Editing

The fascination of
words and writing

Agents and Editors and Fees, Oh, My!

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

Right. I’ve been receiving a lot of questions, lately, about literary agents, mostly from new writers eager to obtain one. And anytime there’s a situation in the marketplace where there is a demand for something, there will be scam artists eager to make a quick buck off that need.

So here’s the scoop on who you should pay, when, and why.

“Literary agents” (quotation marks deliberate) who ask for a fee for editing, or who recommend an editing service, are likely scam artists who have no interest in placing manuscripts with publishers. Run, do not walk, away from this sort of interest in your book. Yeah, it’s exciting to hear their enthusiasm. You’ll be a lot less enthusiastic once you’ve spent time with them.

Legitimate literary agents comply with ethical standards that prohibit them from charging authors a fee (beyond minimal office expenses for postage and copying——many do not even charge for those, and most charge only against advances received).

Agents make their money only on manuscripts sold. Agents pay money to authors; they do not collect money from authors. When your book is sold to a publishing house, your agent will collect an agreed-upon percentage of whatever it is that you make from the book. You should never write a check to your agent.

Now … on to editing.

Authors who are preparing manuscripts for submission to literary agents may wish to take full responsibility for the editing of their submissions. They often belong to peer-editing writing groups, writing workshops, critique groups, etc., and I strongly advise you, if you’re writing a book, to send it through this review process.

While a pass by a professional editor may be a worthwhile investment for the submission package of a few chapters, it is not absolutely necessary.

However, a self-publishing author is a publisher and, like all publishers, is responsible for having the book professionally edited before publication. This is when you write the check, folks. Editing (which may include both developmental editing and copyediting) is a normal part of the publishing process and is best done by skilled professionals, who do not work for free.

So … clearer? Let me know if you have any other questions. Recognizing the various roles in the publishing industry and moving efficiently through them is the best way to be seen as a professional; and it will put you … beyond the elements of style!

Tags: editors, literary agents, self-publishing
Posted in About Writing, Editing, Editors, Getting Published, Proposal, Publishers, Publishing, Submissions, Words, Writing | 1 Comment »

Style Sheets

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Whether you’re an editor or a writer, stylesheets are your absolute best friend. Create them, use them, keep them.

What is a stylesheet? Well, you’ve probably at least heard of or at best worked with style manuals such as The Chicago Manual of Style, the Associated Press Handbook of Style, or the Publications Manual of the American Psychological Association. You might even be familiar with The Elements of Style! These manuals tell you how to present your work in such a way that it’s clear and consistent. Wikipedia says, “A style guide or style manual is a set of standards for the writing and design of documents, either for general use or for a specific publication, organization or field. The implementation of a style guide provides uniformity in style and formatting of a document.”

A style sheet begins where the style guide leaves off. Essentially it’s a document in which you maintain the “right” way to do things for the specific manuscript you’re working on. If it’s a nonfiction manuscript, you’ll want to include formatting issues, header information, and so on. If you’re dealing with fiction, then stylesheets are truly the best way to keep continuity: how many stories have you read in which Mary has black hair on page 14 but red hair on page 362?

Now I expect that most writers who are reading this will by now be shrugging it off. Isn’t that something my editor should do? Why should I be bothered?

There are a couple of reasons you should create a style sheet:

It’s the kind thing to do. I didn’t create a style sheet for a recent novel, and doing so would have saved both the editor and myself a great deal of time, as I had to change some of her changes back to the original, and explain why. It would have been far better to have made that explanation upfront.
It’s the efficient thing to do. How many times have you had to flip back in your book to remind yourself of a minor character’s last name, to check a date, or to remember what you said about Aunt Sophie? Easier just to turn to your style sheet to find the answers.

For nonfiction writers, style sheets are essential to keep you on track and eliminate long conversations with your editor when the time comes.

Many if not most publishers have their own style sheets (sometimes referred to as style guides); ask for them. It’s always easier to set up a manuscript correctly than to go back in and correct it later! Do that, and you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!

Tags: manuals of style, style guides, style sheets, Usage
Posted in About Writing, Editing, Editors, Language, Style, Usage, Words, Writing | No Comments »

Pitching Your Novel

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

My colleague and novelist extraordinaire, Rick Bylina, recently was talking about pitching novels, and I immediately asked him to share his expertise and insights here. I know you’ll find it useful!

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Interesting conversation about pitch, which leads me to think what all writers, particularly unpublished writers, need in their arsenal LONG, LONG before they start running around trying to corral an agent, publisher, or self-pub their masterpiece.

GENRE Identification: Don’t snicker. If you can’t categorize the principle genre of your story, you’ve got one strike against you with an agent, and for some agents, it’s three strikes, and you’re out. GHOST had elements of sci-fi, fantasy, humor, chick flick, thriller, and mystery well integrated into the plot, but at the heart of it, it was a romance (Ditto). Don’t confuse or frustrate the agent. The agent has to sell it to a publisher. And if you self-publish, you will have to categorize your story as well. Fortunately, sometimes you’re able to pick two or three categories as a self-publisher, but understanding your own story is important for gathering an audience.

Pitch: That 20-second, professional sound bite that clearly summarizes your novel with the 5W’s (who, what, where, when, and why) without sounding like a newscaster on speed. (Yes, occasionally a “W” is understood by inference.) At conferences, more success can be achieved from having that “elevator” pitch while riding the elevator, sharing a drink, going to the bathroom, waiting for a cab, signing in, meeting & greeting, or having pleasant dinner conversation with an agent than anything else. Remember when you write it, that this is vocalized. Practice it so that it feels natural.

Short (TV-Guide) synopsis (log line): This is your written 25 words (much like the pitch) that sums up your story in one sentence. Don’t say you can’t do it…the TV guide has been doing it for over sixty years for every conceivable novel turned into a movie. This is something that you have posted everywhere so everyone sees that you have a book and this is what it’s about. It’s the tease to ease someone into your lair.

100-word synopsis: This is the 100-word synopsis of your story that can be used as the basis of your query. This is the one that is the sales pitch without the ending, making the reader ask the question, “What happens?”

Long-pitch: This is the expanded version of your pitch. This is the 90-second expansion of the key points in your short pitch. This is the statement you make after the agent trapped in revolving doors says, “Tell me more.” They’re not asking you to ramble on endlessly, they want to know if the initial idea has some legs. Does it have complementary and competing sub-plots? Just how idiosyncratic is your protagonist, antagonist? How unique is the setting? Are there possibilities for sequels? How does the story lead to the climax? Is there a climax after the climax? Have your 10-15 second tag-on ready if they ask how does it end.

500-word synopsis: This is the synopsis of your story with the ending.This is about one-page, single-space typed. This is the proof that you have command over your story and is often the next thing after three chapters that an agent wants. While there can be requests for other lengths for different types of books, I’ve only been asked for a longer synopsis once, and that was about six years ago. Bottom line. If you can’t write it on one page, the agent’s going to think that you don’t understand the heart of the story.

Are there other things to have in your arsenal? Sure. You could have a 50-word synopsis, a 200-word synopsis, talking notes in case the agent wants to chat with you over dinner on his tab at a fancy restaurant (hey, we can dream).

But the most important item you need in your bag of tricks, is a completed, well-edited book. And now-a-days, you might carry it around on a flash-drive just in case, just in case. “I do believe in spirits; I do believe in spirits.”

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Rick Bylina is a novelist and generally interesting person living in North Carolina. Now available: “One Promise Too Many” and “A Matter of Faith.” Read his blog here, and then you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!

Tags: book proposals, getting a publisher, getting an agent, pitching your novel, selling your novel
Posted in About Writing, Editing, Fiction, fictional characters, Getting Published, literary fiction, mystery fiction, Proposal, Publishers, Submissions, Words, Writing | No Comments »