The Unpredictable Writing Life

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

For decades, I’ve been in the world of publishing and working with authors. Repeatedly I’ve seen the unpredictable nature of this work and life. For example, as I meet authors and acquire their books at Morgan James Publishing, I learn about authors who are eager to sell their books and reach their readers. I have one author who writes fiction and published two novels with us. She was actively selling these books at specialized trade shows which tied to her plot and characters. When she pitched her third novel, she told me that she had sold over 300 books during the last year which showed her activity as an author. 

As a part of the acquisitions process, I checked in with a colleague about her bookstore sales for her first two books. This number will give me an indicator of the enthusiasm (or lack of it) from my colleagues about the third novel. I was surprised to learn she had sold about a carton of books inside the bookstores. In general, a carton holds 25-35 books and depends on the size of the book. It was not an impressive sales record and showed me that my colleagues would not be inclined to publish a third novel from this author. I spoke with the author about these details and she decided to self-publish her third novel in this series. If the bookstore numbers improve, then it’s possible she could bring this third novel into her series, but not at the moment.

I could not have predicted these bookstore sales and believed the number would be much higher than a single carton. This example shows again one of the many unpredictable details and how a great deal of those details are outside of anything that I can know about or control.

Here’s another example: I wished a long-time publishing professional a happy birthday. It’s something I do on a regular basis and gives me a touch point with people. In her response, she told me she was no longer working at that publisher. I called this author to hear more detail. I learned the change happened because she didn’t hit the sales number for her authors books. This key number is outside of anything this editor could predict or control. She told me about one of her authors with a large Instagram platform has a daily gathering of thousands of participants. The book this group was using repeatedly wasn’t the author’s book but a book from another author. This simple choice gave huge exposure to a different book than the author’s book and contributed to the editor’s dismal sales numbers. 

These stories about publishing teach me lessons about the details of this business and how it works. Yet repeatedly I’ve discovered there are a myriad of details outside of anything that I can control or do anything about. There is one singular person who I can control: me. 

I’d love to have some predictions but the only prediction I can control is myself. I keep promoting my own work. I continue to pitch authors to my colleagues and writing different material. I work with various authors and various types of books. In addition, I listen to my colleagues, answering their questions and helping as many authors as I can. I can’t control others or much of anything--but I can control my own activities.

What about in your writing life? Is it predictable or what steps are you taking for your books and your writing? Let me know in the comments below. 

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First Impressions Count

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I love the photo which begins this article. The light has made a perfect reflection and impression of the scenery. Our eye is drawn to this peaceful and perfect image. As you reflect on this image, I believe you can gain some insights about the process of submitting your work for publication.

Notice the photo is taken from the right spot. To get the attention of an editor or literary agent, you have to make the right connection. Admittedly it’s not easy for any writer to make this connection but it is possible through personal emails, LinkedIN and other places. As I’ve often said in these articles, who you know is as important as what you know. 

Also notice the photo is a perfect reflection in the water. As writers we must become aware of what the editor or agent needs and is looking for. For a writer to gather this information will take work and effort. Study the books they publish or list of authors. Also download and study their guidelines and what they need. It's different for each publisher or agent but this information is often clearly spelled out on their website (and the submitter or author doesn’t always follow it--which is a mistake on their part).

Every writer must make the right pitch at the right time. If your pitch is not crafted right or the timing is off, the publishing professional will pass on it. 

Throughout my years in publishing, I’ve seen many missed opportunities, poor and inappropriate pitches. For my example, recently an author submitted a children’s book manuscript. The submission was just a manuscript and not crafted into pages and without a book proposal. If the author had crafted it into pages, it would have shown knowledge about the children’s book market. A proposal shows the author's business plans and background for publishing the book. Admittedly it takes work to craft such a submission but is well-worth the effort from my experience. 

Unfortunately this author made the wrong first impression. He didn’t learn Morgan James Publishing has published some children’s books but they are a small percentage of the types of books which we publish (maybe 3%). Also this author called my phone and then disconnected--over a dozen times--before he left a voicemail with questions asking for my return call. Such an action from an unpublished author raises red flags for the professional. The submission will be processed but a pass or rejection letter will also be scheduled. This author made the wrong first impression and it counted.

I love children’s books, have published more than a dozen of them and I’m a former instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature, which is the oldest home correspondence course for children’s writers. Beyond the submission, I’m looking for the right author.

As New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins wisely said when he interviewed me (follow the link), editors and agents are reading their email looking for what they can publish or the diamond in the rough. Unfortunately it takes thoughtful work to send the right pitch or proposal. My encouragement for each of you is to do this work on the submission side of things and the relationship-building side.

To balance my previous story, let me tell you about another author. On the surface, the full-color book didn’t look like one that Morgan James would publish. Through a series of over 50 emails and phone conversations, the publishing details for this book were worked out. The author received a contract offer. Admittedly there are a number of additional steps before this book gets published and in the bookstores. I include this story so you see that every author needs a champion inside the publishing house for their book. It will take effort for you to find this person but if you work at it, you can certainly find such a person.  I encourage you to always be expanding your relationships to have the right one for your right idea.

On the surface, publishing may look simple but it is a complicated endeavor with many twists and turns. I encourage you to continue to take the journey. What steps are you taking to find the right place for your pitch? Let me know in the comments below. 

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The Easy Answer You Don't Want to Hear

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I love a good story and getting lost in the pages of a great read. Also for years I enjoy telling stories and putting my fingers on the keyboard and writing it. As I shape a story, hopefully I have a plan where this story will be published. Some people are inspirational writers and only write when the spirit moves them. Others (like me) are writers whether inspired or not to meet a deadline and finish a work. Where do you fall into these two extremes?

 

After you have written your manuscript or book proposal or query, then you need the courage to get it into the world. As writers we have to pitch or submit our material to a literary agent or an editor. One of my authors let me know he had received a contract offer from another publisher. Then he pushed to get a response from my colleagues. They stepped up the process and ultimately offered him a contract—but he decided to go with the other publisher. Writers have choices and from my experience the selection of a publisher is a critical juncture which can make or break a particular book.

 

When you are going to push a literary agent or an editor for a decision, you want to be careful. The easiest answer for this agent or editor is the one you don't want: “No thank you” or “Not a good fit for us” or “Going to pass on this opportunity.” The easiest answer is often one you don't want to hear.

 

A yes or acceptance takes time, patience and persistence. Many of us are short on patience and persistence—yet it is an important quality for every writer. If you are going to push for a decision, I encourage you to pull back and wait or push in a non-threatening fashion—such as doublechecking to make sure they got your submission in the first place and it has not gotten lost. Thousands of submissions are in process. Last week a writer approached me asking if I got her submission. To my chagrin when I checked I had received it but had not moved it into the process and through the system. I apologized for the delay, then moved it forward. 

Within the publishing process, a number of elements are outside of our control as writers. Of course, if you self-publish, you can control everything as far as the appearance of your book but the average self-published book sells less than 100 copies during the lifetime of the book. You risk such an experience when you make this choice.

 

If you haven't read my 10 Publishing Myths, I encourage you to read it. In this book, I focused on the false expectations from writers but also gave practical steps every writer can do to succeed with their book. If you don't have my book, I encourage you to get the 11th Publishing Myth (free). While I'd love each of you to purchase 10 Publishing Myths, here is another idea: check it out from your local library. My local library has three copies of the book--and you can get the book through inter-library loan and read it. There are many different ways to get a book. Don't limit yourself or your readers.

 

Your persistent and consistent action as a writer is a critical part of the process. Keep going in spite of whatever is happening in your life. Have you pushed an editor or agent for a decision and heard the answer you didn't want? Let me know in the comments below. 

 

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Writing About Holidays

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

It's rarely discussed in the writing community but one of the most difficult type of writing for editors to find is tied to holiday themes. The good news is everyone has unique personal experiences during the holidays. Your opportunity as a writer is to capture the raw dialogue and unique elements, weave them into a story then submit them to print magazines. Print publications have a higher standard for their work than online (in general).

 

For example, when I was a magazine editor at Decision and our circulation was 1.8 million copies, we decided to do a February issue with a love theme (Valentine's Day). Personal experience stories which related to love combined with other crieria for our publication didn't naturally come unsolicited from authors. Instead, I had to create a list of authors and ask them to write what we needed. That experience and others at the magazine showed me the on-going need for holiday writing.

 

Your personal experience stories from holidays can be evergreen or an article which you can sell to many different magazines. Typically with a magazine article, you sell “first rights” which means after the article is published, the rights return to you. Then you can sell “reprint rights” to other publications. Depending on the publication, you can be paid more for a reprint right than the first rights. Each publication is different with different expectations. Make sure you read their submission guidelines before sending your article. In these guidelines the editor tells you exactly what they need. Many writers skip this important step in the submission process and then when their submission is rejected, they wonder why it didn't get accepted and published.

 

As you experience different holidays, make some notes into your computer or journal so you capture the essence of the experience and the raw dialogue. Then use these experiences to write personal experience articles and even how-to articles. After writing your article, send it out into the marketplace. I encourage you to keep track of your submissions and if you don't hear from the editor in a period of weeks, send them a gentle follow-up note to make sure they got it. I use the word gentle because if you push these gatekeeper/ editors, then you will likely get the response you don't want—a “no, thank you” or “this isn't a fit for us.” 

 

Are you using your holiday experiences in your writing? Let me know in the comments below. 

 

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Five Ways to Earn Your Spot

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As a writer, how do you earn your spot to have others read your work? In this article I want to give you some ideas about how to acquire this skill and the action steps you need to take.

In this article, I mentioned working on getting my books into libraries. I reached out to the collection librarian. I asked what sort of check out activity a book needs.  While this standard may be different for every library, here's what I learned: “We are a demand-driven collection, so everything on our shelves earns it’s spot! Our nonfiction collection has an average turnover of 5 checkouts per year per book, so circulation needs to be close to that to either stay on our shelves, or if damaged, repurchase.”

 

From my exchange with this librarian,  I've created a plan to regularly plan to market my own books which are inside my local library. In the past, I've done nothing to encourage people to use my books. But now I'm going to regularly encourage my local writer's group and others to check out and use my books from the library book shelf. Through my own marketing efforts, I want to help my books stay in the collection.  My marketing of my books in the library doesn't have to be sophisticated or fancy—but it does have to happen and I will be the person doing it. This additional activity stems from my philosophy of taking 100% responsibility for my own success.

 

How do we earn the right to be read or published as writers? I've already mentioned one way with actively working to get your books into libraries.

 

A second way to earn your right to be read is to learn the craft of storytelling. It is a developed skill to tell interesting stories. Some of it you can pick up through extensive reading but it is also a skill which can be taught as you learn how a mixture of dialogue and narration detail can make for page turning wriiting.

 

A third way to earn your spot is to write on a regular basis and submit your writing. Notice the second part of this point. It's good to write on a regular basis but you don't earn your spot and get published if it never reached an editor. Admittedly it takes work on your part to find the right editor but you have to be in the market to have any opportunity to be published.

 

A fourth way to earn your spot is to reach your audience in different formats and methods. There are an endless series of methods to reach your audience such as an email list, your various social media links, reviews, magazine articles, podcasts, books and radio interviews.

 

The fifth and final way to earn your spot is to make an action plan then keep working your plan—even in the face of failure or rejection. Each of us (yes me too) face these twins of failure and rejection. The difference between those who succeed and those who don't? The ones who succeed keep going forward even when they are rejected. Our world is full of opportunity. As a writer, you have to seize the day, keep your fingers on the keys and keep moving forward. 

 

Our lives in publishing are not easy but are possible. I hope in this article I've given you some ideas and encouragement to keep moving ahead.  How do you earn your spot? Let me know in the comments below.

 

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Can You Follow The Editor’s Directions?

As a long-time member of the publishing community, I interact with a number of authors. In fact, I have my personal email address onmy Twitter profile. It generates a number of emails that I answer. I do love to help writers which is one of the reasons I write these articles each week.

Recently I got an email from “Tom” (not his real name). He told about sending his novel out to numerous literary agents and not finding one. He sent me his phone number and asked to “schedule a time to chat.”

From my experience, this author’s suggestion was a big mistake. My time is as limited as the next person and I’ve “chatted” with plenty of authors who have wasted my time.

Because Morgan James publishes about 25 to 30 novels a year, and I work for them, I quickly transferred this discussion to my work email. I wrote Tom and asked for several specifics—true for any novel submission:

1. I need the full manuscript

2. I need a synopsis

3. I need the author’s mailing address

Tom responded that he would be sending it to me and appreciated the quick response.

About a week later Tom sent the preface to his novel and the first chapter. He acknowledged in his cover note that I asked for the full manuscript but he wanted to send what he wanted to send.

I quickly responded and asked for the full manuscript, synopsis and address. It was several weeks ago—and to date I’ve not heard from Tom. I believe Tom is going to struggle to find an agent or a publisher. Why? He has refused to send what is requested. 

Possibly he is a talented writer with a great novel but unless you follow the directions, you will never be read and published (other than self-published—and the average self-published book sells less than 100 copies during the lifetime of the book.). These details matter and are part of the evaluation process as I meet authors. Are they coachable and teachable?

Like I often hear from our Morgan James founder, David Hancock, we can always fix the manuscript but sometimes we can’t fix a poor or bad author.

Are the lack of attention or following the details holding you back from achieving your publishing dreams? If you are struggling to find the right connection with a literary agent or a publisher. I encourage you to consider if your material is in the requested format and if you are following the directions in the guidelines. Not delivering what is requested can prevent you from achieving your dreams as a writer. It can be something simple but important to the editor or agent which blocks you from moving forward.

Have you ever discovered that when you added something which was missing, it changed how it was received and opened a new opportunity? Let me know in the comments below.

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The Necessity of Simple Follow-up

Good and clear communication is a critical element in the business of publishing. Otherwise authors and editors have wrong expectations.

Last week I was at Wheaton College for Write to Publish. During the question and answer portion of a workshop, a woman asked, “I sent my manuscript to an editor who asked for it at the last conference. I never heard and checked on it about six months later. When I called, the editor said she had not received it and could I send it again. I sent it a second time. Now it is six month's later and I've heard nothing. What do I do?”

See the challenge for the author? She has been waiting for a response to a requested submission and hearing nothing. This new writer is too timid to email or call and check with the editor about it. I understand the reluctance because sometimes when you check, it gets rejected—and no one wants to be rejected.

Here's what the writer isn't thinking about. As editors, we receive a lot of material. For example, at Morgan James, we receive over 5,000 submissions a year and only publish about 150 books. Did you see those numbers? A massive amount of material is floating through our system at any single time period. I'm constantly putting submissions into our system and sorting through my acquisitions files. 

To be transparent, other editors are not as careful with their submissions. It is not uncommon for me to receive several hundred emails a day. If I'm traveling or at a conference, then I can't be as conscious of my email and the submissions. Manuscripts, proposals and submissions are misplaced and some times the editor doesn't receive them. Or maybe they have moved into a new computer or their computer has crashed or any number of other possibilities.

Here's what I suggested to the writer asking about her manuscript: follow-up with the editor. Don't wait weeks yet at the same time give it at least a week so you don't seem overly anxious. Then you can email or put in a quick phone call to the editor asking, “Did you receive my submission?” Notice the question. You are not asking if the editor has read it or reached a decision—which if you ask is pushing them to say, “no.” Instead you are simply asking if they received it.

You avoid waiting months for a response, hearing nothing and then asking only to learn the editor never received it. I never mind an author checking with me to see if I received their material and this simple follow-up is professional and appreciated.

Other authors are extreme in the other direction of follow-up. They follow-up too frequently and often. I have a children's author who submitted their material three weeks ago. I got their material into our submission system and they received an acknowledgement from me in the mail. In addition, I emailed the author to tell him I received his submission. Yet, in the last several weeks, I've been in Seattle, New York City and last week Chicago. With my travel, I have not been processing manuscripts. Yet this author has called multiple times—essentially making himself a nuisance. In my last email to him, I leveled with him and asked for patience—and no more calls or checking—or I would be rejecting his submission. I've not heard from him in the last few days so hopefully he is following my last instructions or I will follow through with the rejection letter (whether I've read his material or not). 

Why take such a direct response with this eager author? Because if he is eager with his submission then he is showing that he will be eager throughout the entire publication process. You can substitute my use of the word “eager” with the word “high maintenance.” No publisher wants high maintenance authors. Every publisher wants to work with professionals and not with eager authors who simply waste volumes of time and energy over nothing.

If you are submitting your work, that is excellent. Many writers never get published because of this simple fact: they never submit their material. As a professional writer, you also need to use this simple follow-up method to make sure that your material was received. It will help your work be considered and move forward through the publication process. This follow-up work is critical.

Seize Your Opportunity

Last week a writer told me about working on her book project for months at a stretch. I asked a few questions about it and learned it had not been published. 

Our correspondence was on my personal email address and not my work email. I seized the opportunity and told her about my work at Morgan James. As an acquisitions editor, I'm actively looking for well-written nonfiction and fiction to champion to our publication board. We receive about 5,000 submissions a year and only publish about 150 to 200 books.

If you look at those numbers, you can see there is a limited opportunity for you to succeed and a 97% chance your material will be rejected.


Yet if I champion your book (that means I promote and pull for it with the publication board), then you “could” get a book contract from Morgan James. One of the exciting aspects of my work is each week I send book contracts to authors and help them through this aspect of the publishing process.


For the writer in my opening paragraph, I moved our interaction from my personal email address to my work email. Then she would have my Morgan James information and it would be clear where she could send her manuscript. I found her response “interesting.” She wrote, “Let me think about it and get back to you.”


It was a fair response and hopefully she will send me her material for consideration. It is not the response, I would encourage you to do as a writer. If you get an opportunity and request from an editor to submit your material, I encourage you to seize it.


You should be aware when you send your material out into the market, you will get rejected. Welcome to publishing because it happens to everyone. I love this article from bestselling novelist James Scott Bell called Rejecting Rejection. He makes four solid points in this short article and it will help you get over rejection and move forward.


To succeed in publishing, you are looking for the right connection at the right time and the right place with the right material. I understand I overused the word “right” in that previous sentence. If you aren't in motion, then that connection will never happen. The old saying is true: you can't sell a manuscript that remains in your desk drawer or in your computer. It only sells when it gets into the right hands.


One of my writer friends wants to find a literary agent. Into his busy schedule, he has researched and located 46 possible agents. He individualized each submission and in early January sent out the submission packages. As of about a month after that submission, he wrote saying he had received 22 responses. Twenty of those responses were rejection. Two agents requested his manuscript and 26 agents had not responded.


I admire the tenacity and persistence of my friend to find the right agent for his novel. He doesn't have it figured out yet he continues to work toward his goal.


Are you seizing opportunity? Are you knocking on new doors or old doors with new material to get the attention of an agent or an editor? If you are working on a book, are you also writing shorter magazine articles and seizing that opportunity to reach an audience?

Another Strange Submission

I find some authors amazing. They react in just the sort of way where you shake your head and wonder if anyone could be more “different” or “strange.”

From my years in publishing, I've met many authors who stand out in a crowd and are “characters.” Some of these characters stand out in a positive way and actually sell lots of books because of how they stand out. Then there are the other types of characters who are just way outside the norm—and that's who I'm writing about in this entry.

Several weeks ago an author called the founder of Morgan James and left a voice mail message. He didn't have a chance to return the call so he passed it along to me. I called this author and listened to his hot book idea. 

I was open to whatever he wanted to send and asked him to send it via email. He didn't have an email address. This fact should have been my first clue about his submission. Instead the author asked for my mailing address so he could send a hard copy. I gave him my address.

Today I opened a certified, return receipt package—with a completely handwritten submission. The author didn't include a cover letter in the package but even the title page had several misspelled words. The entire package was handwritten on a legal pad paper—front and back. Each chapter was carefully stapled together.

The only address on the package is the return address on the outside. There is no contact information or phone number. I've reviewed thousands of submissions but never seen one of these in the nonfiction category.

Many years ago when I was running my literary agency (which has been closed for several years), I did receive a handwritten novel submission but it was in a large notebook and came with the return postage. The submission which arrived today had no return postage or self-addressed stamped envelope. I'm tempted to set this package aside and hold it for several weeks—under the assumption the author will call me and want it back. Then I can give him a chance to send me the return postage. 

I will remember this author's submission—but not for the reasons that he wants to be remembered. In other entries, 

I've written a great deal about the proper way to send a submission. Here's some of those basic details:

1. It should always be typed and completely error free (without typographical errors or spelling errors).

2. Check with the editor or agent to see how they want your submission. Most of the time these days at some point they will want an electronic version of it. The key is to read the guidelines on their website then send it in the format and fashion that it is requested.

I've created a book proposal checklist which gives the essential ingredients in a submission to an agent or editor. I would encourage every author to review this list before they fire off their prize idea to an editor or agent. It will help all of us in the publishing world receive better submissions.

Follow Your Ideas for Submission

The idea pops into your head. “Send this article to this editor.” Or as you are reading a magazine, you think, “I could send this editor an article about this personal experience or this how-to idea.” Or you are reminded about a connection you made months earlier at a conference and you haven't followed up with the agent or editor.

In each of these cases, how do you handle it? Some people shrug it and the “nudge” disappears. Others will take action and get their idea into the marketplace for consideration.  Without action, nothing happens.

From my years in publishing, I've learned the importance of taking action on a thought or idea. For example, I will call or email an author about their book proposal or manuscript, it will happen just on a day when they need some encouragement or direction.

Or my entry about The Writing Life will land in someone's mailbox on exactly the day they need the encouragement to move forward. Some people would call these accidents but to me, these actions from the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. As a Christian I believe God is guiding my daily actions and steps. Certainly I fail to follow that guidance but I've discovered remarkable things happen when I take action on those ideas.

For example, I've been wanting to attend a large conference in a couple of months yet I wondered how to budget for the conference fee.  One morning I got an idea that maybe I could do something else at that conference to help out such as volunteer to work registration or some other task. To follow through on my idea, I called a leader in the organization which sponsored the conference and pitched my idea of working the registration in a voice mail message.

The exact day of my call, this leader got a message that the person who was going to teach the publishing workshop was not going to be able to attend the conference.  My voice mail message and this cancellation arrived on exactly the same day. Was it coincidence? I don't believe so. I was asked to lead the publishing workshop at this conference. As a workshop leader, my fee for the conference is waived and I have a much larger opportunity than I could even have imagined.

Notice what happened in this story: I had an idea and I took action and made a phone call.

What ideas and possible actions are whirling in your writing life? Are you writing them down then crossing them off as you execute each one?   I appreciate the necessity of having dreams and ambitions for our writing—yet at the same time we must be taking consistent action for those dreams to turn into reality.

The Problematic Incomplete Package

As I read the queries and pitches that come to me as a literary agent, I'm continually amazed at the incomplete submissions--whether it is a one page query letter or a book proposal and sample chapters or a fiction submission.

Why is it a problem for these writers? They want to get their book idea published yet because they don't present a thorough, professional and complete submission (query or proposal), then it is like they stand there and beg for rejection. Because of the volume of these submissions, I can almost guarantee they will receive a form rejection letter and nothing that explains their idea was never fully considered because they were missing a piece of the puzzle.

For example, let's look at a query which I received from a writer. After I read the pitch, I could not tell if it was fiction or nonfiction. So I asked--effort on my part to send a message. I learned it was fiction.I asked again--what type of fiction, young adult or adult? What was the length (the word count--because if I'm not specific it is almost inevitable they will respond with the number of pages and cause more correspondence)? Through a series of emails (which almost no acquisitions editor or literary agent will do), I learned this writer was pitching a 31,000 word novel.

Do you see the problem? It's not a full-length novel and this writer needs to return to her manuscript and add at least 20,000 additional words. Ironically she first pitched a bunch of publishers who told her they only took work from literary agents. Now she's pitching a bunch of literary agents--and in reality, doesn't have anything to pitch because it is too short.

And you may be one of those writers who has sent a submission and haven't received an answer or you wonder why it takes so long to receive a response. It's because of this problematic incomplete packages which are jammed right next to your submission.

Here's one of the keys: Are you pitching a nonfiction book or a fiction book? If nonfiction, then you need a book proposal and several sample chapters before anyone will seriously consider your pitch. If you are pitching a novel, then you need to have written the complete novel before you approach anyone about it. And you need to be enough of a student of the craft to understand the typical word count for your type of novel--and have written your novel within this word count.

If you don't have any idea of the typical word count, then follow this link--and in particular look at the material that I reference in this entry of The Writing Life. Keep that word count front and center because it is one of the easiest way to get a three-second rejection. You want to rejection-proof your submissions.

For your fiction to stand out from the other submissions (always a good thing if you stand out from a positive perspective), you will need to send a page-turning story (always key), a well-crafted synopsis, a short biography of the author and if you really want to show you understand the business of publishing--then I recommend you also include a realistic marketing plan which shows how you plan to sell books. Selling books means doing newspaper, magazine and other media like radio interviews and understanding the journalists will need a nonfiction angle from your novel to talk with you. Otherwise they are stuck and don't know what to ask you about your story. You want to show you understand their dilemma and are prepared for it.

I've rejected a great deal of fiction in recent months--poorly crafted, poorly pitched and the reality is there are less places to sell that fiction than a nonfiction book. While we're talking about sales, the Author's Guild says a typical nonfiction book will sell 5,000 copies in the first year and a fiction book will sell 7,500 copies. These modest numbers may surprise you--especially when you realize you can write a much shorter magazine article of about 1,500 words and easily reach 150,000 readers with many different print magazines.

Now let's turn to a nonfiction package. The key element with nonfiction is the visibility of the author to sell books, which is also called "the author's platform." Do you have this visibility and also is this visibility in the area that you are pitching with this new project? For example, I recently read a women's leadership book where as I looked at the proposal and sample, the author had almost no visibility in the marketplace. She was trying to use her husband's platform as her platform yet her husband was not a co-author in the book and his voice didn't appear in any of the chapters. In other words it was a stretch and took seconds for me to spot. To me that means that it would take seconds for any other editor or literary agent to spot and this person needs to build their platform before they pitch the book idea. Publishers use author's platforms but do not build platforms for authors.

What is in a nonfiction book proposal? Most book proposals range from 15 to 30 pages. These proposals are always 100% typo-free with generous margins. Most frequently a book proposal is double-spaced. The proposal takes many forms and the writer inevitably dictates the shape of the proposal. The common elements include:

Overview. This area could be the most important part of your proposal and should be 1 to 3 pages long. In clear and succinct style it covers: What is the book about? Why the book is important, useful and necessary? Who is the audience? Who will buy this book? What makes the book different or better than any other book in on this subject? What is the book’s marketing handle? This is a twenty word or less description. What can you do to help the book in terms of promotion?

About the Author. Don’t be shy. Why should the editor give you this project? Of everyone in the world why you? Specifically show how you are the most qualified individual for this project.

The Competition. Everyone believes their book is unique. It’s not unique so please detail what other titles would be in direct competition. In fact, if you say there is no competition, you are practically begging for instant rejection.

Manuscript Delivery and Length. In the majority of cases, nonfiction books are not completed so when can you deliver your manuscript and what will be the length (word count) of your manuscript?

Promotion/ Special Markets/ Volume Buy Backs (anything over 5,000 copies). This portion of the proposal may be one of the most important because you will emphasize your ability to sell books.

Chapter Summaries. These summaries are an outline of the book. They can be as long as you desire but no less than 150 words for each chapter. Select the format, which works best for you such as outline, narrative or a bulleted list of key points.

Sample Chapters. You will need at least one sample chapter and probably two or three chapters (if a chapter is less than ten pages). These chapters should give the reader a strong sense of the book’s tone and style. Many editors read the sample first so make sure you show your best work.

I've gone into much greater detail about these elements in Book Proposals That Sell.

Make sure you have thought through the various key elements in your query and your longer submission--whether it is fiction or nonfiction. If you submit a complete package, then your project will receive the deserved consideration rather than instant rejection. It is only through the consideration process that you have any possibility of receiving the joyous email or phone call that says you have a book offer from a publisher.

The Wrong Multiple Submission

For many years, I have been reading submissions from writers. I reviewed these submissions as an acquisitions editor and now as a literary agent. In Book Proposals That Sell, I advocate simultaneous submissions (Secret #19) because of the slow nature of publishing.

Writers are creative people and over the years I've seen some "different" submissions. Several years ago, one published novelist before I had a chance to read and respond to her submission would periodically email me a revised manuscript and ask that I substitute it for the original submission. I was glad to know this author was continually working to revise her story but when I got the fourth substitution, I'd had enough of this nonsense and unprofessionalism. Without providing the reason (which in general editors and literary agents do not provide), I sent this author my form rejection letter.

As I explained in Book Proposals That Sell, writers can't assume that the publishing professional is reading their email or their physical mail every day. We travel and attend conferences and sales meetings plus other immediate priorities push these unsolicited submissions into a "to be read" stack.

Within the last month, I've received a different type of multiple submission and I thought there was value to tell you about it. The cover letter included a date, "The Whalin Agency" then the words, "Please substitute the enclosed in ______MS." Then a signature and email address combined with some strange manuscript pages.

It looked a bit strange and I had not opened the original submission so I had no idea what was being substituted. Then several days later in my mail, I received another letter from this author with different pages to be substituted. Another day I received another thin envelope with different substitute pages. The arrival of the third envelope with substitute pages triggered an email form rejection (which if I had been on top of my submissions would have happened with the first submission since it was totally off the wall).

This writer was clueless about the memorable impression that he was making with these substitutions. I'm certain he was innocent on his part with little thought about how his actions were coming across to the receiver. Whatever you write, take a few minutes and consider how it will be received. Then your pitch will be seriously considered and possibly you will stay out of the rejection pile.