Literary Agent Amy Rennert at Writers Forum

Writers Forum proudly presents Amy Rennert

Thursday, February 18, 2010 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Petaluma Community Center, 320 No. McDowell Blvd. Petaluma

$15 at the door

The Amy Rennert Agency specializes in books that matter. Amy has spent more than 20 years in the publishing business, pursuing her passion for the written word. The agency represents a select group of quality fiction and nonfiction writers--many of them award-winners--and dozens of agency books have been New York Times and national bestsellers.

Amy Rennert is the former editor in chief of two national magazines and she is on the faculty of the Stanford Publishing Course.

A unique opportunity to chat with a literary agent. Bring your question on a 3 x 5 card. Cards will also be available at the event for you to use.

For more information: www.thewritespot.us

Marlene - mcullen@comcast.net

A letter objecting to the Google Book Settlement

This letter was written by my friend Erika Mailman, author of the novel A Witch's Trinity. She graciously gave me permission to post this on our blog. - Linda McCabe


Authors, we have until Sept. 4 to file an objection to the Google Book Settlement. For specs, see the FAQ under googlebooksettlement.com. This is a landmark, precedent-setting case; please consider expressing disapproval to the court.

My few italics do not show up in this Note, unfortunately. -Erika



Office of the Clerk, J. Michael McMahon
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
500 Pearl Street
New York, New York 10007

August 21, 2009


Dear Clerk:

I’m writing to object to, and express my horror at, the Google Book Settlement currently on Judge Denny Chin’s desk.

As an author, my creative work is copyrighted. What does a copyright mean when a corporation like Google can get hold of my work, without my permission, for financial benefit?

I find it unconscionable that an interloper who had nothing to do with the writing of my books, nor the publishing of them, will now be able to profit from them.

If I were a dressmaker and Google absconded with my gowns, there would be no question that Google would need to promptly return them and face serious legal consequences. However, due to the digital and therefore distributable nature of books, Google’s theft does not appear that way to all eyes.

I opted in to the settlement because it was the only way to protect my rights to my work; my back was against the wall. I did so under situational duress. My literary agent recommended that I do so. I don’t have the time or resources to hire my own attorney, but I do not feel that the Author’s Guild attorneys represent me… nor do they somehow magically represent the world of “all writers everywhere.” I am not a member of the Guild, and I am deeply upset that the Guild is considering the settlement. I would like Google to go to court and have to defend its position.

Under the terms of the settlement, Google keeps 37 percent of all revenue generated by its sales of works written by hapless authors. That is a despicable figure given that the typical percentage for authors who created the content is only 10 percent under traditional publishing.

With the settlement, Google keeps 37 percent. Of the remaining 63 percent, writers and publishers must pay 10-20 percent to the Book Rights Registry (again, an entity I don’t know and don’t want to profit from my work) and then equally split the remains. Doing the math, whether the Registry keeps 10 or 20 percent, the author and publisher percentage is significantly less than Google’s (28 percent or 25 percent, respectively). That is grossly unfair.

Authors sweat and pray and write for years to create a book. Publishers do a fair amount of work as well. They put up money to create a tangible book (or e-book), maintain a stable of editors and marketing staff, and undertake the arcane and unwieldy world of book distribution. These two entities deserve revenue from their books. But what will Google do to receive 37%? It will scan a book—which any halfwit with a scanner can do.

The publishing industry is already on the wane. This Google settlement may sound its death knell. Independent bookstores are closing like the livery stables of yore, and losing business to yet another online competitor may close down the entire literary operation, with thousands of publishing house employees, bookstore employees, and authors left stranded. If we thought Amazon was tough on the business, this new venture will shoot it in the knees.

The saving grace for publishers may be e-books… a new way of reading that may rescue the industry. Yet the Google Book Settlement will undercut this possibly vital new scheme.

Publishers publish books knowing the undertaking is risky. The book may not flourish and its publication will have been an error. But that is the beauty of literature: we do not know which books will please, and we read and write and hope for the best. Already it is famously difficult for writers to get published…if publishers must watch their wallet even more closely, and take less risks on new writers, there will be a trickle-down effect on the entire world of literature.

And what about libraries—those bastions of civic benevolence? If one can access a book at 2 a.m. on one’s computer, who will bother to wait until morning to get in the car and go to the library? The whole library system may founder.

This settlement provides a landmark precedent for whether literary works will be protected by law. If Google is permitted to scan and sell others’ content, the “barn door is open,” as they say, and scads of other companies will leap to do the same thing.

Please protect writers, publishers and bookstores by unequivocally shutting down this unfair, abhorrent settlement—make Google go to court and explain itself.

Sincerely,


Erika Mailman

Kevin Smokler: Everything You Wanted to Know About Publishing, But Were Afraid to Ask

The following is a reprint from our website about our April general meeting.

Guest reader Carylon L. Alexander shared a piece of writing about the underground railway and anti-slavery. The segment revolved around a female social activist, Ms. Frances Harper [1].

Following Alexander’s compelling excerpt, Kevin Smokler took the stage and talked about the state of the publishing industry and then shared some ideas on how to go about getting published in the changing world of book publishing. Part of his talk was based on his book, Bookmark Now [2].

Smokler began his talk by warning us that he would not dwell on the blues of the publishing industry. The focus would be on “what is” and not on “what used to be.” He insisted authors wanting to be published should focus on what we can do going forward. Smokler told us to challenge ourselves by reflecting, “What does it mean to succeed in the Amy Tan sense of the word. What does success mean to us?” He suggests that our personal narrative about success is passive. We expect someone to discover us. No, that won’t happen. This is a fantasy. This does not exist. The book industry of the past that finds a new author and trots them out and promotes them and their work is extinct. The culture of a willing audience waiting to come out and see you is gone. You have to fight for their attention among the myriad of competing sources of information and entertainment. Furthermore, the economic model of paying large sums of money up front for an unknown author is obsolete. For example, Houghton-Mifflin had announced it was taking no new manuscripts in one of its divisions [3]. In this area, they were living off their back catalog. This kind of action sent chills throughout the publishing industry in 2008.

Smokler believes this is the worst time in decades to try and get published. You must have a name, and failing that a compelling platform where you can assure sales of 60,000 copies out of the gate. But do not despair. Opportunities will arise. Smokler suggested that “when times are bad, people become uncomfortable.” They become more community oriented and “volunteerism goes through the roof.” People want to improve society and therefore, new opportunities are created. Such is the case in the publishing world. Four things in publishing to be aware of or take advantage of include:

1. The old publishing model has vanished. Smokler quipped that it would finally be gone at the passing of Phillip Roth (b. 1933).

2. Publishers are currently wrestling with new models, which is difficult for them. “They don’t like ‘newness’ in their own business.”

3. Publishers are experimenting with 360 deals. In this model, they want a little bit of everything, just like a talent agent does. They want the book, the lecture tour, the library readings, the film deal, and so on. Is it any wonder they want an author with a name.

4. The author is a public figure and must compel attention.

Today’s author/writer is a public figure. An author cannot be a recluse. He or she has to get out there. Think of yourself as the product. This is so important in the celebrity-driven culture that evolved during the second half of the twentieth century. Books as the “dry product” in isolation are disappearing. People want to hear from the author too. Each writer must figure out how to build a following. Smokler suggested that Twitter [4] can be used as a social networking tool to build a following, literally, 140 character bytes at a time. Such micro-blogging sites ensure a self-selecting group will seek you out. Another tip offered was the use of e-mails. Establish short, compelling bits of info that people will not only want to read, but will forward to others. Here, the idea is to establish a platform from which you can launch your writings and establish your brand.

The attending Redwood Writers were teased with coming up with some definitions, such as, “Define book.” Smokler suggested a book is no longer just defined by bound paper, but a book is Kindle [5], Vook [6], and iPhone applications [7] too. The reading public has found ways to consume good writing in ways that suit them, through technology. Authors must therefore establish new ways of delivering their work. It is imperative that writers invest time to learn the tools.

Smokler also suggested there is a renewed interest in reading since the Internet leveled the playing field and removed the stuffiness of east coast publishers. He cited how consumer feedback almost crippled a lock company [8] and how Napster [9], an on-line music distributor, brought the music industry to its knees. The book industry must similarly change. “Change is the currency of our lives” and writers “are the people who should be on the front edge of change.”

“How do you live in public as a writer,” was another challenge laid before us. Do you volunteer or mentor others? [10] Smokler suggested everything is public these days. “Rock stars don’t trash hotel rooms anymore. Why?” It is because of YouTube and a watching world would shun such behavior. “Be the best representative of your craft – the writing profession.” Writers need to shift the perception that they’re all “coddled and spoiled.” Smokler went on to say, “Be honest, true, and dignified. Lead by example. Act as if the literary world of the future is here. Live it and it appears.” Time to start living.

– Submitted by R.K. Koslowsky with edits by Persia Woolley and Linda McCabe

An audio podcast of his talk can be found here. Please note, Kevin mentions that Houghton Mifflin stopped acquiring new titles. While this was disturbing news in the publishing industry, it was only division and not the entire company that temporarily halted its submissions process.

Notes:

[1] More on Frances Harper: http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/francesharper.html

[2] Smokler’s book, Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times: A Collection of All Original Essays from Today's (and Tomorrow's) Young Authors on the State of the Art --and ... Hustle--in the Age of Information Overload (2005, Basic Books, 304 pages.

[3] Editors told to stop buying books, November 24, 2008: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6617241.html

[4] As of April 6, 2009, ‘Redwood Writers’ is on Twitter, trying to establish a larger following: http://twitter.com/

[5] Amazon is the world’s largest bookseller. Amazon’s Kindle: http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2008/08/here_comes_kind.html

[6] Vook: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/business/05stream.html?_r=1

[7] One iPhone reader application: http://dbelement.com/apps/reader

[8] Video of how a Bic pen can open a Krptonite lock: http://www.engadget.com/2004/09/14/kryptonite-evolution-2000-u-lock-hacked-by-a-bic-pen/

[9] Napster challenges the RIAA: http://news.cnet.com/Napster-trial-wont-end-music-industry-headaches/2100-1023_3-243641.html

[10] Redwood Writers is all about “writers helping writers” and the set-up of public readings and establishing critique groups are a couple of ways this is done by our organization.

Kevin Smokler and Juanita J. Martin

Kevin Smokler and Linda C. McCabe

Christi Phillips: The Process of Writing

The following is a write up of the talk that Christi Phillips gave to the Redwood Writers Club in February as it previously appeared on our website.


The rain produced a steady drumbeat, acting as a call for Redwood Writers and their guests to go to our monthly meeting. And appear they did, en masse, arriving at Star Restaurant on Sunday, March 1st, 2009 around 3:00 pm. More than 60 members and guests enjoyed a reading by Kate Farrell, won some door prizes, and then settled in for a reading and interactive Q&A with Christi Phillips.

Christi Phillips worked for four years in a major literary agency in the 1990s before coming to California where she held a variety of jobs in order to research and write her historical novel, The Rossetti Letter. As a result, she touched on “the writing process, research, the special requirements of historical fiction, what it takes to be a working novelist, and all aspects of the publishing business.”

She began the afternoon by reading an excerpt from her next work, The Devlin Diary, due out in May 2009. (It is now on sale!) The piece was well received by the audience who was the first group to publicly enjoy this advance taste. After that, Phillips talked about her background and the belief that New York City was the place to be as a writer. She learned “writing a novel requires a lot of different writing skills.” From these early beginnings, Phillips worked in one of the top literary agencies in New York providing her with insight into the publishing world.

The subsequent question and answer session led to a number of insights valued by her rapt audience:

“I’m a self-taught writer.” Phillips stopped short of saying not to spend too much time studying the craft of writing. She emphasized that writers write to hone their craft.

“Every book on the craft of writing has 1 or 2 helpful hints. Its up to you to put it all together.” Phillips suggested the book by author Jerry Cleaver, Immediate Fiction: A Complete Writing Course (2002), as a good reference for writers.

“The biggest mistake an author makes is having a main character who is passive.” Similar to the advice given in the recent Redwood Writer Revision Workshops, Phillips insists the main character must act or change in some way. The protagonist must have a great desire for something. For example, the desire has to be more than, “I want to be loved.” That is too general. To have a story, the main character must “want to be loved by X.” Obstacles must block the desire and the character must stretch and grow as he or she seeks to attain their goal.

“Write a book you would want to read.”

“Avoid archaic words and sentence structure.” She insists the book must be easy to read.

“You absolutely need an agent.” She also claimed that editors-turned-agents do not edit. An agent sells books and gets you your money. That is their job and it is all they should do to be effective [1]. For those looking for an agent, Phillips suggested Jeff Herman’s, Guide to Book Publishers, Editors, & Literary Agents 2009…” This work is currently in its 19th edition as it is published every year.

“Every writer has their own process.” Phillips outlined the key steps to producing a novel:

1.Complete the research
2. Develop ideas for character and plot as you research
3. Sketch out scenes and the overall scope of the book
a. Always write ideas down for scenes, in any order, as the ideas come
b. Use index cards as an aid to place and order the scenes as the book develops
4. Use pen and paper to avoid self-editing too soon. Then type the written word into the computer.

“Writing is organic. The story emerges.”

“Read out loud.” This is a good strategy in order to hear how the story sounds and reads.

“Be in a critique group.”

“You need feedback from others in your genre.”

“Not everyone is a good judge.” Phillips implored Redwood Writers authors to own their work and only use the feedback received that makes sense to them.

“Query letters must be professional,” she noted, “because bad query letters are remembered,” something the hopeful writer does not want. Philips suggested reading the flaps of hard cover books as a way to get good at telling your story concisely. Of course, don’t give away the whole story. You want the agent to ask for your manuscript. Be sure to write your queries in a way to hook them. The objective is to have a compelling letter that gets the agent to request your book. All this, and it should be kept to one page as well.

“I don’t blog to attract a fan base. I put all of my creative energy into writing.”

“Understand where your book fits in.” Be sure to identify and market to the genre you are writing for.

“I am biased for east coast agents.” Phillips rationale is based on the proximity of editors, agents, and publishers. Publishing is still comprised of a small group and the networking in New York is an important aspect in getting your book published.

“A good west coast agent is Amy Rennert.” http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/amyrennert/

“Be sure to read Pat Walsh’s humorous book, 78 Reasons Why Your Book Won’t Get Published and 14 Reasons Why it Just Might. Phillips suggested Redwood Writers could separate themselves from the pack of writers wanting to be published by taking Walsh’s advice to heart.

Submitted by R.K. Koslowsky with edits by Persia Woolley and Linda McCabe

Notes:

[1] This is an important point for authors who want to get published. There are many more agents in the marketplace than there used to be. Many former editors at publishing houses have now become literary agents. That does not mean that they will edit their clients' manuscripts. They might help a little, but that would depend on the agent and their interest. However, they simply do not have the time to edit manuscripts before submitting to publishers. It is up to the writer to submit as clean a copy as possible.

[2] An audio recording of the event, with permission from Christi Phillips and courtesy of Linda McCabe, can be found here. Hopefully this will work, since it is the first time we have attempted to do a podcast.

New publishing venue for books: Scribd.com

Tamim Ansary, Kemble Scott, and Joe Quirk, all members of the prestigious San Francisco Writers Workshop are helping to launch a new way for authors to sell books to their readers. Scribd.com is going from merely being a file sharing website to a place you can purchase books.

These books are selling for $2 and can be downloaded as a file to be read on your computer, an e-reader such as the Kindle or even upscale cell phones. The San Francisco Chronicle had an article about how Scribd.com may shake up the publishing industry.

Here is a short Youtube book trailer to help promote the books and the website.




Times certainly are a changin'.

Edited to Add:

This story has gotten a lot of coverage throughout the mainstream media including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the London Times and an interview on National Public Radio's Marketplace.

You can also check the Google News Service at this link to see more articles if you are interested in seeing how this story has taken off like a literary wildfire. Hopefully that will help to sell copies of Kemble, Tamim and Joe's books.

Linda