Writers: The Secret to Getting a
Publishing Deal
How many
rejection letters have you accumulated over the years? Over 10? Over 20? Over
50? Maybe even over 100. The problem with being a writer is that you think your
next book is the one that’s going to be the big break you’ve been working so
hard for.
Are you
sure? Isn’t the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over
and expecting different results?
So take a
moment and look at the publishing business from the agents and publishers
viewpoint. What would be your main concern? Well. obviously securing the rights
to the next best-selling novel would be goal #1.
So let’s go
back to that new book you’re working on. You may think the topic you’ve chosen
is hot stuff but have you taken a moment to check with the buying public? Some
books have a built in audience. Take dogs and cats for example. There is a huge
market for book on pets. Remember Marley & Me? Bestselling book, big
selling movie.
Cowboys
& Aliens? That became a #1 movie.
Then there
is the triumph of the human spirit. Thousands of successful books have been
written about people living through difficult and dangerous times. The
Holocaust, the Great Depression, the Civil War, Slavery, The World Wars, The
Dust Bowl and so on.
Police and
Lawyer stories are always popular. The TV show Law and Order has been running
for how many years? And of course, SEX ala Fifty Shades of Grey
Let’s take a
step back to you being an agent or publisher. You likely have a boss. He’s
going to want an explanation as to why you think the company should sign this someone
to a book deal. You tell them it’s a great book, fast-paced well-written with
great content.
So your boss
asks if it is about pets. No? Triumph of the human spirit? Kinda but not
really. Contemporary popular topics? No? Police or Lawyer? No?
What’s
happening here is the boss is going down the list of the best-selling topics
and you’re striking out. But there is a still a chance, the book you love is
about a bi-polar woman during the Great Depression. It’s well written and
engaging. But here’s the problem. Although it is about the triumph of the human
spirit somewhat, books about the Great Depression aren’t HOT right now and
therefore it will require a lot of promotion to get it off the ground, meaning
a lot of money invested in advertising and publicity.
But money is
tight in the publishing business. Advances are WAY DOWN and advertising money
goes to the project most likely to turn a profit.
Have you noticed
all the Duck Dynasty and Kardasian books on the shelves lately?
So the
secret of getting a book deal is this: You need to have either a well-written
book that’s about a current hot topic OR make yourself into a brand by
becoming well known on social media.
For example,
my blog http://zackaryrichards.blogspot.com
has been read by over 27,000 people. My facebook page http://facebook.com/aripublishing.com
has over 1300 LIKES plus I won a writers award for my YA novel Frostie the
Deadman.
So ask
yourself, What am I doing to improving my
chances of getting a book deal? If your answer is, I’m writing great books, and as a writer that’s all I need to do.
If that’s
your attitude then your chances of getting a deal have dropped even further
because once an agent or publisher realized that you don’t intend to do
anything to promote your book, they will likely hand over that contract to
someone who’ll promote their book 24/7
So here are
your options. Keep writing and sending manuscripts to agents and publishers hoping
that sooner or later one of them will offer you a contract or TAKE ACTION.
Example:
Best-selling author Amanda Hocking sent her books to every publisher and agent
she could find. ALL turned her down. She kept this up until finally she decided
to TAKE ACTION. She researched the best-selling books and discovered a niche she
knew she could excel at. The Zombie/Vampire/Romance/Teen market.
She created
a blog and heavily engaged her readers. She wrote at an explosive rate, sold
her books on Kindle and built a strong loyal following. She’s now a
millionaire. Why? Because she TOOK ACTION! And guess who’s offering her
huge advances for her books, and a boat load of other perks?
That’s
right. The same publishers that consistently turned her down before.
When my
publisher ran into financial difficulty and had to stop publishing, I
considered looking for a new publisher then decided that I wasn’t going to
spend any more time looking for an new publisher. Instead I partnered with
other novelists and created Ari Publishing.
It was a
considerable undertaking at first but it’s doing quite well now and I’ve
expanded it into a full service agency that helps professionals establish
themselves in their field and new authors to learn the business and build a
following.
If you have
questions about writing or publishing you can contact me at
aripublishin@gmail.com or just visit http://aripublishing.com and have a look
around.
Remember,
nothing is going to happen until you TAKE ACTION!
