Free Teleclass Series: Meet the Trainers of The Next Besteller(TM) Workshop
July 12th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, “Your Book Is Your Hook!”
Radio Show Host | Book Consultant | Literary Agent Matchmaker™ | Bestselling Author
Host of The Next Bestseller™ Workshop
http://www.thenextbestsellertv.com/event
Twitter: @urbookisurhook
Twitter2: @litmatchmaker
What kills the dream of a best-selling writing career?
Answering the question, “So, what’s your book about?”
Many authors haven’t developed the ability to talk at ease about their books, no matter where they are or with whom they are talking. Whether they meet potential readers at networking events, social events or even on an airplane or if they choose to approach any professional in the book publishing industry with their project, writers need to be prepared to talk about their books in 1 – 3 engaging, well-thought-out statements.
The Next Bestseller™ is a safe place where you can learn how to talk more concisely and effectively about your book with anyone in any situation by doing it with the guidance and individual feedback from industry professionals.
The faculty members for The Next Bestseller™ Workshops are devoted to finding and cultivating new talent. During this unique weekend experience, these experts collaborate as teachers and trainers in the workshop environment to become a dream team that addresses the writer’s dream, questions, quandaries and fears about pitching and presenting their books to others.
The faculty includes professionals who are experts in a variety of areas in the industry including:
* Dan Fauci, Founder of “The Mastery of Self-Expression” workshops offered worldwide, a film producer and a former executive at Paramount Pictures
* Katharine Sands, a literary agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and the author and agent provocateur of the book, “Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye”
* Lane Shefter Bishop, Founder and Principal of Vast Entertainment and an Emmy Award-Winning director and Hollywood producer
* Penny Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts and best-selling author of the book, “Red Hot Internet Publicity”
* Tom Martin, a TV journalist turned publicist and the owner of Tom Martin Media
* Lauren Solomon, a trusted image advisor, the Founder of LS Image Associates, past President of the Association of Image Consultants International, media personality, author of “Image Matters! First Steps on the Journey to Your Best Self,” and an image industry trailblazer
* Jennifer S. Wilkov, host and creator of The Next Bestseller™ Workshops, is a best-selling, award-winning author, an award-winning freelance writer, an international speaker and trainer, and the Literary Agent Matchmaker™ who focuses on supporting writers with the essentials to become a bestseller: a great project, a strong platform and a well-polished pitch, presentation and hook for their book
Now you can meet them all for free this week and next week during the free teleclass series where each of these trainers will share their insights about what you need to know to answer that constant question: “So, what’s your book about?”
Join us! Here’s how:
At 8:30pm Eastern, join Jennifer S. Wilkov as she interviews one of the top trainers on The Next Bestseller™ dream team.
Dial In Information to join us for free:
Dial In Number: (213) 417-9250
Access Code: 946594#
Schedule of Interviews
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 – Dan Fauci, Founder of “The Mastery of Self-Expression” workshops
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 – Lane Shefter Bishop, Founder and Principal of Vast Entertainment
Thursday, July 14, 2011 – Katharine Sands, Literary Agent at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 – Tom Martin, Publicist at Tom Martin Media
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – Lauren Solomon, Founder of LS Image Associates
Thursday, July 21, 2011 – Penny Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts
Have a question for one of the trainers? Post it here on the blog and we’ll ask it during the teleclass.
** The next weekend for writers to attend The Next Bestseller™ Workshop is August 19 – 21, 2011, in New York City which will be held at the ClassWish offices located at the Hotel Pennsylvania, 401 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10001 . For additional information, dates and other locations, go to www.TheNextBestsellerTV.com/event. **
** Enjoy hearing from my training colleagues from The Next Bestseller™ Workshop this week on Pitch University. The Next Bestseller™ is a safe place where you can learn how to talk more concisely and effectively about your book with anyone in any situation by doing it with the guidance and individual feedback from industry professionals. **
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – NY Times Bestseller Angie Fox & Literary Agent Jessica Faust
June 9th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Jessica Faust, a literary agent and the owner of BookEnds Literary Agency, and NY Times best-selling author Angie Fox, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Ms. Faust will discuss her role as a literary agent in the publishing process and the top 3 mistakes writers make when approaching and working with an agent like her. Ms. Fox will talk about her latest book, The Last of the Demon Slayers, among her series of books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night – and how she does her research. She’ll also share how she’s using her books as her hook and advice for writers who want to write and publish books about vampires and werewolves in today’s publishing world.
NEW YORK, NY (June 7th – June 13th, 2011): Jessica Faust, a literary agent and the owner of BookEnds Literary Agency where she represents a number of award-winning and bestselling authors in the areas of romance, mystery, women’s fiction, young adult, and nonfiction, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about her role as a literary agent in the publishing process and what she does and doesn’t do. She’ll also discuss who her ideal client is and how writers should approach an agency like hers for representation.
She’ll also discuss the mistakes writers make when approaching and working with an agent like her, how a writer benefits by working with an agent and share her perspective of the future of the publishing industry.
New York Times best-selling author Angie Fox will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how and why she wrote her latest book, The Last of the Demon Slayers, among her series of books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night. She’ll also reveal how she does her research, how she got published and how she’s using her books as her hook. Ms. Fox will also share advice for writers who want to write their own books about vampires and werewolves in today’s publishing world.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss why getting an agent is like hiring a business partner during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/iPzs3W
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Ten Myths About Agents
June 9th, 2011
By Guest Blogger Jessica Faust
Literary Agent & Owner of BookEnds Literary Agency
www.bookends-inc.com
1. Not following an agent’s rules exactly will get you rejected.
Not true. Agents have a list of guidelines they’d like writers to follow when querying because it makes our lives easier and while we prefer you call us by the correct name, include the title of your book, or include your phone number, forgetting any of that will not result in an instant rejection. What will get you rejected is not exciting the agent enough about your work.
2. Agents never take risks.
Not true. Each and every submission we send out, each and every offer of representation we make is a risk. Agents take risks all the time, but educated and calculated risks. I can’t offer representation on a book I don’t understand well enough to sell, but there have been plenty of times I’ve offered on something I loved, but didn’t necessarily feel 100% confident I’d find a market for.
3. Agents blacklist authors and spread the news to other agents far and wide.
Not true. Frankly, if we’re talking or complaining about anyone it’s editors [wink]. Rarely, if ever, do we sit around together and share query horror stories.
4. Getting an agent is the hard part.
Wrong. Getting an agent is the easy part. The real hard part isn’t even finding a publisher. The hard part? Finding readers and keeping them.
5. Agents have all the power.
Really, really not true. You might think we do because when querying we frequently say no, but the truth is that you have all the power. Authors provide us with our product and without you we would have nothing. If you think we have all the power you should sit on our side of the desk when a call of representation is offered and the author is talking with other agents. Now who has the power?
6. If you get your own deal, you don’t need an agent.
I think this depends on you. A lot of people talk these days about how authors can negotiate their own contracts and certainly they can and I do believe that authors should spend more time learning about contracts, but, the question is, how comfortable are you doing that? My job is to negotiate and I’m pretty good at it. When it comes to your own career are you willing to push and fight as hard as you need to or is there a possibility the fear of angering editors might make you back off?
7. “Top Tier” Agents are always better.
This one confuses me because I never understand who this top tier is. The best agent is the one who is smart, tough, respected on all sides, honest, and works for you in a way that works for you. An agent’s “tier” doesn’t matter if the two of you can’t see eye to eye on most things.
8. With e-selfpublishing, agents will soon be extinct.
Maybe, but I doubt it. The publishing landscape is changing in new and exciting ways and rather than look at it as a time when everything is being torn down, I like to look at it as a time of new opportunity for everyone.
9. Agents won’t consider you unless you’ve been published.
Not true. In the past 9 months I’ve taken on three new authors, none are previously published.
10. An agent’s job is to do whatever the author says.
Not true. An agent’s job is to partner with the author to build a successful career and this sometimes means telling the author “no.”
Getting An Agent Is Like Hiring A Business Partner
June 9th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
The Literary Agent Matchmaker™
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about why getting an agent is the same as hiring a business partner.
For many writers, there is a mad rush to approach agents with their projects and pitch them to take them on as a client. For some, it is a sign of validation that their work is “good enough.” For others, it is a choice and path to larger publishing houses. And for still others, it is a business and career decision.
Like other businesses, a successful writer’s career is the product of the work, strengths and resources of many. While the writer may be at the center of the writing work, it takes a lot of people to take that writing from the draft manuscript to a published book.
Some writers feel that they don’t need an agent. Others look to hire them and add them to their growing team of career supporters so they can simply focus on their craft and strength which is writing.
For these writers, hiring an agent is a business decision. Funny enough, for agents – taking on the writer is too.
Business partnerships in the writing world include the author-agent relationship. Just like in other business alliances, the relationship can last a very long time when the foundation for it is based on research, information and a good match of strengths and perspectives.
As a writer, it is your responsibility to prepare for the relationship with an agent. Do your homework, Learn about the agents you want to submit to before you send in your work and writing career for consideration. Look at their websites. Read their blogs. Follow them on Twitter. Listen to them speak at conference events. Get to know who they are and what interests they have so you can determine who resonates with your project’s genre, style and audience – and with you.
As agents and agencies, each one has a particular personality and specific genres they prefer to work with. If you are looking for them, they are easy to locate and learn more about.
Just like partners in a business, agents bring skill sets a writer may not have experience with and can take these tasks on while the writer focuses on producing the writing’s end product – a great book. Agents can contact the editors at the appropriate publishing houses, pitch the project and any follow-on projects associated with it, negotiate a deal, pursue foreign rights for it and much more. They are also a good voice of reason for determining projects to work on, suggesting new projects based on publisher mandates, deciding whether to work with the same publisher or to pursue a different one for each project, and other activities to cultivate your growing career.
When people with complimentary skill sets and strengths form a professional relationship that is respectful and supportive, inevitably both individuals and their business endeavors will grow as a result.
These are the ones that last and that stand the test of time.
As a writer, approach the agent process professionally – right from the start. Prepare for it. Align your efforts and energy accordingly. This is not an adversarial relationship you are about to engage in; it is one designed to support you with what you said you wanted: to get your book published and expand your writing career.
When you don’t approach the process of finding an agent professionally, agents most likely won’t want to work with you. For them, this is a business – one they love. They, like any smart business owner, want to invest their time and energy in supporting those who love writing and enjoy the craft AND who want to engage in a relationship that will serve both parties well.
Before you consider whether you want to work with an agent or not, decide whether you want to build a team of professionals around you to support you with your writing career – or if you plan to steward this on your own. Determine what you have to offer and then seek out the individuals who can jump on the bandwagon of your book and champion it to the industry with you.
When you do, you just may find that your book is your hook to finding an agent and so much more.
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – Tanya Wright & Her Debut Novel “Butterfly Rising” & Operation Virtual Agent
February 23rd, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Tanya Wright, a premiere actress of HBO’s “True Blood” and new fiction author of “Butterfly Rising,” and Bree Ogden, a literary agent at Martin Literary Management, will appear as guests on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Ms. Ogden will discuss steps for getting an agent and her new Operation Virtual Agent project to support writers with their quest. Ms. Wright will talk about her debut novel, “Butterfly Rising,” and the independent film by the same name that she wrote, produced, directed and will star in. She will also share insights about extending her talents as an author and give great tips to new writers.
NEW YORK, NY (February 22ndh – February 28th, 2011): Bree Ogden, a literary agent at Martin Literary Management, will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about her new Operation Virtual Agent project and how she is leveraging tools online to provide writers with interactive feedback for their agent questions.
Ms. Ogden will also discuss the difference between a literary manager and a literary agent and she’ll reveal how she finds her clients in the graphic novel, children’s books and young adult (YA) categories. She’ll also provide great advice and insights for writers who are looking to get published in today’s industry and what the future holds for book publishing as a whole.
Popular actress Tanya Wright of HBO’s “True Blood” series will discuss with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov how she wrote her new debut novel entitled “Butterfly Rising” and why she also wrote the screenplay for the independent film of the same name.
Ms. Wright will also talk about the experience of extending her craft from television and film to writing books. She will also reveal why she chose to publish her book using Amazon’s CreateSpace service and how she intends to use her book as her hook in conjunction with the independent film that she has written, produced, directed and will star in.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss the keys to your debut in the publishing industry during her Education Corner segment during the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/dUkz8K
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
Social Persona to Social Pariah at the Click of a Mouse
February 23rd, 2011
By Guest Blogger Bree Ogden, Literary Agent at Martin Literary Management
http://www.martinliterarymanagement.com
http://agentbree.wordpress.com
So you’ve landed an agent! Whew. Work’s done. Time to sit back with your Mojito and let the agent take over the reins. ::Bubble:: POP! Let’s talk reality.
True: your agent is there to get you published (hopefully). True: your agent is there to give you sound advice on your current manuscript and future works-in-progress. True: your agent is there to hold your hand when you are lost in this crazy world called publishing. False: (you knew it was coming) your agent cannot be your social persona. And unfortunately, a negative social persona can make you a publishing pariah.
As authors and potential authors, you have the world waiting to hear from you via the Internet. Twitter feeds, Facebook pages (both fan pages and personal pages), blogs, Tumblr, Web sites, even just a simple Google search could have someone reading every bit of material about you at the click of a button.
Hint: Use this to your advantage. Second hint: It’s harder than it seems. While it’s just plain common sense not to post naughty pictures of yourself on the Web, it might not be as intuitive to watch what you say. For example: Publisher X just released a book about reality television star Y, but Publisher X won’t give your “rousing book on the problem in Country Z” a second glance. So naturally you are angry and you post on Twitter: “Publisher X only cares about money and they produce total crap. I cannot believe they release this kind of trash.”
Hmmm…
Unfortunately for you, Publisher X was actually looking at your manuscript as you wrote those angry words, and you just blew it.
You might think you are invisible on the Web. If you can’t see them, they can’t see you, right? Wrong. With tools such as Google Alerts, anyone can see anything posted about them on the Internet. And it will come back to bite you. I promise.
For an agent, the client who breaches etiquette over the Internet is terrifying. They are a loose cannon and it’s hard for an agent to trust them on their own. By saying inappropriate things over Twitter/Facebook/blogs etc, they not only ruin their own reputation and chances of getting published, but they hurt their agent’s reputation as well.
True story time: An editor once told me regarding Twitter, “Once, I clicked through and saw it was your standard, unpublished (but agented) author—complaining about how long it took editors to consider her manuscript and how this would be ‘unacceptable’ in any other industry and what a bunch of bums editors were. I was considering her manuscript at the time.”
This Internet business is hard work. But worth it if you play your cards right.
The Keys to Your Debut in the Publishing World
February 23rd, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about the key to your debut in the publishing world.
Many writers and also those who want to work in the book publishing field don’t know where to begin. Debuts in any industry can be challenging; however, they don’t have to be impossible.
Creativity is one of the keys when it comes to debuting your talents and work. Oftentimes there are great opportunities to get support for your work within the very venue you wish to reach. The publishing world provides these in a variety of ways but first, before you approach the very world you want to be a part of, learn about it. Take the time to better understand the landscape.
In publishing, you’ll find a world that is in constant flux. Publishers and booksellers are contracting while opportunities in digital media continue to expand. Last year more than half of reported sales from major booksellers were ebook sales.
As a writer, you must learn the publishing lingo and process in order to determine the highest and best path for your book. There are lots of outlets to take advantage of for this including blogs, conferences, workshops, webinars, home study courses, books, consultants and others.
What’s important is for you to make the time and take the action to learn about the lay of the land before you go to market with your project or professional desires. Do your homework and prepare your project or resume accordingly to show your best self and your best work to those you want to reach.
If you are looking to connect with an agent, read some blogs. Get to know the agents out there and understand what they have to offer. Some even take questions from time to time and write about the answers to them to help writers better prepare for their publishing path. Here is a smattering of examples to check out:
- Rachel Gardner, a literary agent at WordServe Literary, and her blog and post about How to Get Published on her blog at cba-ramblings.blogspot.com
- Janet Reid, a literary agent at FinePrint Literary Management, who often writes about queries and rejections like this post http://ht.ly/3IozR on her blog at queryshark.blogspot.com
- Scott Eagan, a literary agent at Greyhaus Literary Agency, whose posts like this one about older writers can often be insightful and found on his blog at scotteagan.blogspot.com
A great new resource that is more personal than just a blog post is the new project debuting from today’s guest, Bree Ogden, called Operation Virtual Agent where you can submit questions to Bree via video. Bree is taking the time to create a video answer that she posts on her blog called This Literary Life at agentbree.wordpress.com.
There are a plethora of options outside of the agent world where you can still get published if you choose to take it on. Like today’s show guest, actress Tanya Wright, you can opt to independently publish or self-publish your book too. For example, Tanya used Amazon’s CreateSpace platform to self-publish her book in conjunction with the independent film she wrote, produced, directed and starred in by the same name called Butterfly Rising.
If all of this seems confusing, there are also consultants like me and others who offer support and assistance with this somewhat overwhelming landscape so you can better understand your role, the options you have and your responsibilities in the industry.
Creativity is the hub for your entrée into the publishing world. Getting to know the business so you can put your best foot forward is the key to your success.
For if you are planning to use your book as your hook in today’s publishing industry, you won’t be able to move forward until you have a book – and more importantly, more knowledge about the book business.
So get busy and get down to business with the preparation for your debut in the book industry!
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
“Your Book Is Your Hook” Show – Rick Frishman Talks Book Publicity, Publishing & Author 101
February 15th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
Rick Frishman, the founder of Planned Television Arts, the Publisher of Morgan James Publishing and the creator of Author 101 University, will appear as a guest on the Your Book Is Your Hook! Show on WomensRadio.com. Mr. Frishman will talk about the essentials authors must have before engaging and submitting their projects to publishers, literary agents and publicists. He’ll also discuss why he co-authored his new book, his 12th entitled Show Me About Book Publishing, and how he’s using it as his hook to help others write and publish theirs.
NEW YORK, NY (February 15th – February 21st, 2011): Rick Frishman, a publishing industry veteran for more than 33 years as a publicist and the founder of Planned Television Arts, as the Publisher at Morgan James Publishing, and as the creator and host of Author 101 University for the last decade,will talk with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov about the essentials authors must have before engaging and submitting their projects to publishers, literary agents and publicists.
Mr. Frishman will discuss in detail what publicists, editors, agents and publishers like him want to see online to support the book project an author is proposing. He’ll also talk about why every writer should create a book proposal and some big mistakes writers make when approaching the industry with their books.
Rick Frishman is also the co-author of 12 books including 4 national bestsellers and he will discuss his new book scheduled to come out this Spring entitled Show Me About Book Publishing with radio personality and host Jennifer S. Wilkov. Mr. Frishman will talk about why he has chosen to have co-authors for all of his books, what to look for in a co-author and how to create a great platform as a team.
Mr. Frishman will also talk about why he created Author 101 University more than a decade ago to help authors and writers learn how to be successful with publishing books. He’ll also share advice for writers who are writing their first books and why co-authoring might be a good option for them.
Host Jennifer S. Wilkov will discuss the benefits of staying with your career in the ever-changing publishing industry during her Education Corner segment on the show.
Click Here to Listen Now: http://bit.ly/eYrMFR
If you have questions about any of these interviews or the education corner topic included in the show, please put them here in this discussion thread and I’d be happy to answer them.
The Benefits of Staying With Your Long Career In Publishing
February 15th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about the benefits of staying with your long career in publishing.
As a writer, you’ve heard the advice about how important it is to stay the course; keep writing; keep submitting your work to literary agents and publishers; and to continue your efforts in the face of rejections and rewrites. You’ve heard people say it, but are you listening?
Many of us have found significant benefits that have come from staying with it in an industry that is forever in flux.
The publishing industry is a hot bed for multi-faceted experiences. You may start out as a writer and then find yourself in the position of an editor, agent, publicist or others. Conversely, industry professionals often find themselves as authors at some point.
There are a variety of aspects to this ever-changing world of books. These days, there is digital publishing – of both books for your Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, iPad or phone and also digital magazines about publishing and writing that you can subscribe to and write for.
The landscape of publishing is inconsistent. It contracts and expands all at the same time. The beauty of this is we as industry professionals find great opportunities to expand our work as a result of the changes we see occurring.
For example, this week’s show guest, Rick Frishman, has been in some facet of the industry for more than 33 years. While you may think – wow, he must have seen it all…he’ll tell you as he did in today’s interview that the industry has changed tremendously since he got into it so many years ago. His career has also expanded from the hallways of Planned Television Arts and becoming its founder to being asked to be a co-author and having national bestselling books. He was also invited to join Morgan James Publishing as its Publisher and he’s been running Author 101 University for more than a decade. Rick has supported his own career by supporting the careers of others in his various capacities. He is a fountain of knowledge and experience because he’s done it.
Other professionals, who like Rick, have expanded their careers by supporting the careers of others include:
Phil Sexton, the Publisher and Community Leader of Writer’s Digest Magazine, has been in the industry for over 20 years. During that time, he has served in numerous capacities, including Vice President of Sales for F+W Media, Sales Director of Adams Media, and the Director of Merchandising for United Magazine Company and Independent Bookseller. He has sold to Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon and most every other major book retailer and wholesaler. These days he is at the top of one of the industry’s leading publications. Separately, he is also the author of A Picture is Worth 1000 Words and Legends of Literature.
Peter Rubie, the CEO of FinePrint Literary Management, was a former BBC Radio and Fleet Street journalist prior to his book publishing career. He was also a professional jazz musician. For several years he was the director of the publishing section of the New York University Summer Publishing Institute. He was a member of the NYU faculty for 10 years, and taught the only university-level course in the country on how to become a literary agent. Prior to becoming an agent, he was a publishing house editor for nearly six years, whose authors won prizes and critical acclaim. He has also been the editor-in-chief of a Manhattan local newspaper, and a freelance editor and book doctor for major publishers. He was also a regular reviewer for the international trade magazine, Publishers Weekly. These days, he runs his literary agency and FinePrint Productions and continues to represent authors as an agent. Separately, he is a published author of both fiction and non-fiction. Quite an array of experiences indeed!
Maxwell E. Perkins was an editor who was the literary intimate of almost every great American writer of the first half of the twentieth century: Thomas Wolfe, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (The Yearling), and many others. As an industry professional, he eventually expanded into the role of the author himself and published the book, Editor to Author: The Letters of Maxwell E. Perkins, which according to an Amazon reviewer, “…was almost a textbook on how to get along with authors.”
My career has also expanded as I’ve continued to stay with it in the publishing industry.
My experience started out as an author, a publisher and a book marketer. Following my success as a bestseller and an award winner, I received requests from other authors and writers to become a consultant for them to help them get published. I obliged and a brand new career unfolded for me, one I never planned on.
I subsequently got asked to be a freelance writer and to write a variety of pieces for all sorts of magazine publications. I ended up winning one of the most prominent awards, the 2009 Silver Eddie Award in my category from Folio Magazine, for a piece I wrote for a national women’s magazine at their request that was published in 2008.
I then received an inquiry about becoming a ghostwriter that I accepted. That led to being invited to qualify for and become a subcontractor for the nation’s leading ghostwriting company.
These days, in addition to continuing to write my own books and consult and ghostwrite for others, I’m also the popular host of this show, Your Book Is Your Hook!, which I got invited to create by the founder of WomensRadio, Pat Lynch.
I’m also still a speaker, trainer and educator for other authors and writers who are coming into the industry for the first time or who are seasoned writers and bestsellers.
These days, I expand my services to support the needs of authors and writers as the industry continues to change. I’m now also a Literary Agent Matchmaker who helps writers to better prepare their submissions to agents, present them properly, and reduce the confusion about which agents to submit to and the respective roles in the agent-author relationship. This way when the writers submit to an agent, they’ll have the best chance at getting picked up and moving forward with their own publishing career.
I even created a new workshop called The Next Bestseller to provide a venue for select writers to work with me and six additional industry professionals at the same time so as to provide a dream team of expertise to support the writer with their preparation for and to practice their approach to agents, publishers, publicists, speaking bureaus, booksellers and others. It’s a unique opportunity for writers to be up close with live industry professionals who are focused on facilitating the writers in the workshop and who are not limited to just presenting information for the attendees to absorb and make sense of on their own.
I even got asked to be an agent – twice. My response in these conversations was, “Then who would help the writers get prepared to meet and work with me as an agent like I do?” So far, I’ve chosen not to expand my career into the world of agenting – not yet anyway.
I continue to enjoy expanding what I do and seeing how others expand their careers in this industry too.
Whatever you do, a career in the publishing industry holds many opportunities for a variety of experiences.
Any way you slice it, your book is your hook to a long-lasting, ever-expanding career in publishing.
So keep writing.
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
Write What You Love & Not for the Trends
February 9th, 2011
By Jennifer S. Wilkov, host of the “Your Book Is Your Hook!” Show on WomensRadio
www.yourbookisyourhook.com
As authors and writers, we’re always learning about resources and industry tools that we can use to improve our book project performance and the enjoyment of our writing and marketing experiences. Today let’s talk about why writing for the genre you love can make for a great writing career.
One of the consistent tips offered by agents, publishers, editors, industry consultants like me and other successful writers and authors is this: write about what you love. We all repeat this over and over again during our conversations on this show, at industry conferences and talks, and during individual consulting sessions.
Too often writers who feel desperate to get published want to write about the trendy topics because they think they’ll get published faster. The downsides of writing about trendy topics are:
1) What’s trendy and hot right now may not be by the time you get published. Remember: if you choose to get an agent and you want to be published by a larger traditional publishing house, your book will take 18 – 24 months to hit the stores after you get an agent to agree to represent you and your project – however long that process takes for you. If you choose to self-publish or go with a smaller publishing house, it could take you 6 – 10 months on average before your book is available and on the scene. That means you could miss the scene entirely with your book if you’re looking to hit the top while the topic is hot.
This can most easily be understood by looking at the vampire books. Before the Twilight series from Stephenie Meyer, there were the popular books by Anne Rice. Nowadays, agents continually say that vampire books are passé and more often than not will receive an automatic “no” from agents and publishers. As per a recent post on Ayesha Pande’s Twitter account @agent_ayesha yesterday: “Dear Authors: it’s official. The publishing industry has vampire fatigue.”
2) When you write about trend topics that are not your passion, it shows in your writing. When you write and speak about something you love and are bonkers about, it shows! The way you express yourself exudes the joy you feel when you write, talk and read about it. After all, it’s cliché: it’s written all over your face. In our case, it’s also written all over the pages of your book. And that passion, my friends, is hard to fake.
3) One trendy book does not a career make. When you write solely on trend, you have to recognize that trends change. Some of the most successful authors write about topics in the same genre because that’s what they enjoy writing and it’s also what they enjoy reading. They’ve built their following and fans because of their consistency. Readers can count on their books being a good read in the genre they love so they continue to stay loyal to the author because of this.
Examples of successful authors who have done this include Debbie Macomber in romance and women’s fiction, James Patterson in mysteries and thrillers, Dave Ramsey in finance, Marci Shimoff in women’s nonfiction and others.
4) Writing for the trends does not an audience make either. When you write for the trends, chances are, you’ll find your liturgy of books all over the place and you’ll constantly be seeking an audience for your work instead of building a consistent community and fan following with the work you love.
Writing about what you love opens your heart and the window to the world of creativity that is bursting inside you, just waiting for an opportunity to come out. Sometimes, when you write solely for trend topics, you may find that you have to force that creativity window open instead of letting it fly open so you can let loose.
And as a gentle reminder: reading the genre you love is just as important as writing in it. Get familiar with those who are successful with their books in the category you intend to write about it.
If you’re serious about building a lasting writing career and you want to use your books as your hook to entertain, educate and enlighten others, then choose the genre you love and start writing.
Jennifer’s show can be heard every week on Tuesday mornings at 9am when it is broadcast on WomensRadio.com and syndicated on Google News and Live365.com. Each show is archived for replay listeners in different time zones and countries.
For more information on this Education Corner topic and others, please refer to www.YourBookIsYourHook.com/blog for more articles and resources to help you with your books.
