Tag: #writers

Preparing to Meet an Acquisition’s Editor

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Whether you contact the editor or she prospects you to discuss your book idea, you should bring your A game to the meeting. That is:

  • Be professional—Arrive on time, minimize distractions as much as possible, and be ready to discuss your work and your book idea. Editors often schedule meetings back-to-back so it’s a good use of both parties’ time to quickly communicate your goal, your vision for your book now and for years to come, and why you want to work with that publisher.
  • Ask questions—The meeting is your chance to assess whether the publisher is a good fit for you. One way to do that is to question those parts of the process you’re unclear about and see if the editor responds seriously, sincerely, and to your satisfaction.
  • Be coachable—While you may be a content expert, you likely aren’t an expert on matters such as best marketing practices, consumer buying trends, translation rights, and so on. If an editor tells you that it’s better to include reproducibles or reflection space in your book and bump its trim size to 7” x 10” instead of releasing a book and companion workbook, for example, heed the advice—but don’t shy from asking why. To have a successful working relationship, editors like myself will note how you respond to feedback. Are you engaged and coachable, or do you insist that you know best?
  • Sell yourself and your expertise—Be true to yourself. If you’re an introvert, lean into that. However, you must convince the editor that you are the perfect person to take a chance on—especially if discussing a scholarly or work-for-hire project. A publisher invests a lot of resources into a book, so it wants to know that you’re worth the risk.

Good luck!

Learning from a Publisher’s Rejection

So, you prepared your proposal (summary of your book idea, where you think it’ll fit in the market, your credentials, and all that other requested info) and submitted it for your dream publisher’s consideration. After your painstaking work, an acquisitions editor (the publisher’s representative) rejects it. How do you handle that?

The following are a few suggestions.

  • Recognize the publisher isn’t rejecting you: A rejection is not a personal attack. It reflects the acquisition editor’s assessment that your book does not complement the publisher’s goals at the time. Sending the acquisitions editor a short message thanking him, her, or them for consideration—or not responding at all—is appropriate; do not berate the publisher’s choice or insult the editor.
  • Look for takeaways in the rejection letter: It may be tempting to simply send a rejected proposal to another publisher, but it will be an exercise in futility if you dismiss valuable feedback. Instead, treat it as a learning experience.
    • Did the acquisitions editor tell you that there isn’t a demand for the topic? Consider shelving the book for a time or re-evaluating the project to see if you can expand it to include more relevant themes.
    • Did the acquisitions editor tell you the project reads like a dissertation? Revise it. This usually means that you as the writer must trim the literature review; consolidate footnotes; and foreground your ideas.  
    • Did the publisher tell you they want you to grow your platform? A lot of prospective authors mistakenly believe it’s entirely up to their publishers to create, grow, and sustain their platform. This is untrue. You as prospective authors should create professional websites or social media accounts to promote yourselves; book speaking engagements, seminars, or workshops (even virtually); or perform other relevant tasks to further your brand. A book will complement this work—not replace it. This also shows the publisher that you will be an active partner.

Once you have incorporated this feedback and updated your book proposal to reflect the changes, send the proposal back to that and other publishers in the field. Know that sometimes making these changes takes months or years.

Good luck!  

Identifying 3 Ways Authors Can Promote Their Books

The benefits of a traditional publisher are numerous. Its advertising and merchandizing partnerships are certainly chief among them. That said, all authors—both self-published and traditional—can help promote their own book.

Authors can:

  1. Update their email signatures and bios to include a link to bookseller—Not only does this advertise that they’ve written a book, it also increases the chance of impulse buys.
  2. Tweet, and encourage peers and friends to post, about the book—Even posting a short but meaningful excerpt raises awareness.
  3. Use the book cover as the background photo on social media sites like Twitter or Facebook or personal websites—I’m especially a fan of this strategy for authors who consult or book speaking events. Attendees will inevitably look them up, so putting the book in a prime spot increases the chance that they’ll see and buy it.

A book that’s seen is a book that sells, so authors should pull out their books whenever and wherever possible.

Laying the Right Foundation (Author Onboarding)

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I read a Harvard Business Review article, “Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly,” that highlighted the importance of proper onboarding for talent retention. The writer pointed out that companies that streamline the steps and interactions needed to make a new hire’s first days successful and welcoming see less turnover. In essence, companies that are intentional about laying the right foundation will receive better results.

Likewise, I think project editors have to be intentional about laying the right foundation with authors. When a manuscript transmits, I reach out via email to the author to make introductions. At that time, I briefly recount what the author can expect during the production process, highlight important dates (like editing review and formatting review), confirm those dates work for the author, and ask if the author has questions about any aspect of the process. In my experience, authors feel good about the process when this occurs. For them, the editor becomes a real person, invested in the authors’ work. For me, I learn how responsive a writer is and whether I need to request modifications to a project’s time line before production begins.

Proper onboarding indeed!

Reviewing the Edit Versus Formatting Review (for Authors)

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Some publishers, including the one that employs me, give authors two reviews during the publishing process. The first—the review of edit—occurs after the manuscript has been developed and copyedited. During this time, the author sees his or her manuscript for the first time since sending it to the publisher. The author should read the file carefully, answering any queries left by the editor. The author should also make any bigger-picture changes he or she has been considering. Now, I’m not encouraging an author to rewrite the book. I’m saying if the writer thinks an additional paragraph or section is needed to strengthen a point, the author should do it now—before the file is formatted.

Once the file is formatted, a.k.a. begins to look like a book, the author receives a copy as an electronic PDF to do the second review, that is to (1) answer any outstanding queries and (2) confirm that the formatting looks like he or she intended, noting any errors. Errors will usually be surface level; perhaps a figure needs to be closer to its call-out or text should be reworked as a bulleted list. Ideally, major rewriting will not occur at this stage. If a lot of rewriting occurs, the file may have to be edited again, which can delay the book’s release.
In both reviews, I encourage authors to read the file carefully. Resolve all editor queries, and ask any questions that come to mind.

Happy editing!