Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
A couple of recent news items have me thinking about the importance of looking at information in context.
The first is an article from the Los Angeles Times entitled "Book Publishers See Their Role as Gatekeepers Shrink." The article covers a number of writers who are bypassing trade publishers to publish their work themselves--such as Joe Konrath, who has had a great deal of success self-publishing his backlist on the Kindle; Seth Godin, who last year decided to become his own (and apparently other people's) publisher; and Greg Bear and Neal Stephenson, who are serializing a collaborative novel online.
The second is a cluster of information about ebook sales. According to USA Today's latest Best-Selling Books list, ebook sales for the week after Christmas were higher than print sales for 19 of the top 50 sellers. Amazon reported similar news in October, when it revealed that for top-selling books, Kindle ebooks were outselling both hardcovers and paperbacks; and in December, Barnes & Noble announced that ebook sales had surpassed print sales on the B & N website.
Everyone loves a juicy news bite. But before you decide that ebooks rule and print is dead and it's time to self-publish your magnum opus online, there's a bit more to be said about all these stories.
The "Gatekeepers" article does something that many discussions of the seismic changes that are rocking the publishing world too often seem to do: it takes several non-typical examples, and, either by implication or omission, makes it seem as if they can apply to anyone. The authors discussed in the article are successful, established writers--in some cases, best selling writers--who possessed substantial platforms and self-promotional savvy before deciding to bypass their commercial publishers and self-publish. These are advantages that your average debut author, who must begin from scratch, or your long-time midlister, whose small audience is mainly characterized by the fact that it never gets much bigger, don't possess. What Seth Godin can do, in other words, probably isn't what you can do.
Are there platformless authors who've achieved self-publishing success? Absolutely. Right now, this seems especially to be a phenomenon of the Kindle, where self-publishing authors are tapping into the growing enthusiasm for ebooks (and for the Kindle itself). In a recent blog post, Joe Konrath provides a list of self-pubbed Kindle authors who he says are selling at least 1,000 ebooks a month. Even here, however (and assuming these are documented figures, rather than anecdotal reports), things need to be put in context. Many of these authors have multiple books on offer (i.e., they may be selling 250 copies each of four books, not 1,000 copies of one book), and/or are pricing them well below what larger publishers charge (which makes them extra-attractive to ebook enthusiasts, many of whom are very hostile toward trade publishers' ebook pricing strategies). And even if, as Konrath claims, the list is only a small sampling of high-selling Kindle self-publishers, these success stories have to be considered in the context of the thousands of self-pubbed authors whose ebooks aren't selling in large quantities. Konrath seems to assume that just about anyone, with some effort, can move a substantial number of ebooks, but I'm betting there are a lot of writers out there who know it's not that easy.
I'm not saying you shouldn't self-publish if you want to (though I would urge you to do so on the basis of knowledge rather than hype), or that self-publishers can't become successful (clearly, they can--something that has always been true, for every possible value of success). I'm just saying that it's risky to assume that others' success stories will apply to you. "Anyone can do it" are dangerous words. Look for the story behind the story--it may be as instructive as the story itself.
What about ebooks outselling print, though? Doesn't that say something about the potential for self-publishing success in a digital world? Doesn't it prove we've reached a tipping point, beyond which the dominance of digital is assured?
Well, there's some context here, too. As USA Today notes, the surge in e-sales is a post-Christmas boom, spurred by all the people who got Nooks and Kindles and iPads for Christmas and spent the holidays busily filling them up with ebooks. A better test of the trend, if it is a trend, will be to take a look at the situation a few months down the road. It's also good to remember that the ecology of best-sellers is rather different from that of other books, and trends displayed by high-selling books may not apply across the board.
As for Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's ebook figures, they say something important about the huge popularity of those retailers' ebook devices. But while ebooks can only be bought online, print books are bought both online and off. In other words, Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's figures represent the totality of Kindle and Nook sales--but only a fraction of print sales.
Per current estimates, ebooks account for about 9% of all trade book sales (a figure that's probably a good deal higher for some genres and some books). Ebooks are rapidly gaining market share, and this time next year they'll undoubtedly hold a bigger chunk of the market. How much bigger, though, is anyone's guess. Beware of prognosticators--nobody owns a crystal ball, no matter how much they may want you to think they do.
Be forward-thinking in your quest for publication. Embrace trends; take risks. Just be sure to research everything, investigate everything, and remember that facts and statistics don't emerge from a vacuum. They may look very different when considered in context. Whatever decisions you make about your publishing future, you'll be most assured of achieving your goals if you proceed on the basis of knowledge, rather than headlines and hype.
Oh, and happy 2011, everyone!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Holiday Hiatus
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Because even watchdogs have to rest sometimes, the Writer Beware blog will be taking a break over the holiday season. Unless there's a really juicy publishing story, this blog will be on hiatus until the new year. (We'll still be answering email, so if you want to reach us, drop us a line at beware @ sfwa.org).
Wishing all our wonderful readers and subscribers a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season--whatever kind of holidays you celebrate. See you in 2011!
Because even watchdogs have to rest sometimes, the Writer Beware blog will be taking a break over the holiday season. Unless there's a really juicy publishing story, this blog will be on hiatus until the new year. (We'll still be answering email, so if you want to reach us, drop us a line at beware @ sfwa.org).
Wishing all our wonderful readers and subscribers a happy, healthy, and peaceful holiday season--whatever kind of holidays you celebrate. See you in 2011!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Some Tips on Evaluating Literary Contests
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Since I so often get questions about the legitimacy of literary contests (see, for instance, my posts of December 16 and December 7), I thought it would be helpful to post some suggestions for evaluating any contests you may be thinking of entering.
Who's conducting the contest? If it's an organization, magazine, or publisher you don't recognize, be sure to verify its legitimacy. If you can't confirm this to your satisfaction--or if the contest doesn't name its staff or sponsors--don't enter.
You may have to do some digging--for instance, this contest, which on the surface looked like a collaboration between a writers' magazine and a publisher, turned out on closer inspection to be one writer attempting to promote his self-publishing endeavor. Or this one, which appeared to have several sponsors but was actually all the same (less than reputable) company.
Be especially wary of contests that spam you, or are nothing but a webpage with an entry form, or are announced on Craigslist, or appear in the form of an ad in the back pages of writers' magazines or an announcement in a national newspaper supplement (these are usually vanity anthology companies).
Is the contest free? If so, you probably have nothing to lose by entering--though be sure to read the fine print. If you're a poet, be aware that a "free" contest is one of the major warning signs of a vanity anthology scheme.
Is there an entry fee? Contrary to popular belief, an entry fee does not indicate a questionable contest. Many legitimate contests charge a fee to cover processing expenses (which sometimes include an honorarium to readers) and to fund the prize.
However, entry fees should be appropriate. Excessive entry fees can be a sign of a profit-making scheme. For book manuscripts, stories, or poems, between $5 and $25 is typical. Larger contests may charge more--the IPPY Awards, for instance, charges $75--but anything over $40 should prompt you to do some careful checking, especially if you aren't familiar with the contest organizer.
By entering, do you get the "opportunity" to spend more money? If you're encouraged to buy additional services when you enter--critiques, marketability analyses, tickets for an awards banquet--it may be a sign that the contest is a moneymaking venture, rather than a real competition. Some contests are no more than fronts for selling services or merchandise. For instance, this one, which requires contestants to buy a coaching package. Or this one, which peddles paid critique services to entrants. Or this one, where winners must buy their own trophies.
How often does the organization conduct contests? Excessive frequency--running a contest every month (as this writers' magazine does), or bunches of contests every quarter--can also be a sign of a moneymaking scheme.
How many categories are there? Reputable contests typically have a specific focus, and limit the number of categories under which you can submit. For instance, a contest may be for screenplays only or for book manuscripts only. A contest for fiction may have separate categories for books, poetry, and short fiction, or be broken down by genre.
The point is that a reputable contest shouldn't feel like the kitchen sink. Be careful of contests that call for any and all talent, especially if everything is lumped together under a single prize (how can a novel manuscript compete with a short story or a screenplay?). Watch out for contests that have dozens of separate categories (like this one, which has well over 100). Again, the contest sponsor may be trying to make a profit from entry fees.
Are the contest guidelines clearly stated? A legitimate contest will provide clear rules, including information about contest categories, deadlines, eligibility, format, fees, prizes and the circumstances in which they will or will not be awarded, judging, and any rights you may be surrendering. If you can't find these, don't enter.
Who'll be doing the judging? It's in a contest's interest to name its judges, since the caliber of the judges speaks directly to the contest's prestige (or lack of it). This is important information for you as well, since a contest with a judging panel of successful writers and/or industry professionals is much more likely to be a good addition to your writing resume if you win.
Some contests prefer to protect judges' privacy, so a contest that doesn't name its judges isn't necessarily illegitimate--as long as you're confident of the reputability of the contest sponsor. If you aren't, be wary. No-name judges may be under-qualified, or the contest's own staff may be doing the judging--or, in the case of a contest that's a moneymaking scheme, the judges may merely be a fiction.
For contests that are wholly or partly judged by crowdsourcing (for instance, reader votes may advance entrants through initial rounds, with only the finalists actually considered by judges), be aware that this is a capricious process that is vulnerable to cheating.
Are there fringe benefits? Critiques, general feedback on your entry, or meetings with industry professionals are often a worthwhile feature of the more high-profile contests. However, you should never be asked to pay extra for this perk. Also, be sure that the professionals really are professionals. A legitimate contest should clearly state their names and credentials.
What's the prize? There are many possibilities--money, goods, services, even publication. Prizes should be clearly described in the contest guidelines (watch out for contests that allow the contest sponsors to substitute prizes--you may not get what you expect), and they should be appropriate to the contest sponsor. Unless you're certain of the sponsor's legitimacy, contests with very large prize amounts--$5,000 and up--should be treated with suspicion, since they may be moneymaking schemes. (Such contests, which tend to have higher-than-average entry fees, often have fine print that pro-rate the prize amount according to the number of entrants--i.e., as the number of entrants falls, so do the prize amounts, with the downsteps carefully calculated to preserve a profit for the contest sponsor.)
Contests that offer representation, publication, or production as prizes are very appealing. Winning can be a genuine springboard for a writer's career--as with the Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel. Be sure, though, that it's a prize you really want to win. Always research the agency, publisher, magazine, or production company to make sure it's reputable, and don't enter a contest whose rules make it impossible for you to refuse the prize if you win. If publication is involved, be sure that you know exactly where and how you'll be published--magazine contest prizewinners are sometimes published in a separate booklet available only by special order. If you're looking for exposure, that's not the way to get it.
There should never be an extra cost associated with a prize. If there is, it's almost certain the contest is a fake.
Have you read the fine print? Always read the contest rules and guidelines carefully before you submit, so you can be sure exactly what you're getting into. Odd and unpleasant things are sometimes lurking deep in the fine print.
For instance, you may be asked to provide inappropriate personal information. Or just by entering, you may be granting rights to the contest organization, such as first publication or the right to sell your entry elsewhere. Winning may impose obligations--for instance, you may be required to use the contest sponsor as your agent, or agree to publication as a condition of winning (beware of offers you can't refuse, especially if you can't view the contract beforehand). A condition of winning may be giving up copyright, which means the organization holding the contest could use your entry for any purpose it wishes (even without your name). The sponsor may reserve the right to substitute prizes, or to reduce or eliminate prizes if certain conditions aren't met. Watch out for language suggesting that the contest sponsor can use your entry for purposes other than publicity. And if you enter a contest online, be aware that you may be giving permission for your entry to be published at the company's website, whether you win or not (a frequent complaint about the now-defunct vanity anthology company Poetry.com).
Is it worth it? I've left this till last, but in many ways it's the most important question of all. Many writers see contests as a possible springboard to success--a way to bulk up their writing resumes, or get a toehold in the industry. However, for novelists, poets, and short fiction writers, few literary contests have that kind of cachet. A contest will impress an agent or editor only if s/he recognizes it, and a string of obscure contest wins will not strengthen your query letter. Screenwriters have more options--but even in the film world, reputable contests are greatly outnumbered by pointless, useless, or deceptive ones.
Remember also that submitting to a contest can take your work off the market for weeks or months, since many contests don't allow simultaneous submissions. Also, depending on the contest, your chances of success may actually be a good deal slimmer than if you simply approached agents or publishers in the conventional way (assuming your manuscript is marketable). The mammoth Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, for instance, which offers publication as the prize, allows up to 10,000 entrants, of whom only two can win.
Finally, even your best efforts at due diligence may not keep you out of trouble. The problems with the contests run by small publisher Zoo Press provide a cautionary example.
Bottom line: thoroughly research any contest you're thinking of entering, always read the fine print--and consider whether your time and energy might not be better spent actually submitting for publication. That's the real prize, after all.
Since I so often get questions about the legitimacy of literary contests (see, for instance, my posts of December 16 and December 7), I thought it would be helpful to post some suggestions for evaluating any contests you may be thinking of entering.
Who's conducting the contest? If it's an organization, magazine, or publisher you don't recognize, be sure to verify its legitimacy. If you can't confirm this to your satisfaction--or if the contest doesn't name its staff or sponsors--don't enter.
You may have to do some digging--for instance, this contest, which on the surface looked like a collaboration between a writers' magazine and a publisher, turned out on closer inspection to be one writer attempting to promote his self-publishing endeavor. Or this one, which appeared to have several sponsors but was actually all the same (less than reputable) company.
Be especially wary of contests that spam you, or are nothing but a webpage with an entry form, or are announced on Craigslist, or appear in the form of an ad in the back pages of writers' magazines or an announcement in a national newspaper supplement (these are usually vanity anthology companies).
Is the contest free? If so, you probably have nothing to lose by entering--though be sure to read the fine print. If you're a poet, be aware that a "free" contest is one of the major warning signs of a vanity anthology scheme.
Is there an entry fee? Contrary to popular belief, an entry fee does not indicate a questionable contest. Many legitimate contests charge a fee to cover processing expenses (which sometimes include an honorarium to readers) and to fund the prize.
However, entry fees should be appropriate. Excessive entry fees can be a sign of a profit-making scheme. For book manuscripts, stories, or poems, between $5 and $25 is typical. Larger contests may charge more--the IPPY Awards, for instance, charges $75--but anything over $40 should prompt you to do some careful checking, especially if you aren't familiar with the contest organizer.
By entering, do you get the "opportunity" to spend more money? If you're encouraged to buy additional services when you enter--critiques, marketability analyses, tickets for an awards banquet--it may be a sign that the contest is a moneymaking venture, rather than a real competition. Some contests are no more than fronts for selling services or merchandise. For instance, this one, which requires contestants to buy a coaching package. Or this one, which peddles paid critique services to entrants. Or this one, where winners must buy their own trophies.
How often does the organization conduct contests? Excessive frequency--running a contest every month (as this writers' magazine does), or bunches of contests every quarter--can also be a sign of a moneymaking scheme.
How many categories are there? Reputable contests typically have a specific focus, and limit the number of categories under which you can submit. For instance, a contest may be for screenplays only or for book manuscripts only. A contest for fiction may have separate categories for books, poetry, and short fiction, or be broken down by genre.
The point is that a reputable contest shouldn't feel like the kitchen sink. Be careful of contests that call for any and all talent, especially if everything is lumped together under a single prize (how can a novel manuscript compete with a short story or a screenplay?). Watch out for contests that have dozens of separate categories (like this one, which has well over 100). Again, the contest sponsor may be trying to make a profit from entry fees.
Are the contest guidelines clearly stated? A legitimate contest will provide clear rules, including information about contest categories, deadlines, eligibility, format, fees, prizes and the circumstances in which they will or will not be awarded, judging, and any rights you may be surrendering. If you can't find these, don't enter.
Who'll be doing the judging? It's in a contest's interest to name its judges, since the caliber of the judges speaks directly to the contest's prestige (or lack of it). This is important information for you as well, since a contest with a judging panel of successful writers and/or industry professionals is much more likely to be a good addition to your writing resume if you win.
Some contests prefer to protect judges' privacy, so a contest that doesn't name its judges isn't necessarily illegitimate--as long as you're confident of the reputability of the contest sponsor. If you aren't, be wary. No-name judges may be under-qualified, or the contest's own staff may be doing the judging--or, in the case of a contest that's a moneymaking scheme, the judges may merely be a fiction.
For contests that are wholly or partly judged by crowdsourcing (for instance, reader votes may advance entrants through initial rounds, with only the finalists actually considered by judges), be aware that this is a capricious process that is vulnerable to cheating.
Are there fringe benefits? Critiques, general feedback on your entry, or meetings with industry professionals are often a worthwhile feature of the more high-profile contests. However, you should never be asked to pay extra for this perk. Also, be sure that the professionals really are professionals. A legitimate contest should clearly state their names and credentials.
What's the prize? There are many possibilities--money, goods, services, even publication. Prizes should be clearly described in the contest guidelines (watch out for contests that allow the contest sponsors to substitute prizes--you may not get what you expect), and they should be appropriate to the contest sponsor. Unless you're certain of the sponsor's legitimacy, contests with very large prize amounts--$5,000 and up--should be treated with suspicion, since they may be moneymaking schemes. (Such contests, which tend to have higher-than-average entry fees, often have fine print that pro-rate the prize amount according to the number of entrants--i.e., as the number of entrants falls, so do the prize amounts, with the downsteps carefully calculated to preserve a profit for the contest sponsor.)
Contests that offer representation, publication, or production as prizes are very appealing. Winning can be a genuine springboard for a writer's career--as with the Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel. Be sure, though, that it's a prize you really want to win. Always research the agency, publisher, magazine, or production company to make sure it's reputable, and don't enter a contest whose rules make it impossible for you to refuse the prize if you win. If publication is involved, be sure that you know exactly where and how you'll be published--magazine contest prizewinners are sometimes published in a separate booklet available only by special order. If you're looking for exposure, that's not the way to get it.
There should never be an extra cost associated with a prize. If there is, it's almost certain the contest is a fake.
Have you read the fine print? Always read the contest rules and guidelines carefully before you submit, so you can be sure exactly what you're getting into. Odd and unpleasant things are sometimes lurking deep in the fine print.
For instance, you may be asked to provide inappropriate personal information. Or just by entering, you may be granting rights to the contest organization, such as first publication or the right to sell your entry elsewhere. Winning may impose obligations--for instance, you may be required to use the contest sponsor as your agent, or agree to publication as a condition of winning (beware of offers you can't refuse, especially if you can't view the contract beforehand). A condition of winning may be giving up copyright, which means the organization holding the contest could use your entry for any purpose it wishes (even without your name). The sponsor may reserve the right to substitute prizes, or to reduce or eliminate prizes if certain conditions aren't met. Watch out for language suggesting that the contest sponsor can use your entry for purposes other than publicity. And if you enter a contest online, be aware that you may be giving permission for your entry to be published at the company's website, whether you win or not (a frequent complaint about the now-defunct vanity anthology company Poetry.com).
Is it worth it? I've left this till last, but in many ways it's the most important question of all. Many writers see contests as a possible springboard to success--a way to bulk up their writing resumes, or get a toehold in the industry. However, for novelists, poets, and short fiction writers, few literary contests have that kind of cachet. A contest will impress an agent or editor only if s/he recognizes it, and a string of obscure contest wins will not strengthen your query letter. Screenwriters have more options--but even in the film world, reputable contests are greatly outnumbered by pointless, useless, or deceptive ones.
Remember also that submitting to a contest can take your work off the market for weeks or months, since many contests don't allow simultaneous submissions. Also, depending on the contest, your chances of success may actually be a good deal slimmer than if you simply approached agents or publishers in the conventional way (assuming your manuscript is marketable). The mammoth Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest, for instance, which offers publication as the prize, allows up to 10,000 entrants, of whom only two can win.
Finally, even your best efforts at due diligence may not keep you out of trouble. The problems with the contests run by small publisher Zoo Press provide a cautionary example.
Bottom line: thoroughly research any contest you're thinking of entering, always read the fine print--and consider whether your time and energy might not be better spent actually submitting for publication. That's the real prize, after all.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tidbits
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Query Letter Mistakes
Following on the theme of my previous post, here's a fascinating survey on the common mistakes that writers make in their query letters.
Blogger JM contacted one hundred literary agents with the following question: What is the single biggest mistake writers make when querying you? More than 50 responded. Here are the problems mentioned most frequently:
Great information, direct from the source.
How Not to Use Social Media
"Get thee to social media." This is universal advice for new and newly-published authors looking to build their readership. But though it's easy to say, it's not so easy to do. For social media to work as a promotional tool, you have to know how to use it--and that does NOT mean begging people on Facebook to "like" your page, or blasting out 500 "check out my new book!" messages on Twitter. If you use social media solely for self-promotion, or if you're too obvious about the fact that you're promoting yourself, you will probably fail.
So how do you make social media work for you? Jane Friedman takes an illuminating look at this question in a blog post entitled When (or Why) Social Media Fails to Sell Books. The bottom line:
You Can't Make This Stuff Up
If I told you that there was a literary agent who promoted his services via a series of videos featuring a sex doll, would you believe me?
Meet "Arielle," virtual hostess for Mocknick Productions Literary Agency.* Arielle's "job" is to "give you information on the agency and the literary business in general" (including why paying an upfront contract fee is a good idea), via "four informational slide shows." (The slide shows used to be available directly from Mocknick's website, but possibly due to the attention they've brought him recently, clicking on them now takes you to YouTube.)
But wait, there's more! Arielle the sex doll has HER VERY OWN STORY! She's a Doll Warrior, star of a screenplay written by Mocknick himself. That's right, folks, David Mocknick, fee-charging literary agent, is also an aspiring writer.
For much more ridicule, see P.N. Elrod's blog post.
* It probably will not surprise you to learn that David Mocknick charges a $500 contract fee, has never sold a book or a script that Writer Beware has been able to discover, and is included on Writer Beware's Thumbs Down Agency List.
Query Letter Mistakes
Following on the theme of my previous post, here's a fascinating survey on the common mistakes that writers make in their query letters.
Blogger JM contacted one hundred literary agents with the following question: What is the single biggest mistake writers make when querying you? More than 50 responded. Here are the problems mentioned most frequently:
- "Go to my website for a sample of my work…"JM also includes a treasure trove of quotes from the responding agents about each of these problems, and exactly why they will torpedo a query.
- "Find my query attached…"
- Querying before your manuscript is ready
- Writing a query that is overconfident or pompous
- Sending a query that has clearly not been proofread
- Queries addressed to "Dear Agent" (or anything similar!)
- Vague query letters!
- Queries with more than one agent listed in the "To" field
- Queries that have no clue what the agent represents
- Queries that have no clue what the agent's submission guidelines are
Great information, direct from the source.
How Not to Use Social Media
"Get thee to social media." This is universal advice for new and newly-published authors looking to build their readership. But though it's easy to say, it's not so easy to do. For social media to work as a promotional tool, you have to know how to use it--and that does NOT mean begging people on Facebook to "like" your page, or blasting out 500 "check out my new book!" messages on Twitter. If you use social media solely for self-promotion, or if you're too obvious about the fact that you're promoting yourself, you will probably fail.
So how do you make social media work for you? Jane Friedman takes an illuminating look at this question in a blog post entitled When (or Why) Social Media Fails to Sell Books. The bottom line:
Your social media involvement and platform building won't work as a one-time effort (though, of course, you might have a specific campaign for a specific book that's very strategic, which is excellent).
You have to be consistent and focused over the course of your career.
Most importantly, it has to be about more than selling books—or whatever your goal might be. It has to be about what you stand for, and who you are.
You Can't Make This Stuff Up
If I told you that there was a literary agent who promoted his services via a series of videos featuring a sex doll, would you believe me?
Meet "Arielle," virtual hostess for Mocknick Productions Literary Agency.* Arielle's "job" is to "give you information on the agency and the literary business in general" (including why paying an upfront contract fee is a good idea), via "four informational slide shows." (The slide shows used to be available directly from Mocknick's website, but possibly due to the attention they've brought him recently, clicking on them now takes you to YouTube.)
But wait, there's more! Arielle the sex doll has HER VERY OWN STORY! She's a Doll Warrior, star of a screenplay written by Mocknick himself. That's right, folks, David Mocknick, fee-charging literary agent, is also an aspiring writer.
For much more ridicule, see P.N. Elrod's blog post.
* It probably will not surprise you to learn that David Mocknick charges a $500 contract fee, has never sold a book or a script that Writer Beware has been able to discover, and is included on Writer Beware's Thumbs Down Agency List.
Monday, December 13, 2010
One Way Not to Get Published
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Taking a cue from Janet Reid, who over the weekend posted a truly amazingly bad agent pitch letter (yes, I do know who the agent is, and no, this person does not have any sales), I thought I'd start the week off by posting the spam I received this morning from an aspiring author (sent via a DIY email marketing service).
Alternatively, this author may not be seeking an agent or a publisher at all, but a patron. Um....yeah. I don't think I need to say any more about that.
Taking a cue from Janet Reid, who over the weekend posted a truly amazingly bad agent pitch letter (yes, I do know who the agent is, and no, this person does not have any sales), I thought I'd start the week off by posting the spam I received this morning from an aspiring author (sent via a DIY email marketing service).
Greetings!Writers--don't do this. I mean, for a start, I'm not an agent or publisher, so there's no reason for me to be receiving any kind of "get me published" request. Just a small amount of research (as opposed to snagging my email address from somewhere and doing no further checking) would have made that clear. For another, if I were an agent or publisher, I wouldn't give five seconds of consideration to a mass-mail pitch, even if it were much more informative and better written than this one. (Not to mention, being a cautious Web user, I'm not going to click on a link in a spam email.)
Hello, my name is [name redacted]. I am the author of [title redacted] (now available nationwide). I am also an unsigned (hungry) artist, and very creative. I have two more books I need to finish, and I'm looking for any opportunity that anyone of power and influence may offer.
I'll like to invite you to my website [link redacted].
Author [name redacted]
[email address redacted]
Alternatively, this author may not be seeking an agent or a publisher at all, but a patron. Um....yeah. I don't think I need to say any more about that.
Friday, December 10, 2010
More Contest Alerts: Brit Writers' Awards, Amazon Studios
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Brit Writers' Awards
I've been getting questions recently about the Brit Writers' Awards. It's a writing competition for unpublished and self-published writers, with a rich trophy for the grand prize winner: £10,000. Writers can submit work in several categories (to enter, you must be a member of BWA; membership costs £10.95); a panel of judges selects two winners for each category, plus the grand prize winner (the Judging Criteria page references "various stages of the judging process" but doesn't say what those stages are).
BWA's judges have real credentials. But how rigorous was the judging process in last year's competition? According to Jane Smith of the excellent How Publishing Really Works blog,
I don't suspect that this competition or its adjunct programs are a scam. But as tempting as BWA's prize money is, there are enough questions here to prompt caution.
(The lengthy comment thread on Jane's post makes for fascinating reading--among other things, the grand prize winner confirms that BWA entry guidelines did indicate that the winner would be published--although she had no idea her book would be printed for the awards ceremony.)
Amazon Studios
The Web was abuzz in November with news that Amazon is getting into the movie business. Its new venture, Amazon Studios, is looking for films and scripts that it may produce as feature films, either through a "first look" deal with Warner Bros. or, if Warner passes, with another company. To incentivize submissions, it's giving away millions of dollars in prizes, via monthly contests and annual awards.
Writers have rushed to enter--already, according to the Amazon Studios website, more than 1,000 scripts have been uploaded. But is it really a good idea to hand your intellectual property over to Amazon Studios? The film world is not my area of expertise, so I don't really feel competent to analyze Amazon Studios' Contest Terms and Procedures. Fortunately, others more knowledgeable than I have already done so. If you're thinking of entering, there are some issues you ought to be aware of.
Amazon Studios employs a crowdsourcing model, with uploaded scripts and films open to feedback from readers, who are also free to re-write and amend them. Scriptwriter John August asks, Do you really want random people rewriting your script?
Writer and director Craig Mazin weighs in on the same issue, as well as the 18-month exclusive option you agree to by submitting to Amazon Studios:
In other words, as usual and as always...caveat scriptor.
Brit Writers' Awards
I've been getting questions recently about the Brit Writers' Awards. It's a writing competition for unpublished and self-published writers, with a rich trophy for the grand prize winner: £10,000. Writers can submit work in several categories (to enter, you must be a member of BWA; membership costs £10.95); a panel of judges selects two winners for each category, plus the grand prize winner (the Judging Criteria page references "various stages of the judging process" but doesn't say what those stages are).
BWA's judges have real credentials. But how rigorous was the judging process in last year's competition? According to Jane Smith of the excellent How Publishing Really Works blog,
Writers were being notified left, right and centre that they had made it through to the various shortlists; very few writers who entered ended up being told that their work hadn’t made it that far.Shades of Poetry.com. And that wasn't all:
[C]ommunications with BWA seemed less than satisfactory. Several writers had submitted more than one piece of work but were never informed which piece had reached the shortlists; people were offered free tickets to the prizegiving, but just days before the event they had heard nothing more; and when they did get to the event it was chaotic and didn’t seem to deliver all that had been promised.The grand prize winner received not just the promised money, but--apparently unbeknownst to her--rush publication of her YA fantasy novel by a publisher that had never before published fiction. Jane comments:
[S]uch a rushed schedule is likely to have serious implications for the quality of the final product...the publisher, Infinite Ideas, appears to be more of a packager than a publisher; and although the people who work for Infinite Ideas do have a reasonable amount of publishing know-how between them this is the first young adult book they’ve published; although it’s possible that they have previously published young adult books through their self-publishing service, Infinite Authors.As Jane notes, the BWA is a moneymaker--entry feees alone came to nearly £230,000 in the first round in 2010, and that's not counting the support BWA got from sponsors. And that's not all. The BWA is now promoting its own consultation, critique, and publishing service, Your Book Your Way (which includes a referral service to "BWA approved" agents and publishers that "allow[s] us to act on your behalf and negotiate the best deal for you."). Prices aren't mentioned, but the services are certainly not free. And BWA has also recently sent out solicitations inviting applications to its Publishing Programme, which will select 15 unpublished authors, work with them "on an intensive one-to-one basis" (there's no info on who these intensive mentors will be, or what their qualifications are), and at the end of a year guarantee publication with "a top publisher" (again, no info on the publisher--and anyone who tells you they can guarantee publication either wants to sell you something or is fibbing). The cost? Just £1,795.
I don't suspect that this competition or its adjunct programs are a scam. But as tempting as BWA's prize money is, there are enough questions here to prompt caution.
(The lengthy comment thread on Jane's post makes for fascinating reading--among other things, the grand prize winner confirms that BWA entry guidelines did indicate that the winner would be published--although she had no idea her book would be printed for the awards ceremony.)
Amazon Studios
The Web was abuzz in November with news that Amazon is getting into the movie business. Its new venture, Amazon Studios, is looking for films and scripts that it may produce as feature films, either through a "first look" deal with Warner Bros. or, if Warner passes, with another company. To incentivize submissions, it's giving away millions of dollars in prizes, via monthly contests and annual awards.
Writers have rushed to enter--already, according to the Amazon Studios website, more than 1,000 scripts have been uploaded. But is it really a good idea to hand your intellectual property over to Amazon Studios? The film world is not my area of expertise, so I don't really feel competent to analyze Amazon Studios' Contest Terms and Procedures. Fortunately, others more knowledgeable than I have already done so. If you're thinking of entering, there are some issues you ought to be aware of.
Amazon Studios employs a crowdsourcing model, with uploaded scripts and films open to feedback from readers, who are also free to re-write and amend them. Scriptwriter John August asks, Do you really want random people rewriting your script?
Writer and director Craig Mazin weighs in on the same issue, as well as the 18-month exclusive option you agree to by submitting to Amazon Studios:
When you submit material to Amazon–say, a script–they have an exclusive option on the script for 18 months. During that 18 months, they can do whatever they want with your script. They can change it, smash it together with other scripts… and of course, make a movie from it, or commission a book, or any other derivative work.Mazin also discusses Amazon's exploitive financial terms:
You know what else they get to do? They get to sell your material. They can sell your script to customers. If you submit a movie, they can sell that too. Oh, but that’s not just for 18 months.
That’s FOREVER. They have a permanent right to sell that stuff. After 18 months it’s not an exclusive right, but good luck competing with Amazon, friend-o.
In Amazon-ville, you option your script for NOTHING, and the option buy-out is $200K. And when you get that 200K, my brothers and sisters, Amazon owns that script lock-stock-and-barrel for ever, just the way a studio would.Scriptwriter Michael Ferris sounds similar warnings. "In effect, if your script was good enough that a studio would buy it, and you hadn’t submitted your script to Amazon, you probably would have made more money on the sale, you would have full rights to your material, AND no one else would have the ability to put their name on it."
Okay, okay, but what if they make the movie?
NO GUARANTEES. Not a dime. In fact, the only way you get a penny more is if the film grosses $60M in the U.S. (not North America, btw, which is standard for domestic B[ox] O[ffice] calculations). If it hits $60M, you get a bonus of $400K.
Let me put this as plainly as I can: if your screenplay was good enough to be distributed by Warner Brothers and subsequently sell enough tickets to hit $60M at the box office, YOU DID NOT NEED AMAZON, and YOU SHOULD HAVE MADE MORE THAN $600K.
In other words, as usual and as always...caveat scriptor.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The 2011 Indie Publishing Contest
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
I've been getting questions about a brand-new writers' contest: the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest, sponsored by (among others) the San Francisco Writers Conference.
According to the contest guidelines, writers can enter up to the first 5,000 words of a novel, nonfiction book, story, or poem, from which a grand prize winner, four category winners, and runners up in each category will be selected. The entry fee is $35 ($25 for poems). Category winners will receive either a one-hour consultation with a literary agent, or a free publishing package from ASI. Runners up get $50 plus a 50% discount coupon from ASI. The Grand Prize winner gets "an indie publishing contract" that includes:
There's no doubt, however, that this prize would cost a bundle if you had to pay for it, and the literary agent mentoring is a nice perk that ASI authors wouldn't normally get (I contacted Contest Director Laurie McLean, an agent with Larsen Pomada Literary Agents, to ask who the literary agents would be,and she says they will be chosen after the winners are selected, to ensure they're a good match for the winners' writing.) For anyone who was already planning on using a publishing service, it's an attractive prize.
The problem is, the contest isn't being pitched to those people. It's being pitched to anyone and everyone who wants to be published. "While the Holy Grail remains a contract with one of the big six publishers in New York, that goal is getting more elusive than ever for writers," says Ms. McLean on the main contest page. "We are offering the indie alternative to get to the big six--and hoping to establish the credibility for indie publishing that the indie film and music industries enjoy today." This characterization of ASI and services like it--which could come straight out of the ASI propaganda mill--not only partakes of the misconceptions and the misleading hype that surround so-called "indie publishing", but helps to further them. Spin it how you will, at the end of the day (or in this case, at the end of 90 days), the winner will wind up with an unedited (unless they obtain editing themselves) book with limited distribution and major marketing challenges. Could they parlay their way to strong sales and mainstream notice? It's possible. Motivated self-publishers have accomplished this, and self-publishing evangelists are only too happy to trot out these examples as "proof" that self-publishing can work for anyone. But there are good reasons why, as ASI's CEO revealed in a January 2009 New York Times article, the average book from any of the ASI brands sells only around 150 copies. That, of course, is not mentioned in the contest material.
So if you're already thinking of using a publishing service (and I'm optimistically assuming that if you are, you've done your research and are clear about your goals), the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest looks like a pretty decent deal. But if your goal is readership, wide exposure, professional credibility--in other words, a writing career--please do not mistake this contest for a step in that direction.
I've been getting questions about a brand-new writers' contest: the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest, sponsored by (among others) the San Francisco Writers Conference.
Write, Win AND Publish!By "indie publishing," they don't mean true self-publishing, or publishing with an independent publisher, but the kind of publishing provided by print-on-demand publishing services--in this case, Author Solutions, Inc., which is one of the contest sponsors. This is not, in fact, independent publishing--but since I've already done two blog posts on that subject, I'm not going to belabor the point.
New ‘Indie Publishing Contest’ Revamps the Traditional Writing Contest with the Benefits of Indie Publishing.
Since when can a writing contest turn the winner into an author with a published book...and provide a staff of book marketing professionals to help get the book into bookstores and publicized? This is the new reality of combining a traditional writing contest with the myriad advantages of indie publishing.
According to the contest guidelines, writers can enter up to the first 5,000 words of a novel, nonfiction book, story, or poem, from which a grand prize winner, four category winners, and runners up in each category will be selected. The entry fee is $35 ($25 for poems). Category winners will receive either a one-hour consultation with a literary agent, or a free publishing package from ASI. Runners up get $50 plus a 50% discount coupon from ASI. The Grand Prize winner gets "an indie publishing contract" that includes:
* A print publishing package from Author SolutionsNow, I have some quibbles with this list. Two of the highlighted items--the ISBN number and the distribution--are a standard part of any print publishing package from Author Solutions, but are listed here as if they're important extras (plus, the wording of the distribution item might lead inexperienced writers to assume that the winning book will actually appear on physical bookstore shelves, rather than merely being available for order). And I am skeptical of the value of the "consulting and publicity" from AuthorHive, which sells a la carte the mostly dubiously effective, and in many cases wildly overpriced, marketing services that ASI offers through its imprints.
* eBook format conversion from Author Solutions
* 90 days of mentoring from a literary agent selected by SFWC
* 90 days of consulting and publicity from an AuthorHive publicist
* A high quality video book trailer from AuthorHive
* The scheduling of a blog tour and a video press release from AuthorHive
* Distribution of the book online and in bookstores from Author Solutions
* Book signing at a bookstore near the winner's home (Continental US only) from Author Solutions
* Public announcement and promotion at the San Francisco Writers Conference
* ISBN number from Author Solutions
There's no doubt, however, that this prize would cost a bundle if you had to pay for it, and the literary agent mentoring is a nice perk that ASI authors wouldn't normally get (I contacted Contest Director Laurie McLean, an agent with Larsen Pomada Literary Agents, to ask who the literary agents would be,and she says they will be chosen after the winners are selected, to ensure they're a good match for the winners' writing.) For anyone who was already planning on using a publishing service, it's an attractive prize.
The problem is, the contest isn't being pitched to those people. It's being pitched to anyone and everyone who wants to be published. "While the Holy Grail remains a contract with one of the big six publishers in New York, that goal is getting more elusive than ever for writers," says Ms. McLean on the main contest page. "We are offering the indie alternative to get to the big six--and hoping to establish the credibility for indie publishing that the indie film and music industries enjoy today." This characterization of ASI and services like it--which could come straight out of the ASI propaganda mill--not only partakes of the misconceptions and the misleading hype that surround so-called "indie publishing", but helps to further them. Spin it how you will, at the end of the day (or in this case, at the end of 90 days), the winner will wind up with an unedited (unless they obtain editing themselves) book with limited distribution and major marketing challenges. Could they parlay their way to strong sales and mainstream notice? It's possible. Motivated self-publishers have accomplished this, and self-publishing evangelists are only too happy to trot out these examples as "proof" that self-publishing can work for anyone. But there are good reasons why, as ASI's CEO revealed in a January 2009 New York Times article, the average book from any of the ASI brands sells only around 150 copies. That, of course, is not mentioned in the contest material.
So if you're already thinking of using a publishing service (and I'm optimistically assuming that if you are, you've done your research and are clear about your goals), the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest looks like a pretty decent deal. But if your goal is readership, wide exposure, professional credibility--in other words, a writing career--please do not mistake this contest for a step in that direction.
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