The Writer's Connection(sm)
"The Creative Process of Writing is a Liberating and
Therapeutic Experience"(sm)
February, 2004
Published by A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO, The Writer's Connection
www.virtualwritingcoach.com

This Issue:

1. Preview
2. Publisher's Note
3. Agent Contracts
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

February, 2004

Dear Writer's Connection Subscriber,

This issue features reviewing your contract with an agent for fair and equitable representation.

3. So You Got Yourself an Agent!

For those of you expecting advice on how to market your book, I apologize for changing the title, but as expressed before sometimes we change the topic depending on reader interest and I have had several questions in the last month about what to look for in a standard contract with an agent.

So, you’re one of the lucky ones (only 2%) to receive that acceptance letter from an agent after receiving countless rejection letters. Now what do you do? First, congratulations for receiving a contract. This means someone who knows about writing likes your work and wants to represent you. The tendency is to sign the contract and send it back without giving it much thought but there are some caveats to look for. I will list most of them for you.

1. The standard agency fee is a 15% commission of gross domestic sales and 20% foreign sales.
2. Remember that many of the bookstores will over 20 and 30% discounts so that any net revenue you receive is reduced by the discounts. You can figure on about 1.50 to 2.00 a book will fall in your bank account.
3. Be wary of any agent who charges for copying and postage and phone calls. This is a necessary expense if your agent believes in your work (after all you got the contract, didn’t you?). Most agents do not charge for this service.
4. Make sure your agent belongs to the Association of Author Representatives (AAR) which represents over 300 agents. This insures that your agent follows a code of ethics. Another excellent resource is to check out on the web www.agentresearch.com. They offer free and paid agent reviews and how many successful authors they have placed with publishers in the past year. The key is not number of authors per agent, but number of publications with reputable publishing houses.
5. When reviewing your contract, stay away from multi-book (title) contracts. This gives your agent the first right of refusal on all future manuscripts. While this might be tempting for your ego, you should have the freedom to negotiate each new book title with any agent.
6. Make sure you can get out of your contract if you suspect your agent is not working hard enough for you. Most agents will give you a 30-day notification cancellation, but if your book is placed with a publisher prior to the contract termination, that agent has the right to represent you.
7. When does the agreement end? Don’t be afraid to question your agent if you’re not getting feedback. You are entitled to a listing of which publishers received a synopsis or complete manuscript and when. This is usually available within 90 days of signing your contract. You are also entitled to an accounting of expenses if you agree to prepay copying costs for your agent. Most agreements have fairly liberal termination agreements by either party with proper written notification.
8. Check out subsidiary rights. If your manuscript is bought by a secondary source—TV, movie studio, audio tapes, make sure that you get a fair percentage of sales, typically 10%.
9. Resist the temptation to call your agent frequently once the contract is signed and you receive your copy in the mail. If you have questions, most agents prefer to be emailed. Some authors have gone a full year without hearing from their agent after the contract is signed. This is unacceptable. As stated before, if your agent is hungry and knows the business, then you should hear something in 3-6 months. Most agents will terminate the agreement if they strike out with publishers after six months and you’re free to negotiate your book with another agency, small vanity press, or print-on-demand publisher.
10. Advances are rare for first-time authors. I was lucky enough to receive an advance against future royalties on my first book, High Rise, but I received no further monies or accounting of book sales (which was unacceptable to me and I found another avenue for my books).






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. Go to www.agentresearch.com and review what they have to say about agents: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Their advice is invaluable and could save you a year of wasted marketing of your work to publishers.
2. Go the Jeff Herman’s book and read what he has to say about agents. Look particularly at how many titles they placed in the past year. Do you recognize any of these authors, titles, and publishers?
3. Get another opinion on your contract before you sign it. It doesn’t have to be an attorney, but someone familiar with contracts and publishing would be helpful. Talking to other authors about their agent contracts would be okay, if they’re willing to share. Most are bound by confidentiality agreements or don’t want to talk about their contracts.


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Contact Information

A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Voice: 281-893-5405
Fax: 281-893-1735
Web: http://www.akeithbarton.com
E-Mail: coach@akeithbarton.com
(c) Copyright 2003 A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
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The Writer's Connection (sm) 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 A. Keith Barton, Ph.D. and a registered trademark (tm).

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 A. 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 a graduate of 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
Relationship between psychology and spirituality
Executive development and coaching
Coaching writers and authors

© 2003 The Writer's Connection and A. Keith Barton.