Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.

The contract stage has been different for each of the two multi-author projects I’ve worked on recently.

For A Log Cabin Christmas Collection each agent was responsible for negotiating his or her client’s contract, and all of the contracts were independent of each other.

The 7 Hours project also had a contract for each author, but they were negotiated together so that all of them would be the same. This was quite the process. I served as lead agent so I was the only agent communicating directly with the publisher. It was my job to send the draft contract to all of the agents to get feedback and requested changes. I then compiled the changes into one draft with “track changes” and sent it to the agents for approval before I sent it to the publisher. I repeated this process until we had a final contract, and then each agent sent a finalized contract to his or her client to sign and send in to the publisher.

It was interesting to me to see how the agents worked differently from each other. Some were meticulous and sent contracts with comments and track changes back to me to integrate into the final. Other agents sent the contract to their clients for approval and may or may not have looked at it. Still other agents wrote back and said the contract was fine as it was; I don’t know if they read it. At Books & Such, we read every draft of the contract so we can thoroughly protect our clients and their work and make sure the publisher sent the very latest version to be signed.

I’ve also heard of multi-author projects where each author signs the same contract. I just haven’t worked on a contract like that yet.

If you worked on a multi-author project, how was your contract done? What is your favorite published multi-author book?

Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Considering that January is about to exit our lives, I figure today is my last chance to let you know the word that Dictionary.com selected as depicting 2011: tergiversate.

Just in case that announcement didn’t seem especially enlightening to you, tergiversate (pronounced “ter-JIV-er-sate” means “to change repeatedly one’s attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; to equivocate.”

Now do you get why the word was so appropriate for 2011? The stock market couldn’t make up its mind how it felt about the world’s events; so the market looked like a kid on a trampoline–way up, way down, way up…And then we had Occupy Wall Street (and several other “Occupies”). Not only couldn’t the public decide how it felt about Occupy, but also the movement couldn’t decide why it existed or even what to occupy. In my hometown, Occupy moved from the plaza where the city government buildings were located to banks to the mall to the local junior college. And then there’s publishing…

eReaders continued to wreak havoc on the industry as it had been known for hundreds of years, and social media added so many ways to connect with each other that just keeping up with options was exhausting.

Yup, we saw  plenty of tergiversation.  But here’s the thing: tergiversate encompasses a sense of flip-flopping combined with intentionality. Changes are afoot not by happenstance but by necessity. And the word originates from Latin for “to turn one’s back.”

What does that mean for us in publishing? The importance of embracing change, not just enduring it.

The sea change we’re experiencing isn’t going to abate in 2012. We need to be adaptive, to turn our back on what formerly was. That means, what was new in 2011 can seem outdated by the end of 2012.

One of the goals I’ve set for our agency is to find–or develop–three new revenue streams for our clients. As publishing pays smaller advances and remains convinced that 25% is an adequate royalty rate for e-publishing, authors are feeling the pinch. I believe our agency’s job is to tergiversate our view of publishing and the ways writers can make a living. The ideas we decide on in 2012 might remain relevant for only a year or so, but this isn’t a moment to worry about how long an idea with float but if it will float now.

What tergiversating events occurred in 2011 that I didn’t mention? What do you need to tergiversate in 2012?

Location: Books & Such Midwest Office, Illinois

A killer title for your book can make the difference between an editor taking a serious look at your proposal or not at all. It’s the all-important first impression. If your title can capture agent and editor attention, the perception is that the first pages of your manuscript might deliver on the title’s promise. Here are a few suggestions to help you zero in on a great title.

• Promise Something (for nonfiction projects)
  
  • One Month to Live: 30 Days to a No-Regrets Life
  • One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
• Intriguing One or Two Words
  • Moneyball (about how the Oakland Athletics built a successful team with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball). Michael Lewis brilliantly combined the subject of the book (the Oakland Athletics) with the specific topic (building a lucrative team from minimal resources) using a familiar game idea for the title.
  • Blink (how instincts work in your mind) – Malcolm Gladwell found a perfect word that describes how instantaneously our gut-level hunches come to mind and the importance of paying attention to them.
• A Potent Phrase or Place
  • The Devil in the White City (how an architect and a serial killer were linked by the World’s Fair of 1893). A powerful descriptor of the psychopath in contrast to Chicago, the city filled with new hope, employment, and preparations for the World’s Fair.
• Adapt a Familiar Phrase or Scripture
  • In the Still of the Night (about the strange death of Ronda Reynolds and her mother’s tireless search for the truth). True-crime author Ann Rule paints the picture of what really happened on the night Ronda Reynolds supposedly committed suicide.
  • Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God. Mark Batterson used a familiar phrase, “wild goose chase” that also has another meaning. Wild Goose is his name for the Holy Spirit, and the name hints at mystery…and adventure. Perfect.
• Incongruous Words or Phrases
  • Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. Francis Chan contrasted the “crazy” thought that the God of the universe loves us with a relentless love in a powerful, two-word title.
  • In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. How we think we’ve been in the wrong places at the wrong times might actually have been the right places at the right times according to God’s positioning. Mark Batterson thought of a great word picture to describe this contrast.
•  A Key Phrase from within the Story
  • Pearl in the Sand (the fictional story of Rahab). The phrase doesn’t appear until the last part of the story. But in so doing, the reader not only finally understands where the title came from but also gains deeper meaning into the imagery of finding a beautiful pearl in commonplace sandy surroundings.

In what ways do these tips and examples prompt ideas for your WIP? What additional tips can you offer that have been successful for you in coming up with killer titles? Or tell us what titles you’ve seen that you consider stellar.

Location: Books & Such Midwest Office, Illinois

As we concentrate on positive outlooks, this week, let’s tackle our persistence barometer. Some people just seem to have a sunny disposition no matter what life throws at them. For the rest of us, especially those with a melancholy temperament, it can require a lot of effort. We have the assurance: Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). But acting on it takes persistence.

You can employ some practical exercises to help check yourself when you encounter discouragement over a rejection letter or your book’s low sales numbers. First, appropriate the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.

• You have been waiting . . . forever . . . for a reply from an agent or editor. Being ready with a little self-talk to recall all the positive evaluations from your critique partners might be enough to balance negative news and counter the impending gloom.

• Be prepared to have a positive perspective. Don’t assume the only reason you haven’t received a response from an agent or editor is because your proposal was quickly dismissed. It could be that she is giving it a thorough review with the intent of offering constructive feedback. There are a number of those proposals on my desk right now.

It is realistic to expect you’ll have disappointments. In her book Bird by Bird, veteran author Anne Lamott describes an experience with her editor, who rejected one of Anne’s manuscripts three times. But Anne persisted in taking his feedback and returning to him with revisions until he finally accepted it.

If you receive a rejection from an editor without any comments, it is okay to request feedback. I know some editors don’t initially offer their reaction because they feel their opinion is subjective and another editor might love your manuscript. And editors can’t give feedback on every rejected project; they’d never accomplish everything else on their massive to-do lists; so graciously accept an “I can’t” response.

If you do receive feedback, look at it as constructive criticism not as a critical review. It is also possible that the rejection has nothing to do with the quality of your work, but only that the publishing house already had contracted a book similar to yours.

A persistent faith plus persistent improving of your craft will yield a positive outlook that your dreams of being a successful author will become reality. I have a Post-It note on my computer monitor that’s a definition of dreams Cynthia Herron wrote in a comment to a recent blog: “Dreams (are) something beyond the scope of the tangible but completely possible with the One who moves mountains.”

What do you do to stay positive about your writing and your publishing dreams?

Location: Books & Such Midwest Office, Illinois

In a productive brainstorming meeting with a client about two weeks ago, three necessary parts of a writer’s whole proposal “package” came into clear view. They are not new concepts; they are basics. But the combination of the three results in a winning idea. See if they also are helpful to you in terms of adjusting your WIP and in developing future book ideas.

LOOK. This client is working on a new nonfiction series and gave me the outline for book one. Her passion for Christ’s church is authentic and deep, and she is accomplished in her writing craft. Those are necessary ingredients for a compelling book, but as we all know, those two alone don’t guarantee a publisher will offer a contract.

As Amy researched in preparation for this series, she looked for several niche topics in the area of spiritual formation that are common stumbling blocks for everyone but to which few books have been devoted. She looked to fill a gap and meet a need. This is a great strategy for giving your book a unique edge. Passion + great writing + unique approach = marketability. Marketability is the scale on which all manuscripts are weighed.

EXPECT. If you have prayed for direction, apply Proverbs 3: 4-5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path.” Expect God to answer your request according to his will. Listen and watch. Don’t be surprised when you set goals for the year or review your day’s writing and think, where did that come from? He’ll keep his promise to direct your path.

ACT. As we dive into our work this year, we need to humbly acknowledge afresh that our gifts and abilities are from God for his purpose. Next, we must commit to take action steps—risks—to follow his direction. Spend a few minutes, or hours, to reflect on your calling in those terms, and let God energize your passion.

Don’t you love it when the cloud over your work dissipates and the sky begins to clear? Share a time when words, scenes, entire chapters, or a book idea were, all of a sudden, right there in front of you.

Location: Just back from Agency Summit in Wine Country

No, the title of this blog isn’t about the software program. I’m referring to my view of 2012. At the beginning of each new year we’re used to feeling encouraged at the thought of a fresh new start. This year, take it up a notch for me.

Exhilarate: 1. to enliven; invigorate; stimulate. 2. to make cheerful or merry. This is the atmosphere that permeated our Agency Summit last week, and I hope to pass it on to you. What am I so exhilarated about?

With the wonderful addition of Rachelle Gardner to our agency, we now have offices in three areas of the country. Our summit provided time for a live gathering as a team, and gel we did! We set agency goals for the year and sought God’s direction to dream big for our clients. We came away aligned in our vision. I encourage you to spend time with your writing and critique groups, Bible study groups, or even with your spouse and children, to focus on this exercise as well. More on this topic on Wednesday.

Exhilarate!

We’re all familiar with, what shall we call them . . . hindrances? road blocks? . . . facing writers. The exciting news is that viable, creative possibilities for overcoming obstacles are arising from many directions. Let’s celebrate and thank God for endowing those with the entrepreneurial spirit. They are creating new vehicles to navigate new paths. You’ll be hearing more in the days ahead.

Exhilarate!

New technologies are making it easy to connect with each other and stay on top of industry news. Our agents will be utilizing some of these technologies this year. We realize it’s imperative to keep up with these advances and exploit them to best serve our clients. I’m sure this will be the modus operandi until the Lord returns. I can hear some of you shouting, Of course, bring it on! while others are mumbling, I just learned this one, and already there is something new to replace it. Ugh! Confession time: I used to be one of those but no more. I’m…

Exhilarated!

… and I hope you are too. What do you see around you that motivates you to have a sunny outlook on your writing career in 2012? What goals have you set for yourself this year? Or haven’t you gone through this exercise yet? A goal is a marker in front of you. It will help you decide if a choice you are contemplating will help close the distance to your goal or could steer you off-course.

Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Everyone at Books & Such is bubbling over with excitement. We have the joy of beginning 2012 with a major boost to our agent roster. Rachelle Gardner joins our agency, bringing with her a significant client base as well as her reputation among publishers as an able agent.

Our press release, which was sent out today, in part reads,

Gardner has been involved in publishing since 1995, joining WordServe Literary Group in 2007. Before becoming an agent, she was senior editor at NavPress, where she developed and launched the NavPress fiction line that included three Christy Award finalists and an ECPA Award finalist in its first year. She acquired and edited numerous nonfiction books as well.

Prior to that, Gardner worked at General Publishing Group in Santa Monica, California, where she was director of rights and marketing, managing departments of special sales, subsidiary rights, international rights, international sales and domestic marketing. Among other things, she built and managed a team of international sales agents and represented the company in Frankfurt, London, Tokyo, Chicago and New York.

Gardner is recognized as one of the important online publishing voices. Her blog, RachelleGardner.com, has been named a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Sites every year that her site has been in existence. Last year she logged more than half a million visits to the blog. Both writers and industry professionals follow her. She has become known for her encouragement and grace in an all-too-often merciless industry….

Founder and president Janet Kobobel Grant said, “I’ve long thought that Rachelle’s style of agenting is the same sort of collegial approach that I’ve espoused since the beginning days of Books & Such. When she mentioned her interest in joining our agency, I knew immediately that this was going to be a proverbial match made in heaven. To say I’m pleased is an understatement of the first order.”

With that background, I’d now like to introduce our blog readers to Rachelle by posting her entry for today from her blog. Feel free to welcome Rachelle to Books & Such in the comments section below.

Here’s Rachelle’s blog post:

Good morning and happy new year! I hope everyone had a good holiday season and I trust you’re ready for good things in 2012. (Either that, or preparing for the end of the world on December 21^st.)

This new year brings a change for me. I’m continuing as a literary agent, and continuing my blog, but I’m switching agencies. Effective today, I’m an agent with Books & Such Literary Agency. Books & Such was founded by Janet Kobobel Grant, who continues as president of the company and represents a full roster of clients. Literary agent Wendy Lawton is vice president, and there are two other agents, Rachel Kent and Mary Keeley, so as I join the company, there are now five agents.

People may wonder why I decided to switch agencies. As you can imagine, the change involved intense thought and prayer, and wasn’t easy. My four years with WordServe Literary have been terrific. Greg Johnson is an amazing and successful agent, and has mentored me well. He’s taught me so much and I’m incredibly grateful. We’ve always had a great working relationship (and we still do). So the choice to move has been bittersweet.

Much of my decision grew out of my long-time friendship with Janet Grant and Wendy Lawton. I’ve been blessed to have these two women as treasured friends during my years working in CBA publishing, and we all knew I’d be a perfect fit for their agency. I’m thrilled for the opportunity to work alongside these friends and colleagues long-term.

Another reason for the change is the fact that I work solo in my home office, but it’s challenging for me—I’m by nature a social and collaborative person. I sensed God leading me to acknowledge that I work best when I have plenty of conversation with colleagues on a regular basis. I began praying about how I could find a situation that would fill my need for daily interaction, helping me serve and honor my authors while also keeping a flexible schedule for my family. Being with Books & Such will connect me with four other agents plus an assistant, and even though we won’t all be in the same office, we’ll regularly be brainstorming, planning and giving feedback on each other’s projects. I’m confident the synergy created by working in a collaborative atmosphere with these five dynamic women will suit my disposition and help me to even more effectively serve my clients and advance their careers.

Some of you may be curious about what happens to my clients in this situation. Whenever there’s a change in an agency, the original Author-Agent Agreement determines what the client’s options are. They may be obligated to stay with the agency for a certain specified term, or they may be free to leave the agency and, if they want, follow their agent. In my case, each of my clients has full ability to choose what they’d like to do.

Transitions are always challenging, but I’m excited for this new year.

What’s NEW for you this year?

Location: Books & Such Central Valley Office, CA

What do milkmen, file clerks, photo darkroom technicians, typewriter repairmen and telephone operators have in common? New technology and a changing world made their jobs obsolete.

I was talking with a fellow agent a couple of weeks ago. As often happens when agents get together, we were talking about the rapid changes in publishing. She said, “Who knows if we’ll even have jobs ten years from now.” We’ve all been thinking about the future, but I was surprised by her pessimism. It begs the question: What is it that agents do? Do we add value to a writer’s career outside of selling to traditional publishers?

As my mentor and our Books & Such founder, Janet Kobobel Grant, said, “Those who are looking to the future will last. Those who resist change, who want everything to remain the same, will become obsolete.” Janet is right. If an agent is primarily concerned with “making the deal” (and there are a lot of agents in that category), he’s in danger of going the way of the dinosaur.

So let me talk about some of the things agents do and what the future may hold.

Disclaimer: It may appear self-serving to insist my job will endure. It could be argued that I have a vested interest here, but at heart, I’m a realist. If I thought my career were in danger of ending, I’d be working on a transition ASAP. (If you think I’m myopic on this subject, I’m counting on you to convince me otherwise in the comments.)

A good agent wears many hats. I picked a few that came to mind just from the things I’ve done in the last few weeks. This list is by no means exhaustive. To each activity I’ve arbitrarily assigned a number on the Obsolescence Danger Scale, with 1 being absolutely secure and 10 being on the proverbial career banana peel. The low/secure end of the scale are the jobs an author would be foolish to tackle at home or that require contacts or expertise an author couldn’t possibly have. Those on the high/danger end of the scale are jobs that may become unnecessary or that an author might be able to do for himself or hire out.

Salesperson: Yes, the agent is a salesperson. One of the things we love to do is take your project and find the perfect buyer. Dealmaking will always be part of an agent’s job, whether the deal is with a traditional publisher, an ebook only publisher, selling film rights or foreign rights. As long as an agent can think outside the box and create opportunities both within and outside traditional publishing, he’s got job security. Obsolescence Danger: 3

Editor: Many agents read manuscripts and help shape them. While agents are never meant to be the sole editor, if the industry moves away from traditional publishing, this oversight becomes more important than ever. Of course this task can be hired out. Obsolescence Danger: 8

Book Doctor: Your agent should be able to look at a manuscript and pull you up short if it is missing the mark. This job needs to be done by the agent because many times it requires a holistic approach. The book doctor needs to understand the client’s full career and see how a particular book fits in.Or doesn’t. Obsolescence Danger: 2

Brainstorm Partner: A good agent often helps brainstorm when the client gets stuck. Because this task can be performed by gifted fellow writers, it’s not something that would be of value if it were the only thing an agent did. Obsolescence Danger: 8

Rolodex Maven: Okay, the Rolodex is certainly obsolete, but I’m using the term metaphorically. Your agent knows the industry, knows important people. She’s a connector. This function is invaluable. It’s one of our greatest strengths, and we all work hard at relationships so we can leverage those for our clients. Obsolescence Danger: 1

Career Consultant: This is one of the most important tasks an agent performs. The more options there are for an author, the greater danger of missteps. Good careers don’t just happen, they are built with care. Whether an author is publishing traditionally or beaming their content onto a cloud in the stratosphere, his career needs to be carefully planned. Obsolescence Danger: 1

Air Traffic Controller: This is one of the most important functions I perform for my clients who have big careers. There comes a time with bestselling authors when the opportunities are overwhelming. A good agent will make sure all the planes stay a safe distance from each other and are successfully landed one after another. Books need to be spaced out, product needs to coordinated. One person must manage the entire calendar and product line. Obsolescence Danger: 1

Product Developer: An agent does more than just shepherd books as your career grows. We begin to talk about your “franchise.” Merchandise, films, audio. . . the sky’s the limit. Yes, there are product developers aside from agents, but your agent takes the holistic approach. Obsolescence Danger: 5

Fireman: Much of our day is spent putting out fires. Your agent can play bad cop to your good cop when a problem arises that needs a tough solution. If you had to go it alone in complicated situations, you’d run the risk of damaging important relationships. Besides, it’s no fun. Obsolescence Danger: 1

Contract Expert: An author could certainly hire an attorney to look over contracts, but no one knows publishing contracts like agents. We specialize in one kind of contract, and we’ve seen them all. We know every jot and tittle. Even if traditional publishing went away, authors need an agent to deal with distributor contracts and contracts with those who create ebooks, cover designers and editors. Obsolescence Danger: 4

Collection Agency: It would be nice if money just automatically flowed to the author, but even with traditional publishers, we often have to nudge. Your agents goes over your royalty statements looking for any irregularities and will step in with an audit if warranted. With non-traditional options this may become even more vital. Obsolescence Danger: 1

Manager: This is the change good agents are undertaking. We are trying to act more and more like managers. It’s that holistic approach I keep talking about. It may include marketing consultation and management, social media coaching, coordination of all parts of an author’s career, including appearances, media and newer opportunities like spokesperson gigs and product placement . Obsolescence Danger: 1

Lifeguard: An agent is the person who will pull you out of the water when you’re drowning and help resuscitate a flailing career. When everything is going along swimmingly, it’s easy to picture being the Lone Ranger. But if you’re going down for the third time nothing short of an experienced lifeguard will do. Obsolescence Danger: 1

Professional Worrier: As Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City said, “Leave the worrying to professionals and live your life.” This is an area in which I personally shine. Happily, I’m proactive about it. I not only worry over every detail but I know how to pray for my clients. Priceless. Obsolescence Danger: 1

I could go on and on, but I won’t. (Our fearless leader, Janet, sweetly mentioned that I didn’t need to write 900-word blogs. I think she hoped for succinct. *gulp* I didn’t mean for this one to tip the scales at 1200 words. I’ll do better tomorrow, Janet.)

So now, it’s up to you. What did I miss? There are plenty of online commentators– and agent-haters– who think otherwise. Am I kidding myself?

Blogger: Wendy Lawton

Location: Books & Such Central Valley Office, CA

If you keep up with the conversation on publishing you’ve probably already heard that the sky is falling and traditional publishing stands smack in the middle of the fallout zone.

We’ve all read the commentary. Traditional publishing will crumble by the next decade. Literary agents will follow. Soon brick-and-mortar bookstores will be as hard to find as blacksmith shops. Forget slush piles, publishing committees, acquisition editors and gatekeepers. Because of do-it-yourself publishing and direct-to-reader distribution the doors of the once tightly closed enclave of publishing have been thrown wide open. According to the doomsday prophets, those who’ve been inside the enclave– publishers, agents, contracted authors, publicists– are all living on borrowed time. Our days are numbered.

Doomsday prophecies are historically unreliable. Before we draw the curtain on a venerable industry let’s look at what we know to be true and what we recognize as hyperbole. This week I’m going to indulge in a few predictions of my own. Today we’ll talk generally about the change in publishing. Tomorrow we’ll explore what that may mean for traditional publishers. Wednesday, I’ll look at my own profession and predict what the changes may mean for literary agents. On Thursday we’ll talk about what these changes mean for writers and on Friday we’ll look at traditional bookstores and the distribution chain.

So is the sky falling?

No. It’s not even wobbling. Change is happening– profound change– but change can be a good thing. John F. Kennedy said, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

In part, here’s what we do know:

• With the advent of do-it-yourself ebooks ANYone can publish ANYthing and make it available to readers through a number of distribution services. The DIY ebook evangelists are positively gleeful about this new open access. One commentator–Richard Smith, an advocate for open access in the science arena– wrote a piece comparing traditional publishers to slave owners and open access proponents to abolitionists. That kind of over the top attitude seems to have grown out of deep frustration over the difficulty of getting an agent and/or getting a traditional book contract. It’s not so different from the excitement of would-be filmmakers and actors to the access afforded by sites like YouTube.
• Traditional publishers are embracing the ebook revolution as well with great success. Sales for many traditionally published authors are growing because of ebooks.
• Agents’ roles are changing. Those who were primarily dealmakers are having to rethink their way of doing business. Career management and holistic book management are becoming more important than ever.
• Some agents have become ebook publishers as well as literary agents, raising the question of potential conflict of interest.
• New businesses are springing up, like small ebook-only publishers, ebook formatters, freelance editing services that cater to DIY authors and ebook graphic design services
• Amazon grows bigger with every passing month, moving from their early years as an innovative online bookstore to the premiere ebook distribution service to a self-publishing (both ebook and print book ) press to their newest incarnation, an aggressive full service publisher who pays advances and works with agents (effectively competing for authors with the very publishers who were once their valued vendors).
• Many traditionally published authors are anxious to jump on the DIY ebook opportunities with out-of-print books or books specifically written for ebooks. This has caused a number of wrinkles–some small, others potentially fatal to traditional careers. Some have had some financial success with this but many can’t seem to figure out how to drive readers to these books.
• The sheer avalanche of ebooks books and the unevenness of quality is creating confusion among readers.

Those are just a few of the changes. Several have likened this change in the world of publishing to the cataclysmic Industrial Revolution. It turned everything upside down but fortunes were made. The likes of the Rockefellers, Astors, Goulds, Carnegies and Vanderbilts all came out of that transformative period. This week we’ll explore some of the changes and I’ll stick my neck out with some predictions.

I’d love for you to chime in as well. Are you up for any predictions?  What changes have I missed? What’s the best thing about this revolution? What worries you the most?

Location: Monterey, Calif., planning our Books & Such clients’ retreat

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about how important it is for an author to understand the culture of a publishing house or the culture of a literary agency. What do I mean by culture?

I’m not talking about Beethoven or a fine wine. I’m talking about what distinguishes one publisher from another or one literary agency from another. It’s not that entity’s business plan or even its employees that form the culture. It’s who that company is.

People who happily work at one publishing house would languish in a pool of despond at another. Agents who function as a unit in one agency would be odd man out  in a different agency. The culture of a company is what makes the difference.

As I think about various publishing houses I’ve worked with, I can identify their culture, even though it never has been explained to me. One publisher has a culture of disrespect for authors. Phone calls aren’t returned, authors languish in need of attention, contracted manuscripts aren’t read on a timely basis, employees are indifferent to authors’ opinions of titles and covers. What makes this a culture isn’t that one or two employees behave this way, but almost every employee does. And they enjoy working in the environment that publisher has created; it works for them. They’re a laid back and relaxed group of people.

Another publisher has a culture that I would describe as not only respectful to authors but also as seeing the authors as family members. Once you’re published by this publisher, the employees feel a significant responsibility to see your material sell well. If it doesn’t, the employees contemplate what they could do differently to make the material work–recover the project, retitle it, let it rest for a season and then come back at selling it again. As is true for the other publisher, the employees here tend to stay for many years, happy in their jobs and the expectations the publisher has of them.

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BREAKING NEWS. After writing this post, I learned that HarperCollins has purchased Thomas Nelson Publishing, causing the potential for huge culture clash between its three Christian divisions: Zondervan, Thomas Nelson and HarperOne. See my comment below.

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Literary agencies have cultures as well. One agency might label itself as the “premiere” agency, basing its identity on the number of best-sellers it has represented. Its culture is to sell each project for the highest dollar that can be squeezed out of a publisher and then to move on to another publisher if those significant advances aren’t earned back. The idea is to make as much money for the author and for the agency on every project without thought to the long-term affect.

Another agency might concentrate on the long haul for each client and be more invested in building a career by working toward increased advances that both the publisher and the author believe are highly likely to earn out. That results in a win-win situation, with the author staying at the same publishing house for a long time and living off of both advances and royalties rather than just advances.

See what I mean? An editor could work happily at one publishing house and be in a slough of depression at another if the culture doesn’t match. And an agent could work productively at one agency and be viewed as a failure at the other because the agent’s work style doesn’t match the agency’s culture.

What does that mean for you as a writer? When you consider publishing houses and agents you submit your work to, ask yourself what kind of culture do you want to be a part of. There is no one right answer. Some writers long to be with an agency that is considered a “shark.” Others want to be in an agency that takes a longer view of a writer’s career.

For the record, Books &  Such is the latter type  of agency. We’re all about career planning, wanting each book to earn back its advance, and creating a family environment among our clients. As a matter of fact, today I’m in Monterey working with the Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa event coordinator and Wendy Lawton to map out our bi-annual retreat for our clients. Our “culture” is to bring our clients together so they get to know each other, learn from each  other, and help one another to figure out how to map a way forward in the increasingly complex jungle of publishing. Many other agencies would never bring their clients together; that isn’t their culture. The agents in those agencies tend to be competitive rather than collaborative, and they want to see that same spirit reflected in their clients.

Over the years of working at various publishers, I  learned what type of culture suited me and what type imprisoned me. When I went to job interviews, I figured out what kinds of questions to ask that helped me to understand that employer’s culture. I didn’t always read the signs correctly, but I learned from my mistakes as well as from the choices that put me in happy places.

Here are some of the questions I asked (altered slighted to apply to writers) that could help you to determine the culture of a publishing house or an agency:

• Do you see your workplace as hierarchial, collegial, or highly individualistic?
• When the staff have meetings, what form do those meetings take–give-and-take; dispensing information from key sources; or reporting on results?
• How do you involve authors in decisions on their projects such as titles, covers and marketing?
• In what ways do you plan with authors to help them to grow their careers?
• When an author publishes with you, do you view the contract as we’ll-see-how-this-goes-and-then-decide-what-to-do, or do you look for authors you think could publish with you long-term?

You’ve probably had some culture shock experiences of your own. If so, what did you learn to look for in future relationships?

If you’re looking to form those publishing relationships, what questions have you found insightful to ask?