I Was Recently Reminded Why I Like Publishers

I ran an exciting auction this summer. The author and I subwayed up and down Manhattan on an only moderately hot day in July and visited eight publishers in ten hours. We met in small offices and in large conference rooms and in corner offices. In some meetings, twelve folks gathered with us. In others, one. So it goes in the literary business world.

We were interviewing editors, and they were checking out my client. I was there to keep the conversation going. Mostly though, I was inhaling the scent of books. Each publisher felt familiar. I recognized the structure—the rhythm—of their year. I recognized the mug full of sharpened pencils. I could imagine working there: the editorial meetings, the joy of looking at twelve covers to find the one perfect fit. I could hear the echoes of conversations, the past celebrations of successes, the bewilderment over a book that tanked.

Each book at a publishing house is “touched” by dozens of folks, each expert at their particular task, people who enjoy long careers in copy editing, design, marketing, publicity, editing…. When you page through a book, you should know how much work and time went into every element of what you see and touch.

Does it help writers to know this? I think so. Publishers invest their time and resources into your creative work. Yes, this is literary business, which means that our relationships are transactional. But each person who works for a publisher is looking to do something brilliant and magical and “right” every day. I’m so glad that I had long experience on the corporate side of publishing. Of course, I’m even happier now that I’m not dependent on solely one house to publish my list. And book agents don’t have to sometimes abandon pushing a writer’s career the way that an editor sometimes may. But it makes me smile to think about the many smart, caring people who work in this literary business.

The Garden Metaphor

Today I harvested 17 tomatoes. The six tomato plants I set out this year are greener and healthier than any I’ve staked out in the last twenty years. And I’m responsible for none of the plants’ success. At a neighborhood garden sale, late in the planting season, I impulsively grabbed four tiny, scrawny potted tomatoes that were missing their labels. I didn’t mulch them. I didn’t pinch off suckers. I planted them too close together. Yet I now enjoy a thick wall of healthy, heavily laden tomato plants.

There’s a truism among agents and editors: It’s the most unexpected book that ends up being the big success. Sometimes everything conspires for success: Sun and rain showered down in abundance. The soil was just right. The plants were healthier than they looked. They didn’t need to be fussed over.

Everyone in publishing spends long hours trying to get every single detail right—from the manuscript to the jacket, to publicity, to sales outreach. And sometimes, everything works and you think: Why can’t it always be this way in the literary business? It’s what keeps the seasons of book publishing exciting for agents and editors. With every list, you know there will be a few happy and unpredictable surprises.

Should I Fly to NY to Meet My Publisher?

Meeting your new publishing team after your first deal is a “must” visit. But time it correctly. Don’t just hop on a plane right after the deal for your new publication is made. It’s too early. Your editor will be focused on getting the contract done. She’ll be thinking about getting you an editorial letter. Your agent doesn’t have much to tell you that isn’t better said over the phone. And you don’t need to go over revisions in person with the editor. (The telephone acts like the perfect therapist when you’re talking about revisions with agents and editors. It serves the same happy function that a car drive often does in prompting conversation with your children: Both you and the editor will be far more open and creative when you’re not looking into each other’s eyes.)

But after your manuscript has been accepted (which should be approximately 12 to 18 months before your book is published), start planning a trip. Ideally that visit will happen 9 to 12 months before your book is published.

All publishers work on the same internal schedule. About a year before a new publication, publishers have what they call launch or marketing meetings. They circulate your manuscript in-house to all the staff that will be working on it. That would include marketing, publicity, subrights and the sales department. At this point, you’ll be on the publisher’s radar. They’ll want to meet you and won’t just be saying a polite hello.

Give your editor a few weeks’ notice so you’re firmly on her calendar. It’s not necessary that your editor take you out to lunch, but what you both want to do is meet and get to know each other. You want to meet the publicity team and you want to walk around the office. I think it’s especially useful to meet the sales force. They love books and, since they’re all extroverts, they will loudly share their enthusiasm.

If you wait to visit until only four or five months before your new publication, your impact will be lessened. By then, most of the publisher’s plans for your book will already have been set into motion. The publisher’s attention has shifted to the list after yours. Four or five months before publication, plans for your book are already securely settled, and there’s just not a lot you can do to impact your new publication.

Etiquette for Authors

When should I call my agent or editor? One of the many common author questions.

Many authors are nervous about protocol. An agent takes you on, and then for some reason, you feel uncomfortable about asking questions.

Remember, the agent works for you. She (or he) gets paid only if she sells your work. She hasn’t done you a favor by sending you an agency agreement to sign. She loves your work and wants to invest her time in selling it.

On the other hand, you do want to be organized and thoughtful in what you expect from your agent. After she’s made you an offer of representation and before you’ve accepted, write out a list of “author questions” that will minimize surprises later:

* Do you think my book needs more work? If so, how will we handle editorial matters? Will you write me a letter? Will we talk these ideas out?

* Once my book is ready to submit, who will you be submitting it to? (This a general question about the types of publishers the agent will be submitting it to. Don’t expect to receive a list of editors at this point. And don’t do your own research and start sending in ideas for the perfect editor at specific publishers. Editors will worry that you’re spending your free time digesting Publishers Marketplace instead of working on your book.)

* At what point do you give up sending my manuscript out?

* What’s the best way to contact you? E-mail or phone? I like to schedule calls in the beginning so I can focus on the interaction. Other agents prefer e-mail.

After a manuscript has been submitted, ask for a list of publishers and editors.

* Ask if the agent will send rejects as they come in or if they’ll hold them. (I prefer to hold them until I have several in hand.)

* If you have one question, wait a few hours; maybe that one question will turn into several.

When the contract arrives for a new publication…read it. And then go over it clause by clause so that you understand what deadlines you’re committed to and what rights the publishers will be selling.