A full-service literary agency that focuses on books for the Christian market.

You and Your Publisher: New Best Friends? Not!

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Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant

Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Since most of us will be out grilling, watching parades, and oohing and ahhing over fireworks on our grand Independence Day, this blog post will remain up  through Tuesday. Just so no one misses out, you know.

I’ve been thinking about an author’s relationship with his or her publisher recently, and it occurred to me that some of my clients have learned how to successfully maintain that relationship the hard way. So, to save some of you from those faux paus, lean in and listen (er, read) carefully.

Once a writer signs a publishing contract, everyone involved is dizzy with happiness. The editor, the marketing people, the sales reps, the author, and the agent are all like teenagers who have just met the dreamiest person–who is going on a date with them! The future looks positively, giddily full of  promise.

Because the writer feels (rightly so) affirmed in his or her writing ability and in the marketability of the project, everyone at the publishing house is like a new best friend to dream about the future with.

That perception is right…almost.

The folks at the publishing house are not your new best friends…they’re your new best colleagues.

So what does that mean? Here are six ways authors can show themselves presumptuous in the relationship:

  • Do not assume that what you say to one person stays with that person. (This is not Las Vegas.) Everyone at the publisher’s works daily with everyone else. Okay, that seems obvious, but think about the repercussions of, say, complaining to your editor that the person who wrote your back cover copy is lame-brained. Why, that  might be the individual the editor has lunch with almost every day. Hmm, your comment might not go over well.
  • Do not deride any other books your publisher has chosen to produce. Okay, so you think some very-famous-but-can’t-write-his-way-out-of-a-paper-bag author shouldn’t have been given the chance to show off his lack of skills–let alone have a mega marketing budget. Here’s the thing: That author might well be providing just the infusion of cash the publisher needs to be able to produce your book, and to pay for employee’s salaries.
  • Do not confess that you don’t read any books in the genre you’re writing in. You have just proclaimed that you’re writing with blinders on. That you don’t even particularly like your genre. Especially if you admit this to your editor, red flags will start snapping in the wind for her. Oh, oh, you don’t know the “rules” for your genre; how can you produce the best manuscript? Just how much work will she have to do to pull you from the brink of disaster?
  • Do not assume your publishing house will understand that you missed your deadline because you received a bigger advance for another project after signing a contract with this house. This is not a “family affair”; you have acted unprofessionally.
  • Do not divulge that your wild weekend left you debilitated on Monday and unable to work. Sure, you think the person you’re talking to on the phone or writing an email to might have experienced a similar weekend. But you don’t know. And just because they did doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to have gone and done likewise. That individual might be offended–and that surely can’t do your image any good. Unless, of course, your book is about what a bad boy or girl you are. (Now, that’s an unlikely scenario.)

By the way, my clients haven’t fallen off of all of these cliffs, but I have seen other authors do so. Even if some of these scenarios seem far-fetched, I assure you they are not.

Ultimately, remember this: You have entered into a professional relationship. And while writing is a highly personal experience and many people at the publishing house will learn lots about you as they work with you, every one of them will always protect the publishing house over you. Always.

What errors have you seen other writers commit in relationships with publishing staff?

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  1. I think this is applicable: Recently, I have heard some authors publicly lamenting over the fact that they have poor sales numbers. While they don’t exactly come out and blame their publisher, they do seem to blame the CBA as a whole.

    “CBA readers just don’t get it, they don’t understand what I’m trying to do, etc.”

    I know this isn’t true, because other writers of the same genre have sold very well. I have to wonder if these complaining writers are actually moaning about their publishers supposed inability to market them as writers.

    I just can’t see how going out and telling everybody that your books aren’t selling well is going to help boost your sales. I think if I was their publisher, I would get a little tired of their whining and be hoping for some positive-minded elbow grease marketing from the author.

    Thanks for this post, Janet. Good stuff.

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  2. James, you’re so right. Not only is an author who complains about low sales a whiner but also presenting him or herself as less than a winner. Who wants to run out to buy a book that’s not selling? The author needs to present a professional, upbeat attitude to possible book-buyers–which includes the author’s writing friends.
    That doesn’t mean the low sales aren’t discussed with the author’s agent, editor and in-house marketing staff. It just makes sense to be upbeat in public. That’s a precept every good sales person knows. Who wants to be pegged as Willy Loman?

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  3. If I could play devil’s advocate here which I normally hate to do, what about the publishers declaring certain things about the CBA readers/audiences which don’t hold even half a glass of water anymore? Like what they prefer to read when it’s only a corner of the market while ignoring all the rest of the readers? Okay, I’m done with that.

    Good points, Janet. Valuable advice. Common sense, one could only hope, huh?

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  4. Nicole, it’s hard to overstate how risk averse publishers are nowadays. Many are operating out of the mode of trying to reach the largest number of readers with each title, which means you have to think in sweeping generalities. Segmenting the reading audience into interest groups doesn’t happen much in CBA. But then, CBA is a small audience, and sometimes a publisher can very successfully reach a segment of that audience only to find it’s financially not viable to continue to try to do so–the readership in that segment is too small to sustain projects. It’s a very complex business.

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  5. Janet, I think you make very valid points. It’s also noteworthy that signing a contract with a publisher–even a multi-book contract–does not necessarily mean that they will automatically want all your future work. It’s a relationship with a finite end-date, and even though it may be extended, it’s not wise to burn bridges with other editors and publishers (or let them fall into disrepair from neglect) on the basis of this one.

    Thanks for sharing your experience and passing on good advice.

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  6. This is where it’s important to remember that the publisher-author and even editor-author relationship is one of business first. If it’s something I wouldn’t or shouldn’t say at the office of my “day” job, I don’t say it to or about my other employer/fellow colleague well. In this case, the editor/publisher.

    An excellent reminder of the perspective we should keep.

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  7. I always appreciate your publishing advice, Janet. Great reminders about how important relationships are in this business–and the wisdom of duct-taping the mouth if necessary!

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  8. A good synopsis, Janet. I’v always thought writers should treat their publishers/editors the same way they live their lives. With decency and respect. For family. Neighbors. And business associates. It comes out in the end.
    Wanda

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  9. Wise words.
    I would add one additional area of caution: social media. An author may be “friends” with their editor on Facebook, or have a reciprocal “follow” relationship with that editor (or others in the company) on Twitter. A lack of professionalism in these realms can easily affect future contract decisions!

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  10. Ava, that’s such good advice about social media. Facebook and Twitter (and your blog) are very public venues that never delete what you write. So if we rant about a decision our publisher made that we disagree with, we are writing something individuals at the publishing house might well read. Always be aware that social media is like standing on a soapbox in a town square–that’s as big as the world.

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  11. I work for a children’s book publisher. Relating to your article, I’ve seen illustrators say one thing to their agent about their ability to meet deadlines and quite another thing to the designer & publisher ~ this becomes clear at some point when the art is not delivered on time & puts quite a bad light on their ability to be dependable & truthful. This puts a bad taste in the publisher’s mouth & doesn’t give us confidence about working with them again.

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  12. That is an excellent point about social media. I just found out Zoominfo has a file on me and things I’ve published which dates back several years. It is by no means complete, but it even has some articles I wrote for newsletters for the Chamber of Commerce! I was astounded. It made me realize that I should never, ever write an article “just to get the job done”, but more importantly, it made me realize that if it’s electronically created, stored, submitted, published or filed, then it’s out there forever.

    Excellent points, Janet, and these hold true for journalists as well as book authors.

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  14. Janet, very wise words.

    In this era of email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I think it’s safe to say the boundaries have been blurred in terms of professional etiquette, or perhaps, simply forgotten. No amount of emoticons can repair an ill-advised confession (of course, those emoticons are ill-advised in a professional conversation regardless!).

    One always hopes to have a mutually warm and respectful relationship with their publishing house, and even at times jovial, but it is vital to remember that it is a professional relationship first and foremost. I’ve found in my years in the working world it’s always best to err on the side of discretion, on-line and face-to-face.

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  15. Excellent points made by Janet and the readers. In addition to the obvious social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) I’d include responding to other people’s blogs. I once commented on my disappointment in a particular book’s conclusion on someone else’s blog. I used the author’s name. I understand now why that was a mistake, but it’s one I cannot undo. 🙁

    Reply