The Writer's Connection(sm),
a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach(sm)

"The Creative Process of Writing is a
Liberating and Therapeutic Experience"

virtualwritingcoach.com
October 2003

In This Issue:

1. Preview
2. Publisher's Note
3. Finding the Right Editorial Assistant
4. Getting into Action


1. Preview

The Writer's Connection explores the creative process of writing and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and actions. We are an interactive community of authors and readers who share ideas to enhance our knowledge, skills, and experiences in writing fiction in any genre, but our emphasis remains mystery and suspense thrillers.
Published monthly, the Newsletter offers writing tips for authors, coaching suggestions, editing, and marketing information.

Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on producing your first manuscript, and are provided to the general public. Because we are an interactive community of writers, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.

2. Publisher's Note

October, 2003

Dear Writer's Connection Subscriber,

This month we will discuss finding the right editorial assistant for you.

3. Finding the Right Editorial Assistant

Now that you have the right agent who is in your corner promoting you like crazy to all the major publishing houses, would you like to know what goes on? Of course you do. Here is my perspective only based on my agent's experience and those of other authors I've talked with.

You're ahead of the game if your agent lives in NYC. Most of the "smoozin" goes on at lunch at a trendy restaurant. Generally your agent will be referred to a junior, editorial assistant who has a bachelor's degree in English and has been with the publishing house less than two years. The publishing houses work kind of like a law firm with assistants, associates, and full partners. If your agent knows the lead editor then your chances of getting your manuscript read increase exponentially. But here is the typical scenario. Your manuscript arrives perhaps with two other authors your agent is pushing to get published in a different genre. Thus, your book might be a mystery, while the other two books would fall into romance or adventure. Editorial assistants will be expecting the manuscript because your agent has already talked with them, telling them you're the next John Grisham or David Baldacci, but with your unique style. If the publishing house is a large one (e.g. Dell, Random House), then you must first get the support from your editorial assistant who, in turn, must "pitch" your book to an associate editor who heads up the commercial fiction department for the publisher. This is usually done weekly at a group meeting where each editorial assistant has about three minutes to tell the others why he/she liked your book. Your book is then judged by the following criteria: sales potential, relevance to reading public, originality, quality, competition with already established author with the publisher (no publishing house is going to take on two top-notch mystery writers who have the same style). The authors then compete against themselves and both authors and publisher lose out, depending on the timing of the book release which is crucial for sales.

If your novel makes it past the first editorial meeting, then the book is reviewed by an associate editor with marketing experience to see how much money the publisher is willing to offer up front for marketing your book; generally speaking, it costs $1 to market for every copy; most initial runs for first-time authors are five to ten thousand copies; thus, the publisher is looking at shelling out up to ten grand to pre-market your book with posters, advance copies, special discounts to B&N and Borders. If your agent has done his/her work well, there could also be a small advance for you against future salese.g. typically in the $1,000 range. Most hard covers sell in the $25 range; 6 x 9 in. soft covers in the $15 range. After a 30 percent discount to major stores one is looking at a reduced price of $16 for hard cover and $10 for soft cover. Using the soft cover as an example, the first-time author generally receives twenty percent or $2 per book sold and the agent gets 15% of that, leaving the author with $1.70 net profit per book sold. Simple arithmetic tells you that first-time authors don't make much money; if all of the first printing of 5,000 sell then the author makes $8500 for a year of hard work and sweat.

The most important thing about your first book being published by a major NY Publishing House is exposure. Depending on demand (second, third, etc. printings), your agent can negotiate a better deal for your second novel and you have the name recognition and confidence of the publisher with a "successful first book." The opposite is also truepoor sales equal no representation perhaps by the same publisher if the author stays in the same genre. Here are a few statistics: only 2% of first-time authors are agented; of that number only 5% get a book published and the rest is history. The reading public is mercurial and interest changes rapidly: serial killers were popular ten years ago, but no more. Cozy mysteries are making an upsurge now; ditto for action adventure. Hardcore mysteries and commercial fiction are the toughest markets to publish. These stats are not meant to discourage the new writer, but to give you the cold, hard facts about what it takes to become a successful, first-time author. It is possible to publish a successful first book, but you need to keep writing your next novel, while your first one is making the rounds amongst the various publishing houses.

Next month we will discuss the smaller publishing houses.

4. Getting into Action

"Getting in to Action" is a monthly feature of The Writer's Connection. In this section of our Newsletter, we will discuss action steps the writer can take to improved his/her knowledge base in writing novels.


"This Month's Recommendation(s)"

1. Look through Jeff Herman's book and pick out ten publishers who have published a similar book to yours. Pay particular attention to the editorial assistant who placed the book.

2. Practice writing a one-page marketing strategy for your book for your agent to discuss with an editor.

3. Look at the acknowledgment page in your genre and write down the names of those editors who were helpful in preparing the final manuscript for publication. These are the folks you want your agent to pitch your book to if they don't already represent many authors in your genre.


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Contact Information

Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Voice: 281-893-5405
Fax: 281-893-1735
Web: http://www.virtualwritingcoach.com
E-Mail: keith@virtualwritingcoach.com
(c) Copyright 2003 A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
All rights reserved.

Distribution Rights

The Writer's Connection (sm) is copyrighted, but you may retransmit or
distribute it to whomever you wish as long as not a single word is changed, added, or deleted, including the contact information. However, you may not copy it to a web site.

Republication of The Writer's Connection (sm) in paper media is encouraged and permitted by individuals, organizations and associations, as long as the issue is reprinted in its entirety, without change, and includes the contact information.

With advance permission, we are happy to edit an issue to fit your space requirements. Republication also is encouraged under other circumstances. However, the advance permission of A. Keith Barton, Ph.D. must be obtained in the event that changes in the text are desired.

The Writer's Connection Mission:

The Writer's Connection is dedicated to helping first-time authors create their first manuscript for publication and to offer an exchange of ideas and opinions from our readers who might be interested in becoming authors.

The Writer's Connection™ is a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach and Keith Barton, Ph.D. and a registered trademark.

We would like The Writer's Connection to be as interactive as possible. If you have feedback, comments, topics you would like addressed, or can suggest additional resources to benefit us all, please email us at any time. Send your e-mail to
keith@virtualwritingcoach.com.

Please forward this issue to anyone you think would find The Writer's Connection interesting and beneficial. Your recommendation helps us keep growing, and ensures an excellent exchange of information and techniques.

Archives

You can read previous issues of The Writer's Connection at our archive at http://www.virtualwritingcoach.com/archive.html.

About Keith Barton, Ph.D.

Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist for over thirty years. He is currently enrolled in MentorCoach and is accepting new clients. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in executive development, founded and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home services to persons with mental retardation, and for the past 13 years founded and runs a clinical practice in Northwest Houston. He writes part-time with the goal of completing one novel a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate interest in helping others become attuned to their creative powers of storytelling.

Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made presentations and conducted workshops about:

Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self-esteem
Communication skills
Marital/relationship enrichment
Wellness issues
The relationship between psychology and spirituality

© 2003 The Virtual Writing Coach and Keith Barton.