I’ve been sent some tough questions lately — questions that you might have been wondering about in your own writing career. It seems like there are some difficult publishing questions that frequently get ignored, so I’ll try to tackle a couple of them today…

Donna wrote to say, "It seems like there are a ton of books that have sold a million copies lately. Can you tell me what the top books last year sold?"

I can, but prepare to be surprised. There were only four books last year that sold more than a million copies — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which sold more than 7 million); The Secret (just shy of 3 million); Eat, Pray, Love (just shy of 2M); and A Thousand Splendid Suns (sold 1M). That’s it. Four books.

There were another 15 titles that sold between a half-million and a million copies: The Dangerous Book for Boys, Kite Runner, Water for Elephants, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter all sold just under a million. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, Stephen Colbert’s I Am America, Sidney Poitier’s The Measure of a Man, John Grisham’s Playing for Pizza, Bob Greene’s The Best Life Diet, the two You titles (You: On a Diet and You: Staying Young), The Glass Castle, Eclipse, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince all sold more than 500,000 copies. And that’s it. There were 250,000 new books printed last year in this country. 19 of them hit the big time. Yikes.

John wrote to ask, "Do you have ethical problems with ghostwriting?"

I hate this question, because too many people are quick to say "YES!" without understanding the terms. I used to make my living as a collaborative writer. A well-known speaker would send me his notes and his seminar on tape, and I’d turn it into a book for him. It was all his material — I was just asked to wordsmith it for him. Sometimes I’d get the credit; other times I wouldn’t. Did I see that as unethical? Not really. As often as I could, I tried to get the writing credit, since I needed the attention in order to get more writing jobs. Sometimes I’d have someone ask me to really create something out of thin air — and I always insisted I get the writing credit for that, since I was including my own material. But rarely was I asked to create an entire book and let somebody else take the credit for it. That wouldn’t sit well with me.

However, there’s a type of writing-for-hire that is done routinely. I used to turn a couple of Christian radio preachers’ sermons into readable chapters — I was paid a flat fee to move the text from spoken word to written word, and I never considered that "ghosting." Some media types have their blogs or newsletters crafted by a collaborative writer, and nobody views that as ghostwriting. The comedy bits done on television talk shows are written by writers. and I don’t hear anyone complaining about not knowing who penned which joke. So why suddenly are people up in arms about the collaborative writing of books?

The real offender is sometimes the publisher, not the writer, by the way. I once had a publisher "forget" to include my name on the book cover. I sometimes would fight with publishers who argued that including the collaborator’s name on the cover would hurt sales (a ridiculous notion — it’s never hurt a Hollywood celebrity or a sports star to include a collaborative writer’s name). However, the strongest advocates for ghostwriting I’ve ever come across are some of the big Christian media types. I can think of one woman I worked with who would always start out asking for a collaborative writer and claiming cover credit would be shared — but then when the book was done and the cover being planned, without fail, she would argue that she couldn’t share the cover with a little-known writer. She always claimed it would create a problem with sales and marketing… but the fact was, it would only create a problem for her ego. Anyway, my point is that you shouldn’t always blame the writer. He or she is usually just trying to find projects that will keep food on the table.

Denise wrote and noted that, though she’s a novelist, she had been encouraged to write some nonfiction by her publisher."What’s the advantage of writing nonfiction if I’m a fiction writer?"

If you really don’t feel led to do it, Denise, say no. There are some marketing advantages — a nonfiction writer has another platform, another income source, and another way to get his or her message out to people. It’s arguably easier to get media and speaking engagements for a nonfiction writer than it is for a novelist. But there are also some disadvantages to switching from fiction to nonfiction: you can confuse people (important people like readers, editors, and publishers) by offering mixed messages. Generally speaking, a writer is know for his or her brand, and it can be harder to establish a brand if you write in both markets. That said, I represent some authors who write both fiction and nonfiction. Some have done well with both. Others try it and feel it takes them away from their true passion, which is writing novels. Don’t get forced into something because somebody else thinks it might be a good idea. Make sure you feel passionate about the topic before you throw yourself into a nonfiction project.

Carol wrote me and asked, "If you wrote a book for someone, and he paid you but never published it, does he still own it? Is there a time limit for something like that? Unfortunately, I did this, but we never had a contract, so I don’t know what my rights are."

Ouch. My first advice would have been simple: check your contract. If this was a work-for-hire, then no, you don’t have any rights to it. If it was a regular book deal, you might — talk to your lawyer and ask. This is exactly why you want a written agreement, signed by both parties, before you invest significantly in a writing project for someone. Without a written contract, you’ll probably have to rely on the oral contract you had — what did the two of you agree on? You’ve got to be careful here, because if you simply take your material and try to sell it, he might sue you for breach of contract.

Jan sent me a note that read, "I’ve been to your site. It seems like you have a lot of authors. How many authors do you work with?"

Actually, I don’t work with a lot of authors compared to some agents. But my guess is that most people wouldn’t know a big list from a small list, since they don’t know how to measure something like a literary agency — except perhaps in the number of deals they do. And, well, I’m currently in the top ten in terms of doing deals, according to Publishers Marketplace. And unlike many agents, my authors are listed on my web site, so you know who I represent. However, nearly all the authors I represent are under contract… so why the concern about numbers? Wouldn’t an author want to work with an agent who has a proven track record of success? While I was a publisher with Time-Warner, I worked with a much larger author base than I currently represent. I talked with a fellow agent about this recently, and he said to me, "I don’t think the size of a roster means that much. But the service, the reputation, and the quality of the agent means a great deal." I’d have to agree with him. Big or small, I’m comfortable with the number of folks I represent.

And while I’m talking about the people I represent, I’ve got a great story. Kaye Dacus is a novelist who has been working at the craft for several years, trying to get her project ready to sell. Her parents have been very supportive of her as she worked on manuscripts and went through grad school. Late last year, I helped her land her first deal. So for Christmas, she wrapped up a copy of her first book contract and gave it to her father. She took a color copy of her proposed cover, wrapped it around a book, and gave it to her mother. Her way of saying thanks, and of showing them she’s finally arrived. I just find that a very sweet story, and wanted to share it with you.

And one last, totally self-serving question… Carolyn wrote and asked me, "Why do you take the time to help writers and answer so many questions from all experience levels? Did you get similar help in your career, and are you now paying it forward?"

Um… I do it because it seems like the right thing to do. And yes, I’ve had some great help over the years, so I’m just repaying kindnesses, I guess. I owe people like Tom Day and Helen Bateman and Ursula LeGuin and Gene Robertson and Steve Halliday and John Van Diest and Pete Richardson and Rick Christian. Along the way, they showed me how to succeed. I love helping other people do the same. Now you know. I’ll get back to saying something snotty in a day or two.

Today marks the four best words in the English language… And I don’t mean "Happy Valentine’s Day, Darling" (though there’s nothing wrong with those sentiments — I got engaged on Valentine’s Day way back in 1982). No, the four best words are these: "Pitchers and Catchers report." You see, for those of us who are diehard baseball fans, today marks the start of a new season. Nobody has any losses, everybody has hopes for the future, and there are people across America who believe that this could be our year. (Not everywhere, of course. My apologies to the people of Kansas City.) So on this happy occasion, I thought we should take a bundle of new publishing questions people have sent in…

Rhonda wrote to say, "I had a book published several years ago with a small press. It’s now out of print, but I’d love to get it back into print. Do you think that’s possible?"

The hard truth? Unlikely. I’m sorry, Rhonda, but the facts are there’s almost no market for books that have been in print once before. Publishers have a tendency to look at them and say, "Um…if that other publisher couldn’t sell this, what makes you think we could?" It happens occasionally, but most often with a successful author revisiting an old book, or repackaging a book that can now be tied to an event in the newspapers.

Keep in mind that a book is like a man’s suit. It’s in style for a while, maybe even a long while, but eventually it seems dated. The culture isn’t static — things are moving forward all the time. The world is changing. It’s why parenting or relationship or health books that your parents read won’t speak to our contemporary world. So when your book releases, assume it’s going to be in style about as long as a new suit. In a while, it will start to show some wear. With time, it’ll seem dated. In a few years, it’ll be well out of date. And, most likely, out of print.

On a related note, Rachel asked, "Have you noticed how authors seem to lack staying power? A few years ago, some people were the biggest names in Christian fiction. Now they’re gone. What is it about contemporary writers that keeps them from sticking around?

If you think it’s bad for writers, consider the fate of musicians. Their music is all the rage one day, and the next day it’s considered a joke. I once heard a fading pop-star say that "nearly every successful musician has about a three-year run — anyone who stays longer than that is an icon." (Note: It was David Cassidy who said that. Anyone remember him? He fronted for The Partridge Family, then did sort of a bad single act. Three years and out. Yet he still performs, and still wears groovy sunglasses…even though he’s roughly the age of your grandfather.) But just so you know, publishing has always followed a similar pattern. An author will become all the rage for a few years, sell a lot of books, then suddenly find himself published but not popular. There aren’t many Charles Dickens or Mark Twains. And that means many of the popular novelists today may be a bit out of fashion in a few years. The culture is always looking for what’s new.

Ralph wrote and asked, "Is it ethical to have a short quote from another author at the start of my book? I have a quote from C.S. Lewis at the beginning of my new techno-thriller I’m about to market. Do I need to get permission?"

Um… you’re using a C.S. Lewis quote at the start of a techno-thriller? That’s not a combination I’d normally put together. Okay, I’m not a lawyer, so I’m not giving you legal advice. But fair use laws allow you to cite portions of another author’s work without getting written permission, so long as you provide an adequate reference to the original source. There are some limitations: You can cite prose, but not poetry or song lyrics. And you can’t repeat the author’s core idea (for example, if I wrote a book entitled "The Biggest Secret to Investing," you would not be allowed to quote the one sentence that reveals the one big secret). You also have to keep it short — there’s flexibility here, but you generally want to stay under 100 words or three lines of text. Anything else and you really need to write the publisher and seek permission — and they will charge you for the privilege of using someone else’s work. But no, there’s not generally an ethical problem with doing so.

Ami wants to know, "What do you think of creating a website for a novel that’s in progress? I’m also thinking about links to the main character’s blogs, and maybe having the characters post entries and leave comments on other blogs."

I think you’re asking two different questions, Ami. First, you want to now what I think about authors who establish a blog as a way to sell their unpublished novel. I guess I’m not a huge fan of that practice — who really visits those blogs? I haven’t seen them create a stampede of readers awaiting the book. I doubt agents and editors read them very often. But second, it sounds like you’re tossing out a marketing idea — could you have your characters create blogs, and pretend to visit other sites? That’s an interesting idea. I don’t know if it would work, or if the creators of those other blogs would simply find it annoying. (I often have people pretend to leave "comments" on this blog that are really nothing more than advertisements for their sites and services. I hate that, and I generally race to delete them.) Still, it’s certainly a creative idea. Maybe you could pull it off successfully.

Patty writes to say, "I have a submissions question. Let’s say I submit a query to an agent, who responds favorably and asks for three chapters and a synopsis. Two months later she says she’s read the first chapter and will get to the others soon. Three months after that, there’s silence. Do I take that as a rejection? I’ve followed up, and even had a couple email conversations with her, but I’m puzzled by her lack of communication because she seemed to like my story."

Well, if an agent has had your proposal for months and isn’t saying "yes," then he probably isn’t enamored with it. You’ve got to admit, if he loved it, he’d be talking with you about it. (And if he hated it, you’d have already heard the rejection.) This sort of thing happens — I’ll read a proposal, think it has merit, and set it aside to ruminate for a while. Later I might come back to it and realize I was out of my mind that day. So… a thought. Maybe the agent, who no doubt sees hundreds of "pretty good" proposals crossing his desk every year, sees that there are good and bad parts to your writing. Maybe he’s trying to talk himself into it. Maybe he likes you but isn’t crazy about your writing on this piece. Maybe he is sitting on a half-dozen "maybe’s" and is trying to figure out which ones to say yes to. The best thing you can to do is to keep working at it. Make your proposal better. If the agent suggests revisions, try them out. Keep the dialogue going. If the agent is continuing an email exchange with you, he obviously has some interest, Patty. (And if the agent is female, feel free to go back and replace the word "he" with the word "she" in this answer. I try to use non-sexist language, but when I did so in this response, it was almost unreadable. Sorry.)

Tony sent me this: "I’m a published novelist, with my third book coming out soon, and suddenly I find myself bombarded with requests for endorsements. It seems as though every author or author-wannabe is sending me their manuscript and asking me to read it and say something nice. Help, Chip! What do I do?"

Lots of successful writers get these requests. When you think about it, the answer really isn’t that hard, because you’ve only got a limited number of responses. First, you can simply say, "Sorry, but I’ve been encouraged not to do any endorsements." That may not win you any friends, but it certainly offers a ready answer. Second, you can say, "Because of the number of requests I get, I can only endorse a handful of novels each year. This year I might do three or four, and I’ve already committed myself to a couple friends’ books." Third, you can do what I tell my authors to do: "I ask that all these requests go through my agent." Then simply tell your agent which ones you want to endorse, or that you don’t want to endorse any at all — that saves you from having to deliver the bad news, and forces that deadbeat agent of yours to finally earn his keep. Fourth, you can do the hard thing: You can say something like "send it to me and we’ll see," and then force yourself to look at a bunch of manuscripts. Many authors do this. But make sure you warn people up front that you aren’t guaranteeing an endorsement. Because you need to hear a work of caution: Don’t endorse anything you haven’t read fully, and don’t endorse anything you don’t really like. If you’ve agreed to look at someone’s manuscript, only to find it’s not any good, you’ve got to go back to that author and say, "I’m flattered that you asked me, but I just don’t think I can do this after all." Hard words to say — but much better than endorsing some stupid book and having your readers feel you swindled them into buying something bad.

And let me close with something fascinating that my buddy Dennis Hensley discovered. He found that The Astrological Magazine had ceased operations, which isn’t a big surprise to me, since I think people who follow horoscopes are a bit weak in the bean. However, this one must have really scraped bottom. On their web site are these words: We regret to announce that, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, the publication of The Astrological Magazine will cease with the December 2007 issue." Uh… shouldn’t their star sign have revealed that something was up? I’m just saying…

A couple months ago, my buddy Andy Meisenheimer stopped in to talk about one of his pet peeves: the overuse of novelists turning all thoughts into italics in their manuscripts. Andy is an editor at Zondervan, and his post caused much debate and hand-wringing with some writers. Never being one to avoid a good controversy, I asked him if he’d come back.

Chip: So your last visit to my site created a stir, Andy. You ready to face this again?

Andy: Yeah, my last guest blog might have come across as Andy’s Vindictive Rant About Certain Arbitrary Rules of Style. People assuring me they’d never, ever, use thought italics, and people offering condolences to the poor writers who have to obey my every whim (and Mike Snyder, constantly calling to let me know his progress in eliminating thought italics from his current manuscript). Instead of a discourse, it became an ultimatum. Instead of "okay" and "better," it became "wrong" and "right."

My intention for that post, and any time I speak up about words, is to encourage writers toward better writing. They aren’t rants about my personal hot-button issues. They aren’t indirect ways of editing my current authors (please, Mike — stop calling). If your editors says to take out all semicolons, I encourage you to say, "Puh-leeze. You got somethin’ to back that up? The market isn’t buying books with semicolons?"

Chip: So would you say an editor’s job is to continue the conventions? Or to help an author break them successfully?

Andy: An editor’s job is to help the author discern what’s working. A good editor must appeal only to conventions of the craft and the effect upon the intended reader to justify editorial comment. And convention and effect are fluid things, open to change and dialogue and debate. Not that they are subjective; there are conventions, and there are effects upon readers, and their equivocation does not make all opinions valid.

In other words, subjectivity is not always the culprit. Think of it like furniture. My wife and I can go shopping for a chair, and we’ll look at one chair. I might like it; Mandy might hate it. That’s fine. That’s liking and disliking; it’s subjective. (Though at the point at which it messes with current fashions — basically, how people have been taught to respond to something — we can call that "effect upon the intended reader," and subjectivity takes a back seat.)

But is it a good chair? Will it hold up? That depends on the skills of the craftsman, but it’s not subjective. It’s based on a lot of factors, most of which you could learn through a school or apprenticeship, but the proof will be in the pudding. Sit on it, rock back and forth, jump on it, have your dog bite it, and suddenly you’ll see if the chair is good or not.

Chip: I guess that makes you a powerful person in the life of a writer!

Andy: Well, that’s a weird way of putting it. Like saying my wife is a powerful person in the life of her husband. True, but weird.

Still, the most fun part of being an editor — and, I like to think, about being edited — is inspiring writers to achieve more. The pushing-forward part of editing, instead of the pulling-back part. Instead of, "You’re doing this wrong," it’s "You could do this even more right." It’s the part that says, "This is a moment — take advantage of it!" and "You should try writing your next novel in second person, future tense, in reverse chronology!"

Chip: Do you ever find yourself intruding on someone’s manuscript?

Andy: Sure. I’m no saint. I’ve got hot buttons. And I probably justify some of them with highfalutin arguments. But I stop myself often and ask the question: Is this just me, or is this on behalf of the reader? To the best of my ability, I want my authors to feel freedom to do what needs to be done to get the story told, and the freedom to ask, "You got somethin’ to back that up?"

Chip: Interesting stuff! So to sum up, you believe all authors should write their novels in second person, future tense, with reverse chronology. Got it. ("Hey," I’m thinking to myself, "this Andy guy is an interesting character…but since I’m thinking this to myself, I’ll be sure to put it in italics…")

A grab-bag of questions about publishing and writing today…

Mary-Lynn wrote to ask, "What do I need to know about creating a proposal for an agent? Is it like filling out a form, or do I create the story for them to see?"

I guess you could say that creating a proposal is a bit like filling out a form, in that there are certain elements you really need to include: title, subtitle, author bio and sales history, notes on the manuscript (word count, when it will be completed), genre and audience notes, overview of the book, table of contents or story synopsis, comparable titles, sample chapters, and marketing information. If you’re a first-time novelist, you are doubtless going to have to show the agent the entire manuscript, whereas with a nonfiction book you can still sell it based on a great proposal and some sample writings. If this is a non-fiction book, you want to show an agent what the need is for this book, why you’re writing it, and what your qualifications are for writing the book. Those are fairly universal. If it’s a novel, you want to reveal a brilliant story, interesting characters, and snappy writing. An agent isn’t usually going to agree to represent your book based solely on the idea. He or she will also want to know that you’re a fine writer, that you have other ideas, that you’re willing to help with the sale and marketing of the book, and that you’re a person who is easy to get along with. (This part doesn’t get talked about as much as it should. An agent/author relationship is similar to both a creative friendship and a business partnership — so you need to be a match, or neither party is going to be happy.) If you’d like to see some sample proposals, I keep both a fiction and a non-fiction proposal on my business web site.

And Debbie wondered, "Do you suggest a writer seek endorsements before approaching an agent?"

I don’t "suggest" it, but every agent likes to see that a trusted, successful author has endorsed your writing. Just remember, agents aren’t stupid… they’ve figured out that sometimes an author will go to friends he or she has met at a writing conference, and asked for a blanket statement that basically says, "This person is my friend." That won’t do you much good. If you’re going to get an endorsement, make sure it’s from a recognized voice in the industry — someone who speaks to your potential readership. In addition, make sure the individual has actually read your work, so that the endorsement speaks directly to your voice and style and story. Anything else won’t mean much.

Ashley asked, "How extensive of a platform do you look for in a first-time novelist (as opposed to a new non-fiction writer)?"

This is an excellent question. I can’t speak for all agents, because different people view this different ways. Personally, the most important aspect I look for in a first-time novelist is great writing. I want to see strong characters in interesting situtations, facing big choices and having to make decisions that are left up to interpretation. More than anything, I look for a strong voice in the work — something I rarely see, since I’m of the opinion it takes significant experience for most people to establish their writing voice. That said, I’ll admit that I love to see a novelist come to me with either a strong track record or a healthy platform — options most first-time novelists don’t bring to the table. Establishing a platform takes time and effort — you’ll do well to get a head start on yours, whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction.

Carol wrote and wondered, "What do you think about getting a copy of your book printed by LULU or some place like that, for the sole purpose of showing it to publishers during a pitch session?"

I don’t think much of the idea. I don’t believe it helps sell the book — in fact, I believe in the majority of situations it turns off the publisher. In the first place, most self-published books I see are poorly edited. Many have bad covers. Some are in need of a serious re-write. If you show a book like that to an editor, you start the conversation by putting a negative thought into her head. In addition, no publisher wants to purchase somebody else’s rejected or out-of-print book. Even though your book might be hot off the presses, it gives the appearance of already having been done — so when you hand it over, the editor is thinking she’d be buying used goods. Think about it: editors aren’t normally buying printed books; they’re normally buying loose manuscripts. I just don’t see this working very often, so I discourage it with the authors I represent.

Lisa wrote to ask, "How has the huge influx and influence of blogging in recent years affected writing, writers, and the writing industry?"

Blogging has had a huge impact on writing and the business of writing. First, the internet has turned people back into readers instead of watchers (the younger generation may not be reading books, but at least they are reading), so people the world over are reading favorite blogs and getting turned on to words. Second, blogging has opened up all sorts of new avenues for writers. Instead of just waiting for a magazine to come out, or hoping for a book deal to give them a voice, a contemporary writer has an immediate opportunity to create his or her voice by establishing a blog. Third, the advent of blogging has given rise to an entirely new marketing outlet — blog tours and blogging buzz have multiplied the chances an author has to talk about his or her book. And fourth, blogging has created writers by giving many "a place to be bad."

That’s an old entertainer’s term. When I worked as a magician and standup comic years ago, we used to say that the little clubs and bars in cities across the country served a valuable purpose: they gave us all a place to be bad; a place to begin our acts and work out the bugs. After a bunch of performances in venues like that, we were ready to move to a bigger venue. We’d figured out the art, had entertained tough customers in the real world, and the best were ready to move to the big time. (Note: This doesn’t mean all the shows at small venues were bad; only that there were places where putting on a show that was a work-in-progress wasn’t the worst thing in the world.) Similarly, blogging and e-zines have created untold opportunities for new voices to write, practice, and be heard. I know from having talked to authors at conferences all over the country many writers are learning the ropes on the internet, then moving to either a bigger web audience or into print media.

Got a publishing or writing question? Send it in and we’ll offer you an answer.