Jacob wrote to me and said, "I submitted to one of those compilation books, and the company requested I put my social security number on all my submissions. I wrote to ask them about the practice, since my submission had not yet been accepted, and was told by one of the people who helps with the project that he ‘puts his SSN on everything’ he submits. What’s your advice on this subject?"

My advice is clear: DO NOT PUT YOUR SSN ON YOUR PROPOSALS. In fact, my guess is that anybody who routinely sticks that sort of confidential information on all his proposals is a dipstick. Don’t take career advice from that individual. Yikes.

Belinda wrote and noted, "I have been accepted into a compilation book, but their contract has an endless non-compete. When I asked them about it, I was told they ‘don’t mean it like that.’ What should I do?"

Sticking with the dipstick theme, if the editor said to you, "I know the contract only calls for you to make a 2% royalty, but we don’t mean it — we’ll pay you 15%," would you agree to sign? No way. The reason you have a written contract is to clarify exactly what the deal is. If they want to offer a broader non-complete clause, get it written down, or suggest some wording for them to insert into the contract. Basically a non-compete is there to protect a publisher from an unscrupulous author writing a book with one house, then writing a very similar book and producing it with another house, thereby cannibalizing sales. An author who regularly writes and speaks on a particular topic needs to gain some freedom, so as not to be prohibited from ever writing on that topic again. A good contract strikes a balance between the publisher’s protection and the author’s calling to speak to a certain issue.

Timothy asked, "How long does a publishing house normally hold a submission before they make a decision?"

I don’t think there is a "normal" period of time, but generally if a house likes a project, you figure they’re probably going to get back in touch with the agent with a decision within two or three months. S0metimes it’s much faster. But if a publisher has had a project for four or five months, they most likely don’t have a lot of enthusiasm for it.

Stephanie wants to know, "How long does an agent wait after they’ve queried a publisher before they check back with that publisher?"

That depends on a myriad of factors — what’s the project? who’s the author? what’s my relationship to the editor? how much interest am I getting on this project? how big of a hurry are we in? It’s not uncommon for me to check back within a couple weeks on a normal project, just so I get a feel for how a submission is being perceived by the publisher.

Shanielle asked, "Assuming someone approaching you is a great writer, would you take them on as a client if he or she was not yet a full-time writer? And would you take on a person who has no plans to become a full-time writer?"

Most agents I know would be thrilled to take on a great writer, whether the author is full-time or part-time. But I’d say the goal with many writers is to move toward being full-time. Not everyone shares this dream — I represent a novelist who has clearly said to me she doesn’t have the desire to move toward a full-time writing career. But she’s probably in the minority.

Chris wrote to ask, "How can I find a listing of reputable agents who will accept queries from unpublished writers?"

There are four books you should review… You can look at Chuck Sambuchino’s comprehensive Guide to Literary Agents, from Writers Digest Books; or try Writers Market, the  guide to the industry also published by Writers Digest each year; or Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers Market Guide, published by Random House each year; or Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, and Literary Agents, an annual from Three Dog Press. You can also go online to numerous sources in order to research literary agents — try the Association of Author Representatives site, or simply begin to do some googling.

Two sites every author should be aware of include Writer Beware and Predators & Editors. Both are sites aimed at protecting authors by offering advice and pointing out unscrupulous agents. They serve an important function in an industry that sometimes attracts some bad characters.

Got a publishing or writing question? Send it in and I’ll try to get you an answer.

A heapin’ hunk o’ questions came in while I was on vacation, so let me catch up with them.

Mike wrote to ask, "Could we talk about making money through publishing in ways other than writing books? Like manuscript critique, reading submissions for publishers, writing reviews, etc. Do you think there’s value in these sidelines?"

There’s certainly value in these endeavors, Mike, but in most of them there’s not much money. Let’s put these publishing activities into two categories: the EXPERIENCE group, and the INCOME group…

In the EXPERIENCE group, an author finds ways to get more involved with the industry, learn about the craft, and make connections. To that end, he or she can write book reviews, create a column in a local newspaper, review movies or restaurants, read submissions for an agent or editor, participate in a blog, send an e-zine, regularly post articles on a web site, and send in a short piece for a book of collected essays (like the Chicken Soup or God Allows U-Turns books). All of those are great ways to get some experience and exposure. None of them will pay much.

In the INCOME group, a writer can set up an editorial service, offer to critique manuscripts for a fee, do copy editing for publishers (who are always looking for good copy editors), create magazine articles, do some collaborative writing, help authors strengthen their proposals, do contract evaluations (if you know what you’re doing), or take a job with a publishing-related company. That could mean working part-time doing office work for an agent, or helping a marketing company with author tours, or even taking a job at Barnes & Noble. When I was a free-lance writer, I wrote study guides for people. I have a friend who works for a travel company and writes traveler-related stories. Another friend puts together a newsletter for one of America’s largest home builders, another is paid to write articles on local businesses for the Chamber of Commerce, still another edits the trade journal for concrete workers. I was talking with an author yesterday who edits web content for one of the largest tele-com firms in the country. It’s all word-related, so you’re working on the craft, and it all helps pay the bills. It’s tough to make a living at writing. For most real-world writers, this is how they help put food on the table.

Gail wrote wanting to know, "I see you’re going to speak at a writers’ conference later this summer. How often do agents typically attend conferences? Once a month? Once per quarter?"

It depends on the agent. Some agents don’t like talking in front of groups or being approached by a bunch of newbies. They find other ways to invest their time. But I enjoy speaking and hanging out with a bunch of writers — probably because I remember being one of those people sitting in the back row, not knowing anybody. People in the industry have been very good to me, and while I can’t represent everybody, this is one way of giving back. Still, it’s a sacrifice. I’m not paid much, they work me long hours, and it’s a couple days away from my real job, which is running a literary agency.

I’ll be at the Philadelphia writers’ conference in August (writehisanswer.com), and I was just asked to pinch-hit for another agent who had to drop out of the Oregon Christian Writers’ conference (a good regional conference in the Pacific Northwest, I had to do it, since I’m an Oregon native — Go Ducks!). The only other conference I’ll attend this year is the ACFW conference, happening in mid-September. The American Christian Fiction Writers conference moves around, but is in Minneapolis this year, and I’ll tell you right now it’s the best annual Christian writers’ conference going. Great instruction, superbly organized, a wonderful group of people attending, and their awards are beginning to gain some recognition in the industry. Oh, and they’ll be doing their author signing this year at the Mall of America! Check them out at ACFW.com. (They also have started a blog that talks about things like "how to get the most out of a writing conference," so I suggest you take a look, even if you’re not attending ACFW.)

On a related note, Ed wants to know, "Do agents go to conferences on their own dime in hopes of snagging a new client?"

Occasionally they will, especially when an agent is at the starting stage of his or her career. But for an established agent, the conference will usually fly them in, ask them to meet with 15-to-25 writers, speak at a couple of workshops, maybe participate on a panel or lead an ongoing class, and then pay them about $300. That’s just not much money for a couple days of my life (put into real-world terms, I’d only have to do one $2000 contract to earn that sort of money). It’s the one-on-one appointments that really wear on you — especially when you face an over-eager wannabe author with a bad idea who doesn’t want to listen to your ideas for improving his work. Still, I enjoy the give-and-take with most writers, it often gives me a chance to visit with authors I represent who live in the area, and you’re right — there’s always the possibility that I’ll see a dynamite idea or meet a great writer at a conference. In fact, let me offer some examples…

Mark Bertrand is a guy I’d read online for months before meeting him a couple years ago at ACFW. He was clearly a good writer, and MUCH smarter than me, so I was looking forward to shaking his hand at the conference. We met, I discovered he’s a great guy (the type of person I wished lived closer so we could hang out together), and we started working together. Mark just signed a three-book deal with Bethany House. Susan Meissner is one of the best novelists in CBA. My wife was a fan before I was, and introduced me to her work. I loved her voice and stories, and I was thrilled to meet her at a writing conference. We ended up standing next to each other in the security line at LAX, started talking, and… she just signed a two-book deal with Random House. Susan Page Davis is one of the busiest writers in the business — she currently has four or five different publishing houses asking to work with her. And Susan just walked up and introduced herself to me at a writers’ conference a couple years ago. I could see immediately that she could write, and she’s been a joy to represent. And let me use one unpublished author — Gina Holmes runs the very popular Novel Journey web site (noveljourney.blogspot.com, interviewing incredible writers… but I warn you: if you visit once, you’ll be hooked for life). We met at a conference in North Carolina several years ago. She walked up, introduced herself, and we started talking. She’s funny, charming, and her knowledge of the craft is scary good. Gina is also a fine writer. She isn’t published yet, but she’s got the gift, and will be soon enough. These are just four examples of the benefit I get from attending a conference. 

Dom wrote to ask, "What is BEA? I heard it just happened in LA."

Correct. BEA is Book Expo America, and is the big book show of the year. It just took place at the LA Convention Center. Lots of industry events, all the publishers showing off what’s new, huge discussions about the changes happening in the industry (more on that in my next post), and the usual amount of hand-wringing about the economy, Borders, indies going under, the cost of paper, etc. If you really want to know "what’s now" in the world of publishing, BEA is one of the best things you can attend all year.

And that leads me to this question from Donna: "How many books get published each year?"

I’m going to use some info that was just released at BEA to answer this question. Bowker announced that in 2007 there were 276,649 NEW titles released last year, up about two thousand from the previous year. They also noted there were 134,773 short-run and publish-on-demand titles created last year, so there were a total of 411,422 books published last year. That means 2007 offered the most new titles in the history of publishing. (Stop and read that sentence again.)

The Zogby people also did a study. According to Publisher’s Weekly, Random House commissioned them to survey the book-buying habits of 8000 American adult readers. What they found was interesting: 14% buy more than twenty books per year, about half buy fewer than ten books per year, and more people buy online (43%) than anywhere else. There were a number of fascinating little tidbits in the report (for example, NPR is the biggest single influencer of book-buyers, and Jon Stewart influences more decisions than Oprah Winfrey), and you can get the whole thing on the Zogby site (www.Zogby.com).

Hey, and may I close by tooting my own horn? The folks at Seekerville have presented me with an "Award for Excellence" for my blog. Woo-hoo! Thanks very much.

If you’ve got a publishing question, bung it along and I’ll respond.

I’ve had a number of questions recently from people in the beginning stages of their careers…

Deann wrote to ask, "As a beginner, is it a good idea to get published in an anthology? And what do you think about newer authors setting up book signings and doing readings from anthologies? Is that just good local PR?"

When you’re starting your career as a writer, it’s pretty much a good idea to get ANY bylines you can. So participating in anthologies is one good way to get introduced to the business. You should also consider looking to get published in magazines, e-zines, and web sites. If you’ve got a local newspaper, by all means try to get into that regularly. Think of it as learning to play the piano — it takes lots of practice time and performing in plenty of dumpy school recitals before you get to be the star onstage at the concert hall. What you’re looking for is a chance to perform somewhere. (Or, if you prefer sports analogies: Think of it as learning to play baseball — it takes lots of practice time, and playing in plenty of American Legion games before you get to sign a contract with a major league team.)

As for anthology participants doing readings… It’s not a bad idea, especially if you have some other pieces to read and talk about. But I sense from your question that you’re wondering if a writer might be over-selling herself. And my answer is "maybe." Still, it’s good PR for your career.

Ashley emailed me and said, "I’ve been working on my novel for months, and finally got the first few chapters to a place I feel comfortable. But when I sent them to my editor, she hacked it up and told me what to improve. So I worked on those things, until she approved of my new, revised work, and I send them to an experienced author for a critique… and SHE tells me to do exactly the opposite of the editor! I’m going crazy. How seriously do I take editors and critiques from other writers? It seems like everyone has a different opinion. Who do I trust?"

This is a common problem, Ashley, especially with newer writers. What do you do when one friend says, "Blue — it’s got to be blue," while another friend is saying, "No matter what, don’t make it blue"? That’s a dilemma facing many writers who ask others for their opinion. The real difficulty, in my mind, rests in the mistaken notion that there is a "right" way to do a novel. There isn’t — though there are many wrong ways. Editing is as much an art as it is a science. If you give ten editors a manuscript, they may all share some of the same criticisms, but they’re sure to find different things to like and dislike. That’s the nature of art. It’s why some editors rise to the top, and others remain doing the meat-and-potatoes stuff in-house. So the best thing you can do is to find an editor or author you trust, preferably one with a solid track record, and ask them to give a look at your work. Of course, the person you pick may not be right. He or she may make some choices you disagree with. The fact is, as an author you’re always listening to advice, choosing to follow some of it, and ignoring some of it. As you mature in your talent, you’ll begin to figure out which advice to follow, and which advice to ignore.

Having said all that, let me offer one additional thought: If you’re a new writer, ask for advice. I don’t know many new writers who are any good. While we all like to envision this untrained, uneducated kid rising from nowhere to conquer the world with great talent, in the real world every successful writer I know improved with training. So by asking for help, I think you’re taking the right step.

Susan wants to know, "How can a first-time attender get the most out of a writing conference?"

I’m a huge fan of writing conferences, since they offer writers a chance not only to learn in formal teaching sessions, but to hang out with writers and editors and learn just by being with them. If you’re going to a conference this summer, start by figuring out who is on the faculty. Who do you most want to learn from? Who are you hoping to meet? Which editor or author would have the most to teach you? Next, look at the conference schedule and try to select a course of study that will give you the best information for your career. (If you’re in a session and you realize it’s not at all what you expected, you might have a backup plan at the ready, so you can sneak into another one… even if you’re  a few minutes late.) Most of all, plan to participate in things. Don’t spend your time hanging back, afraid to engage. Go to the sessions. Eat the meals at the tables with everyone. Introduce yourself around. Say hello. Meet people. There’s nothing more fun than starting up some friendships with other writers you like. Stay up late and talk, go for a late-night glass of wine, and connect with these people — many of them are just like you.

If the conference schedules one-on-one appointments, by all means participate. Sign up to meet with an editor, bring some of your writing to show him or her, and ask questions about how you can improve. Don’t set some incredibly high bar for yourself ("I’m going to get a publishing deal" or "An agent is going to see my work and immediately sign me"). Instead, set reasonable goals for finding practical ways to improve your craft. After the conference is over, send thank you notes to everyone. And go back over the things you studied, so that you don’t lose the information you spent so much money trying to learn. A writing conference is one of the best learning experiences imaginable for a beginning writer.

In a related vein, Kathleen wrote and says, "I would like to attend a good Christian writing conference this summer. Can you recommend a couple?"

Sure — the Write to Publish conference will take place this weekend at Wheaton College in Chicago. It’s a great conference, if you can squeeze it in. And the Oregon Christian Writers Conference will be in Portland in late July. (I would have recommended the Ridgecrest Conference in North Carolina, but it was last week.) Of course, there are numerous writing conferences at college and universities around the country. The Taos Conference in New Mexico, the Bread Loaf Conference in Middlebury, the Sewanee Conference, and the Harriette Austen Conference at the University of Georgia all have things to recommend them. There are numerous others that are excellent. These aren’t "Christian" writing conferences, but they offer great information, with excellent faculties, and many are cost effective. In fact, summer is when every good writing program hosts a conference, so check the local colleges nearby. If you’re really looking for a great Christian conference, and it’s too late for the upcoming ones, you may want to wait until September and attend the ACFW Conference, which this year is in Minneapolis. Strong faculty, wonderful learning experience. Probably my favorite conference. (Oh… and I’ll be at the Oregon conference and the Harriette Austen conference this summer.)

And on a similar note, Hank wondered, "Is it a good learning experience for a new writer to attend the ICRS convention?"

The International Christian Retailing Show (formerly the CBA International show) is happening in mid-July. In their never-ending quest to find the hottest spot on the planet to host the show, this year they set it at the Orlando Convention Center. (Rumor has it that next year they’re looking closely at Death Valley.) It’s a time when every religious retailer gets together to show off the wares — so the convention floor is filled with CD’s, t-shirts, ties, shoes, socks, jewelry, posters, wall art, choir robes, communion plates, and everything else religious. Oh, and books. Thomas Nelson, the largest CBA publisher, has pulled out of the show this year, but the rest of the publishing world will be there. (And yes, there will be dumb stuff there — candies and underwear and couch cushions with Bible verses on them…but plenty of good stuff as well.)

Is it a good idea for a new, unpublished author to attend ICRS? I think so, as long as you keep the goal in mind. (And the goal is "to learn about the industry.") At the show, you can wander the floor and get a feel for all the different book companies. You can see where they are strong and where they are weak. You’ll get a feel for the direction titles and covers are heading in the industry. You’ll discover which topics are being talked about, and which are being ignored. You might be able to spot the "next big thing." Who knows — you may even hit on a great, undiscovered book idea. More than that, by looking at all the different publishers, you’ll begin to get a feel for where you might fit — both in the industry, and with a particular publisher. Many of the publishing houses have author parties, so if you wrangle an invitation, you’ll get a chance to rub shoulders with the authors and editors. And best of all, you’ll meet people and make friends — and publishing is as much a "who-you-know" industry as any other in the United States. It’s a great time. I make fun of the dumb stuff, but I love the show and have been going for more than twenty years. If you go, make sure to stop me and say hello. I’m the tall, good-looking guy who is constantly being mistaken for Brad Pitt.

Got a publishing question? Send it in and we’ll answer it.