Ten Notes for Today’s Writer

1. Lots of big news this week, including something nobody seemed to have sniffed… THOMAS NELSON WAS BOUGHT OUT by an equity company, Kohlberg and Company. Remember, Thomas Nelson is one of the largest Christian publishers in the world, and they were sold just a few years ago to the guys at InterMedia (one of the pioneers in cable TV, InterMedia made the interesting step of pulling the company out of being publicly traded, and went back to being a private company). Anyway, the previous owners had financed a big chunk of the purchase, and Kohlberg must have seen Thomas Nelson was going to make them money, since they paid off the $219 million loan (go ahead and read that figure again) and took control of the company. 

2. Wow. And it didn't stop there – they had the good sense to keep Michael Hyatt, perhaps the brightest mind in CBA, and the man who has restructured the company and made it both leaner and more focused, AND they brought on Jane Friedman as a board member. Some CBA people may not recognize the importance of that, but Jane used to be the boss at HarperCollins, the owner of Zondervan, before that was the Executive VP of Random House, and before that Publisher at Vintage . I'll tell you there isn't a publishing professional who doesn't respect Jane — she's one of the best, most experienced minds in contemporary publishing. An incredible addition, frankly.

3. Novelist (and longtime friend) Joyce Magnin, best known for her wonderful "Bright's Pond" novels with Abingdon, has started a company to help new novelists get their manuscripts ready. This isn't just another editorial service — take a look at her website. You'll come away totally impressed:  www.joycemagnin.com/Site/Narrative_Destiny.html

4. If you're a married woman (or you have any married women in your life), they can be part of a research project on intimacy being done by respected CBA speaker/writer Sheila Gregoire of Canada. If you’re willing to participate, it’s right here:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VBGHVGV… I think it's an important study that is going to turn into a book, but I want you to be aware it is a little, shall we say, intimate.

5. Mark wrote in to ask, “In 100 words or less, what is the best writing advice you ever received?”

For me, that's easy… On page 71 of Strunk & White's "Elements of Style" (3rd Edition), they give this advice: "Write with nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs." In the words of E.B. White, it is nouns and verbs that "give to good writing its toughness and color." In his insightful work "On Writing," novelist Stephen King goes into great detail on this advice, pointing out that any reader can understand a combination of a noun and a verb: "Mary sighs." "Computers crash." "Books illuminate."

In my experience, authors (particularly novelists, but ALL authors) tend to use adjectives and adverbs to dress things up when they can't find the right word. But that's nothing more than lipstick on a pig. The right word is what good writing is all about. If you want punch and strength in your writing, write with nouns and verbs.

6. In light of my blog yesterday on collaborative writing, Danny wants to know, “What should a collaborative writer be paid on a project?”

 It depends on the project. In the annual WRITERS MARKET book produced by Writers Digest Books, they have an annual report on what collaborative writers, editors, copyeditors, and all those other freelance publishing jobs should be paid. It’s usually near the front of the book. Do yourself a favor and check the most recent edition so you’re up to date.

7. And Dale asked, “As a collaborative writers, should I ask for a 50/50 split on the income from the book?”

Again, that depends on the project. In terms of splits, I've seen everything from a straight work-for-hire (in which I'm paid a flat fee to do the work, with no percentage of advance and royalties) to a 60/40 split (I got the 60% because the "author" didn't have any actual facts or stories or material or message… he was, on the other hand, cuter than all get out, so I wrote the book and he talked about it). I keep seeing people say "fifty-fifty is the norm," but collaborative authors should be aware that there is a huge range of alternatives. (And, let's face it, I love getting questions from someone named "Dale," since it allows me to make "Chip and Dale" jokes.)

8. One other thought: On some high-end projects, the collaborator might be asked to have a cap on his or her money. For example, I once did a deal where I was paid 33% of advance and royalties, but my earnings would cap at $100,000. (It fell just short of that, unfortunately. Another $90,000 and I would have hit the cap.) My advice: Don't agree to a cap unless it's high.

9. And Toni asked, “As an agent, how do you deal with the idea of hearing ‘no, this isn't what we want’ all the time?”

A thought to keep in mind: EVERYBODY experiences rejection. And all of us feel a bit deflated when we hear someone say "no thanks," even if it turns out to be a project we didn't really want to do anyway! As an agent, I face rejection nearly every day. I'll send out a bunch of proposals for authors I represent, and it could be that the majority of publishers who look at those proposals will say "nope." That doesn't matter…I'm just looking for ONE publisher who will say "yes!" What I've found is that the more time I take making sure the proposal is strong, that there's a market for the project, and that it's a fit for the people I'm sending it to, my percentage of "yes's" goes up dramatically. 

The thing about rejection is that a writer has to divorce the emotion from the decision. A publisher didn't reject your idea because they disliked you, they rejected it because they don't like your idea, or they don't see the need, or they don't think the writing is quite ready, or they already have a similar item in the works, or… or maybe because they're all too stupid to see the obvious timeless quality of your work. (But probably not.) So divorce yourself from the notion that "the publisher doesn't like me" and start thinking about "how can I make this work?"

10. And a word of encouragement in this busy writing week: I think writers often give up too easy. The fact is, writing is hard work, and it generally doesn't come easy, and I find far too many writers who, upon discovering the work involved, simply give up. You know what? If you don't want to work hard, get a job at Wendy's. And if you can't take any rejection, you should probably stay out of publishing. Just write in your journal and occasionally turn something in to your church newsletter. That way your feelings will be protected and you'll never get hurt. (You'll also never get published, but that's the choice you're making.)

Chip

Posted in Career, Current Affairs, Publishing, The Business of Writing