haven't already sold the book.
Wish us luck!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
A Day in the Life...
It's been a busy, busy day here and I thought I'd take a minute to drop in to share what's going on. A rambling email if you will of all the things I've been trying to get done today. I think I'm going to attempt to do this more often. Just a simple day in the life email so you can get a feel for what my day-to-day activities might be like.
Linda our new office assistant just started and already I'm excited to see her taking on those things I just don't have time to do anymore. Primarily though I'm excited to have someone to keep me organized. I tend to think of myself as a very organized person, but I've reached the point where there are a lot of things I need to keep track of and I just don't have the time to track it all. Linda will help me track exactly what stage we're in with contracts (whether we're still waiting for the publisher to send it, whether we're waiting for the signed copy from the author or whether we're waiting for the check from the publisher). She'll also be able to tell me exactly where we are with submissions by taking over the submission log. As well as a long list of other tasks.
In preparation for Linda's arrival (which of course I didn't have time to do until today) I've been trying to get her computer and email set up and her desk somewhat organized. I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you that I failed miserably. The printer is still not hooked up and I had to order additional software. I only hope that by next week we'll be good to go. The trouble with small businesses is that you just don't have a staff to do all of the little things for you. Where is my tech support anyway?
In addition to welcoming Linda I've reviewed contracts for a couple of books I'm excited about. One is a deal I made in January or February (how did this contract negotiation take so long) for an erotic romance single author anthology by Elizabeth Amber and the other is a holiday knitting mystery that's part of Maggie Sefton's very successful series. Both contracts (after more than a few rounds with the publisher) were finally in order and finally ready to mail out to the authors. Yippee!
And, let's see, what else have I been doing? I've reviewed the reader's reports written by our interns. I'm really impressed with the two students we have this summer. So far they both seem very bright and astute. They are hard workers and I hope they like it enough to stay in the business. I think they would make great editors someday.
I also spent quite a bit of my day (in fact quite a bit of my week) talking with authors. Brainstorming future book ideas, discussing career planning and generally just checking in to see what's next. I think that you might be surprised by how much of any given day can be spent on the phone with a client, just talking over ideas and discussing current proposals. Brainstorming ways to make the book stronger and strategizing how to get the most buck for our book (boy I'm funny today).
And now I might have some time to sneak in a proposal. I have a requested full here that I'm anxious to get to and yesterday I found another book that I requested a full for...a women's fiction. I'm feeling lucky so we'll see what else is in there.
Wish me luck!
Jessica
Linda our new office assistant just started and already I'm excited to see her taking on those things I just don't have time to do anymore. Primarily though I'm excited to have someone to keep me organized. I tend to think of myself as a very organized person, but I've reached the point where there are a lot of things I need to keep track of and I just don't have the time to track it all. Linda will help me track exactly what stage we're in with contracts (whether we're still waiting for the publisher to send it, whether we're waiting for the signed copy from the author or whether we're waiting for the check from the publisher). She'll also be able to tell me exactly where we are with submissions by taking over the submission log. As well as a long list of other tasks.
In preparation for Linda's arrival (which of course I didn't have time to do until today) I've been trying to get her computer and email set up and her desk somewhat organized. I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you that I failed miserably. The printer is still not hooked up and I had to order additional software. I only hope that by next week we'll be good to go. The trouble with small businesses is that you just don't have a staff to do all of the little things for you. Where is my tech support anyway?
In addition to welcoming Linda I've reviewed contracts for a couple of books I'm excited about. One is a deal I made in January or February (how did this contract negotiation take so long) for an erotic romance single author anthology by Elizabeth Amber and the other is a holiday knitting mystery that's part of Maggie Sefton's very successful series. Both contracts (after more than a few rounds with the publisher) were finally in order and finally ready to mail out to the authors. Yippee!
And, let's see, what else have I been doing? I've reviewed the reader's reports written by our interns. I'm really impressed with the two students we have this summer. So far they both seem very bright and astute. They are hard workers and I hope they like it enough to stay in the business. I think they would make great editors someday.
I also spent quite a bit of my day (in fact quite a bit of my week) talking with authors. Brainstorming future book ideas, discussing career planning and generally just checking in to see what's next. I think that you might be surprised by how much of any given day can be spent on the phone with a client, just talking over ideas and discussing current proposals. Brainstorming ways to make the book stronger and strategizing how to get the most buck for our book (boy I'm funny today).
And now I might have some time to sneak in a proposal. I have a requested full here that I'm anxious to get to and yesterday I found another book that I requested a full for...a women's fiction. I'm feeling lucky so we'll see what else is in there.
Wish me luck!
Jessica
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