The Book Doctors with Mark Coker of Smashwords on Huffington Post
NPR Pitchapalooza The Book Doctors Mary McCallum Northshire Books
Very nice piece on Vermont Public Radio about Pitchaplooza @ Northshire, one of our favorite bookstores in the world.
Podcast of Public Radio Interview with The Book Doctors
—David Henry Sterry
Of course you can! That’s sort of the point, isn’t it? Even the authors of books intended to help other authors get published, an Escherian concept if ever there was one, need to get publicity, and a phone interview offers a fine alternative. Assuming the interviewer has the gear at home, then everyone can get what politicians like to call the maximum “bang for the buck.” Nobody has to leave home and nobody has to even, in theory, get dressed. Let’s presume, however, for the duration of this article, that everyone was indeed dressed. I might note that there is a bit in the book on getting interviewed, and it is not unhelpful.
Eckstutt and Sterry have a pretty full plate these days. They both have separate literary careers (she’s an agent, he’s a writer), they have a website together, that is The Book Doctors (and what a nice linker I am, eh?), and they have these events, which I’ve heard about for a while — Pitchapalooza, wherein the would-be’s line up at the gate and have a minute to pitch their book. It’s speed dating for writers and agents, and while it is perhaps a dangerous precedent, it also gets results. People who have attended get signed.
I talked to the writers-about-writers about their book, their websites and their live show. To me it just makes perfect sense; by offering a platform for writers to hone their pitching skills, they are doing the best possible job of pitching their own skills. You can hear just how good they are by following this link to the MP3 audio file.
In Praise of Pitchapalooza: Testimonials from the Trenches
Here are just some of the testimonials we’ve gotten from Pitchapalooza. We’ve loved every second of it. Thanks America!
I just wanted to drop you both a quick note to tell you how much I enjoyed the event last night. You two are incredible! I learned so much and just thought it was tremendous. I’m so glad I could be there and meet you in-person, as well. Thank you again, so much, for extending this awesome event to our participants and including us in such a smart, beneficial, and fun project. You’re stars! Lindsey Grant, NaNoWriMo Program Director
Thank you for bringing Pitchapalooza to my area. My 16-year-old son and I attended this past weekend’s event at the library in Groton, CT. Neither of us brought a pitch, but we’re both writers who were just interested in seeing what it was all about. We found it highly entertaining and informative. I thank you particularly on behalf of my son, who is generally shy about sharing his writing. You spurred us to have a great conversation on the ride home. This was a terrific opportunity for him to hear useful, practical advice about publishing, as well as get a sense that there really is a community of writers out there. Personally, I was grateful that you helped break down a little more of the wall of intimidation holding me back. You guys are great at what you do. You were funny, positive, and supportive in a way that’s inspiring to all aspiring authors. – Marc Murray
I wanted to thank you for a very inspiring afternoon at Kepler’s. Thanks for showing me the different components of a perfect pitch. I’ve done tons of query letter writing in my years as a freelancer but this one-minute pitch was daunting. But I told myself that the point was to go and have a good time and that’s what I did. – Kalpana Mohan, winner Pitchapalooza, Kepler’s
I wasn’t sure what to expect when went to Kepler’s last Sunday, but I thought the Pitchapalooza was amazing, and I hope to attend another one or one of your workshops in the future. The positive energy combined with the constructive feedback helped me feel energized and ready to continue working towards polishing my craft. I have a page full of notes from the Pitchapalooza and will continue to consult them as I write new query letters and pitches. Thank you for putting together such an amazing event and resource. I’m looking forward to speaking with you. – Jessica Bayliss
It was an absolute pleasure to meet both of you at the KWA Scene Conference. You were engaging and entertaining, funny and fascinating. I could go through the thesaurus for more adjectives but I think you get my point. – HB Burley
I talked to many people after Pitchapalooza and most agreed that it was something they needed. After working hard on a manuscript, consulting with your writing group, talking with anyone who will listen, it seems that the next step was how to get IT out there. That’s where Pitchapalooza came in and it was an eye-opener. I loved last night’s Pitchapalooza in Montclair! Both of you are clearly wise, experienced and, of course, really funny! I came home reenergized and ready to forge ahead with my memoir. – Jill Goldstein
I have only positive feedback for the Albany Pitchapalooza. I had no chance of making my pitch, but this did not affect my enjoyment of the event. An event like this is a powerful motivational tool and makes one pay attention to what makes for a professional writing persona (and pitch, obviously). I did learn from other pitchers and the critiques from the panel. – Annie
I attended the Pitchapalooza at Politics and Prose in Washington DC. I was too late to enter my name to be chosen, but I enjoyed the event, nonetheless. I was impressed by the variety of book ideas, as well as the various styles of the pitches. Aside from the entertainment of watching the various writers, I picked up some good tips and notes from your comments and critiques. I found your suggestions about finding comp titles very useful. – Frances Frost
Both my husband (who is a photographer, not a writer…) and I thoroughly enjoyed the Pitchapalooza at St. Rose in Albany. It was very informative, and the panel struck the right note of warmth, supportiveness and useful criticism. One of the most surprising aspects of the session was the large number of pitches that left me thinking, “Wow, I would buy that book!” Now I can see how difficult it is for an agent or publisher to select the book idea that will outshine all the others. – Noelle Wall
It was great to get to meet you both at the Pitchapalooza event at Politics and Prose. Your events are amazingly fun adventures. The variety of books to be pitched, let alone written is limitless. Glad I was able to attend in person. Hope I can make out to another one soon. – David Rockwell
Pitchapalooza was both entertaining and educational! Actually, a big bonus for me was just preparing to give the pitch. I’ve sent query letters but never done an in-person pitch, so practicing really helped me see what was and wasn’t effective about my own pitch (I think). Watching others pitch helped me quite a bit, too, as well as your feedback to the pitchers (and the feedback of other panel members, as well). – Bettina Yanli
The Pitchapalooza was awesome! Educational and entertaining. Your web site and the links is very informative too–I wish I had know about you when I started writing my book instead of after–but better late than never. – Aileen Johnson
I look forward to hearing back from you about my consultation slot. THANKS AGAIN, Aileen
Pitchapalooza was great, I got a great sense of what would work in a proposal, what kinds of things agents and publishers are looking for. It is great to step out of the theoretical world of the actual writing and start thinking about the business aspect of what comes next. Most helpful were the tips on category, and the advice on comped titles. You had a great crowd in DC too, a very literate city, and it seems that everyone has an idea for a book. – Chris White
Yes I found the Pitchapalooza you held at Politics and Prose on April 11th both useful and entertaining. I was also impressed by how supportive it was of all the writers. I very much want to take my twenty minutes with you but I have a unique problem. – Paul Vamvas
Yes, I attended and I found it all of those. The critique of the pitches was very good, the format was great, the quality of the pitches was generally very good, the event was entertaining. The judges were a good mix. I told my local independent bookstore in Baltimore about the event and I expect them to get in touch with you to possibly schedule an event in Baltimore. – Debra Diamond
I found your pitch advice very valuable, not just on my pitch but on all of them. It was entertaining to hear the wide variety of story ideas out there, and I especially enjoyed the warm and friendly humor from both you and Arielle. – Norreida Reyes
Pitchapalooza was definitely entertaining. Many of the pitchers were accomplished public speakers, many of the books sounded interesting, and a few were just awe-inspiring for their courage in trying to sell what seemed to be unsaleable ideas. Your comments were unfailingly gentle and helpful. It was educational. Despite crafting a pitch based on the advice in your book, I found myself editing in real time as I listened to your critiques of others. Although my name wasn’t drawn, I still came away thinking I would be much better prepared when I have the opportunity to pitch my book. – Jack Riggs
You and Arielle were great. I found Pitchapalooza to be incredibly informative and helpful. As this industry can be cut-throat and negative, I found the panel’s feedback to be constructive, honest and positive. The combination of humor and encouragement left many, myself included, with a sense that it is possible to become a published author. Robin N. Hamilton
I attended the Pitchapalooza in New Orleans at the Tennessee Williams Festival! Prior to that, I had had no experience writing a pitch. I had minimum experience reading/hearing a pitch in a local writing group. You guys pinpointed exactly what a pitch should be. The experience of reading that section of your book overnight, then writing a pitch was fantastic. Your panel—you two in particular– was excellent as was the opportunity to listen to the other contestants and hear feedback from the panel. It was entertaining—and a far cry from the atmosphere I dwelled in for twenty-eight years as a college professor. I learned that a pitch should be tight and zappy! – Sarah Spence
I loved the Pitchapalooza. It was entertaining, but, more importantly, informative. Hopefully, it will help me do a better job in sculpting my own pitch! You were both great presenters and fully focused on each individual’s offering. This allowed for a great sense of comfort in working with you, at least from an observer’s point of view, since I didn’t present. I look forward to our phone conversation. – Robyn Koondel
Feedback on the Pitchapalooza: I found it thrilling to hear the commentary from people who are professionals in the business and really know what it’s about. That was invaluable. I took notes – so yes, educational. I can read books (such as your own) but for some reason, when I read instructional books, my mind wanders and I think about what I’m going to do next (this is not about your book, this is about my mind) to promote my book, or whatever it is I’m reading about. Then, like a bad student, I have to remind myself that I’m reading and go back to the book, which is why I can only read non-fiction in small chunks. Funny thing, I read a lot of non-fiction, but never with the focus with which I read fiction. Anyway, the point is, listening and watching the Pitchapalooza was a wonderful addition to reading the book.
It was fun to see the people who had figured out to say exactly what they needed to say within a minute. Having done some public speaking and lots of teaching and professional development, I can get my speeches or lessons within seconds of the allotted time frame – it’s a great challenge. Whether or not I actually say something useful and poignant is another story. That’s where you folks come in. You were able to zero in on things that I did not realize. I hadn’t realized, for instance, that you actually wanted a line or 2 from the book itself, in order to hear the writing. I had realized that you wanted an arc, and it was great to see which people did that, or not. All of it was great, which I realize is not a very descriptive word, but I’m trying to cut it short here and say…Wow! Eye opening. And thanks. And I hope we can have a time for an interview. I’ll prepare some questions. Thanks again. Robin
the Pitchapalooza was very entertaining. I thought that the level of pitches was pretty amazing, especially since I had done nothing to prepare to pitch. Your feedback was kind and gentle (as promised) but also to the point, useful, direct and very insightful. It was also great fun to listen to what people are writing and have a bit of a window into their lives. I was especially happy with the pick because it was my prediction that it would be the winner, so in the end you really just were validating me — right? I look forward to reading the “chosen” book. The day was filled with a lot of laughs as well as great information and that makes every day better. – Heather Cronrath
I attended the Pitchapalooza at the Nothshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vt. I found the most compelling aspect of the event was your authentic interest in the ideas and individuals who made their pitch. I like your win-win model for finding and supporting new authors. Many people talk the talk but I believe that you sincerely want to help and discover potential clients for the information and services you provide. Even though I had the read the book prior to the session, your pitch was invaluable for clarifying the importance of:
provide memorable details
stay light on the plot
narrative arc (perhaps less clear than the others)
what’s the angst? Who’s the villain?
I will recommend the book without hesitation. I have already done so. – Lorraine Vail
I learned a lot from you two! I enjoyed your enthusiasm and appreciate your advice-all around, and especially for the part about ‘sticking with it’. – Tim Loge
The Pitchapalooza was wonderfully informative and great fun. It was an eye-opener for me to hear other authors’ pitches and the panel’s comments. I was told I need an arc, something I hadn’t heard of. Since my memoir writing teacher says that’s next week’s lesson, I’ll be working on it before the telephone conference. Thank you both for all you do. – Judy
I really thought you and your wife had some great things to bring to the table for the pitch. I was a little star struck when I saw both of you. I purchased the book and it has really great information that I believe would assist me. For the pitchapalooza, I was only there for the pitch and didn’t get my name drawn out. The people that did get their name drawn out, I only found three that really interest me and drew my attention and two of the ones I saw one. The writers didn’t seem to follow what the book incorporates and seemed unprepared. I saw that most of them weren’t following the rules. Like to be up there to have two people up and to stop when the buzzard went off. Also to listen to the judges critics and not take it for a grain of salt. I learned many things from those people, as far as what not to do, but the ones I thought were good I thought had really good ideas as far as what to do. The other two panel judges didn’t seem to have much of an opinion and when they did the focused on what type of genre they enjoy and not as a whole picture. Thank you for your time and reading my email. I hope this helps with my input. I will respond at a later time, if that is okay, to give you the date and time I wish to speak to you about my book, if that’s okay. Thanks again – Orien Cruz
I have only positive feedback for Pitchapalooza. Sadly, my name was on the back side of the paper so I had no chance of making my pitch, but this did not affect my enjoyment of the event. An event like this is a powerful motivational tool and makes one pay attention to what makes for a professional writing persona (and pitch, obviously). I did learn from other pitchers and the critiques from the panel. – Annie Kuhn
I thought the Pitchapalooza was great. I learned a lot about pitching – specifically, the value of including comparable titles, the importance of naming your genre, the need to get you into the story without revealing the end, the importance of writing your pitch in the style of your book. (Some of this I also learned from your excellent panel.) And of course it was fun and exciting too. Everyone loves a good competition. – M.A. Sheehan
“It was totally inspiring to listen and watch all of you work tonight – the depth of your listening, caring and responding.” I found it so helpful to listen to the range of speakers/writers/genres of books. I felt that the panel was very positive which was refreshing as I know you understand how discouraging this process can feel. The format was entertaining, funny, and incredibly useful. I never understood the complexity of reasoning for the one minute pitch. thanks again, wendy miller
Pitchapalooza…FANTASTIC event. Mucho learned in not-so-mucho time. – Stephen Young
I attended the New Orleans Pitchapalooza and found it very educational. Panelist stressed that the pitch should clearly show the main character of the story and should pull the reader in from the beginning. – Verna Barnett
The Pitchaplalozza was fantastic. I learned so much from you in a short period of time. Engrossed in your book currently. Your honest passion towards your art form in celebrating, sharing and encouraging. My hurdle in my one minute is I can be far to interesting. Which can muddle thoughts. – Love and Light – Jonathan/ Lumino
Pitchapalooza was a blast! I learned a lot by watching all the feedback. I especially realized how much agents/publishers have to wade through. I believe my manuscript rocks, but getting an agent to notice me will take work, creativity, and probably some luck. Seeing all the great pitches helped me realize that. Boiling my book down to a pitch did help me wrap my head around the key marketable points of my book. – Emily Parnell
Arielle & David, thanks to you, I now have a SOLID 60-second pitch (below). Thank you! With your help, I know it will go from solid to FRIGGIN solid. – J Stephen Young
I did attend Pitchapalooza and had a great time. It was very educational, too. I was the “unprepared” one. <sigh> – BD Tharp
I was very apprehensive before the Pitchapalooza. I have pitched one-on-one before, but this was a totally different experience. I hate getting up in front of crowds, if you can call 40 people a crowd. But it was actually fairly painless. The feedback I received from the panel was beneficial in letting me know where improvement could be made. I also appreciated the way in which the feedback was given, to myself and to the others. More in a teaching way instead of a criticising way. Thank you. – Mike Watson
I must tell you that I really enjoyed the Pitchapalooza. I had no idea what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised. The winner was amazing…head and shoulders above everyone…I think her book will be a real winner. I did not get selected to pitch my book and honestly…I’m glad I didn’t. I was in no way prepared. The feedback that you guys gave to the others however, has helped me immensely. I’m now on the 30th (at least) revision of my own pitch and hope to have it ready by the 9th. Thanks for responding and I look forward to speaking with you both on the 9th. – Monika Pollick
Regarding Pitchapalooza: I found it entertaining and educational… which two do not always fit together! But you and Arielle were consistently cheerful, and your comments were always patient and kind. I would also note that I was surprised that many pitchers seemed unprepared and really did not have much of a clue on what a pitch should be. This is hardly your fault. Some people don’t pay attention! I spoke with one gal who hadn’t realized the pitches were limited to a minute. :-/ Al Sirois
I did attend a Pitchapalooza at the Texas Book Festival. I walked in cold and flat-footed. In a word “YES” I learned a lot. I found it somewhat entertaining after I recovered from the shock of what I had learned. I never imagined the importance of PITCHING a book. I thought one would send a in a writing sample and things went on from there. I went from being a publishing infant to a publishing blastocyst. After skimming a number of books on publishing and agents and query letters, including yours, I may be an infant again. Fran Samuelson
I did attend the Pitchapalooza at Farley’s, and I found it extraordinarily helpful. I hadn’t aired my ideas in public before (barely 2 sets of eyes have seen my book at all), so it was an important milestone for me personally. I was nervous, but you and Arielle handled every pitcher with candor and professionalism, and without favortism (even when it was clear you loved a pitch); it really put me at ease. I learned a great deal from hearing others pitch and listening to your responses. Your critique of my pitch gave me valuable insight that felt right and doable. You both have great skill at delivering serious critique without making a writer feel hopeless. – Eve Weiss
I attended your presentation at Northshire Bookstore a couple of weeks ago. I can’t thank you enough for your book and the experience of hearing caring, helpful critique of the pitches presented. I quickly learned how I could have given a more effective pitch which gave me the confidence that I can l develop the skills to sell my books. I have never felt that possibility before so I thank you. – Lucia Corwin
I attended a Pitchapalooza on March 1st at the Bridgewater Library and loved it. It was extremely educational and surprisingly very entertaining. As a complete novice, I knew nothing about pitching. Your presentation provided me many practical ideas about the art of the pitch as well as inspired me to continue my quest to publish my work. I would like my phone consultation on April 3rd at 12 or 12:30. Please let me know if either of these are still available. Thanks again, Robbin Loonan
The Pitchapalooza was fantastic. I felt that I learned from your comments to all of the pitchers, and I was shocked at how many good ones there were! Thanks. – David Kritz
Hello! I did attend the Pitchapalooza in Manchester, Vermont! Mostly, I was terrified that I would be picked. Sadly, I was not, but in honing my pitch pre-performance, I thought a lot about my writing and my story and how I love to chisel away and play with language. The generous feedback you gave to the participants provided an opportunity to learn by watching and listening while being entertained. It was snappy and fun! Thanks! – Amy V Palmer
Thank you for the informative workshop laced with humor and great advice. I was quite impressed with your insightful feedback on the pitches. – Celia S. Stahr, Ph.D.
Pitchapalooza is a great concept. Fledgling authors get the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of literary experts who provide instant feedback. Not only was Pitchapalooza entertaining–some “pitchers” are funny and have great senses of humor–but participants get a chance to meet “neighbors” and discuss their book ideas with them as well. All in all, Pitchapalooza is a wonderful opportunity for average folks to learn if their book ideas have merit. – Murray Sabrin
I really did find your Pitchapalooza both educational and entertaining. I was impressed with the quality of the feedback that you were able to provide to the guests in such a small period of time. – Mickey Waring
I found Pitchapalooza to be both entertaining and informative. I would definitely recommend it to others. I have an MFA and one thing they never taught us while working on our craft was how to pitch ourselves and our stories as products. Pitchapalooza is a great way to force writers to focus on the business side of writing. Composing my pitch forced me to focus on the heart of my story. Though I didn’t win, I ended up with a great summary of my novel that was critiqued by the panel. I’ll be able to use that pitch for the rest of my career with this book. It was great to hear critiques of other pitches and to learn from the success and failure of other writers. The panel created a welcome, passionate, accepting atmosphere where I felt safe to make mistakes and learn from them. – Kelle Rice
Thank you for your appearance at Kepler’s a few weeks ago. I chickened out of pitching my book-in-progress but I learned so much from the experience and met some other wonderful fellow writers. – Samantha Rajaram
I LOVED it! I spent six months and paid $1,000 to get a fraction of the publishing wisdom you dished out in a few hours for 17 bucks. Beyond entertaining! Arielle and David were charming, hilarious and wise. You had fun, so we had fun. I learned something from every pitch and every panel response, even though you didn’t call my number. And … you softened the blow for those of us who didn’t pitch with your surprise announcement that we’d ALL get a chance to have you weigh in on our proposals … for FREE! Thrilling! I loved the energy in the room — yours and my fellow authors’. You captured the, “American Idol for Aspiring Authors,” vibe I had read about… I appreciated the clearly communicated, fast-paced, tightly enforced format. I appreciated how thoughtfully you assembled your panel; panelists brought insights from vast but varied experience… You and the panelists didn’t pull punches, but no one left with a “black eye” from too-brutal feedback. I considered it a fantastic event… – Kelly Standing
I absolutely loved your pitchapalooza. It was the highlight of the Texas Book Festival. Not only was it fun and entertaining, I felt like I learned so much about the art of pitching, and specifically, how to greatly improve my own pitch. I thought the format was great and I loved the one-minute time frame (which allowed the audience to hear several pitches, and gave the panel the right amount of time to give feedback). I was amazed at how quickly and deftly you pulled the core of the story out of each pitch in this incredibly intuitive way–what a gift for newbie writers! – May K. Cobb
Pitchapalooza made my book go from the realm of the desirable to that of the possible. It was exciting to see so many other people wrestling with many of the same issues that I’m confronting, and getting to pitch my book forced me to confront this one obvious fact: yes, I can do it. And not only can I do it, but I should, and now. So, the experience inspired me. Thanks, Book Doctors! – Nathan
I very much enjoyed the Pitchapalooza at the Book Revue. Both of you were charming and engaging. Your presentation clarified the information to include in a book pitch as well as informing on how to best grab the attention of one’s target. – Diane Gutierrez
I found the Pitchapalooza a really healthy challenge that brought me out beyond sharing the manuscript with one friend. Not only was it interesting to see other people pitch, but I learned that one can seek help while in the process of still working one’s manuscript. I actually did not realize that I could seek advice and feedback. – Vicki Karant
I LOVED Pitchapalooza! One of the most valuable things I learned is the importance of a pitch. Most of the query letter sites on the internet don’t approach the query as a ‘pitch.’ It is, of course, albeit in long form, but your emphasis on encapsulating a book idea into a concise, one minute statement really pulled it all together for me. In that moment I realized that your idea must instantaneously combust in an editor’s heart and mind, whether in a query letter or across the table at a conference. Thank you so much. Pitchapalooza was both informative and entertaining. I enjoyed it immensely! – Janice Leotti
Thank you for your unique blend of humour, intelligence, encouragement and well-crafted suggestions that you provided to all of us. Your format and presentation were very efficient, effective and inspiring. You provided a sense of community for us—and the panel was part of the community as well–not separate. I so appreciated the “down to earth” feeling– filled with fun and intelligence. I was also moved by the amount of time you spent with each of the lucky presenters and in addition to that, the amount of time you have offered to everyone that attended the workshop. You left me feeling inspired to be more of a giver to people while I take steps to go forward with this journey. – Daria Reid
Pitchapalooza was definitely entertaining, but I think the best thing about it was hearing so many different pitches on different subjects — fiction and nonfiction, adult and children’s books — and getting a feel for what makes a good pitch across genres. Your book does that, too, but it was very stimulating and thought-provoking to hear how other writers are framing their work so it will sell, which pitches would benefit from videos on YouTube, etc. Plus there were lots of little nuggets of excellent advice from you two and the other panelists. – Katharine Webster
I attended the Pitchpalooza in Exeter, NH and it was a Wonderful experience! It was my first writer’s gathering, and I learned just how important your pitch is (in a very brief amount of time) for getting people interested in what we are writing about. It may be great to have the next bestseller on paper, but your pitch is what whets people’s appetites – to actually read it! Since we all have different personalities, I found the different approaches and ideas from each person to be very eye opening, as we each have something unique to share, which stimulates different people, for different reasons. I thought everyone did a great job with the event, and your book is Fantastic. – Jeff Sadowski
The enthusiasm of David and Arielle, from the beginning and throughout the event, was contagious. They did an amazing job at setting everyone’s nervous minds at ease immediately. I felt a definite camaraderie with the others “pitchers” as each stood bravely to try their hand at their one minute pitch. The genuine, attentive and thorough feedback from the panel was impressive. I took a few pages of notes from the critiques given and I learned something from each pitch and comment. The 17-second-recited-in-unison pitch by David and Arielle was entertaining. – Michele Dutcher
Pitchapalooza was highly entertaining and as nerve-wracking as the thunderstorm going on outside the tent as I waited to see if my name would be called. I learned a lot. It was my first experience with doing a pitch and it was incredibly helpful to listen to the specific feedback everyone was given…including feedback given to me. – Bev Smith
Since civilization began, we’ve been climbing the walls to get our stories told. This husband and wife team rocks the Kasbah! Arielle and David have turned today’s science of book publishing on its head by teaching us the art of enjoying the ride. They delete the daunting and magnify the doable, so that everyone wins. How did they manage to write a whole Bible yet have it be such a fun read? By quantum leaps, The Essential Guide to Getting your Book Published inspires me forward and grows more valuable every day. – PM Kearns
Pitchapalooza is the most fun I’ve ever had in a bookstore. The two of you work together like a comedy team, and your advice is succinct, insightful, and encouraging. I left Pitchapalooza with an autographed copy of your new book (definitely worth buying for the new information) and with concrete ideas on how to improve my pitch and market my book. Thank you again for sharing your time and talent. – Lee Wilson
The Pitchapalooza was GREAT!! I was very entertained. It was a first time experience for me as I am quite new to the writing and publishing world. The process was interesting and impressive. I enjoyed first the positive, encouraging manner that you all began with leading into the needs or more accolades. And of course many of the pitches were amazing. – Regena Walters
Thank you so much for the highly entertaining and informative pitch session at the Northvale book store this afternoon. Your feedback on my very rough pitch about raising a child with autism was invaluable. – Laura McKenna
I thoroughly enjoyed attending your Pitchapalooza, even though I was nervously anticipating my turn to pitch. The event was entertaining as many of the authors were gifted performers and all of them were passionate about their work. One of the authors even argued with the judges which gave it an American Idol flavor. Your panel of judges was very knowledgeable and had a wide variety of expertise which they passed along and which I found invaluable. I hope you make this an annual event! – Kristin Oakley
One of the highlights of the day was attending Pitchapalooza with Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. The blurb in the festival schedule says they “are co-founders of The Book Doctors, a company dedicated to helping authors get their books published. They are also co-authors of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How To Write It, Sell It, and Market It… Successfully. ” Randomly selected audience members were given one minute to pitch their books and then received feedback about it. The panelists were nice about it, too, and gave every single person good advice. Guess what? I was randomly selected! It was scary, but exciting. My nonfiction book, Catgut and Toenails: A Guide to Musical Instruments, was met with enthusiasm and helpful comments for improvement, as well as ways to successfully market myself and the book. Every panelist chimed in, which was inspiring. As I made my way back to my seat, a tween sitting nearby whispered, “I’d read your book!” It made my day. – Alisha Gabriel
I had the pleasure of hearing you both at the DIY Author’s Conference luncheon yesterday. The Pitchapalooza later that afternoon was great fun and very informative. – Bobbi Hahn
I loved your book. I read it over a couple of day’s time and learned a lot from it. As far as the pitchapalooza went, its been very useful because not only did I learn how to do a pitch but also how NOT to do it. Confidence is a big factor in pitching. Knowing your pitch upside down, inside out and backwards is a MUST and NOT giving away too much of the plot seems to be the smarter way to go. – Renee Gibbons
I enjoyed the event; it was interesting to hear what other writers are working on. Plus, to get the mesh of the writer’s personality with their ideas was entertaining. Usually you only get the words on paper, no actual personality of the writer before you. Evaluating a “pitch” is far different than evaluating the actual work. However, in this harried world, poor authors probably only get a minute for consideration — or not. So perfecting the pitch is a necessity. –Liz Gruder
I wanted to personally thank you for putting on the PitchaPalooza for books. It was a last minute Daddy-Daughter gig for us. Katie listened intently to the 20 pitches prior to hers and took in the advice you gave. You both inspired her to finish her manuscript. Again, thanks for writing your book and holding your seminars. The ripple effect of your genuine enthusiasm for the written word coupled with an “honorable mention” in your contest lifted the wings of a budding ten year old blond author. – Allan Mishra
I attended the Pitchapalooza this past week and loved it (despite the fact that I didn’t actually get to pitch!) Listening to all of the writers, and the panel’s incredible feedback, was worth the cost of babysitting. Warm regards. – Deb Levy
I took part in Pitchapalooza at R.J. Julia in Madison, CT. In addition to being extraordinarily entertaining, I gained a tremendous amount of valuable information regarding the rather daunting process of attempting to have a book published, as well as very helpful insight as to how I should position my own project. Arielle and David’s upbeat, positive comments regarding the overall prospects for my book provided much needed clarity and assured me that I have a story worth telling.- Susan Borgen
Pitchapaolooza was fantabulous—full of theater, zany humor and most of all the insightful tips from The Experts: David, Arielle and their stable of experienced agents. The book itself is extremely well written and so packed full of vital information that, I found, it has to be read and digested over several weeks time. For the writer with chops, The Essential Guide is a blueprint for success.” – Peter Hensel
Pitchapalooza was so much fun! It truly proved everyone has a story to tell. I learned a lot and came away with several gold nuggets of useful information. – Robert Skead
I really enjoyed your seminar and I am really enjoying your book! What I liked about it was you all gave really good, valuable feedback that all of the attendees could use on their own pitch. So even though I didn’t get to pitch, I feel like my pitch is now 100 times more powerful! – Anthony Fasano
I was not selected to pitch at the Kansas City Pitchapalooza, but I still found it an entertaining and enlightening experience. Attending Pitchapalooza helped me conclude that my hundreds of hours of work and late nights were worthwhile and now I am working towards presenting my ideas to others. – Courtney Privett
Your Pitchapalooza innovation is such a heartening service for the literary future. You are inspirng the birth of what has been feared to be an endangered species, the published author. – Ann Rasmussen
I thought Pitchapalooza was a very unique approach to getting people energized about writing and publishing their book. The selling of the event as an American Idol for writers was a great way to describe the experience. It was entertaining but also frightening for those of us who either weren’t expecting to get up in front of such a large crowd. Another positive was getting accessibility to both of you who are willing to give honest feedback. – Andre Logan
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You folks are a traveling feast! What a simmering soup of ideas you served up for aspiring authors. Especially refreshing were the humor, empathy and the kindness of your comments. How deftly you kept the mood inviting and comfortable for all. Thank you for sharing your talents with us. I am lovin’ every page of The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published! – Patty Kearn OK
Pitchapalooza itself was great, I had a lot of fun. I very much appreciated the immediacy of everyone’s feedback and the specificity with which you identified areas that were both strong and weak in the pitches. You were also very kind in the delivery of your comments, which was probably appreciated by everyone. – Mark A. R. Mitchell
You provided a lot of positive yet helpful critiques. I think it is a great opportunity for a new writer to get direct feedback and an opportunity to work with an agent, which in my case is the most difficult part. The event was certainly entertaining, and if I had the opportunity to attend again, I most certainly would. – Glenn Snyder
The Pitchapalooza was absolutely wonderful. I loved listening to other people pitch their books, and while your advice was specific to each pitch, it was very applicable to every aspiring author. I learned a lot just by listening to what you guys had to say. My only complaint is that it went by so quickly! Thanks so much – Rebecca Coppage
David, seeing you and Arielle at the Bookends Pitchapalooza not only inspired me but has opened doors for me with this new e-book mindset.
I would have never been ready to think about starting the publishing process in e-format. Thank you. And your book is my Bible regarding the pathways. – Patty Kearns
I really enjoyed Pitchapalooza. It gave me some insight to things that I would not have otherwise thought about regarding my own book and my pitch. It was entertaining and informative. – Scott McCulloch
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned a lot. It was a wonderful event. – Kristin Oakley
Pitchapalooza was part lecture hall, part rock concert. – Lonita Cook
Thank you for your appearance at Kepler’s a few weeks ago. I chickened out of pitching my book-in-progress but I learned so much from the experience and met some other wonderful fellow writers. – Samantha Rajaram
I attended Pitchapalooza and all I have talked about since then was how much fun it was. David’s wit made the evening a joy as well as immensely informative. Also what impressed me was how alive and focused you both were. – Anand Ami Hadani
I never expected such a heart pounding experience. I had dropped my name into a jar to be plucked out at random and I had no pitch prepared! Over three hundred people were about to witness my utter humiliation at the hands of an expert panel. I got out my pen and began to furiously write which is not an easy task when every couple of minutes you are sure your name will be called and voices are booming over microphones and hundreds of people are laughing and clapping. – Guruparwaz Khalsa
It is impossible to overstate the benefit from listening to published authors and guest editors respond to 20 or so authors pitch their book. Pitchapalooza is that exciting and useful. You and your guests led us into the demands of the publishing industry and the rich rewards found in your book The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published. Clearly you are serious about your work. The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published is more like dancing than reading. You suggest steps, require spins, then demand leaps that propel us in directions and through doors that only publishing industry insiders could choreograph. Your sharp caring red pencil corrections force me to put your book down and return to rework my own efforts. Your purpose is to help one get published, but your writing is a graduate course in communication. – Richard Coulter
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I wish I had had this book before I published my first novel. I would have saved me a lot of time and mental anguish. A great “nuts and bolts guide. – Rick Davidson
Pitchapalooza was a fun event! I learned quite a bit by just listening to all of the pitches and feedback provided by the panel Listening to other attendees and the feedback they received, I feel that my pitch can be made improved and be more captivating. – Teresa Heithaus
I enjoyed the evening (at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter NH) a lot. I was surprised at the high quality of most of the pitches, expecting a lot more duds in the group. IThe critiques of the pitches were short but very instructive — I certainly made changes to my pitch based on what I heard. And that’s even after having read many books (including yours) about how to pitch. My only regret about the evening was that I didn’t get a chance to pitch live. – Dave Angus
I found the Pitchapalooza event to be entertaining, educational, and inspirational! Thanks so much for running it. I would go again in a heartbeat. – Gina Fortunato
Your Pitchapalooza was fabulous, funny — as well as highly educational! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise and encouraging writers. – Karen Iacobbo
Thank you for making such a wonderful presentation at Exeter’s Water Street Books last night! I loved the entire evening and thought it was extremely helpful in my quest to get published. – Pamela Rogers
Pitchapalooza was an insightful, funny, and nerve-wracking whirlwind. Amid all of the enthusiasm and encouragement I soon found that I’d moved from fretting about my own pitch to cheering on my fellow writers, thinking, “Damn, I’d like to read that.” – Doug Wynne
I thought the event was great because I learned something from the critiques you gave the other authors and you and Arielle are not intimidating, the opposite of stuffy. This was the first time I came out from the shadows and into the light to speak as an author which took courage on my part. I was able to do it because you made me feel that the risk was worth it to receive valuable personal critique. – Marsha Cohen
The Pitchapalooza was fantastic. I found it so informative. I especially benefited from listening to the various pitches. By the end of the evening I had completely reformatted my pitch into something I’ll be excited to present to you. The panel gave good advice as well as helpful critiques to all those brave enough to step up to the mike. That they did it with humor and without malice or sarcasm made for an entertaining evening – Coleen Nigg
I thought pitchapalooza was great!! Your feedback to other authors was helpful to everyone. Your attitudes showed you were excited about your industry and that transferred to us! I learned how to make a good pitch which I look forward to sharing with you. The book is easy to read and already marked up with highlighter. Thanks so much for your interest in new authors! – Deb Farinholt
I thought the Pitchapalooza was helpful and educational and certainly not boring! Most activities surrounding writing are solitary tasks and it is difficult to have an idea about how other people handle the same problems that one grapples with. The Pitchapalooza accorded me the opportunity to observe fellow writers’ pitches and their thought processes. – Vaijayanti Bal
I truly enjoyed the Pitchapalooza. As a novice entering the book world I found it extremely insightful. It was not only entertaining but disarming. No one was being judged, rather provided constructive criticism that every person in the room benefited from. – Natalie Cannady
I thought your Pitchapalooza was excellent! You were both constructive without being harsh and created a positive and exciting forum for upcoming writers to learn. I was personally beyond impressed and entertained, by halfway through I had completely re-written my pitch based on the advice you were providing. – Bradley Butzin
Pitchapalooza was a hoot! A good pitch grabbed me like a good movie trailer would and I was all ears whereas the poorly executed pitch had me tuning out, waiting for the painful minute to end, and your gentle constructive criticism to begin. – Dorrie L. Williams
This was entertaining and informative. It let us all know that there is hope for each of our books. It was an opportunity to listen to others’ ideas and become informed about our skills and the ins and outs of the publishing world. I so appreciated the suggestions and help! – Charla Waxman
The event was very useful as well as entertaining. It refocused me, refreshing things I’d known and revealing things I hadn’t. It was interesting and fun hearing people’s pitches, and instructive hearing the feedback to everyone’s pitches, not just mine. Of course, the entire exercise of putting together my own pitch and getting feedback on it was invaluable. – Doug
I did think your Pitchapalooza was entertaining and informative. – Fritz Windstein
I was awed and amazed at your Pitchapalooza. It brought out raw talent, great story ideas, and sparked hope in the hearts of the writers in our small college town. It was also quite educational! Although I wasn’t chosen to pitch, your comments and advice to the writers that pitched enlightened me about the writing, pitching and marketing process. The writing/editing/literary community seemed ivy leagish to me, too far out to even touch. You made it touchable with your Pitchapalooza. It was a magical moment. – Kay Hoffner
I did indeed find the Pitchapalooza both entertaining and educational. The material presented was extremely varied, and though the subject matter was invariably unrelated to my own, I found helpful tips with nearly every pitch. The evening felt relaxed and intimate and there was a nice mix of serious discussion and humor. Even though I wasn’t selected to pitch, when the evening was over, I wished there was more. – Solace Sheets
I found Pitchapalooza interesting, entertaining, and educational. -Julienne Lentz
Pitchapalooza was both thrilling and terrifying. Zip-lining 700ft over San Francisco last year was less terrifying than standing at that podium. However, the panel’s feedback immediately put me at ease and clearly defined how I needed to change my pitch. Overall the event was amazing. The quick pace gave a wonderful energy to the event and the interaction between panel and audience was both entertaining and informative. When I began delving into the process of writing a proposal, querying agents, working with social media, etc. I bought book after book, trying to find a single one that answered all of my questions. Needless to say, I amassed a substantial stack of books all of which were quickly littered with sticky notes containing the questions they hadn’t answered. Your book answered those questions along with a few I hadn’t thought of. It really is the Essential Guide. Thank you for a book free of sticky notes! – Melissa Henry
I attended your Pitchapalooza. Although I spent a good deal of time frantically scribbling notes in case you called my number, and worrying about whether I should pass or not if called, I found the experience to be quite educational. Thank you for the opportunity to be exposed to a whole new world during my 7th decade. – Charles Peraino
I really enjoyed the Pitchapalooza and found the critiques educational. I read the book already and it is very helpful in understanding what goes on in the industry. What also was great is that you brought a local publisher to the event and I found out that they handle the genre I will try to pitch when I contact their company. – Janet Moulton
Your Pitchapalooza event at Book Passage was both entertaining and educational. Several of the authors really seemed to feel validated by the comments of the panel about their ideas. And, it was crystal-clear that others were not ready to pitch at all, since they asked someone else to take their place. I know that time constraints required that you limit the pitches to 25. We could have gone on for hours! – Linda Jay Galvin
First, congratulations on your work and thank you for reaching out to help other aspiring writers. I gained a great deal of insight at the Pitchapalooza as did all that attended. Those who were selected enjoyed the opportunity to tell their story out loud to a group of supporters. The key lesson is “Be Prepared” with a written pitch in hand and well rehearsed. I came away with the above knowledge and also a sense that I may NOT be on the right track as far as my personal effort. Please note that I used to tell people “I am writing a book…” Now I say “I am learning how to write a book…” Arielle and you make the event. Enthusiasm and kindness are always palatable. – Thomas Yorke
Your presentation at the Tattered Cover in Denver was phenomenal, and Pitchapalooza was amazingly helpful as an author trying to get published for the first time. It helped that Denver has so many creative and talented writers, because even though my name wasn’t selected, I learned a ton. Your kinder, gentler critiques provided tremendous insight for knocking down barriers in the highly competitive publishing world. You know your stuff! – Kerry Gleason
I thought the Pitchapalooza was a wonderful idea for prospective authors to have a forum in which to present their idea(s). I don’t know a lot about the publishing world but I would think that they probably would not otherwise have had such an opportunity to express their ideas and get feedback & constructive criticism. Being an avid reader myself, I enjoyed hearing all the book ideas presented. -Pam Smith, Huntington NY
I thought Pitchapolooza was great fun. I had no idea we’d be pitching our book ideas to the masses and I felt a bit like I was suddenly in the Roman Forum, but the dimension of unanticipated public theater only added depth to an evening full of learning. – Diana Donlon
I really enjoyed the Pitchapalooza. It was definitely entertaining and educational. As a new and aspiring writer, I appreciated the sober dose of reality about the challenges of getting published, but it was well balanced with support. I also like hearing about what others are writing, how they frame the story in a sound bite and the reaction of the pros. It’s a good reality check for me. – John Brooks
I thought your event was both entertaining and educational. I actually wish I could go back in time and pitch my other book, because I’ve taken what I’ve learned from your event to really hone my pitch. I’d always struggled with how to pitch it. But again, thanks to what I learned at Pitchapalooza, I’ve been able to overcome that. It’s amazing how much information you can convey in under a minute. – Zach Richardson
Your event at Book Passage was the most fun I have had in ages. Your book is great! I will recommend it to my friends, including those who are not writers, but definitely readers. – Anand Hadani
Pitchapalooza was a creative marketing tool for selling your book while giving authors a chance to pitch their stories. I found it interesting, entertaining, and educational. – Julienne Lenz
My pitch wasn’t chosen; however, the entire evening was fun and informative. Your responses entertained and, more importantly, enlightened me about the pitch process. – Kate Hoffner
Wow, thank you for coming out to do your Pitchapalooza at TC tonight. You were so warm and welcoming and nice, not at all Simon Cowell-like, and I appreciate your obvious commitment to helping everyone get published, even if their pitch isn’t quite ready yet. Even though I wasn’t able to pitch, I experienced your incredible energy, heard your critiques of others, and left feeling inspired and happy I invested my time attending your event. – Cindy Rold
I thought the event was great. I had never heard of anything like it before. I thought a majority of the pitches were quite impressive and the format of the event with the panel was very well organized and productive. It was more than worth the drive from the city! It inspired me to get back into my big second draft of my current work which says a lot considering it’s been stagnant for a bit. – Mandy Soderstrom
Going into Pitchapalooza yesterday at Kepler’s, I heard it would be entertaining but was unexpectedly surprised at the quality of the pitches and the panel’s commentary. It was a great opportunity to take in your comments and make meaningful revisions. Thank you! – Paula Chapman
Pitchapalooza was a great idea! It was enjoyable to hear the results so many prospective authors’ journeys. Your perspective on creating informative, concise, and entertaining presentations has been instrumental in my reconstruction of my pitch. Your reactions to the pitches also reinforced what I had read in your book. There were so many entertaining moments from the event, including your synchronized pitch of your own book. However, I’ll never forget the reaction from my section of the audience when the author of the “raised by mafiosos” novel revealed that she was 13. My neighbors, the Vietnam vet that used the example of lives in duffel bags and the man who wrote about his attempt to shoot himself in the head, had been talking to her earlier in the evening, and even they had no idea that she was that young. The pitch that really got me was the spec fic pitch about Mexico closing its borders to Americans. I have heard of spec fic like that before, but the delivery was quite amusing. My wife also attended Pitchapalooza, looking to hear entertaining pitches (as well as, hopefully, my own), and thought that it should be a whole afternoon event. She also appreciated the timing and the fact that you asked two of the employees/marketers at Bookshop Santa Cruz to be a part of your panel. After all, they are the ones that would need to pitch the book to consumers. – James Owen
I was thoroughly entertained by the event. I didn’t get called on to pitch, but enjoyed listening to others and the panel’s critique of them. You could advertise that it is a learning experience whether you get to pitch or not, for it was for me. – Jim Cobb
My son who spoke to you on the phone enjoyed the Pitchapalooza as much as I did. It was extremely entertaining and informative. I had never attended a program like that and was pleasantly surprised and impressed by how smoothly you and Arielle kept things moving. The only improvement I noted was 1 1/2 hours isn’t long enough. The session could easily be twice that amount of time. Yes I am enjoying reading your book. So well written and it is a learning experience. – Kathryn Kimzey Judkins
I loved the event. I thought it was very informative. As I’ve been working on my own novel I’ve used some of the things that you guys said to help with my writing. I’ve been looking into what kind of other books would be close to my idea and what kind of market it would fall into. I also enjoyed being able to hear other people’s ideas and see how they presented their books. -Nicole Brems
Thanks for your lively Pitchapalooza at the Tattered Cover last week. You two have mastered the skill of encouragement coupled with helpful criticism. – David Jessup
Let me first say that I very much enjoyed your Pitchapalooza at the Tattered Cover Book Store, Lodo Denver. The advice I received just as an observer was more valuable than you know.
I wanted to let you know that I found it to be extremely entertaining and informative. Having the opportunity to hear so many talented writers share their ideas distilled into their most concentrated form was inspiring to say the least, and I thank you for the opportunity. – Chris Peterson
Thank you very much for creating an opportunity where authors can share and refine their pitch. It was a wonderful experience – Courtney Cooper Hopp
It was a sincere pleasure for myself and the rest of my writing group to participate in the Pitchapalooza that you and your wife put on at the Denver Tattered Cover. -Christopher Ficco
I really enjoyed the event at Anderson’s book store. I learned a lot of practical, immediately-useable stuff. Even though my number wasn’t drawn, I learned much and was glad I drove to the far western suburbs from my cozy nest on the northeast side of Chicago. Both my wife and I were amazed that the five of you consistently gave concise, direct, well thought out answers to all twenty-some people who presented. I also agree with your choice of a winner. I forget her name, but that woman was fresh and funny. -Tom Reilly
To elaborate I feel that participation in the event was good experience. I’ve done some public speaking before but never in that type of venue and never speaking about something of my own creation. I was nervous going into it and considered putting it off. I’m glad I didn’t. Everyone on the panel was encouraging and the feedback they supplied was very helpful. I enjoyed listening to the other prospective authors and took away some valuable insights from their pitches and the panel’s comments. (By the way, I totally agree with the panel’s choice of winner.) Overall it was a most worthwhile experience. – Gary Bourgeois
The input from the panel was enlightening; the variety of authors and style each book was presented offered an eye-opening experience. This was my first professional experience in the writing world and I now know to be much more organized in the future. I felt so fortunate to be selected. The input from the panel, on my pitch as well as everyone’s, provided specific ideas/help. As I mentioned, this is the first time in this arena and the people I met before, during and after the Pitchapaluza were so supportive. I loved this forum. – Sandy Johanville
Let me start by saying I had a most excellent time Saturday during the Pitchapalooza hour. I had the opportunity to speak briefly with David after the seminar and remarked how although I didn’t get to do a formal pitch that day I found my self getting caught up in the other pitches,the stories and the critiques afterward. It was an informative and enjoyable hour on many levels. – Joel Thomas
I thoroughly enjoyed Pitchapalooza. Here are the highlights:
1. The humor of the panelists was key in keeping the participants’ anxiety levels down. I was able to relax and therefore ingest good information once I laughed.
2. The feedback was relevant to each piece being reviewed. Each work received very specific feedback and I knew we weren’t getting “rote” answers.
3. For the most part I was able to discern what made a good pitch by noting the feedback.
4. The one minute maximum, and the enforcement of, and the readiness of the person on deck, all contributed to a great process. – Kerry Workman
The book is wonderful, I have learned that there is a lot more to just writing a book. Pitchapalooza was amazing; it was another learning experience for me. Wow, what you and Arielle are doing for all of us aspiring authors is so remarkable. – Ann Marie Bauer
My expectations were kinda small, but hopeful. I hustled to create my one-minute pitch. All three of you were helpful to each participant in that you were honest, positive, and interested. You and Arielle took notes and you picked up on nuances of the pitch that gave meat and understanding to your critique. It wasn’t a superficial feedback session. Having a third party was helpful. He provided another interesting perspective for various issues and validated the two of you. You three worked well together. My basic reaction about the program: it was informational, humorous, insightful, and helpful. – Ted Engelman
I had a great time at the Pitchapalooza! It was quite educational and entertaining. You were both friendly, funny, and presented information in a humorous, honest manner. I only have one improvement and that is if the entire panel could respond to every pitch in some way because the more critique the better. -James Michaels
The event was insightful and beneficial to me in that it will help me plan the final steps needed for the projects/books. It truly feels like the writing and illustrating of the book was 75% of the total journey and now the hard work starts. Your book seems like a very good map of the path to take from here.-Andy Nowak
I thought the Pitchapalooza was excellent and although I didn’t have the opportunity to pitch my work, I realized what I was missing in my presentation by listening to the comments afforded others by the quality panel you organized for the event. – Lyndee Henderson
It was great to meet the two of you the other night. You are fantastic listeners — I don’t know how you do it; my head would have been spinning for sure after hearing all of those pitches. You made all of us feel quite at ease with our presentations, and the individualized advice was invaluable. -Claudia Lynch
Pitchapalooza in Naperville, IL brought my manuscript out of my laptop and into the public. I was educated, inspired, and entertained throughout the program… and all for free! I met authors, aspiring authors, and friends of authors – 300 of us in that bookstore charged the air with creative energy and your comments were filled with encouragement and respect. In the ‘spirit of the pitch’, I can sum up my experience in 2 seconds: I learned! -Kathleen Tresemer
I thoroughly enjoyed your Pitchapalooza. I have already gotten many useful insights from the panel discussion, and greatly improved my query letter. -Russell Miller
Many thanks, again, for this clever and informative event! That was my first pitch and even though I was SO nervous, the comments and encouragement were deeply appreciated. – Karen Kersting
Thank you for writing my favorite book on getting published. As a writer and aspiringauthor, I carry your book everywhere I go. – Meedo Taha, Architect & Filmmaker
Pitchapalooza was a great event, because it was fun, informative about what agents and publishers need to hear to get a grip on what a new author has to offer, and it got me in the mindset of pitching and selling myself. I loved it… I gleaned so much good information. – Shannon Cason
I thought your Pitchapalooza was great. Entertaining, practical and a hands on learning experience. – Lee Williams
I have had many insights, a few revelations and in general I have enjoyed your honest perspective and your fun and straightforward writing style about ‘how to get your book published.’ – Heather Smith
Although I was not selected to pitch, I found your comments to be extraordinarily insightful and warm. As I mentioned to you, it is very difficult to understand and to navigate the publishing business in these uncertain times, particularly when you begin life in another profession. Your book is helping me to better understand the landscape. By the way, I am certain I am not alone. Several folks around me commented on the enormous value of this promotion, so keep up the good work! – Del Boland
The Pitchalooza was so much MORE than I ever expected it to be! I learned so much
from each panel member. David, I found your wonderful humor that you interjected often to be a real stress reliever for all of us who were awaiting our possible turn to be chosen to
pitch to the panel of publishing experts. I found the event to be most educational due to the great mix on the panel. Then add both of you and it was like watching a variety show at times! One additional point to mention is how you both came out and did your opening “skit” and wowed the audience. It really took the audience quite by surprise. Very clever! I have been talking about the event since that night over a week ago to friends & business associates. I will be recommending your book to those who really can utilize it well. It is in a class all of it’s own as a guide to publishing. – Ellen Miller
I thought it was great. I really liked your positive remarks whether you liked the piece or not, you all delivered your comments in a positive way. – Gretchen Fogelstrom
As for my thoughts on Pitchapalooza, I found it to be entertaining, motivating, and educational. The only disappointment is the limited number of people who were allowed to give their pitch. However, this is completely understandable, and I think you make up for it by offering the free phone consultations. Also on the up side, I think the event has inspired the bookstore proprietor to organize some writer’s groups for our area. – Tina Cline
Pitchapalooza was very well organized and thought out. The readers were held strictly to the one minute rule. I’ve read countless guides to writing queries, but seeing someone pitch their book to a panel of agents and editors really put the whole process in perspective. It was the most enlightening demonstration on queries that I have ever seen. The guest judges were awesome. I was afraid that they’d pull too may punches, but they never did. They gave praise where praise was due, but they weren’t afraid to point
out the weak parts of a pitch. – Adam Natali
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed Thursday night’s Pitchapalooza at Anderson’s in Naperville. It was nerve-wracking, fun, warm and altogether very enlightening. Thanks very much for that and for all you do for books. -Ted Gregory
I have never attended an event like that before, but after attending yours I would definitely go to another… Everything from the Book Revue’s comfortable atmosphere to the event’s whimsical name and the panel’s relaxed demeanor could not have been better. At first I wasn’t sure if I could get up the nerve to pitch in front of a large audience, but after watching the first few brave souls stand in front of you and hearing your positive and friendly feedback, I thought it was possible for me to put myself out there too. I didn’t get a chance to pitch that night, but that does not mean the experience was any less helpful to me than it was to those you addressed directly. Being in the industry I’m sure you know just how valuable your insight is to an aspiring writer like myself, but even so I want to tell you how much it is appreciated, and for you to go above and beyond to offer all those who purchased a book a free consultation was like the icing on the cake. I’m just glad I was lucky enough to purchase a copy of the book before they sold out. – Anthony Cottiletta
The event was very educational, enlightening, and yes, entertaining as well. I thought the judges were honest but not cruel, and kept a comedic edge to it. I also was impressed with the imagination of the aspiring authors. My story is a love story, fairly realistic…some of the stories were so far out there they were intriguing. My father came with me, and honestly feels this could be the next reality show out there. – Lorrie Prescott
I wanted to express how much my wife and I enjoyed the event. Besides being entertaining and informative it was simply a great night out. – Mark Danter
You created a fantastic event that could have otherwise turned into a boring situation. Who knew fellow authors could be so much fun? HA! I had a GREAT time and I’msure everyone else who was present would agree. – Philip F. Aiello
The panel presented seemed approachable and progressive for publishing. The writers that attended were hungry and their stories were colorful. David and Arielle appear to be genuinely happy and generous people. – Kristen Shaw
First I’d like to say that it was a pleasure to attend your event. It was informative and helped me recognize some points that were lacking in my pitches and queries. – Adam Tilford
I loved the book event! That was my first time ever attending something like that! I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I couldn’t get over some of those pitches though! They were amazing, real compelling stories. – Sheila Mitchell
Thanks for a highly informative event tonight. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from your feedback to the other writers. On another note, I have been browsing through your book and find it extremely useful. – Nathaniel Kressen First: HUGE thank you to you and your wife for hosting the most enjoyable book launch event I’ve been to in awhile. It was incredibly motivating, and I’m excited to follow the advice in your book. Second, thank you for the positive feedback you and your panel offered on my book idea. It was a great boost of confidence, but more importantly, I appreciated the constructive direction on how to improve the focus and selling-points of the pitch… Thought you’d like to know that your events—and book—are making a difference for aspiring authors already! – Alison Overholt
Yesterday, following the event Thursday night, I was bombarded with emails and phone calls. As a result of all the excitement Thursday night and yesterday, I am just now having the time to thank the two to whom I owe the most gratitude. You made it all happen. The event was super for all of us, and I would not have left disappointed even if my number had not been picked. I do wish more people would have had the opportunity to pitch, because there was a lot of talent and good stories in the room. Thank you for holding the event and for the amazing encouragement all of you gave me. I felt like a celebrity afterwards with so many people wanting to meet me. I thought to myself, if this is what a book reading is going to be like, I am really going to enjoy them, because I love meeting people and making new friends. –Verne Hoyt, winner of Pitchapalooza Nov 11, Barnes & Noble
First off, I wanted to say that I had a wonderful time at Pitchapalooza. It was stupendous to hear all the different pitches and the stories that people wrote or are writing. I also found your advice engaging and priceless. And that final pitch of the evening – well, in an ironic sort of way, it was priceless as well. At any rate, I won’t blab on about how great an experience I thought Pitchapalooza was. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned a great deal. – Y. Vue.
Pitchapalooza is a genius idea! – Barbara Delaney
I am the bespectacled dame who followed the powerful pitch of the black-clad ex-con with my chirpy holistic breakup spiel at the Strand Bookstore last week.David: you were very compassionate, especially toward the somewhat older woman who went way over her time with her ghostly novel offering…cutting her off at 60 seconds would have been cruel, and you were so right to be generous with her. Arielle: You and the whole panel were kind but firm, supportive but willing to give tough love…the mark of good teachers. You guys are great. Thanks very much for the inspirational opportunity. — Rebecca Klinger
Pitchapalooza was great fun and it gave great insight into a rather distinctive industry. It was also hilarious! The opening pitch by David and Arielle was a great ice breaker. You know we all were very nervous. When an aspiring author pitches a book it’s really putting the heart out there for all to trample. You were so kind and managed to make us laugh even when the author looked like the character (and some tact was necessary)! Hilarious! I was the second to last person to pitch my book and I found myself taking notes for nearly an hour and a half. I got some great information. As David and Arielle stated, it’s not often that a publisher gives an author any time. I was thrilled to get the minute! I enjoyed listening to all the authors. It was very nice to see that you both offered a broad critique on good work and not so good work. – Sharon Mott
Pitchapalooza was an insightful, funny, and nerve-wracking whirlwind. Amid all of the enthusiasm and encouragement I soon found that I’d moved from fretting about my own pitch to cheering on my fellow writers, thinking, “Damn, I’d like to read that. – Doug Wynne
I did enjoy Pitchapalooza, though I was very nervous (which unfortunately showed). I found it informative in an engaging way, and I appreciated the advice that you shared throughout all of the pitch critiques. – Kate Brodasky
I found Pitchapalooza to be an invaluable experience to get informative, positive feedback on my pitch. Thank you for your professionalism and humor! – Su Ciampa
I found your Pitchapalooza entertaining and educational. It was really informative to hear everyone else’s pitch accompanied by your feedback. Getting published is difficult and I appreciate that you don’t lay out false premises. I also really liked the respectful backdrop and the way you set that tone for your participants. It was a perfect setting at the Flying Pig in Shelburne, Vermont. – Robin Reid
Pitchapalooza was perfect! The idea of an “arc” really caught my attention and it made sense. You mentioned that my book was missing the “demons”. That was a very accurate description. it would also be a part of the arc. I now understand that cliche’s are not helpful and really only leave the proposal in the pile. When pitching, the author should “act” out the book. Indeed. When you read a book you should be able to see the activity in your minds eye. On line social media is also a great resource for both marketing and connecting. “Draw the crowd, get to the point and leave em’ hangin’. Lastly, make that minute count! It was fun to have people stop me in the hall and ask me what I did that “summer of self discovery”! – Sharon Gordon
Pitchapalooza was informative and inspiring. I liked the way your points given touched upon not only what needed to be improved but also what was positive. I also enjoyed meeting other people who were pitching their books and listening to what you had to say about their work, which sparked ideas for enhancing my own work. – Cathie Iaccarino
Pitchapalooza was definitely entertaining, but I think the best thing about it was hearing so many different pitches on different subjects — fiction and nonfiction, adult and children’s books — and getting a feel for what makes a good pitch across genres. Your book does that, too, but it was very stimulating and thought-provoking to hear how other writers are framing their work so it will sell, which pitches would benefit from videos on YouTube, etc. Plus there were lots of little nuggets of excellent advice from you two and the other panelists. – Katharine Webster
I really enjoyed meeting you both at Book Shop Santa Cruz’s Pitchapalooza last August. I really appreciated the way that you created a fun and festive atmosphere, yet treated every participant with respect and care. Having the pitch for my memoir, ALMOST MY DAUGHTER, selected as the winner really gave me a shot of encouragement when I needed it most. – Sharon van Epps
I thought Pitchapalooza was wonderful and very professional. I could not believe how many people are writers and how interesting their books sounded. David really kept it going and I think your routine in the beginning relaxed everyone. I learn a lot of different things about writing that I did not even know. Your little tips are very educational. I did not know what to except and I was really pleased with the way you were very upbeat and always positive about the readers work. You made me very comfortable and wanting to continue what I was working on. – Dee Johnson
I took part in Pitchapalooza at R.J. Julia in Madison, CT. In addition to being extraordinarily entertaining, I gained a tremendous amount of valuable information regarding the rather daunting process of attempting to have a book published, as well as very helpful insight as to how I should position my own project. Arielle and David’s upbeat, positive comments regarding the overall prospects for my book provided much needed clarity and assured me that I have a story worth telling. – Susan Borgen
Pitchapalooza was very informative I learned a lot about the publishing world but more about pitching my book. Prior to attending I had no idea what a pitch was. I found myself taking notes and being throughly engrossed in others pitches and applying the feed back to myself when applicable. I enjoyed the Pitchpalooza because this was my first time attending any event (outside of academia) regarding writing. The feedback you provided was never derogatory, or demeaning you offered helpful and hopeful feedback. As a result I rewrote my own pitch and am hopeful. Thank you again. – Tina Williams
My favorite part of the Pitchapalooza was the fun and friendly mood. It took my breath away when you said that all of us could/would have our books finished and published and enjoyed by readers. I loved the positive view that there is room for all authors, readers for us all. I think it was Henry Ford who said something like, “If you think you can or you think you can’t, it’s true.” It was great that you started with the first most important thing, which is to believe that we each can write our books. Next, how to do that. As I wrote below, I had no idea what to expect so I was open to anything and it was great. – Cathy Fitzgerald
Pitchapalooza was both educational and entertaining. It was very helpful to hear samples of a pitch and what you each liked or didn’t like. I felt like by the end I had a better ear for what works and what doesn’t. It was a fun way to learn helpful tips. I appreciated your enthusiasm and energy! – Peggy Siegel
The Book Doctors on The Writer Magazine: Making a Good First Cyber-impression
The Book Doctors Albany/Troy Pitchapalooza Boffo
Thanks to Susan Novotny & all the great people from Book House & Market Block Books. The pitches were so good we had two winners!
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Want-to-be-a-famous-author-Start-talking-1379234.php
“Barry Eisler Walks Away From $500,000 Deal to Self-Pub”: From JA Konrath
Ebooks and Self-Publishing – A Dialog Between Authors Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath
We encourage everyone reading the conversation to comment, and to tweet and otherwise link to it. You also have our permission to copy all or any part of it, provided you link back.
If you’d prefer to read this on your ereader, you can download various versions for free here. This zip file (you need WinZip to open it; a free trial is here) contains doc, pdf, epub, and mobi formats, so it can be uploaded to Kindles, Nooks, Sony Readers, Kobos, and pretty much any other device.
You can also go to Smashwords and get various formats for free, or to Amazon or B&N to get those formats for 99 cents (they wouldn’t allow us to post for free.) It’s also posted in full on Barry’s blog.
Our goal is to get this information out there, because it benefits authors and could theoretically make legacy publishers smarter. Please help us spread the word. Thanks.
And I almost forgot. This recent blog post of mine where I mentioned my anonymous friend? It was Barry.
Joe: To the casual observer, you appear to be heavily invested in the legacy publishing system. They’ve been good to you, they helped you get onto the NYT bestseller list, made you wealthy with several large deals, and seem to have treated you fairly.
Barry: Well, I don’t know about wealthy, but I’ve been making a living writing novels for almost a decade now, which is a pretty great way to live.
Joe: You had six-figure and seven-figure deals. Logic dictates anyone offered a deal like that should leap at it.
Barry: You wouldn’t.
Joe: But I never had the treatment you had from legacy publishers. I would walk away from a big deal now, most certainly, because I have two years of data proving I can do better on my own. However, what if a NYT bestseller were offered, say, half a million dollars for two books? Or, more specifically, let’s say you were offered that. You’d take it. Right?
Barry: Well, I guess not… 😉
Joe: So… no BS… you were just offered half a mil, and you turned it down?
Barry: Yes.
Joe: Holy shit!
Barry: I know it’ll seem crazy to a lot of people, but based on what’s happening in the industry, and based on the kind of experience writers like you are having in self-publishing, I think I can do better in the long term on my own.
Joe: Holy shit!
Sorry. That needed to be said twice.
Barry: It’s okay, I like when you talk dirty. We are living in remarkable times, aren’t we?
Joe: Indeed. “Barry Eisler Walks Away From $500,000 Deal to Self-Pub” is going to be one for the Twitter Hall of Fame.
Barry: Here’s something that happened about a year ago. Anecdotal, but still telling, I think. My wife and daughter and I were sitting around the dinner table, talking about what kind of contract I would do next, and with what publisher. And my then eleven-year-old daughter said, “Daddy, why don’t you just self-publish?” And I thought, wow, no one would have said something like that even a year ago. I mean, it used to be that self-publishing was what you did if you couldn’t get a traditional deal. And if you were really, really lucky, maybe the self-published route would lead to a real contract with a real publisher. But I realized from that one innocent comment from my daughter that the new generation was looking at self-publishing differently. And that the question–“Should I self-publish?”–was going to be asked by more and more authors going forward. And that, over time, more and more of them were going to be answering the question, “Yes.” This is exactly what’s happening now. I’m not the first example, though I might be a noteworthy one because of the numbers I’m walking away from. But there will be others, more and more of them.
Joe: Over a year ago, you wrote a Huffington Post blog called Paper Earthworks, Digital Tides. You basically predicted that digital would become the preferred reading format…
Barry: You’re being kind to me–you predicted that switch way before I caught on to it. In that blog post, I was more building on what I’ve learned from you. But my general point was that digital was going to become more and more attractive relative to paper. First, because the price of digital readers would continue to drop while the functionality would continue to increase; second, because more and more titles would become available for digital download at the same time more brick and mortar stores were closing. In other words, everything about paper represented a static defense, while everything about digital represented a dynamic offense. Not hard to predict how a battle like that is going to end. Apple sold 15 million iPads in 2010, and the iPad2 just went on sale. And Amazon sold eight million Kindle books in 2010–more digital books, in fact, than paperbacks. Meanwhile, Borders is shuttering 224 stores. So I think it’s safe to say the trends I just mentioned are continuing. And the trends reinforce each other: the Borders in your neighborhood closes, so you try a low-priced digital reader, and you love the lower cost of digital books, the immediate delivery, the adjustable font, etc… and you never go back to paper. The reverse isn’t happening: people aren’t leaving digital for paper. There’s a ratchet effect in favor of digital.
Joe: In the history of technology, when people begin to embrace the new media tech, it winds up dominating the marketplace. CDs over vinyl and tapes, DVD over VHS. The Internet over newspapers. Even Priceline over travel agents–
Barry: Yes! Sorry to interrupt, but this is something that interests me so much. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve heard saying, “But paper isn’t going to disappear.” That isn’t the point! If you ask the wrong question, the right answer to that question isn’t going to help you. So the question isn’t, “Will paper disappear?” Of course it won’t, but that’s not what matters. What matters is that paper is being marginalized. Did firearms eliminate the bow and arrow? No–some enthusiasts still hunt with a bow. Did the automobile eliminate the horse and buggy? No–I can still get a buggy ride around Central Park if I want. Now, some new technologies really have completely displaced their forebears. For example, there’s no such thing as eight-track tape anymore. And yet some people still do listen to their music on vinyl, despite the advent of mp3 technology. The question, then, is what advantages does the previous technology retain over the new technology? If the answer is “none,” then the previous technology will become extinct, like eight-track. If the answer is “some,” then the question is, how big a market will the old technology continue to command based on those advantages?
Joe: You’re talking about niche markets.
Barry: Exactly.
Joe: We’ve discussed this before. Paper won’t disappear, but that’s not the point. The point is, paper will become a niche while digital will become the norm.
Barry: Agreed. Lots of people, and I’m one of them, love the way a book feels. I used to like the way books smelled, too, before publishers started using cheap paper. And you can see books on your shelf, etc… those are real advantages, but they’re only niche advantages. Think candles vs electric lights. There are still people making a living today selling candles, and that’s because there’s nothing like candlelight–but what matters is that the advent of the electric light changed the candle business into a niche. Originally, candlemakers were in the lighting business; today, they’re in the candlelight business. The latter is tiny by comparison to the former. Similarly, today publishers are in the book business; tomorrow, they’ll be in the paper book business. The difference is the difference between a mass market and a niche.
Joe: I also love print books. I have 5000 of them. But print is just a delivery system. It gets a story from the writer to the reader. For centuries, publishers controlled this system, because they did the printing, and they were plugged into distribution. But with retailers like Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords, the story can get to the reader in a faster, cheaper way. And publishers aren’t needed. Do you think publishers are aware of that?
Barry: I think they’re extremely aware of it, but they don’t understand what it really means.
Joe: I believe they’ve gotten their business model mixed-up. They should be connecting readers with the written word. Instead, they’re insisting on selling paper.
Barry: Yes. There’s a saying about the railroads: they thought they were in the railroad business, when in fact they were in the transportation business. So when the interstate highway system was built and trucking became an alternative, they were hit hard. Likewise, publishers have naturally conflated the specifics of their business model with the generalities of the industry they’re in. As you say, they’re not in the business of delivering books by paper–they’re in the business of delivering books. And if someone can do the latter faster and cheaper than they can, they’re in trouble.
Joe: You say they’re aware of it, and some evidence points to that being true. The agency model is an attempt to slow the transition from paper to digital. Windowing titles is another one. So are insanely high ebook prices.
Barry: All signs that publishers are aware of the potential for digital disintermediation, but that they don’t understand what it really means.
Joe: Because they still believe they’re essential to the process.
Barry: I would phrase it a little differently. They recognize they’re becoming non-essential, and are trying to keep themselves essential–but are going about it in the wrong way.
Joe: You and I and our peers are essential. We’re the writers. We provide the content that is printed and distributed. For hundreds of years, writers couldn’t reach readers without publishers. We needed them. Now, suddenly, we don’t. But publishers don’t seem to be taking this Very Important Fact into account.
Barry: Well, again, I think they’re taking it into account, but they’re drawing the wrong conclusions. The wrong conclusion is: I’m in the paper business, paper keeps me essential, therefore I must do all I can to retard the transition from paper to digital. The right conclusion would be: digital offers huge cost, time-to-market, and other advantages over paper. How can I leverage those advantages to make my business even stronger?
Joe: We figured out that the 25% royalty on ebooks they offer is actually 14.9% to the writer after everyone gets their cut. 14.9% on a price the publisher sets.
Barry: Gracious of you to say “we.” You’re the first one to point out that a 25% royalty on the net revenue produced by an ebook equals 17.5% of the retail price after Amazon takes its 30% cut, and 14.9% after the agent takes 15% of the 17.5%.
Joe: Yeah, that 25% figure you see in contracts is really misleading. Amazing, when you consider that there’s virtually no cost to creating ebooks–no cost for paper, no shipping charges, no warehousing. No cut for Ingram or Baker & Taylor. Yet they’re keeping 52.5% of the list price and offering only 17.5% to the author. It’s not fair and it’s not sustainable.
Barry: I think what’s happening is that publishers know paper is dying while digital is exploding, and they’re trying to use the lock they’ve always had on paper to milk more out of digital. In other words, tie an author into a deal that offers traditional paper royalties, which are shrinking, while giving the publisher a huge slice of digital royalties, which are growing. The problem, from the publisher’s perspective, is that their paper lock is broken now.
Joe: I feel all writers need to be made aware that there is finally an option. Not just an option, but an actual preferable alternative to signing away your rights.
Barry: It’s inevitable that more writers will be realizing this is true. It’s being demonstrated by more and more self-published authors: you, Amanda Hocking, Scott Nicholson, Michael J. Sullivan, HP Mallory, Victorine Lieske, BV Larson, Terri Reid, LJ Sellers, John Locke, Blake Crouch, Lee Goldberg, Aaron Patterson, Jon F. Merz, Selena Kitt, hopefully me… 🙂
Joe: You’re on track to make $30,000 this year on a self-published short story. I’m not aware of any short story markets that pay that well.
Barry: Well, it’s early yet, but yes, The Lost Coast has done amazingly well in its first few weeks, netting me about $1000 after the initial fixed cost of $600 for having the cover designed and having the manuscript formatted. I plan to continue to publish short stories and I’ll be getting the new John Rain novel, The Detachment, up in time for Father’s Day, and I have a feeling that each of the various products will reinforce sales of the others.
Joe: That’s a really smart plan. My own sales, and the sales of other indie authors doing well, pretty much confirm that a rising tide lifts all boats. Virtual shelf space functions a lot like physical shelf space. The more books you have on the shelf, the likelier you are to be discovered by someone browsing. And when a browser reads you and likes you, she buys more of your work, and often tells others about it. In other words; the more stories and novels you have available, the more you’ll sell.
Barry: Gotta just jump in here to point out the significance of this. It means that a writer’s best promoting tool is once again her writing. Advertising costs money. New stories make money.
Joe: I told you so…
Barry: You did. Glad I listened late rather than never. It’s amazing: for most of the history of publishing, outside a brief book tour and maybe a few public appearances throughout the year, a writer couldn’t do much to promote. Then the Internet happened, and writers had to do a tremendous amount of online promotion–blogs, social networking, chat rooms–to be competitive. Now, with digital books, once again there’s no more profitable use of an author’s time than writing. Not to say that authors don’t need to have a strong online presence; of course they do. But anytime you’re thinking about some other promotional activity–a blog post, a trip to a convention, an hour on Facebook–you have to measure the value of that time against the value of writing and publishing a new story. The new story earns money, both for itself and your other works. The social networking stuff doesn’t.
Joe: Yes. But it’s even more than that. Because there are two major difference between virtual shelves and physical shelves. First, a virtual shelf is infinite. In a bookstore, they have a limited amount of space. Often, my books are crammed spine out, in section–and I’m lucky if they have a copy of each that are in print. Many times they only have a few, and sometimes none at all. But a virtual shelf, like Amazon or Smashwords, carries all my titles, all the time. And I don’t have to compete with a NYT bestseller who has 400 copies of their latest hit on the shelf, while I only have one copy of mine. We each take up one virtual space per title. Second, virtual shelf life is forever. In a bookstore, you have anywhere form a few weeks to a few months to sell your title, and then it gets returned. This is a big waste of money, and no incentive at all for the bookseller to move the book. But ebooks are forever. Once they’re live, they will sell for decades. Someday, long after I’m gone, my grandchildren will be getting my royalties. Currently, my novel The List is the #15 bestseller on all of Amazon. I wrote that book 12 years ago, and it was rejected by every major NY publisher. I self-published it on Amazon two years ago, and it has sold over 35,000 copies.
Barry: That is insane. Aside from some major external event–a big movie release, something like that–it’s almost unheard of for a backlist paper book to suddenly become a bestseller. Yet that’s exactly what just happened to The List.
Joe: Because I dropped the price.
Barry: Well shit, legacy publishers use dynamic pricing to move books all the time.
Joe: Sorry, I just spewed beer all over my monitor.
Barry: I apologize.
Joe: No problem. But right, with digital you have the option to put an ebook on sale. I originally self-published The List in April of 2009. It went on to sell 25,000 ebooks at $2.99. Now, two years later, I lowered the price, and it’s selling 1500 copies a day. Things like that don’t happen in paper. But in self-publishing, I’m seeing more and more books take their sweet time finding an audience, then take off. Forever is a long time to earn royalties. So it makes sense for forever to begin today, not tomorrow. If you had taken the deal for The Detachment, when would it have been published?
Barry: This was one of the reasons I just couldn’t go back to working with a legacy publisher. The book is nearly done, but it wouldn’t have been made available until Spring of 2012. I can publish it myself a year earlier. That’s a whole year of actual sales I would have had to give up.
Joe: We can make 70% by self-publishing. And we can set our own price. I have reams of data that show how ebooks under $5 vastly outsell those priced higher.
Barry: This is a critical point. There’s a huge data set proving that digital books are a price-sensitive market, and that maximum revenues are achieved at a price point between $.99 and $4.99. So the question is: why aren’t publishers pricing digital books to maximize digital profits?
Joe: Because they’re protecting their paper sales.
Barry: Exactly.
Joe: It’s awfully dangerous for an industry to ignore (or even blatantly antagonize) their customers in order to protect self-interest.
Barry: Not that it hasn’t been tried before. Just never successfully outside a monopoly. And the advent of digital has broken the monopoly publishers used to have on distribution.
Joe: In the meantime, I’m selling 3000 ebooks a day by pricing reasonably. There aren’t too many Big 6 authors selling that well. And I’m getting much better royalties than they are. So what’s going on with legacy publishers? It seems like either willful ignorance or outright stupidity. They’re irritating their customers, alienating their content providers, and refusing to embrace the future. Why?
Barry: I think there are a lot of things going on, some emotional, some institutional. Clayton Christensen wrote about a lot of this in a book called The Innovator’s Dilemma. Fundamentally, it’s extremely hard for an industry to start cannibalizing current profits for future gains. So the music companies, for example, failed to create an online digital store, instead fighting digital with lawsuits, until Apple–a computer company!–became the world’s biggest music retailer.
Joe: Simon and Schuster or Random House should have invented the ereader. They should have been selling ebooks from their websites a decade ago. Instead, an online bookseller, Amazon, is leading the revolution.
Barry: Exactly. The same outcome as in the music business. It’s one thing for a single media company to make these mistakes–but one after the other? What’s that Oscar Wilde line? “To lose one parent may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
Joe: Or, as your character Dox would say, “This isn’t really about hunting, is it…”
Barry: That Dox has a way with words.
Joe: Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. I also think the Upton Sinclair quote is appropriate: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” Denial is a powerful opiate. We both dig quotations too much.
Barry: And I think it was Nelson Mandela who said, “Where you stand depends upon where you sit.” We’re probably all victims of those kinds of pressures, to one extent or another. But you have to try to be as aware as possible of the dynamic. If you’re not, you could lose a lot of money.
Joe: You might also lose your content providers. If you’re selling eggs, don’t piss off your chickens.
Barry: It’s not just the chickens. It’s the people who buy the eggs, too.
Joe: The readers. And the libraries. HarperCollins just announced they are putting a limit on ebook loans in libraries. After twenty-six check-outs, the library has to buy a new copy. Talk about biting the hand that feeds…
Barry: Yes. The problem is twofold. First, by giving authors only 17.5% of the growth end of the business while keeping 52.5% for themselves, publishers are going to lose authors. Second, by attempting to retard the growth of digital–holding back digital releases until paper is ready, charging paper prices for digital books–publishers are thwarting their customers. Take a step back and consider it, and it’s hard not to see that this strategy is badly flawed. A business grows by giving customers what they want, not by insisting that customers take what the business wants them to have. It grows by cultivating its wholesale providers, not by alienating them with precentages so unfair that it motivates them to develop their own retail channels.
Joe: It reminds me of the golden age of television. You had three choices, ABC, NBC, or CBS. They dictated what you would watch. But that model no longer works for TV. Now there are hundreds of channels. And it no longer works for books, either. If you look at the current Top 100 bestsellers on Kindle, twenty-seven of them are self-published. Many of those authors were rejected by NY. Yet consumers are showing us what they want to read, and voting with their wallets. The “gatekeeper” model, where agents and Big 6 Publishers decided what would be fit for public consumption, is eroding. YouTube has proven that viewers are okay with having unlimited choices, and happy to surf to find things that interest them.
Barry: Yes! I mean, which of the networks would have broadcast that monkey raping a helpless bullfrog?
Joe: It wasn’t rape. It was consensual.
Barry: I don’t know. I don’t think the frog was conscious. I’m not sure it was even alive.
Joe: I–
Barry: After the first five minutes, I mean.
Joe: I’m married. I see this all the time. The frog was conscious. Just not very active.
Barry: Yes, but he couldn’t speak.
Joe: So the frog croaked?
Barry: Aaaargh! I still think about that frog. I feel sorry for him. What happened… it just couldn’t have been in the lexicon of normal frog fears. Maybe he was worried the monkey would eat him. But then… he’s thinking, “Dude, don’t do this! You’re a monkey, I’m a frog, it’s not right, it’s against nature, it’s mmmmmmmpppphhhhh.”
Joe: It’s not easy being green. How many people do you think followed that link and then, out of mistrust, never returned to our scintillating conversation?
Barry: Yeah, but the ones who returned will be our readers for life.
Joe: We’re probably going to cut this entire section later.
Barry: A tear just rolled silently down my cheek.
Joe: You’re twelve years old. I swear.
Barry: On my good days, yes. I do want to go on the record at this point as saying that no frogs have ever been harmed in the production of my books.
Joe: But gay bashers are rightfully fair game.
Barry: Ask my character Larison, in The Lost Coast, about that… 🙂
Joe: So is this a revolution? Are writers and readers fed up with legacy publishing? And won’t their opinions, and their options, hasten the Big 6’s demise?
Barry: No question: there’s a revolution going on here. In fact, there are parallels between what we’re seeing in the publishing industry and what you see in social revolutions–the kinds with pitchforks and torches.
Joe: You need to elaborate on that. We once had an interesting conversation about kings and peasants which could apply…
Barry: I remember that conversation. That was the one with the mescalin, right?
Joe: No. That was the one when you confessed your secret love for me. This one was about royalty and peasants.
Barry: Oh, right… right. Part of what’s going on in the industry now is that publishers are resisting the way technology is empowering writers. I’m sure some publishers will read this and disagree with it, but that’s because they’re genuinely unaware of the resistance.
Joe: Again, are they truly unaware? Or purposely ignoring it?
Barry: I’m not sure, but in the end it probably doesn’t matter. For a long time, publishers’ lock on distribution has given them enormous leverage in the industry, a leverage they’ve come to view as the natural, desirable order of things. Legacy publishers are part of an establishment, and if you’re part of the establishment, you’re of course going to like and support the establishment, and to resist any attempts to change or circumvent it. It’s just human nature.
Joe: They think they’re royalty, that they’re entitled to certain assurances. And we’re peasants, who need to listen to what our lords and masters tell us. Naturally, a peasant uprising is unthinkable.
Barry: I’d tweak this just a little. In America, the concept of royalty as such isn’t popular, so no matter how many royal perks and prerogatives Americans might have, the people in question wouldn’t want to think of themselves as royalty. But that said, certainly there’s a mentality in publishing about who has the power as between publishers and authors generally. There are exceptions–I doubt Stephen King’s publisher thinks it has the upper hand in that relationship–but overall, publishers look at authors as needing publishers more than publishers need authors.
Joe: That’s changed. And they don’t seem to realize it.
Barry: Right. Before the digital revolution, there was some basis for this viewpoint. But today it’s antiquated, and publishers are starting to need authors more than authors need publishers. If for generations you’ve been the lord of the land worked by your peasants, and you suddenly find yourself needing the peasants more than they need you, if you find them making new demands you don’t have the negotiating leverage to resist, you’ll probably find yourself resentful because damn it, this just isn’t the way God ordered the universe!
Joe: And despite all this, legacy publishers don’t realize a revolution is afoot.
Barry: I think they’re aware of it, but in an abstract way. I talk to a lot of people in the business, and when most of them talk about digital and the changes it’s causing in the industry, you can tell they’re imagining a future that’s safely abstract and far off. Something you acknowledge in conversation, of course–you’re not in denial, after all–but that fundamentally still feels to you like theory. Because you’re still having your Tuesday morning editorial meetings, right? And you just launched a new title that made the NYT list, right? And signed that hot new author, right? Sure, there are rumblings in the provinces, but here at court in Versailles, the food is still delicious and the courtiers still accord deference appropriate to your rank. When you live in the palace at Versailles, the rumblings in the provinces always sound far away. Right up until the peasants are dragging you out of your bed in the middle of the night and setting fire to your throne.
Joe: Sounds like Egypt.
Barry: It is Egypt. You think Mubarak had any idea of what he was facing at any time before he was being escorted from the palace? At one point, he actually believed that offering to fire his cabinet was going to appease protesters. And at some point, publishers will believe that offering authors 25% or 30% of digital retail instead of 17.5% will put down the rebellion. In fact, this is probably their current backup, hail-Mary, worst-case plan. But it’s already too late. The royalty/peasant mentality is pervasive, largely invisible to the people who are part of it, and manifests itself in a lot of contexts. Look what happened when I published my blog post, The Ministry of Truth.
Joe: The one about your NPR essay?
Barry: Right, my essay examining Orwell’s Nineteen-Eighty-Four as a thriller, which I wrote at NPR’s invitation. The blog post examined the way NPR edited the essay, and how NPR’s edits revealed that fundamentally, NPR is an establishment media player.
Joe: Your editor was pissed.
Barry: He was. NPR called up Random House and complained about my blog post. And my editor then dutifully complained to me. At first, I didn’t understand the complaints at all. I said, “Why don’t they complain in the comments section of my blog? You know, the box where it says, ‘Leave Your Comment.’ Why not engage my argument? Why are they complaining to you in private?”
Joe: Because they didn’t want to imply you were an equal.
Barry: Bingo. Their attitude was, “If we argue in public with this unwashed blogger, by implication it puts the blogger on the same footing as NPR.” So instead, they called another establishment player, Random House, to settle it all privately. “Straighten out this peasant, won’t you? He’s making us all look bad.” The weird thing was how much sense the whole thing made to my editor and how little it made to me. I mean, it’s not like I took a dump all over NPR; I just pointed out that they’re an establishment media player playing by establishment media rules. An entirely legitimate and worthwhile argument. But they weren’t concerned about the merits of the argument; they were concerned that the argument was being raised at all, and by someone without the appropriate status to raise it. I just didn’t get it. I asked my editor what, is there some lese majeste law protecting NPR from respectful public criticism? It’s bizarre, how delicate establishment egos can be, how frightened they are of criticism from the wrong quarters.
Joe: Peasants aren’t allowed to criticize the royalty.
Barry: Yes. People don’t understand what this means. They see Fox fighting with CNN, Democrats fighting with Republicans, and they think they see real competition, competition that matters. But the old clans of Europe fought each other, too–they fought viciously. But you know what would bring them together as one?
Joe: A peasant uprising.
Barry: Yes. If a peasant spoke up, if a peasant suggested by word or deed that there was something fundamentally illegitimate about the very system within which the clans fought each other for spoils, that the system should be open to everyone–in the face of that, the clans would unite against the threat to the system itself. The clans hated each other, but they would work together to support the overall system.
Joe: Two beers and you’re already getting political.
Barry: You should hear me after two coffees. It’s worse. Anyway, “competition” between the major New York houses and other establishment players works the same way.
Joe: Other establishment players like the New York Times Bestseller List. Which, according to my calculations, I should have been on…
Barry: Yes, what the New York Times has been doing is a perfect example of the royalty/peasant mindset at work.
Joe: Let’s set the Wayback Machine to 2009, when ebook sales began to really pick up speed. The NYT had ample opportunity to include them on their prestigious list.
Barry: Yes. Now, the natural, sensible, path-of-least resistance kind of thing would have been to include digital sales from the beginning, right?
Joe: Absolutely. Especially for a periodical that is considered the gold standard when it comes to reporting the news. It’s a “bestseller” list, after all.
Barry: At least that’s what it purports to be. So why didn’t the Times include digital sales from the outset? Or at least from some point after digital sales became more than a niche. Why did they wait until Amazon was selling more digital books than paperbacks?
Joe: Perhaps reporting the truth was somehow not aligned with what the NYT perceives as its interests.
Barry: Please don’t get me started on the Times’ cowardly insistence on calling waterboarding torture only when it’s done by other countries, and “harsh interrogation techniques” when it’s done by Americans. That’s their official policy, by the way.
Joe: I noticed you managed to sneak that sound bite into the Freakonomics movie. Which, incidentally, you never even told me you appeared in…
Barry: I still can’t believe I forgot to tell you that. But yes, I think it’s important that in a variety of critical ways the “newspaper of record” sees itself as the government’s partner and spokesperson, and believes that role is natural and desirable.
Joe: In the case of the bestseller list, I would assume that advertising dollars play a part. I’m a self-pubbed author. I don’t buy full page ads in the Times for big bucks.
Barry: Surely this is no more than coincidence!
Joe: But even if we set aside the money, the Times has ample motive for not putting indie authors on their bestseller list. Newspapers, like Big 6 publishers, are remnants of the analog age. Printing and shipping paper is an antiquated form of distributing media. These companies are trying to stay relevant in a digital future, and aren’t doing so well at it. Certainly the fact that I can sell more books than most bestselling Big 6 authors shows how ineffective the Big 6 are. So publishers, both newspaper and book, have an aligned interest in keeping digital at bay. Keeping it out of the public eye is one way to forestall things.
Barry: Right. Look, if the Times bestseller list were really just about sales–you know, if it were really just about the books that were “selling” the “best”–than you and a lot of other indie authors would be on it, because your numbers inarguably put you there. But the Times won’t allow it. What we can infer from the Times’ behavior, therefore, is that what they call a “bestseller” list is in fact a “those bestselling books we believe have been properly vetted and blessed by trusted establishment players with whom we see our interests as aligned” list.
Joe: That’s a mouthful.
Barry: Sometimes the truth takes a little more explaining than the soundbite. Which is why governments, and Madison Avenue, like soundbites better. On the other hand, it’s a pretty simple soundbite to ask, “Why are so many bestselling books not being included on a bestseller list?”
Joe: Because including digital would accelerate the transition from analog. And paper pushers don’t want that.
Barry: Right. And there’s more. What happened when digital sales became so big that even the Times recognized it was beginning to look undeniably foolish and antediluvian in pretending digital didn’t exist?
Joe: They said, “All right, we’ll include digital. But not by indie authors.”
Barry: Yes. Apparently, bestselling indie authors aren’t “real” bestsellers. Some sales are more equal than others.
Joe: Maybe I’ll get lucky and the Times will publish a separate bestseller list for indie ebooks. “Separate but equal” is fair, right?
Barry: I almost wish they would. It would be pretty funny to see how many more books the indie bestsellers were selling than the legacy bestsellers.
Joe: It would be kind of like the old Negro Baseball League. The white establishment segregated them, and the Negro league wound up having the best players. Eventually, the establishment had no choice but to combine them.
Barry: It’s always interesting to watch the gyrations and contortions someone has to engage in when he takes an illogical and otherwise untenable position, a position he knows he can’t explain honestly and openly. Listen to the Times’ editor, Bill Keller, try to explain his position on the word “torture” and you might almost begin to feel sorry for him.
Joe: The Times, like the Big 6, are gatekeepers. But the gatekeepers aren’t the only parties interested in keeping the status quo.
There are so many writers now defending the Big 6 that I liken their behavior to Stockholm Syndrome. As artists, we’ve become so used to the idea of breaking into the publishing industry by appeasing the gatekeepers that we’ve begun to revere them. We defend their decisions–even the wrong ones–because we’ve deemed them essential to the process. They’re the powerful purveyors of wisdom who nod at worthy intellectual properties and welcome their creators into the fold.
Barry: If you can add one more “P” word to “Powerful Purveyors,” you’ll have a hit on your hand. You know, like “Nattering Nabobs of Negativism.”
Joe: Powerful Purveyors of Preference.
Barry: I like it. One for the ages.
Joe: So when confronted with how unfair the gatekeeping system is compared to self-pubbing, some authors get angry and insist that the Big 6 must know better, and have our best interests at heart.
Barry: I’ve seen this from time to time in the comments section of your blog and also in the comments at Jane Litte’s excellent Dear Author. I think of it as a peasant mentality, but absolutely, Stockholm Syndrome is a perfect reference.
Joe: The thing is, the notion that the gatekeepers know better is demonstrably untrue. While I’ve had good relationships with industry pros, they always boiled down to one thing: money. There’s nothing wrong or dirty about that. Business is business. But as the artist, we have a lot more at stake in this business.
Barry: We have more skin in the game. A publisher can have hundreds of authors, but I’ll only be able to write so many books in my lifetime. They can afford to have a few fail. I can’t.
I want to digress here for a moment to show how in the current system this hidden asymmetry can work to the author’s detriment. You know how legacy publishers are now agreeing to what are called “lookback” provisions on digital royalties?
Joe: You mean the clauses that says, three years after publication, the two parties will renegotiate the digital royalty?
Barry: Yes. The clause then provides, “And if the parties can’t agree on a new royalty, the publisher will stop selling digital copies of the title in question.” Sounds like an equitable solution, right?
Joe: Not to me. But I see why it’ll fool some people.
Barry: It fools a lot of people. They think, “Well, that seems fair… if we can’t agree on a new royalty, no one can sell the book until we do agree.” Equally applicable to both sides. But as a percentage of the publisher’s corporate earnings, that one version of one title is barely a rounding error. As a percentage of the author’s earnings, it’s massive. If there’s a freeze, who’s going to squeal first?
Joe: People need to understand this. I need my books to make money, or else I can’t make a living. A publisher needs books, but not any specific book.
Barry: A critical concept that applies to burglaries, too. A burglar doesn’t want to rob your house; he wants to rob a house. When you understand this, you can take appropriate defensive measures.
Joe: Okay, back to your decision. Without–
Barry: Did I digress?
Joe: You never digress.
Barry: You’re being kind.
Joe: Without revealing who offered you half a million dollars, how did they handle your reaction?
There have been other authors who have turned down deals. Though hearsay and rumor continue to trumpet otherwise, I passed up legacy offers for Shaken, Endurance, and Trapped, and I pulled a second book in a two book deal with Berkley because I couldn’t get them to understand that low prices and no DRM sells many more books, even though I have a lot of evidence that shows I’m right.
But I didn’t give up half a mil…
Barry: Every time you say that you make me feel like a lunatic!
Joe: You might be, but not in regard to this situation. Obviously, I’m 100% on your side on this one. I’m on track to make half a mil in the next ten months. I know how lucrative self-publishing has become.
But I’m an outlier, remember? An anomaly. (Me and the dozens other writers who are doing the same.)
Barry: Here’s another quote, this one from Gandhi: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
As a news junkie, it’s been fascinating for me to watch the way the publishing establishment has tried to marginalize you. First by ignoring you, and then, when ignoring you become impossible, by trying to position you as some sort of shrill, bitter, fringe player with nothing more than an axe to grind. The way legacy publishing has tried to de-position you is perfectly analogous to what The New York Times and other establishment media players have tried to do with Wikileaks.
I can’t tell you how many otherwise smart and reasonably well-informed publishing people have said to me, “Well, yes, but Konrath was rejected by all the NY houses” (about the same number as the otherwise smart and reasonably well-informed people who’ve said to me, “Yes, but Wikileaks indiscriminately released a quarter million top-secret cables and has blood on its hands”). I tell them that’s untrue, that in fact your legacy books have earned out and that you had offers on various others which in the end you decided not to take. And I ask them, “What do people say when they’ve been fired? ‘I quit.’ What do they say when their girlfriend breaks up with them? ‘I dumped her, man.’ Maybe they even believe it, too, but that doesn’t make it so.
And then they say, ‘Well, all right, but Konrath is a marketing genius.’
Joe: That part’s true.
Barry: It is true, but it isn’t the point. Their trying to argue that you have to be a marketing genius to succeed in self-publishing, and that therefore no one else but you can do it. This is just demonstrably not the case. A talent for marketing is going to help you in any business endeavor, but there are too many people making money now in self-publishing for an outbreak of genius to be the explanation.
And then the next argument (contradicting the first one, by the way), is, “Konrath only succeeded in self-publishing because he had a legacy deal first.” And then I point to your various blog posts where you show how much money is being made by self-published writers who have never had legacy deals.
Joe: I think I contradicted the “legacy deal first” argument pretty well here.
Barry: You demolished it. The final argument I’ve been hearing–and it really will be the final argument, because after this, “then you win”–is that, “Okay, some people are making money in self-publishing, but it’s always the same names.”
But that list of names keeps getting longer. The critics are going to be reduced to saying, ‘Okay, some people are making money in self-publishing, but it’s always the same five thousand names.’
The critics will be self-publishing themselves before then.
Joe: I was in love with the publishing industry. It was my dream to land a Big 6 deal. And I still believe the industry is filled with intelligent, talented, motivated, exceptional people. I’m grateful to have sold as many books as I did (and continue to do.)
My switch to self-publishing isn’t personal. It’s just business. I can make more money on my own.
Also, I see publishers doing a lot that’s wrong. Things we’ve just discussed. It isn’t a good idea for most authors to sign a legacy deal anymore.
You, however, are a NYT bestseller. This is important, you passing on a deal like this. It says something I haven’t been able to say, and shows something I haven’t been able to show.
Barry: Some people are reading this and saying, “Yeah, it shows that he is demented!”
Joe: Nah, that they already suspected. Actually, I’d qualify it as a tipping point. When big name authors start turning down major deals, the tides are truly turning.
Barry: I think it’s fair to say it’s probably a kind of milestone. There will be many more, some we won’t even be aware of except in retrospect, but yes, when authors start turning down half-million dollar book deals because they think they’ll do better in the long run on their own, it’s hard to argue “Nothing to see here, folks, just keep moving…”
Joe: I’ve said it to you in person, and I’ll repeat it here. You have got some gigantic balls.
Barry: I don’t know if it’s that so much. It’s more that I’ve spent a lot of time in this industry and a lot of time studying it. I’ve also spent time in other industries, and in the government, and there are certain dynamics at work in the publishing world that feel familiar to me. Plus I read your blog and I track the results of your experiments. You’ve created a lot of data that’s providing a kind of roadmap through new and confusing terrain. Anyway, add all that up and it leads me to the conclusion that I’d be better off on my own. Doing the right thing isn’t the hard part, I think; it’s knowing what the right thing is in the first place. You’ve made that easier.
Joe: Dude, they’re like two pumpkins in a sack. Your balls are massive. Other men fear your balls.
Now would be a fun time to reveal that I made up all of my numbers, and am only making $7 a week on ebooks.
Barry: Heh. Remember, if Amazon is playing with your numbers, they’re probably inflating them just to tempt other authors to take the plunge, create a self-fulfilling prophecy, and hasten the transition to digital.
Joe: We discussed that recently. How can we be sure Amazon, or any of the other etailers, are being honest in their accounting?
Barry: We can’t. But–
Joe: But how can we be sure the Big 6 are honest in their accounting? Especially with reserves against returns and inflated print run figures?
Barry: Exactly. What’s so interesting about this species of question is that it always ignores the same risk as it exists in a more familiar context. For example, “How do you know you’ll be able to market your books effectively by yourself?” As though working with a legacy publisher automatically means you’re going to be marketed effectively.
Joe: My fave is, “So what if Amazon reduces the royalty rate from 70% once they dominate the market?”
Barry: Yes, that’s the classic. I mean, they might even reduce it to 14.9%! And God, a 14.9% digital royalty would just suck.
Oh, wait…
Joe: LMAO.
Barry: One more related point. I know some people are going to be reading this and thinking, “Okay, but how will I ever cut through all that digital clutter? How will I ever get noticed without a publisher?”
Joe: How did anyone ever get noticed with a publisher?
Barry: Exactly. Walk into a bookstore–even with today’s diminished inventory, there are tens of thousands of titles. How do you get noticed? Getting noticed and other aspects of marketing is a challenge in any business, digital, paper, or otherwise. It’s too big a topic to cover here, but for now, let’s just say that it’s hardly a unique challenge for digital books. And, as you and many others have demonstrated, it’s hardly an insurmountable challenge, either.
Joe: I’d argue that marketing a digital book is actually easier. But we can come back to that. I want to ask, can you reveal who made the offer?
Barry: I don’t think it’s a secret that the publisher was St. Martin’s Press. And my demurral had nothing to do with SMP specifically–in fact, I think they’re terrific people, and if I’d worked with them earlier in my career, I would have been much better off. Also, I had comparable offers from other publishers and thought the SMP people were the smartest and most impressive of the bunch. So my decision had nothing to do with SMP in particular, and everything to do with pervasive industry dynamics as I see them. To put it another way, from everything I’ve heard and seen, I think SMP would be an exceptionally strong publisher. But like all publishers, they’re currently caught in a digital riptide and don’t have a good way through it.
Joe: So, were they shocked?
Barry: Well, certainly surprised and disappointed. And we tried to work out something a little different than what had originally been proposed, but in the end I just couldn’t convince myself not to go it alone.
Joe: How about your agent? What was his reaction?
Barry: Again, surprised and disappointed. But it’s led to a lot of terrific conversations about where the industry is going, and how agents will be changing their business models accordingly.
Joe: Did your wife want to strangle you?
Barry: If she did, it wouldn’t be anything new. But she’s amazing… totally understands how I think and feel about all this and is completely supportive.
Joe: Also, if you don’t do well on this, I’ll be the one she strangles.
Barry: She’s told me exactly that.
Joe: What was the ultimate basis for your decision? Did it come down to pure dollars and cents?
Barry: Financial considerations were a big part of it, yes. You and I have discussed various models to understand what a publisher’s advance represents: a loan, an insurance policy, a bet. On the loan model, the first place I heard the concept articulated was in an extremely ballsy and persuasive blog post by Terrill Lee Lankford.
Joe: I like that analogy. I also believe signing with a big publisher is like signing a life insurance policy, where the payments keep getting larger while the payoff gets smaller as time goes on.
Barry: Yes. Now, of course there are numbers where the loan, the insurance, or the bet would make sense. If the loan is so big that you don’t think you’d ever be able to make that much on your own, plus you won’t have to pay it back, then sure, take it. If the insurance payout is so big that it eclipses the event it’s supposed to protect against, okay. And if you find a publisher willing to put down so much money upfront that you feel they must be stoned because no one could ever earn that much back, then by all means, take the bet.
But short of that, you have to wonder if the person you’re betting against isn’t yourself.
Anyway, yes, much of this was financial. A lot of people don’t realize–and I probably wouldn’t have realized myself if you hadn’t pointed it out–that the appropriate measure for determining how much your books can earn you in digital is forever. In paper, with rare exceptions, there’s a big upfront sales push, followed by either total evaporation or by years of low backlist sales. Digital isn’t like that.
Joe: Time is the ultimate long tail. Even with a big wad of money upfront, if something sells forever, the back end is what ultimately counts.
Barry: Right. So if you think you’re going to die on Tuesday, for sure take the advance on Monday. If you think you’re going to stick around for a while, though, and you have resources to draw on such that you don’t need that expensive loan, don’t take it. You’ll be better off without.
Joe: Or to put it another way, getting half a million bucks and 14.9% royalties, forever, isn’t as lucrative as no money up front and 70% royalties, forever.
Barry: Yes. Especially because you first have to earn out the half million at 14.9% per book. That could take a while. After which, as you note, you’re still only earning 14.9% rather than 70%. You need to move five times the volume at 14.9%.
Joe: But currently, you’re a paper bestseller.
Barry: Yes, which maybe makes my experience instructive. My books are probably pretty good examples of reasonable success in paper. The first two, Rain Fall and Hard Rain, are in something like their 15th printings eight and nine years on. So that’s good. But I’m still only earning pennies on each copy sold. And my publisher of those books, Putnam, is still trying to charge $6.99 and $7.99 for digital copies, which is demonstrably too high if your goal is to maximize revenue (as opposed to, say, trying to shore up an eroding paper ecosystem).
I’m getting close to earning out on some of those books, which would be another sign of success–but even after I’ve earned out, I’ll still be making only pennies because of low paper royalties and because 14.9% multiplied by sluggish digital sales caused by too-high prices doesn’t make me much money.
I should add here that I don’t begrudge Putnam–they have the rights and they can use them however they like, however mistaken I think they are in their digital pricing model. The point is that I would be making far more money from the books if I held the digital rights myself. At the time, holding the rights myself wasn’t an option. Today it is, and I don’t want to be kicking myself eight years from now when The Detachment would be making me only pennies through a legacy publisher when it could have been making me a mint through the rights I refused to sell cheap.
Joe: Time also has to be an issue for you. Not just having to wait a year to publish The Detachment, but the time it takes to promote it.
A few years ago, there was some idiot who did signings at over 500 bookstores during a summer. He wound up visiting 40 states and over 1200 bookstores.
Barry: I heard about that guy. Funny-looking dude.
Joe: Hah. But there was another idiot who came pretty close to that record, who personally visited over 800 bookstores in the last few years.
Barry: Heh. People who live in glass houses…
Joe: And I may be the only other person on the planet who knows the amount of time and effort that took. Time that you could have spent writing…
Barry: Based on what I knew at the time, it seemed like the right thing to do. Plus I’ve always wanted to see Montana.
Joe: I’m sure you saw that and more, driving those thousands of miles. But it was the right thing to do. We’re both still in print, aren’t we? How many of our peers who were published at the same time aren’t?
Barry: That’s a good point. Books were selling through bookstores, and I looked at booksellers as my frontline sales force. So I wanted to do all I could do develop a closer relationship with that sales force and help them sell books. Not an unworthy objective, even today, but what it fails to take into account is the opportunity cost involved. When you’re driving (or whatever), you’re not writing, and again the highest profit margin activity an author can engage in is writing. In retrospect, I realize this has always been true, but it’s more true now that ever due to the numbers of units you can sell in digital, because of the tendency of a new digital customer to vacuum up an author’s entire low-price, high-margin oeuvre in one purchase.
Joe: So this decision should allow you to be more prolific. Because, dayam, a book a year is really fricking slow…
Barry: I think you’ll see me writing a bit more in my new self-published capacity. And not just because I’m motivated. It’s also because, contrary to conventional wisdom, in my experience publishers don’t actually save you much time on the marketing front. Dealing with a legacy publisher can be quite time-consuming, and aggravating, too. Of course, publishers might say the same about authors! But that doesn’t change the fact that publishers can take up a lot of your time.
Joe: Dealing with bureaucrats, large companies, or committees, is always a time suck. Lots of effort, little result.
Barry: If you think about it, for years publishers have been steadily outsourcing their core business functions. Culling the slush pile went to agents long ago. A lot of editorial devolved to agents, too. Marketing has increasingly become the responsibility of writers, who are expected to blog and be social media demons. I think publishers felt comfortable outsourcing all these functions because they felt the lock they had on their core function–distribution–made their overall position impregnable.
The problem is, they’ve lost that lock, and they’ve already outsourced so many of their other functions that it’s getting hard for them to offer a writer a coherent value proposition. For now, they have enough cash to offer advances, which most authors will need to live for the same reason most people need a mortgage to buy a house. But even that advantage is being eroded by digital, because with digital, you publish right away and start earning right away.
It’s funny, what are the two most common, even pervasive, writer complaints about legacy publishers? First, that publishers don’t know how to market and expect writers to do a tremendous amount of their own marketing. Second, publisher incompetence.
Joe: Yeah, the incompetence. Lots of people call me bitter, and I don’t completely discount that. But it isn’t because I couldn’t land new contracts–I had plenty of those, even too many in retrospect, when I consider how much more money I could making on the titles I sold to legacy publishers. It’s because my publishers have made a lot of mistakes. Some of them big. Some of them which cost me, are costing me, money.
Talking to other writers, I know I’m not alone. Almost every writer I know has gotten screwed by their publisher, in one way or another. I know hundreds of writers, and I can count on one hand the number of my peers who have no publisher complaints. Bad covers, title changes, editing conflicts, slow payments, unclear royalty statements, orphaned books, bad launches. The list is so long that I have to wonder if we’re not being intentionally screwed…
Barry: This was part of the not-strictly-financial calculus in my decision. Of course, when a publisher makes a mistake, it costs the author money. That’s a financial problem. But there’s also the irritation of knowing that your publisher is making a mistake, the time you spend trying to correct it, the frustration of not being able to. I mean, imagine that your publisher thinks the appropriate cover for your thriller is a close-up image of an olive-green garage door.
Joe: I’ve been fighting with a publisher for years now because not all my ebooks are available. How crazy is that? I’m not on all platforms, in all countries, yet they praise me for being one of their bestselling ebook authors.
You’ve got the rights! Exploit them, dammit! I’m one guy and I can get my self-pubbed ebooks up for sale without any problems! You’re a multi-million dollar company with a big staff!
Years I’ve been dealing with this.
Barry: Yeah, there are a lot of frustrations. Now, in fairness, there are authors whose publishers have done everything right–and good for them. But it’s a question of probabilities, based on empirical evidence.
Joe: Even a blind bird finds a worm every now and then.
Barry: Actually, I think it’s a little different from that, and more tragic, too. I’ve heard some people say in response to a publisher success, “Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day,” but that’s not what’s going on. Publishers actually have good instincts, and when the right property is being handled by the right team, a team that gets the book on a gut level, understands its essential marketing hooks, that knows which channels to push it through, when, and how, they can make magic happen. The tragedy is the cultural inability of legacy publishers to extract from those instinct-driven successes (and from their failures) objective, replicable lessons that they can then apply to increase the odds of success of books for which the publisher doesn’t have that rare, spot-in gut instinct.
Joe: I gotta disagree with you here. Publishing is an unreproduceable phenomenon. Two books with similar topics can have similar launches, and then one tanks while the other is a huge hit. If the same things were done for each book, there is no way to learn what works and what doesn’t.
That isn’t to say publishers can’t help a book find its audience. They do. But they only do it one out of five times. The other four don’t make a profit. And I’ve heard the return rates are as high as 70%.
Guess what? Every single one of my self-pubbed books has made a profit. Now, some make more than others, and I can’t account for why, any more than a legacy publisher can predict what will be a hit.
Barry: But is that all luck?
Joe: Yes. Randomness is a bigger factor than we like to admit.
Barry: My point on extracting and applying objective lessons isn’t that the extraction and application of such lessons guarantees success, but rather that it increases the odds of success.
Look at it this way: does an image of an olive-green, static garage door decrease sales of a book? Of course it does. Mistakes cost. So it follows that the avoidance of mistakes, and the application of sound tactics, must increase the probability of success.
Joe: But according to your logic, every time a publisher does everything right, the book should be a hit. And it can be shown this is true, in retrospect. But this is called the sharpshooter fallacy. You’re attributing significance to events after they’ve already happened.
Barry: No, not a hit, but the book should do better than it would have when they screwed up.
Joe: They still have too many misses, even when they do things right. It’s luck, man.
Barry: That’s a good point, and it might just be–probably is–the case that publishing is an inherently hit-driven business, like movies or venture capital. But with more sound tactics, the misses could at least be mitigated and the hits might do even better. Probably some misses could even be turned into hits. Not all, but no one needs to shoot for (or could obtain) a .1000 batting average. The point is just to increase the odds, and therefore the profits.
Joe: Odds can be increased, and I agree publishers can do that. Talent, knowledge, experience, and hard work can improve the chances for success.
But in order to prove publishers are good at manufacturing success, they should be able to apply their knowledge and predict hits. And they can’t do this, even though they often believe they can.
Barry: Exactly. Here’s another example of something I found frustrating: that one of my publishers just didn’t understand the principle of a good author bio–what the bio is for, how it should function. Now, is a good bio going to make a book a hit? Probably not. But a bad bio can’t help, and since there’s no cost to doing the bio right, why not do it right? Why not explain to newbies in the publishing house that this is what a bio is for and this is how it’s done? Why not have a system for passing along that institutional learning? And it’s not just bios, of course. It’s packaging, it’s titles (and titles)… learning just isn’t part of the culture, and the inability to extract, apply, and transmit learning has cost publishers, and therefore authors, a lot. And remember, when a publisher screws up a book, it costs them fractionally. When that book is your book, it costs you one hundred percent.
Joe: LOL. Get two authors together, and after a while they’ll start bitching about their publishers…
A phrase I hear you use a lot is “adding value.” I like that. In contracts, and even in our dealings with others, we should consider what value we’re offering, and what value is being added.
Whether or not we agree on the luck thing, can we agree that sometimes publishers add value, but sometimes they take away value?
Barry: Definitely we can agree on that. And this gets to the heart of the conundrum facing legacy publishing.
There’s no question that legacy publishers still add a lot of value on the paper side of the ledger. With paper, you need to actually make books, deploy a sales force, take wholesale orders, get the books on trucks, handle returns… there’s a huge amount of infrastructure, which is what’s given publishers the relative clout they’ve enjoyed for so long. Authors can’t distribute paper nearly as well by themselves, or even with a service like Amazon’s CreateSpace, as they can with a legacy partner.
Joe: Agreed, but I am making $120 a day through CreateSpace on my print books. In a year I’ll earn more than my original advance for Whiskey Sour, my first novel.
Barry: Yes, you can definitely still make money through paper distribution even without a legacy partner, but probably not nearly as much.
Joe: That’s changing, though.
Barry: Yes, like everything else, and I expect that as more authors turn to digital self-publishing, more paper fulfillment players will emerge and offer authors more choices and better margins. And of course if something like the Espresso Book Machine Print-on-Demand become sufficiently cheap and ubiquitous, writers will even be able to self-distribute through paper.
Joe: I was thinking more along the lines of: it’s changing, because paper is becoming a subsidiary right. I think we both agree that digital is going to become the preferred format for books.
Barry: Yes, and that’s the other side of the conundrum. On the digital side of the ledger, publishers don’t add much at all because there’s nothing to distribute. Or, to put it a little more accurately, what publishers can add on the digital side (editing, copyediting, proofreading, cover design, jacket copy, formatting) can all be done by other players at least as well. So what an author needs to consider today is fairly straightforward: “Is what I’m giving up on the digital side by taking on this legacy partner balanced or exceeded by the partner’s paper muscle?”
The answer is going to be different with different authors. James Patterson, to use an extreme example, sells bazillions of books in every conceivable paper outlet. He’s clearly better off with a legacy partner than he would be on his own. But as bookstores close and digital readers proliferate, more and more authors will decide that what legacy publishers take from them in digital sales isn’t worth what legacy publishers earn for them in paper sales.
Joe: And there’s something else at work here, too. Let’s say you have both a digital version and a print version available. You may sell one of each to two different readers. That’s two copies sold. But if the book is only available digitally, that doesn’t mean you’ll only sell one copy. You could sell two copies to the same people–the one who would have bought a paper copy had it been available just buys the digital version instead.
Barry: Yes, many people assume sales is a zero sum game. For a car, it is. For low-priced items, not necessarily.
Joe: In some cases, I’ve had readers email me saying they bought a Kindle or a Nook just to read one of my ebooks.
Barry: Had the same experience with The Lost Coast–just for a short story! Very flattering, and a portent more generally, I think.
Joe: My point is, I don’t think walking away from a paper deal means the loss of all those paper sales. Maybe some. But some of those who would have bought you in print, will buy you in ebook. And you may find ebook readers who would have never bought you in print.
This can also be applied to price. Right now, your best ranked ebook is your $2.99 short story. Why is it outselling your backlist? I’d say it’s because of price.
If you controlled the price of your backlist, those same people who are avoiding those ebooks would likely buy them, as evidenced by those buying your short story.
Barry: Agreed. One of the things you’ve demonstrated is that digital sales don’t behave like paper sales. I think this is primarily a function of two things: price, and intangability. A $2.99 download is an impulse purchase. Lugging around a ten-dollar paperback just isn’t.
Joe: Sales 101: Don’t make the consumer think about the purchase. Several things can impede a sales. Cost. Convenience. Tangibility. Even the use of money or a credit card.
Ebooks leapfrog all these roadblocks. A low price is an impulse buy, no guilt attached. You can own one with the press of a button–and a button press is much less painful than opening up your wallet. No getting into the car and going to the store is necessary. No ordering online and waiting for the mailman to come a week later. You can buy a book while in bed, and get it a few seconds later.
It’s no wonder Kindle and Nook owners wind up buying more books than they ever did in print. It’s easy, painless, cheap, and instant.
But instead of pouncing on this new technology and embracing this wonderful delivery system that turns readers into happy addicts, publishers are trying to slow down its adoption.
Barry: Yes. That’s another key not-strictly-financial reason I couldn’t do another legacy deal. I just don’t want to be part of an industry that doesn’t make sense, that’s fighting change rather than taking advantage of it. I want to make money by giving readers what they want, not by seeking ways to deny it to them.
Joe: This conversation went on for several hours. It’ll take a while to to edit, too.
Barry: We should leave the frog stuff in. That’ll save time.
Joe: It will. But what would you say to someone who said, “But I thought you said writers should spend all their time writing?”
Barry: That’s not what we said. We said that a writer’s time is most profitably spent writing. There’s more to life than profit, though, and sharing experience and insights with others who might benefit is a good in its own right regardless of what money it might make or cost you. I’ve never profited from all the articles I’ve written about the business of publishing, and the politics of my blog, Heart of the Matter, might even cost me readers. That’s fine by me. And we probably would have made more money if this 13,000 word conversation were a jointly-written short story, instead. That’s fine, too. Again, activity X might be your most profitable activity, but that doesn’t mean activity X is the only thing you should do. It just means that activity X is what you should be doing when you’re trying to make money. For writers today, activity X is indisputably writing.
Joe: Which brings us back to the entire reason we’re having this conversation in the first place, and why we’ve documented it for posterity (or to help other writers, or to clarify our own motives, or all of the above.) Namely, you just turned down a half-million dollars to self-publish.
One of the things I’ve said, time and again in our conversations, is that ultimately writers will make more money by self-pubbing than by signing a legacy deal. Even if there is a nice chunk of money upfront, in the long run a 70% royalty wins. But there’s more to it than that. As a self-publisher, you can get your books to readers much faster–often by a year or more–than a legacy publisher can. You don’t have to deal with the ungodly amount of time we’ve both spent touring, booksigning, and travelling. There’s no wasting time or getting frustrated with publishers’ mistakes. You’re in complete control of your own career, whereas before you were at the mercy of a corporation that treated you like just another product–a product that it wasn’t very good at selling in the first place.
Barry: I want to interrupt to ask one question.
Joe: Damn, I was just building up a head of steam.
Barry: The terminology. I love the term “self-published” because it used to carry a stigma, and now it’s being rehabilitated. Which makes sense. In America, the self has a lot of positive connotations. Self-possessed, self-actualized, self-confident, self-pleasure–”
Joe: Self-pleasure?
Barry: Well, everybody does it. Everybody likes it.
Joe: I guess that’s true.
Barry: And you really are self-published, in that you manage everything yourself. But let’s talk about what “everything” means for a moment.
Joe: Okay.
Barry: To turn a manuscript into an actual book and get it into the hands of a reader, we still need an editor, line editor, copyeditor, proofreader, jacket copy writer, bio writer, cover art designer, and digital formatter. Plus there are various marketing and sales elements, too. You manage all these functions yourself, and this is one way in which I’d argue that you really are, if not exceptional, then at least unusual.
Joe: I wouldn’t disagree with that.
Barry: So as legacy publishing dies out, where will other writers turn to for assistance with the critical functions I mention above?
Joe: We’ve talked about this before.
Barry: I know. I was trying to prompt you in an unobtrusive way.
Joe: Right. Okay, unobtrusively, I think agencies will morph into what I call E-stributors.
Barry: I agree with the concept, even if I don’t like the nomenclature.
Joe: You don’t like “print,” either.
Barry: Not when you’re talking about paper. There’s paper print and digital print. I think the better distinction is between paper and digital.
Joe: I know, I know. Anyway, E-stributors will be a combination of publisher and manager, handling all the elements you mention above for authors who don’t want to manage those elements themselves. The ones that do it well will probably be able to make a good case for keeping their 15% cut.
Barry: As opposed to legacy publishers, which are keeping 52.5%.
Joe: Yes. Hard to see how legacy publishers will be able to compete with the digital model being adopted by agencies. They’d have to morph into E-stributors themselves, which would be a huge challenge given their attachment to a paper infrastructure. More likely, you’ll see the most entrepreneurial editors jumping ship and joining agencies.
Barry: Sorry for the digression. I guess I was just wondering aloud whether the term “self-published” will be widely applicable after all. For some, no doubt. But maybe “indie-published” will be more appropriate across the board.
Joe: Could be. Regardless, the one trump card legacy publishers always had–the lock on distribution–is now gone. Writers can reach readers on our own through Kindle, Nook, Smashwords, Createspace, and Overdrive (a company that distributes ebooks to libraries.)
Even with all that, however, it still takes a lot of guts to walk away from a half-million dollars.
But it’s the right thing to do. And you’re correct that you won’t be the last to do so.
Allow me to congratulate you on being the first one to do so, my friend.
If I’m right, you may have just fired a shot heard ’round the world…
Barry: Thanks for the kind words, amigo. But you saw the way and blazed the trail. I might be doing something to make the way more apparent myself, but in the end I’m still just following in your footsteps.
About the Authors
Joe Konrath is the author of more than twenty novels and hundreds of short stories, written under the names J.A. Konrath (the Lt. Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels series), Jack Kilborn (Afraid, Trapped, Endurance, Draculas), and Joe Kimball (Timecaster.) Joe has a lot of names, apparently. He began self-publishing on Kindle in April, 2009. As of March, 2011, he’s sold over 200,000 ebooks. On his blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing, he has chronicled his writing journey. You can visit him at www.JAKonrath.com.
Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan International Judo Center along the way. Eisler’s bestselling thrillers have won the Barry Award and the Gumshoe Award for Best Thriller of the Year, have been included in numerous “Best Of” lists, and have been translated into nearly twenty languages. The first book in Eisler’s John Rain series, Rain Fall, is now a minor motion picture (kidding, it’s reasonably major) starring Gary Oldman. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he’s not writing novels, blogs about torture, civil liberties, and the rule of law. You can find out more on his website, friend him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter. He was also in the movie Freakonomics, which he forgot to tell Joe.
The Brooklyn Paper Gives Greenlight Pitchapalooza Love
Ready, set, pitch! Got a book idea? Head to
this speed-publishing event
Book ideas are like belly buttons — everyone has one. But not everyone knows how to make a solid book pitch.
Enter Pitchapalooza, the “American Idol” of books that is coming to Greenlight Bookstore in Fort Greene on March 30. Then, author hopefuls can pitch to a panel of publishing experts, where they’ll get feedback.
“In the real world of publishing, for an unknown writer, you’re lucky to get a minute in front of a great agent or publisher,” said David Henry Sterry, who wrote “The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published” with his wife, Arielle Eckstut, and has brought Pitchapalooza to over 20 cities since starting it last fall.
No matter the city, the game is the same: “contestants” are randomly picked out of a hat and then have one minute to do their pitch, which then gets critiqued by the panel including Sterry and Eckstut — is there too much plot? Too little? Not enough characterization? Marketplace potential? The person with the most promising pitch gets introduced to an agent.
Kurt Christenson will be among the Pitchapalooza hopefuls trying for his shot at literary gold. The Clinton Hill-based writer hopes to pitch his book, “Tower of Brahma, a “part pulpy adventure, part Beat Poet novel” about his journey from late 20s suburban office worker to 30-something writer in New York City.
“My work is often too ethereal and poetic to be considered by most publishers, so I’m looking for one that might be more along my lines,” said Christenson.
Greenlight owner Jessica Stockton Bagnulo had people like Christenson in mind when she decided to bring in Pitchapalooza.
“Part of our mission as a bookstore is to be a community resource, and a place where people can come together over books; offering a fun way for authors to get connected to potential publishers and readers seemed like a perfect fit for us,” she said. “And it’s always exciting to host a contest!”
Pitchapalooza at Greenlight Bookstore [86 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246-0200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (718) 246-0200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting], March 30 at 7:30 pm. For info, visit www.greenlightbookstore.com.
©2011 Community Newspaper Group
NPR Kansas City Radio Pitchapalooza
Really fun Pitchapalooza on KCUR-FM/KCUR-HD1 | Kansas City Public Radio
Terry Whalin Gives Book Doctors Some Nice Love
Monday, December 13, 2010
Do You Need Permission?
I work with a number of first-time authors who ask me about whether they need to gather permissions for their work. While I am not a lawyer (the first thing that I remind them), in most cases they do not need to get permission. Now if it is a poem or a song, then it is likely they do need permission because of how those forms are treated in the marketplace. If they are quoting a few sentences from a full-length book and refer to the source, it is unlikely that they need to get permission from the publisher.
Recently I read Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry’s new book, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published, How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It…Successfully! This book is loaded with sound advice on many areas of the publishing process–including permissions. As they write on page 212, “Don’t start getting permissions too soon, because you don’t want to waste your time or money. However, since it often takes a while to track down a pesky permission–and all permissions should be handed in with your finished manuscript–we suggest the following process:
“1. Break your permissions into three piles. Definites, Maybes, Unlikelies. Track down all sourcing and contact information for the Definites as early as possible. Get prices and any necessary forms. This will help you guesstimate total costs and figure out how much you’ll have left over for the Maybes and Unlikelies.”
“2. Don’t pay for a thing until you’re sure what’s going in your book. This way, you won’t wind up spending money on a Definite that turns out to be an Unlikely.”
Then Eckstut and Sterry include a length section about what needs permission. This discussion is tied to the over 30 pages from The Chicago Manual of Style on the topic of fair use (a legal term related to the amount of material you can use from a source without asking permission. Here’s the critical sentences on page 213, “It’s okay for us to quote 122 words from The Chicago Manual because that’s a tiny percentage of its total word count (the book could double as a doorstop). However, if you took 122 words out of a 200-word poem, you must get permission to reprint it–unless, of course, it’s in the public domain. And don’t forget, composers’ and poets’ estates are notorious for going after people who abuse copyright law.”
Also Eckstut and Sterry include a fascinating story called The Pangs of Permissions: Acquiring permissions requires the patience of Job and the persistence of a pit bull. When she began writing A Thousand years over a Hot Stove, a book with more than 100 photographs and illustrations, Laura Schenone was ill-prepared for the amount of work permissions required. Not to mention the pounding her pocketbook took in the process.”
“Laura was presented with an unexpected challenge. Many of the people she was dealing with would sell her rights only for the first printing of her book. ‘My editor told me this would be 7,500 copies,’ she says. ‘When I bought the permissions, I wanted to up this number to 10,000 to 15,000 copies to be sure I was covered. But sometimes the fees as much as doubled.'”
“Laura’s story illustrates the importance of understanding permission costs before signing a deal or developing a project. That said, Laura couldn’t be happier that she wrote her book permissions and all. A Thousand Years over a Hot Stove went on to win a James Beard Award, the Pulitzer Prize of food writing.”
Eckstut and Sterry include a sample permission form in an appendices (page 448). I’ve only shown one little area this book covers many other topics with great depth and valuable insight. I recommend this book, The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published–and in the process of writing this entry, hopefully I’ve shown you a little bit about the permission process.
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