BOOK QUERY

 An initial query letter or email to a publisher asking for permission to send a book proposal. Other book publishers will skip the query letter and ask for a book proposal initially. With a query letter for a book, the publisher simply wants to learn enough about your book to determine if it is worth asking for the full proposal. The editor will want to know specifically what the book is about, what qualifies you to write it, and why you think they are the ones to publish it.

You also may need to send a query letter when trying to secure an agent to represent your book. An agent will want basically the same information as the book publisher, and if interested, will also ask to see a complete proposal. The book publisher's and agent's decision will be based on such things as whether they already have or represent a similar book; if they have room in their list of writers or clients; whether the topic is of interest to their readers, or for an agent, if they think it's a topic they can sell to a publisher. For tips and sample queries, go to: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/query-letters-and-examples.

GOOD NEWS FOR SELF-PUBLISHERS

The big news about Barnes & Noble is that after twenty years of battling with Amazon they have finally made a competitive move that Amazon cannot match. Barnes & Noble, with 640 bookstores in 50 states, is giving self-published authors a chance to get access to their hallowed bookshelves. Meanwhile, Amazon runs one bookstore in Seattle (albeit with 3 more slated). Barnes & Noble wins this contest hands down.

The news reads best at a quick glance: “…authors have the opportunity to sell their print books at Barnes & Noble stores across the country… participate at in-store events including book signings and discussions, where they will be able to sell their print books and meet fans.”
But the devil’s in the details: the program is for “eligible” NOOK Press authors, defined as “those print book authors whose eBook sales [of a single title] have reached 1,000 units in the past year.” The in-store promotion is for “those print book authors whose eBook sales [of a single title] have reached 500 units in the past year.”
To try for bookstore access eligible authors must then submit their print books “for review by Barnes & Noble’s Small Press Department and one of the company’s corporate category buyers”. To participate at in-store events authors need a “review from a Barnes & Noble store manager.” But how many copies might the chain order? How long will they keep those precious books in inventory? Where will they be displayed? What about returns of unsold copies? So far there are lots of unanswered questions. It’s not a slam-dunk.
In my coverage of last fall’s NINC conference I noted some remarks from publishing expert Lou Aronica. Lou provided a forceful reminder that self-published authors can’t afford to ignore print: it still accounts for some two-thirds of book sales overall. The larger problem is getting retail access for print. Independent booksellers have always been more open to dealing with self-published authors than the chains. But trying to get into the 2,311 outlets operated by the 1,775 American Booksellers Association (ABA) members is a logistical impossibility. Barnes & Noble has fewer total outlets than the ABA, but a lot more floor space. And just one buying office. At least one report shows bookstore chains with two-and-a-half times the marketshare of independents. Further, getting self-published books into non-bookstore outlets like drug stores and supermarkets is just a dream. And so access to Barnes & Noble should be a big deal.
So far there’s been only modest reaction online. Self Publishing Advisor calls it “big news.” Good E-Reader is cautious. “Too Little, Too Late” is the theme both from Nate Hoffelder and the Passive Voice (where 63 comments will give you an additional sense of the reaction from the field). Author Katie Cross writes that it’s “nice to see them doing something. Following with interest,” while author Jim Cross thinks it “could be huge.”
The program will take months to implement. Obviously nothing is going to change quickly. The takeaway for me is the question of hope, whether the new regime at Barnes & Noble might start to claw back some of the territory they have so determinedly ceded to Amazon. That would be good news for authors of every stripe and for publishers everywhere.

NEW EDITOR--ROSE PUBLISHING

Rose Publishing/Aspire Press/RoseKidz announces today that Brenda Noel has accepted the position of Editor for RoseKidz®, the children's products division of Rose Publishing. Noel starts as editor July 5.  RoseKidz launches 10 new kids titles in 2016, most notably eight new kids devotionals, to fill out the recently acquired Rainbow Publishers/Legacy Press line of children's devotions, reproducible Bible activities, and fiction titles. 

AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY

 A situation where a writer will write the life story of a subject with that person's full cooperation. Full cooperation means the subject will agree to in-depth, recorded interviews, access to personal records or correspondence, and will provide the names of friends or even enemies who will provide additional insight into the person's life and reputation. In some cases, the subject will already be dead, so the author will have to have the cooperation of his relatives or the executor of his estate.

Since the author is working in cooperation with the subject, it will be expected that the subject will be able to see the finished manuscript before it is submitted to the publisher. Before such a biography is started, there needs to be some agreement between the parties as to whether the subject will be receiving any of the advance or royalties, or a byline on the finished book. As in other situations where more than one person is involved in the writing process, it is a good idea to cover all such issues in a written contract. Invariably where money is concerned, there is the potential for conflict—even if the conflicting parties are related to the subject or are life-long friends. For more on the role of the authorized biographer, go to: http://www.wisegeekedu.com/what-does-a-biography-writer-do.htm#slideshow.

WRITING TIP OF THE DAY

Keep in mind that we learn something from every positive and negative experience.

Hang in there!

ACCEPTANCE LETTER

A letter from a publisher accepting your submission. Such a letter from a periodical will typically indicate the editor wants to buy your manuscript, what the payment will be, whether the payment will be on acceptance or publication, what rights they are buying, and perhaps in what edition of the periodical the piece will appear. Although some publishers will still send this letter by snail mail, the majority now do it by email.

With a book publisher, the initial submission will usually be a book proposal. In that case, the first acceptance letter will indicate the publisher is willing to look at your full manuscript—not that he is committing to buying it. If the initial submission was the full manuscript, the acceptance letter will usually indicate their desire to purchase your manuscript, and it may arrive with a copy of the contract or a list of basic terms they will be offering in a contract, along with any other details you need at that point. This Website lists some publishers open to accepting books at this time: http://myperfectpitch.com/book-publishers-accepting-submissions, and http://www.christianpublishers.net/?page_id=846.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Janette Oke Named Recipient of ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award

American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) recently announced that Janette Oke is the recipient of their 2016 lifetime achievement award. Oke will be honored at a gala award dinner in Nashville on August 27 during ACFW’s annual conference. ACFW is a professional organization seeking to empower Christian novelists by helping to inspire and guide them through the writing and publishing process.