Category: Uncategorized

Do I have a responsibility to my blog readership to ensure that all sponsors of this blog and the LDS Fiction blog uphold what is traditionally defined as LDS standards? (Read original question here.)

The whole idea of sponsorship came about because I wanted this to be an interactive blog. I wanted you to ask questions. I wanted to answer them. And I wanted discussion.

Hard as it is for most of you to believe, just because I’m “the publisher” doesn’t mean that my opinion is always correct. Or best. Or whatever. To be healthy, a company needs to grow and evolve—we need to learn from you how to better meet your needs and expectations, while teaching you to meet our needs and expectations. That can’t happen unless there is dialog, give and take, sharing.

And you guys weren’t sharing!

So I started to provide contests and prizes to trick information out of you. And it worked. You started commenting. And your comments are generally thoughtful and often helpful to us. Your comments here have sometimes been discussed in corporate meetings and in meetings with other publishers. They have impacted company policies and procedures.

It was great. Except I had to pay for the prizes. And my prize budget got cut. Then eliminated. So I had the bright idea, what if I sold advertising? But that sounded so crass. Ergo, the comment contest with prizes provided by authors and publishers.

And it was heaven. Until yesterday when someone pointed out a potential problem. Not that I’m saying one of this month’s sponsors is a problem. We’ll deal with that when we get to hornet’s nest #5. I’m just trying to sort and sift ideas here.

On the one hand, by accepting a sponsor, I recognize that in the minds of some readers, on some level, I am giving tacit approval or endorsement to that book. I suppose that if I knew a book were highly offensive to a majority of my audience that I wouldn’t accept it for sponsorship. For example, I don’t think I’d let George R. R. Martin sponsor this blog even if he were LDS. Not even if he offered me lots of money. However, I’d put Stephenie Meyer on here in a heartbeat. (Not that she’s asked, but one can dream.) Orson Scott Card? Gray area for me. In think many of his books are wonderful. Others are surprisingly offensive to some LDS readers.

On the other hand, can I really be expected to read and approve every offer of sponsorship? I don’t have time to do that. First, I’d have to have sponsors volunteer, then hunt down a copy of their book or ask them to send it to me (which would mean they’d have to donate TWO copies of their book to the cause), then find the time to read it, then think of every possible way someone might be offended by the book and decide if that risk too great. And I’d have to do it within a monthly deadline for this blog and a weekly deadline for the LDS Fiction blog. Honestly—sometimes I don’t have a sponsor locked until the day of the posting. I read fast, but not that fast.

Also, maybe I’d be offended by something that 99% of you wouldn’t even notice. Or vice versa. Nope. Don’t want to do that for the blogs—I have to do enough of that type of juggling in my day job. (You would not believe some of the things our pre-readers think might be offensive to the general LDS population.)

And if sponsorship of my blog equates with my endorsement, well, we’ve got a problem because I’d be more likely to turn down a sponsor for using the word “lighted” instead of “lit” than I would be to turn it down because they used the “d” word once.

So. What do I do, folks? Do I put a giant disclaimer on the sponsor page, like the radio stations do when they run an editorial, and trust you guys to have a little common sense and think for yourselves? Or do I only accept sponsorships from books I’ve read and know are squeaky clean? Or do I dump sponsorships altogether?

What does it mean to you when you see a book on my sidebar? Help me here. I need some pros and cons. Some feedback.

What do you think of prologues? Epilogues?

If they’re done well, I love them. If they’re not done, you’re better off without them.

I found a site that talks about prologues, and I agree. So go here and read it.

Also, prologues work better in some genres than others. Fantasy and suspense prologues are generally better than say, romance prologues.

Do you expect your non-fiction authors to be recognized experts on their topic?

They either need to be experts by study and profession, or experts due to life experience. Sometimes personal experience makes a better book.

What kinds of issues would you like to see explored in a novel? What kinds of non-fiction topics would you like to see?

You’re going to get slightly different answers from each publisher. But. . .

Anything that we, as people alive on this planet, have to deal with is a good topic. It’s not so much the topic, as the treatment of the topic that often gets books rejected. I think you can find books from LDS publishers that deal with just about everything, although sometimes not as honestly and straightforwardly as some of us might wish.

I’d like to see YA books dealing with peer pressure, living in the real world without succumbing to its negative influences, maintaining hope and faith despite the crushing blows that life can send your way. But they can’t be preachy or have simplistic answers, and they can’t sound like they were written by an adult as a way to teach the youth how to live a better life.

I’d also like to see some just plain old fun genre books with LDS characters, but no one trying to convert anyone else.

Do you think it’s wise to use different names for the LDS market and the national market?

There is no hard and fast rule about this. A lot of it depends on how firmly established you are in either market and how much alike or different your books for each market will be. This is something that you and your agent and/or publisher should discuss and weigh the various pros and cons, then make your decision.

Read more about this here, here, here, and here.

Do you think blog tours help sell books?

Yes.

IF the stops along the blog tour have loyal readers who trust the judgment of the reviewer and the reviewer gives you a positive, well-written review. AND if there are easy links from the blog stop to a place to purchase the book online.

Anyone done a blog tour that wants to chime in?

Related to blog tours, any type of internet promo is usually a good thing. For example, Traitor by Sandra Grey has a post over on the LDS Fiction blog. As of this posting, that book had the most positive comments about it. I bought it and put it on my Summer Book Trek Reading list for that very reason. (Although I haven’t read it yet.)

When you receive a manuscript from an author you’ve already published, does that manuscript go through the same process as unsolicited manuscripts? Do you give it special attention?

Basically the process is the same but it’s faster. I know it’s coming so when the book arrives, it goes to the top of my reading list. It doesn’t have to wait its turn in the slush pile. The manuscript still has to be read by me, by our readers, and make its way through committee and that takes a certain amount of time, but hopefully, the author has learned from early experiences with us and knows the types of things we’re going to have them change or fix. Theoretically, the editing, rewriting and committee process goes faster too. If the book is good and we accept it, we get it on the publishing schedule as soon as possible to take advantage of the previous book’s momentum.

Is it harder or easier for a writer to have a second manuscript accepted?

It really depends on how well the first book sold. If the book sold as expected, it’s easier because we know you and you’re a hot commodity. If your first book didn’t sell so well, there is a hesitancy to invest in something else by the same author unless it’s significantly better or different.

What are the most annoying things a writer does that get on the publisher’s nerves?

THE #1 most annoying thing an author can do (both before and after they’re accepted) is to disrespect my time. Examples (and yes, these have all happened multiple times with multiple people):

• Insists on hand-delivering their unsolicited manuscript in a face-to-face visit with me in my office. (This doesn’t get them out of the slushpile. It makes me think they’re very needy and will require lots of hand-holding.)
• Calls me weekly to ask about manuscript/book sale status. Won’t leave message with receptionist. Calls multiple times in the day until they actually speak to me in person. Then next week, it starts all over again.
• Refuses to use e-mail because it’s inconvenient, doesn’t know how, doesn’t have Internet at home.
• Doesn’t read my e-mails, company info letters, etc. then calls to ask me the questions I just answered.
• Doesn’t respond to time sensitive messages.
• Doesn’t cash royalty checks in a timely manner—or loses checks and needs new ones. (I really don’t get this one at all but it happens frequently with some authors.)
• Moves, changes phone numbers or e-mail addresses without telling me so I can’t contact them.
• Sends me things that my website CLEARLY states we don’t/won’t publish.

The second big thing that annoys me is when their actions (or lack thereof) make it more difficult to sell their books:

• Misses deadlines.
• Refuses to participate in even the most basic of marketing and promotional events.
• Goes on vacation without telling me so I have no chance to set up a book signing.
• Does speaking engagements, firesides, teaches workshops, etc. without telling me (so I can provide books to sell) and doesn’t take business cards, flyers, or even mention their book.
• Creates really ugly/unprofessional promotional materials with our contact info and distributes them without permission/approval.
• Contacts booksellers directly and acts in unprofessional manner.

How old do you have to be to submit a book to a publisher?

Old enough to write a good book.

When evaluating your manuscript, we don’t care how old you are as long as both the story and the writing are good. However, once the manuscript is accepted, if your age is outside the norm (under 20 or over 80), we’ll certainly use that as a promotional factor.

Here are just a few titles written by teenagers that you might recognize:

• Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, age 19
• The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton, age 16
• Eragon, Christopher Paolini, started writing at age 15, published at 19
• Seventeenth Summer, Maureen Daly, age 17
• Black Stallion, Walter Farley, age 15

More titles here.

What are the advantages of going with an LDS publisher vs. a national publisher?

First, if your book has LDS references in it, an LDS publisher is going to be more open to that than your average national publisher, so your chance of getting it accepted increases.

If your book is specifically targeted to an LDS audience, an LDS publisher is going to hit that target market on the head. They advertise straight to that market so every dollar spent is hitting your intended reader. A good portion of a national publisher’s marketing dollar (assuming they pick up your manuscript in the first place) would be “wasted” on uninterested readers.

There’s the reader trust factor. Readers who specifically want books with LDS content are going to look first for books published by an LDS publisher. They trust those publishers to provide content they are comfortable with, whereas a national publisher might slip in language or scenes that make them uncomfortable.

A sense of LDS community and loyalty is also a big deal. Some LDS readers will read/purchase books by LDS authors/publishers simply because they want to encourage LDS authors. I have to admit that I read Shannon Hale for the first time solely based on the fact that someone told me she was LDS.

What are some of the most common mistakes authors make when they edit themselves? What should we be watching for as we read through our work?

All authors have their own pet words and phrases that they use much to often. They are so familiar to you that you can’t see them when you read your own work. Keep a list of those words and do a find/change or find/delete before you submit.

Same with –ly words. I’m not one of those who think they should never be used but most of the time you can reword it more strongly. (ha)

As a writer, you’re describing what you see and hear in your head. You already know what is going to happen and how. As a reader, they will be taking their cues from your words. They won’t know the scene until you paint it for them. You know your character and story so well that you miss the gaps. So will people who know you, like family and close friends. This is why you need other people to read your manuscript.

Spelling and grammar. If you consistently misspell a word, or make a particular grammar error, you may not realize it’s wrong. Use your spell checker and grammar checker, if your software has one. (They may not always be correct, but chances are they’ll be right more often than wrong.)

What exactly do you mean when you say “speculative fiction”? Are science fiction and fantasy both covered under that umbrella?

Yes. Anything that is not realistic, as in, it couldn’t happen in this world. It includes science fiction, fantasy, horror, magic, supernatural, super heroes, alternate histories, etc.

Also, if someone wrote an adult speculative fiction book for the general market, would an LDS publisher even consider publishing it? (I’m thinking kind of along the lines of Fablehaven and Leven Thumps, where the books were published by an LDS publisher, but are still known nationally.)

Yes. At least, I’d hope they would.

With so many people in the world having different tastes, how do cover designers arrive at covers that they feel will appeal to the most people?

Art and design, like genre trends, go in and out of fashion. A good designer keeps current on what is hot and what is not, and hopefully creates a cover that is on the leading edge of coolness. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.

A publishing house will generally have a designer do several mock-ups in varying styles, then run those mock-ups by a group of employees—the idea being that the cover with the most appeal to the staff will also have the most appeal to the general public. Again, sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t.

Hard back, trade paper, and audio book seem to be the options for a new title (I’m assuming ebooks are straightforward to produce once the text is ready for publication). While there may be historic (or policy) reasons for favoring one format over the others, in an ideal world without up-front production costs you would presumably make a new title available in all three formats to give more readers what they want. Since the world isn’t ideal, I’m interested in the trade-offs between formats and how you weigh them for a new title. I can understand if you’re reluctant to discuss concrete numbers, but perhaps you could compare and contrast formats in relative terms.

Well, yes. If there were no up-front production costs, we’d offer every title in hardback, trade paperback, mass market paperback, and large print. But no one has invented a replicator yet, so that’s not feasible.

Forget the mass market format (4×6), unless it’s a children’s book. We don’t print enough copies at a time to justify this size for most books. Generally, we go with trade paper (6×9) if we expect fewer to average sales, hard cover if we expect better than average sales. The bigger companies offer audio formats right off; smaller companies only do audio for really good sellers.

You can read about these trade-offs in more depth here.

Can you define “fluffy” or “sappy” LDS fiction? Is there a market for this kind of fiction?

Like beauty, fluffy and sappy are found in the eyes of the beholder.

I define fluffy as a pleasant story with no real meat. The opposite of fluffy would be what we call literary fiction, which is intended to change the life of the reader, or at the very least, make the reader think. Fluffy fiction is usually a fast read, intended as entertainment and generally quickly forgotten. Fluff occurs on a sliding scale, with a sweet romance being on one end and a fast-paced thriller on the other. Most currently published LDS fiction is fluffy. Yes, there’s a market for it. Fluffy fiction is not a derogatory term in my vocabulary. It fills a need for many readers.

Sappy, however, is a negative (imho). Sappy fiction manipulates the emotions of the reader in a heavy-handed way. It tells us how we’re supposed to feel, when we’re supposed to cry, rather than letting us find our on way through the story. It feels contrived. Is there a market for sap? There shouldn’t be, but apparently there is because I still find it more often than I’d like to in this market.

Can you define LDS-standards as it relates to writing for the LDS market?

?? What??

If you’re LDS, you should have no problem figuring this out. If you’re not LDS, you should probably write for another market. (If you really need details, you can find a list of taboo topics here.)

Clarification to yesterday’s post about the protagonist needing to live by LDS standards: I’m talking mainstream LDS fiction, not edgy LDS fiction. There are a few places willing to look at edgier stuff but most LDS publishers are looking to sell to the mainstream LDS reader.

Now, your protagonist does not have to start out living by LDS standards. Recent case in point, Stephanie Black’s Fool Me Twice. Her main character is not LDS. When we meet her, she is a willing participant in a scam to inherit money from a distant relative. However, by the end of the book, she feels incredibly guilty about this and has changed to live a more honest and ethical life.

Do you expect LDS-standards in submissions that are not LDS-related (for example in a fantasy submission, would you expect the characters to live LDS-standards)?

I am an LDS publisher, so yes, I do. Obviously your antagonist would be exempt from moral behavior, but your protagonist should be someone the LDS reader would respect and respond to in a positive way.

If you intend to publish nationally, then no, I would not expect the characters to live LDS standards—but I would hope that your main character would still be moral and ethical.

(See more here.)

Hi there,

I have a few questions I’m hoping you might feel inclined to answer. I’ve put together a group of popular LDS mommy bloggers who would like to create a humorous, uplifting book for LDS women. Each of our blogs have relatively high traffic (in the realm of 1,000 – 10,000 hits per day, per blogger), and between the ten of us we have thousands and thousands of dedicated readers. The women we’ve assembled are funny, touching and very talented.

Is the query process different for an anthology than it would be for a work of fiction?

No, not really. If the publisher asks for sample chapters or pages, send several of the essays.

Do we need to have the book one hundred percent completed before we shop it around?

No, but you should have a very clear idea of theme, topics, contributors, AND marketing plan because anthologies are harder to sell.

My understanding is that anthologies are typically more like non-fiction books— you prepare a proposal and then write the book. Is that correct?

Yes, but you’ll want some sample chapters/essays and you’d need to be able to complete the book quickly.

With Mommy blogs becoming so popular, I think an anthology has potential. One of the most popular Mommy bloggers, Heather Armstrong at dooce.com, just released an anthology of blogger essays. I’m not sure how it’s doing but it got a lot of buzz. Bloggers have a pre-existing audience which could potentially generate more sales right off the bat than would an unknown author.

If you publish a book, you obviously believe it will sell. If a book doesn’t sell well, what do you think are some of the causes?

Assuming the book is, indeed, a well-written book, in the LDS market the main reasons a good book doesn’t sell well are:

1. Deseret Book didn’t pick it up so it’s not in their stores or on their website, therefore most of the LDS book buying public don’t know the book exists.
2. It wasn’t marketed/promoted correctly—either not enough promo (so readers didn’t know it was there), or the promo wasn’t targeted to the right reader, or the promo was lame, or the book cover was unappealing.
3. I guessed wrong. The book appealed to me/my staff but didn’t have that same appeal to the general LDS readership.

All of these reasons are issues with the publisher, not the author. Unfortunately, it reflects on the author, making it more difficult for them to find another publisher willing to take a chance on them. If an author finds themselves in this situation, they need to double their efforts at getting the word out about their book and encouraging positive word-of-mouth recommendations.

Another issue occurs when a poorly written book is published. It gets negative buzz from readers and doesn’t sell well. This is the publisher’s fault because it shouldn’t have been published in the first place—or it should have been cleaned up first. Some publishers put very little effort into editing and clean up work. Their “bad” books tarnish the reputation of their “good” books. (There is one publisher whose titles I will not buy because so many of them are poorly written. If I think I might like one of their books, I check it out from the library or buy it at D.I.)

I have a publisher who wants me to write faster and says they want my future books. Is there any value in me trying to “upgrade” or should I just be grateful that someone wants to publish me?

If you have a publisher who loves you and wants more of you, why in the world would you want to leave them?

The only reason to even consider switching publishers is if they’re not doing a good job for you—or if they’re a small niche publisher and you want to go national.

Are they targeting your maket? Do they pay you a fair royalty? Are they promoting your books? Are your books selling well? If so, stay where you are.

What happens when a book you’ve published receives bad reviews?

It can impact sales—depending on who gives the review and how legitimate the review seems to readers.

If the review is just a slam, filled with typos, poor grammar, or personalized comments, most people ignore it—as do we. If the review is intelligent, well-written, and seemingly unbiased, it can cause us grief. Then we cry and cuss and stomp around, howl and gnash our teeth, cover ourselves with sackcloth and ashes, burn effigies of the reviewer. You know. The usual stuff people do when they’re disappointed.

Depending on where the review was published and what was said, we might try to get fans of the book and/or author to publish contrasting viewpoints. For example, if it’s on amazon or a blog, we might encourage the author to encourage their fans to post polite comments that disagree with the reviewer, or to post their own positive reviews online—but only if that was their honest opinion.

But most of the time, we don’t really do anything about it. If the book is good, fans are already out there posting positive comments. If the bad review is deserved then we use that information to do better next time.

Only once have I ever personally contradicted an online review. The reviewer complained that the non-fiction book included every scripture and quote by a general authority on the topic. From our point of view, that was the selling point of the book. Need info on this topic? Here’s all you ever wanted to know—and then some. So I politely stated that in their comment section. I also identified myself as the publisher. That particular review didn’t seem to hamper sales. We did just fine.

How many people in your company have to be convinced a book can sell before you offer a contract?

14 1/2.

Just kidding.

I’m not sure what the purpose behind this question is. Knowing the answer won’t really make a difference in the process as far as the writer is concerned—unless you want to try to bribe everyone who is involved in the decision making process. (That probably won’t help much either.)

But to answer your curiosity, this varies a lot between companies, depending on their size. Job positions that have to be on board are Editor, Readers, Marketing, Management. Each of these positions may be held by one single individual in a very small company or there may be committees of editors, readers, marketing people, and managers that have to be in agreement in a large company. Some companies may require a consensus, some only a majority. The opinions of some people on the committees may carry more weight than others. There may be one person at the top of the chain who has veto power, regardless of how many others think it’s a good idea; or one person may have the power to push a project through, regardless of how many people think the book won’t sell.

Bottom line: the answer to this question won’t help you get published. Write a good book, send it to the publisher or editor you think will love it and move on.