W. Terry Whalin's Blog, page 14
May 28, 2023
Celebrate The Joy of Anticipation
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinAs you read this article, I’m attending to one of the largest Christian writers conferences in the country--the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writer’s Conference in Asheville, North Carolina. Last year there were 600 people at this event which translates into a wide variety of types of writers and publishing professionals. It’s been my privilege to attend this event numerous times through the years. I’m teaching a continuing class and a single workshop plus meeting one-on-one with many people throughout the event. In this article, I want to capture some of the preparation steps and the joy I’ve been feeling about this event. I wrote these words to give you a hint at the diverse activities and how they can be life-changing for you and your writing. I encourage every writer to make plans to get to at least one or two of these events each year. At each one, you will make new connections and expand your worldview and resources for your writing life. Admittedly it takes effort and planning on your part to attend these events but the opportunities are priceless from them.
For over ten years, I’ve been working with hundreds of authors through Morgan James Publishing. Many of those authors I have never met face to face. A number of them (less than a dozen) are coming to this event. It will give me an opportunity to get to know them better and strengthen a bond which is already in place. I’m excited to have such meetings. Several of them have already published their books with us and I’m bringing my copies so they can sign them for me. I’m a genuine fan of their work and I have joyful anticipation about these forthcoming meetings.
While to some the Christian publishing world seems large, it is actually a small community. I have not seen a number of people on the faculty for many years. For other faculty, I’m familiar with their name but have never spoken with them. The opportunity to talk with these seasoned professionals face to face is precious. There are things which aren’t easily put in an email or a phone call that will be said. As you go to these events, I encourage you to do what I’m doing. Be curious and be prepared to ask questions. I’m praying for the opportunity to have those conversations--early, late or during the day. These things happens at these events.
Also a conference is an opportunity meet new people and form new friendships. One of the faculty is a children’s author coming from Australia. I’ve already connected with her on LinkedIN. I noticed her book had no Amazon reviews. I purchased her book, read it and reviewed it. Since she is traveling internationally, she is limited on the number of books she can bring. I’ll be bringing my book to get her autograph. Also I’m anticipating a possible opportunity to work together. I have other Australian authors. Morgan James prints and distributes in Australia--or maybe my reason for meeting this author is to encourage her.
During the conference, I’m teaching four parts of a continuing session on the actions every author can take to make a difference in their publishing experience. I’m taking some of my former teaching and reworking it around these themes and developing new material. This information comes from my working writer and editor perspective. I’m praying and expecting it to be life-changing for the conferees.
Each faculty member and attender have a full life and we are stepping away from that life for a few days of different activities. It’s not easy but we do it because of the immense value each of us find from these events.
There are many of these writer’s conferences around the country. My encouragement is for you to get it on your schedule and then plan your interactions (to a degree). Select your classes and then let the Lord guide your steps. How do you anticipate going to a conference? Let me know in the comments below.
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May 21, 2023
The Cost of Publishing
As an author, you will have to weigh the cost for your path. I���ve met authors who have paid over $10,000 to self-publish. By the time, they hired an editor, a cover designer, a layout designer the pages, it cost to get their book into the market. As this friend who spent $10,000 told me, when he looked back, he wished he had gone with Morgan James Publishing because then his book would be in bookstores and not just on Amazon but over 1,800 online bookstores. If you go the traditional route, you will need to create a book proposal and possibly find a literary agent (unless you meet a publisher at a writer���s conference).
Even if you traditional publish, you will need to spend time marketing and reaching your audience. Whether your publisher gives you this information or not, understand the majority of the marketing (80%) will be up to you.
As you make your choice about the publishing path, I encourage you to get advice and help from others but be aware that advice could cost you. Recently an author emailed me who had three independent publishing contract offers and wanted my help in a phone call. I responded and was willing to help--but not for free.
Admittedly I have a lot of free online information through my blog, free ebooks, my newsletters and other places. Yet when you are looking for my specific help for your contracts or publishing advice, I encourage you to expect to pay something for that help. From my decades in this business, the cost is minimal for the savings and value you will receive.
I compare such a request to having a friend who is a physician and you���ve gotten ill and need a prescription, you would not expect this friend to help without charging. Why would you expect it for a publishing question? Yet this author wrote me assuming I would call her, freely giving my counsel without charge. It is not a realistic expectation. Even if you publish with an independent publisher like Morgan James Publishing, it will cost you.
The road isn���t easy but success and selling books is possible on any of these paths. The exploration process costs nothing other than your time. What process do you use to count the cost of publishing? Let me know in the comments below.
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May 14, 2023
Tap the Power of Hope
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinIn the world of publishing, it’s easy to get discouraged. Let’s think about the volume of books which are published every day: over 4,500 titles. Recently, a colleague emailed me the link for this article: The 10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing. I encourage you to follow the link and study it, it’s pretty easy to feel small, discouraged and overwhelmed. Yes, I’ve felt all of those emotions in my daily work. In this article, I want to emphasize how you keep going in spite of these truths. What is your method to tap into the power of hope?
Look at the elements at the bottom of this article.Strategies For Responding to “The 10 Awful Truths”:1. The game is now pass-along sales and pre-orders.2. Events/immersion experiences replace traditional publicity in moving the needle.3. Leverage the authors’ and publishers’ communities.4. In a crowded market, brands stand out. 5. Master new digital channels for sales, marketing, and community building.6. Build books around a compelling, simple message.7. Front-load the main ideas in books and keep books short.
If you read these articles about The Writing Life, you know I see the glass as half full rather than half empty. When you have something discouraging happen, then you have to say the word “next” and look for the next opportunity.
We live in a world full of opportunities which are everywhere. Recently I recorded a podcast about Faith in Publishing. If you follow the link you can hear the 18 minute interview.
Another way to tap into the power of hope with your writing is to make sure you know why you are writing. Yes, some of your writing is to make money--but here’s an important truth: not all of it. For example, I’ve written over 1,000 book reviews on Amazon and over 800 reviews on Goodreads. I write these reviews to support other writers. Other times I write devotions and not for the pay which is often minimal. I write these words to encourage others. I encourage you to mix some of this type of writing into your writing life along with the writing which helps you pay your bills.
As Christian writers we have a super power in prayer and God’s promise to lead us with our writing and to open new doors. The right opportunity for your writing is out there. But this opportunity doesn’t just fall from the sky or into your email box or on your phone. Every writer has to be actively looking for the opportunity and open to it. As you have magazine ideas, you need to write query letters and pitches. I encourage you to attend writer’s conferences to meet editors and agents. At these events you can speak with them face to face about ideas and possibilities. Also as you have book ideas, I encourage you to write a book proposal or a business plan--even if you self-publish. Then pitch this book proposal.
As you pitch your ideas, no matter what happens whether it is accepted or rejected, keep going. I keep going because the journey is all about finding the right opportunity and fit. What practical actions do you take to tap into the power of hope? Let me know in the comments below.
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May 7, 2023
Why Your Word Count Matters
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinGood writing and storytelling is foundational in every submission. I’ve been in publishing for many years and in a few minutes, I can read part of your writing and see if the writing and storytelling is there.
Throughout my writing life, I’ve been encouraging writers to gain this writing and storytelling skill not in the book area but in the magazine area of the market. It is easier and faster to work with the shorter form and you will likely reach more people than with a book.
If you have passed the hurdle of good writing, what other factors are important in your book submission? The one I want to emphasize today is your word count.
Recently got a novel submission from a New York agent who has not worked in the editorial area. I liked the writing and storytelling from these authors. It was unusual for this agent to submit something to me. I knew that it was likely she could not sell it anywhere else and that I was a last resort submission. Because I’ve worked in the editorial area of publishing for years, I could instantly spot the challenge of this submission: the word count. This novel was 213,000 words.
To be fair to this agent, she didn’t come from an editorial background. She probably has never focused on the importance of the word count and how that detail translates into the production costs of the book.
I knew instantly the word count would be a concern to my colleagues. I reached out to one of them for clarification. This colleague confirmed my suspicion about the projected size of this book. A 213,000 word novel will be 700 pages in a 6 x 9 format and have a retail price of $49.95 (Yes, $50). The sales for this book in this length are going to be dismal and it explains why another publisher had not decided to publish this book.
I explained the details of my discovery to this agent and I recommended the authors find a couple of places in the story to halt the action and end the book. I suggested the single story be split into three 70,000 word books. Then the retail price could be normal and the page count would be much more attractive to the readership--which sells books.
There are some additional reasons for making such a shift. In recent years, the price of paper has increased and this increase drives the increases in the retail price for books. Also in terms of a trend, people are reading smaller and shorter books. These factors play into your pitch to a literary agent or an editor and your word count may be one of the deciding factors.
During a recent marathon pitch session with multiple authors, I spoke with several authors who had novels with a 200,000 word count. I encouraged them to divide their story into a smaller novel. To a person, they instantly responded the story had no division point and was one piece. It is a common experience that I’ve had with authors. They either are open to guidance, follow it and increase their possibility of success. Or they are doomed to search for some publisher or agent to take it and when that does not happen, they self-publish (with likely dismal sales). As an author, you either listen to experienced advice or reject it.
Whether you are aware of it or not, the word count is used to calculate the finished book size and this detail figures prominently into the decision. I wrote a different author last week with a 107,000 word book to see if he can divide his book into two (or hire an editor to help him). Our upper limit for fiction used to be 100,000 words but now it is closer to 80,000 because of the increased retail price. This author was open to my suggestion and even pointed out a natural place in the story for the division. I liked this author’s “coachable” attitude and passed this positive information along to my colleagues who are still in the throws of deciding whether to offer a contract or not to this author.
As editors and agents get increased submissions, even the smallest details like word count can be a reason to reject the author. It takes time to coach or explain to them the reasons for a smaller book. Rather than spend that time with the author (and maybe not succeed), it is easier to pass on it and press on to the next submission.
As you write your books, are you aware of the importance of the word count? Let me know in the comments below.
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April 30, 2023
Writers, Use Your Marketing Assets
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinIn recent weeks, several unpublished authors have written saying they were pursuing traditional publishing because they were writers and didn’t want to spend their time in marketing and promotion. In my role as an acquisitions editor at New York publisher, Morgan James Publishing, I recognized these authors will have some hard realities ahead of them--especially if they want to sell books and be successful. Whether you publish with a well-known traditional house or independent publisher or self-publish, in this process of selling books and reaching readers, you will have to spend a portion of your time on marketing and promotion.
During my decades in the book business, I’ve seen many missed opportunities. One of my co-authors was interviewed on The Today Show. Her book was never mentioned and yes, I was shouting at my television while watching it. This author had no media training where they teach you how to create a sound bite with the name of your book and weave that into the conversation (no matter what is being discussed). Our book is long out of print. It is not what you want to have happen to your book but another reality of publishing.
After you understand the importance of marketing and promotion then including it in your regular efforts. You will discover it takes continual work combined with wise actions. Some of your actions will sell books and others will fail. It's all part of the process of connecting with your readers and it is different for every book.
I’ve encouraged my Morgan James authors to promote their book on radio. There are thousands of radio shows and opportunities to be interviewed and promote your book. Sometimes they tell me they tried it but didn’t feel like they sold any books from it.
There are several key actions in this process. First, understand your reader has to hear about your book at least seven or eight times before they purchase it. I’ve seen others say ten to twelve times. A part of what you are doing on the radio is giving your book this exposure which eventually leads to sales.
When you are on the radio, you need to speak in sound bites and make sure you are sending people to multiple places to purchase your book. Don’t simply send them to Amazon (a word bookstores don’t want to see and hate (yes, hate). You want to give multiple options including their local bookstore or direct from you.
Here’s the actions that my authors who didn’t get much out of radio have skipped--but are critical. After your radio interview, get the digital recording. This recording becomes a marketing asset but only if you use it. I upload my recording to my own hosting place where it is in my direct control and does not disappear. Then I continue to promote these live recordings on social media. Readers listen to them and buy books from it.
I want to conclude this article with a personal example. Radio host Bob Crittenden at Faith Radio in Alabama interviewed me about Book Proposals That Sell. I promoted the radio station website through my social media connections. Then I uploaded the recording to my own website where I toll continue to promote this asset. Follow the link to catch this 20-minute interview. Do you have marketing assets for your book and are you using them to promote your book? Let me know in the comments below. Tweetable:
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April 23, 2023
Help Me Reach This Milestone
Recently I noticed that I have 44 book reviews for 10 Publishing Myths . A new friend from a writers conference purchased my book and then added a new review. I specifically asked this writer if he would add a review and he followed through and did it. His five star review was my first new review in over a year. Why? Because I haven't been asking people to post reviews.
I’m writing this article to ask for your help to reach the milestone of 50 reviews for 10 Publishing Myths. If you have read my 10 Publishing Myths book , will you post a review? If you have bought the book on Amazon, then that would be a “verified purchase” review (which are nice but not essential in my view). I’ve written Amazon reviews on books that I have purchased other places and books that I’ve checked out of my local library. My local library has three copies of the book. If you live near me, you can check it out or if not, you can order it through interlibrary loan.
If you haven’t read it, why not? I make it inexpensive for you to get this important book. In fact, several years ago (before the pandemic), I spent several days taking a $5,000 book bootcamp where I set up this site to sell this book for only $10 including the shipping postage. It comes with over $200 of bonus gifts. If you haven’t gotten this book, I encourage you to check out this resource and opportunity.
I wrote 10 Publishing Myths for several reasons. First, I meet many authors who have unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their book such as “my book is going to be a bestseller” or “my book will make a lot of money.” While they say these statements, they have no action plans for those statements to come true.
There is a second critical reason I wrote this book. From my decades in publishing, I have seen many of my own book plans and dreams crash and not happen. It’s because much of the publishing process is outside of what the author can control. In each chapter of 10 Publishing Myths, I include a practical MBA or Myth Busting Action which every author can take achieve--even if you self-publish.
You don’t have to get the book directly from me. It is broadly available in any bookstore whether online or brick and mortar.
Even if you don’t get my book, I encourage you to look at this page I created to promote my book. It includes sample social media posts, links to a book review template and other tools for you to help me spread the word about my need for some more book reviews. Or you can use the ClickToTweet at the bottom of this article to spread the news.
I hope this article will also give you some ideas about action steps you can take to tell others about your book. If you find a good idea here, please take it and use it for your book.
One final time, I’m encouraging you to get 10 Publishing Myths, read it, then write a couple of sentences of review. Here’s hoping you will take action. Will you help me reach this milestone with my book? What insights did you learn for your own books? Let me know in the comments below.
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April 16, 2023
The Dark Side of Christian Publishing
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinWithin Christian publishing there is a dark side to this business. In over 1600 entries, I’ve never written about it--until now. Recently I traveled to a small Christian writers conference in Alabama. There were about 100 people at this event and I knew a number of the faculty. Besides meeting with a number of writers one on one, I taught two workshops and gave a keynote address during the event.
At the first meal, I sat beside an older gray-haired man who was clean shaven and well-dressed. Almost immediately we engaged in an interesting conversation. He was a former missionary in South America and a retired pastor writing a book. We exchanged business cards. It was a brief and common exchange which I’ve had with many writers at numerous conferences over the years.
For my flight home, I traveled with several other faculty members who were also headed to Colorado. We were changing planes in Dallas and waiting around in the boarding area for our flight. One of them mentioned possibly doing some writing coaching for the retired pastor I met the first night. To prepare for the possible coaching, he did a simple google search of the writer’s name. He was shocked to find a website dedicated to the sexual abuse victims and tied to the writer's name. He watched a couple of the YouTube videos and saw the image of the same conferee we met at this event. In the boarding area of the airport for our flight home, I learned about this conferee. A writers conference is a public event and anyone can attend.
I tell this story to point out the dark side of Christian publishing. Most of us presume a Christian writers conference (and the church in general) is a safe place to meet new people, form relationships and grow in your personal life. I read the news and know about people (even leaders) with wrong motives who do terrible acts to the people who cross their path--even in the church.
The majority of the time among Christians, we believe people have good motives and reasons for their actions. Yet the reality is each of us have a sinful nature and that is my reason to point out this dark side of Christian publishing.
Several years ago, my journalist friends Ann Byle wrote about this element in a magazine article in Publishers Weekly. When the article came out, I was shocked because I know each of the conference faculty named in her article. I had no hint from my relationships with these people that they were bent this direction. Ann’s original article had a follow-up piece which had 3,000 comments in response.
As a result of these articles, some conferences have started including a signed “Code of Conduct” statement from the faculty and attendees. Here’s an example:
“By participating in ______, we expect you to live out 1 Peter 1:15 and act according to these guidelines:
Behave in a biblical manner, treating all individuals with respect and consideration at all times.
Refrain from any behavior that is threatening, violent, aggressive, or sexually or morally improper. Examples of such behavior include but are not limited to:• verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, including sexual advances, propositions, requests, or comments (or anything that could be reasonably construed as such)• visual conduct of a sexual nature, such as leering; making sexual gestures; or displaying sexually suggestive objects, pictures, or cartoons• suggestive contact, such as inappropriate touching or impeding or blocking movement• inviting a member of the opposite gender to meet you in or accompany you to a private place, such as your conference dorm room, an off-site hotel, an unoccupied room, an empty hallway, or a basement corner• use of coarse, vulgar, or profane language. Avoid being alone with a member of the opposite gender in any private location.
Reporting Inappropriate Conduct
Report to _______ right away any behavior you witness that does not meet these standards or if you feel threatened or are made to feel uncomfortable by a conferee or another faculty member. Don’t wait until after the conference when we can’t deal with the situation.
All complaints of inappropriate behavior will be investigated as promptly as possible, and corrective action will be taken where warranted. All complaints will be treated with as much confidentiality as possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.
I agree to abide by this code of conduct.”
It’s a sad day that such a code of conduct is explicitly needed for a conference but it’s a reality of our world.
Let’s wrap this article with several explicit lessons:
Be aware of the potential danger--it’s really everywhere. You would think a Christian writer’s conference would be free from such a situation, but it isn't. Our reality is we live in a fallen world and have to take responsibility for our own actions. I encourage each of us to guard your own heart and life
How do you handle the dark side of Christian publishing? Let me know in the comments below.
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April 9, 2023
Every Writer Needs a Champion
One of the ways to ease your publishing journey through the complexity is to locate a champion. Within publishing, this champion does not carry the title of champion. It could be a writing coach, a literary agent or an editor at a publishing house. If you have such a champion, they are looking out for you as your book goes through the publishing process. Good communication is a value for this person and they understand that if the details don’t line up properly, then you will not get a contract offer. This champion will help you get through the process and answer your various questions. If the champion doesn’t know the answers, they will find the right person with the answer.
If you don’t have a champion, then you will get generic rejection letters with zero information or insight. It’s possible for you to be stuck in this rejection cycle for years. At the heart, the publishing business is relational and you have to work to find the right relationship--someone you trust and who has wisdom and experience that you need.
Let me include a couple of stories to illustrate the important role of a writer’s champion. Recently at Morgan James Publishing, I got a submission from a pastor with a daily devotional with 365 entries or 125,000 words. As an editor, I could see the internal discussion with my colleagues and this book was going to get rejected because of the proposed size. When this book got into production it was likely going to be over 400 pages and have a retail price of $35. These production details were something out of the author’s sight but critical for the decision-making process. I asked my colleagues for suggested alternatives and one suggested a 180 day devotional. Because the page count is smaller, then size and retail price would be a fit for the marketplace. With the reduced size, it could become a product which could generate sales and succeed. I called the author to see if he was willing to make this adjustment. Some authors are willing and others are not. Thankfully this author was open to our suggestion and got a contract offer for his book. Notice the flexibility of the author to make such an adjustment.
With another author, I looked at the internal comments about her proposed book, and I could see it was also going to be rejected because of the proposed size. I called this author to see if she could reduce her word count to something which could work and thankfully she was willing to make this adjustment and received a contract offer.
There are several lessons in these stories. First, as a writer, you have to be aware of the word count and what is working in today’s marketplace. Readers are looking for shorter books. I’ve had several authors who have proposed novels which are 200,000 word novels or similar to large works of fiction. When I suggested finding a place in the middle of the book to break it into two books, the author refused which terminates the possibility of publishing their book. For your book to succeed in the marketplace, it has to be commercial and reasonably priced. As an author, you have to be teachable and coachable to find your place in the market and sell books.
Often in these articles, I encourage you to take consistent time and energy to expand your connections in the publishing world. It will take work for the writer to locate the right champion or publishing connection. Whether you make this connection in person at a writer’s conference or online, make the connection. If you and I are not connected on LinkedIN, then look at my profile and send me a connection invitation.
What actions are you taking to find a champion for your writing? Let me know in the comments below.
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April 2, 2023
The Value of Contract Negotiations
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinIf an editor sends you a contract for your book, you should celebrate. As someone who has been in publishing for years, I know it is a huge success to receive a contract.
As an acquisitions editor, I have been involved in hundreds of contracts during my over ten years at Morgan James Publishing. I’ve also worked at two other publishers in this area and I’ve witnessed and been involved in my own contract negotiations through publishing over 60 books with traditional publishers.
It may surprise you but many people don’t do any negotiation. They sign the document and return it. It is important to negotiate with the right attitude. The basic principle is to tell the other party upfront, you are negotiating in good faith and do not want to do or say anything that will kill (or stop) the deal.
Recently an author told me a literary consultant was giving her contract advice. I received over three pages of wording suggestions and this author believed she was negotiating to send them to me. To be fair, some of the suggestions could possibly go through and be accepted. Several of the suggestions were “deal killers.” When there is a deal killer, the publisher will stop the negotiation and walk away from it. As I read through the suggested changes, I knew this author needed some of my assistance. If she was willing to remove the deal killers then I suspected a number of the suggested changes could be accepted and incorporated into her contract.
The publisher and the author have devoted a considerable amount of time and energy into the decision making process to even issue a contract. If the deal is killed at this point, the author returns to searching for a publisher and the publisher simply moves on to the next book. While it is more work for me as an acquisitons editor, I hope we can resolve the differences and still negotiate this contract. The balancing act in this process is tricky. As of this writing, I’m unsure how it will work out for this author.
Recently editor and author Jane Friedman wrote about The Business Skill I Wish I Could Grant To All Writers. The skill is negotiation. One of the surprising details in this article: “Not even the majority of agents negotiated the contract as well as they should have, because they were so advance focused. I wish I could say that your agent will definitely negotiate all the finer deal points, but that’s not the case in my experience. So even if you do have an agent, you should be asking them questions, too.” Most writers feel if they have an agent, then they will be well-represented in the area of negotiation. Like Jane, I have worked with a number of agents who don’t do much negotiation on the contracts for their authors.
My point is even if you have someone else negotiating for you on a book contract, you should still take the time and energy to understand the proposed changed and what is going on. Why? Because when the contract is signed, it is not the agent or literary attorney whose name is at the bottom of the contract and ultimately responsible for the contract. That responsible person is you, the author.
I have a couple of contract resources on my Right-Writing site to help you with understanding your contract and the negotiations. First Publishing Contract Checklist by attorney Timothy Perrin (scroll down to read this excellent article--I have an unresolved formatting issue). Also I encourage you to read Five Magic Phrases: Tips for Negotiating Like a Pro by Jenna Glatzer. Each of these resources will give you additional information and help you become a better negotiator.
Do you negotiate your contracts or do you give that responsibility to someone else like an agent? Let me know in the comments below.
My Articles in Other Places
In these entries, I encourage you to publish in other places. Here's where several of my articles have appeared:
Why Writers Need To Become Time Aware If you want to increase your productivity as a writer, one of the first steps is to become more conscious of how you are using your time.
Authors Who Succeed in the Book Business Success leaves traces and this article details some of those principles from successful authors.
Why You Must Understand Your Target Audience Every effective author knows their target audience and give the details in this article.
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Much of the publishing process is outside of the writer ’ s control. 10 Publishing Myths helps writers have a realistic perspective and take action. Get 10 Publishing Myths for only $10 +FREE shipping + over $200 of free bonuses.
March 26, 2023
The Importance of Boundaries
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalinSunday morning through LinkedIN, I got an email from a writer I met several years ago. She wasn’t ready when we met to submit her work but now she is ready. She was asking if I was still interested in seeing it. I could have waited until tomorrow to answer. Instead I wrote a short response encouraging her to go ahead. A little later, I researched my email and learned I met this author in 2019 at a conference. She wasn’t ready to send her submission back then but is now. It’s a good thing I’ve been doing this acquisitions work for over ten years with the same company. Sometimes my longevity in publishing pays off. As of this writing, she reached out but hasn't sent anything (which is another key part of the process).
I work in my home office and you can easily have no boundaries or parameters around when you work and when you don’t. Some of my publishing colleagues are difficult to reach and slow to answer email or return phone calls. I’ve gone a different direction in this area and a number of people have told me that I’m one of the most accessible people in publishing. My personal email address is in my Twitter profile because I want people to reach me.
I love my work in publishing--not all of it but most of it. The authors and people who work with me know that I will often answer emails late at night or early in the morning or on the weekends--outside of the normal work hours.
I have other friends and colleagues who create stricter boundaries in this area. They don’t respond to work emails after hours or on the weekends. When others look in at my work, it doesn't seem like I have any boundaries--but I do. It is rare that I do much work after 5:30 pm. If I have an intense writing deadline, I may write more pages late at night but in general, after 5:30 pm, I stop working for the night. It’s my family time and a solid boundary related to my work.
Some of my quick actions come from my love of the work. Also some emails are easier to go ahead and answer, rather than have them hanging around for an answer. Other times I will draft something, then hold the email in my “draft” folder until later in the day or the next day--just to make sure I've written the right details.
My emails are intentionally short and to the point. Also part of my reasoning for answering quickly is that I understand as a writer and editor that I am in the communication business. Yet many people in this communication business do not communicate. As a writer, I would approach editors or agents and never get a response or get a response weeks or months after I sent it. It's true we get a lot of email and submissions, but from my years of reviewing these pitches, it does not take weeks or even months to make a decision. Often in a matter of minutes, I can make a decision about a submission. The key is taking the time to respond. At Morgan James Publishing, we acknowledge every submission with a printed letter in the mail--even though each year we receive over 5,000 submissions and only publish about 200 books a year. Why make such an effort? Because making such an effort is good communication with the writing comnmunity.
As someone who has consistently processed submissions for years, one of the keys is to be organized and keep working at processing the submissions. It is an organization skill which every editor needs to develop. It's the same skill used to write and finish a book. It happens because you have a word count for the day or the week that you are going to consistently do. These blog articles don't happen without consistent effort. The lack of response shows me the editor isn’t organized. The longer it takes to get back to the author, I’ve found it less likely the author will be interested in working with you to publish their book. The reverse is also true, the earlier you can process it, the more likely they will come with you.
As a writer, if you aren’t getting responses to your pitches (book or magazine), then maybe you aren't pitching the right person. A great deal of publishing is tied to something outside of your control--timing. I encourage each of you to keep expanding your connections in the market and keep pitching to finally connect with the right person to publish your work. It's not an easy process but takes consistent work for it to happen.
What boundaries have you set in your writing life? Let me know in the comments below.
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