Location: The Lodge @ Sonoma in Sonoma, Calif. for day 2 of the Books & Such Agent Summit

Today’s book: Austenland by Shannon Hale

I am extremely excited about Austenland‘s upcoming film release, and a sequel is in the works too! Sadly the film trailer hasn’t released yet, but if you want more info on the film, here’s the link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1985019/

Basically, Austenland is the story of Jane, a woman in her 30s, who has an obsession with Mr. Darcy, especially the Mr. Darcy played by Colin Firth in the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. Her desire for a Mr. Darcy of her own leads her to believe she’ll end up as a spinster until an elderly great-aunt passes away and leaves her a trip to Pembrook Park–a high-class Jane Austen resort in England. At Pembrook Park, Jane has a chance for her dreams to come true.

The book is hilarious and perfect for Jane Austen fans like I am. It leaves you dying to read Pride & Prejudice for the one hundredth time. The movie is being produced by Stephenie Meyer, so I owe some vampires a word of thanks for selling so well in book and movie format.

I believe that Austenland is a good candidate for film because:

1) Jane is a character who is like so many young women today. She’s career-driven but a closet romantic and is obsessed with Jane Austen’s works.

2) It’s a story that most women will want to see on film, and we’re usually very good at getting our significant others to take us, which equals twice the ticket sales.

3) The book was really funny but made me cry too. I think the story evokes the emotions and has the perfect setup to be a romantic comedy.

4) It’s a Jane Austen story without being one that takes liberties with Austen’s works.

If you’ve read the book, please add to the list of reasons it would make a great movie.

Do you enjoy Jane Austen-related books or regencies? What makes a good regency story or a good Jane Austen-related book? Why do you think these books are so popular?

Location: The Lodge @ Sonoma in Sonoma, Calif. for the Books & Such Agents’ Planning Summit

I’d like to spend this week talking about books that soon will be movies. We can discuss what we think has given them the appeal they needed to make it to film. I’ll share my opinion, and I hope to hear yours. I’m going to try to avoid putting any major spoilers in the posts, but if you are picky about reading the book before finding out anything about the storyline, please read the book and come back to the blog posts.

Hopefully this conversation will help you to pick popular, relevant topics for your writing.

First up: The Hunger Games

I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins over Christmas break, just in time to get excited about the upcoming film release.

If you would like to see more information about the film or watch the trailer, click this link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked it quite a bit–the writing is good and the story moves quickly with lots of action and a bit of romance–but I had a problem with the overall premise. A country that would punish its citizens by making them send some of their children to fight to the death each year while the entire country watches it on TV is hard to swallow. At the same time, I understand that Collins has written a book that reflects on our society today and serves as a warning for what the future could look like because of our human nature and the hate we can carry toward others. The hunger games are a futuristic Roman Colosseum. I’d say that many dystopian books have the same purpose–to reflect on our society in a creative way.

I personally believe this book was a good candidate for a movie because:

1) The story’s premise is complex enough to appeal to readers of all ages, not just teens.

2) The story has strong male and female characters.

3) The world the story is set in is unique without being so far out that the reader can’t relate to it. It’s based on our world with differences that are well-described.

What elements make The Hunger Games a good candidate for being made into a film? What has made the book so popular with readers? How might your answers to these two questions help you as think about your writing?

Blogger: Wendy Lawton

Location: Round Top, Texas

This last fall my husband and I went to a prayer retreat that had one purpose– to help us learn to listen. I was shocked to discover how powerful listening is. I’ve been trying to put it into practice as a spiritual discipline.

As writers, listening is doubly important. We are called to listen to the world around around us. How can we honestly write if we are not listeners? Novelists know this. Lauraine Snelling, the bestselling writer of both historical and contemporary fiction was just telling me about something that happened to her as she was driving through the desert a couple of weeks ago. She heard a voice saying one poignant line. Lauraine says she nearly had to pull the car to the side of the road. She could picture the scene from that one line. She started crying and knew she had to know the rest of the story. It will be the centerpiece of her next book.

(Those of you who do not write fiction are probably creeped out by that– voices and all. It’s not a serious illness. Trust me, for novelists, it’s quite normal.)

Lauraine is a listener.

Over the last three days I encouraged you to dream, to risk and to ask. All proactive words. Now it’s time to listen. It’s an important word to work into your goals for the year. The more you listen, the more you’ll have to write.

So help us with this word. Have any of you discovered new ways to listen? Have you experienced the power that comes with listening? Share with us what you’ve learned.

Location: Books & Such main office, Santa Rosa

“I typically go overboard when I research new projects.”

~Will Wright

In 2000, after five years of hard work, I realized I could spend the rest of my life researching my family history and never write it down. As each rabbit trail narrowed to dust, as I pulled the final book off the shelf of Virginia counties, as my husband asked if I’d ever be done, I’d wonder, “What if?”

What if I missed some fact?

What if I found another tiny piece that opened the story up like a field in the game Minesweeper?

What if Abraham Lincoln really did carry around a piece of paper in his pocket that said, “This is the list of all my relatives, particularly my descendants leading to Michelle?”

How could I risk it?

It came to an end in the Mecca of genealogical research: The LDS Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. I spent ten hours the first day, eight the second. My husband pulled me babbling out of the stacks that last day, and I knew I had crossed the line. The research was done.

I stopped checking “one more fact” on September 1, 2000. I then finished writing the book.

The project I’m currently investigating has an overwhelming number of items to review and books to read. I have to steep myself in language, items, culture, religion and even a war. I could easily spend the rest of my life researching.

But I have other things to do and the book is begging to be written. I could let myself be bogged down in searching out one more interesting fact, but the story–the point–would never be told. There will come a time when I declare the fact-finding finished.

Of course I’ll continue to read and examine leads as they turn up. Google will remain my constant friend and fact-checker, but enough. I need to write.

Research is fun. Tools can be exasperating or thrilling. Odd facts spark the imagination. Stories intrigue and of the making of books, there is no end.

But then, of course, there’s still real life to live. You owe it to your family.

How do you know when you’ve researched enough? When do you decide you’re ready to write? What’s your favorite part of the researching process?

Location: Santa Rosa’s main office

Conventional wisdom tells us that during the Great Depression (1929-1939), Americans flocked to the movie theaters to escape their drab lives through the music and dancing magic of Shirley Temple, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers.

True, but those films weren’t exactly happy tales void of difficulties. When my family and I watched all the Shirley Temple films one summer, we joked at the start of each one, “How do you think her parents will die this time?” She may have had a happy ending, but Shirley usually had tragedy in her past. And Ginger? Always a broke store clerk or a woman down on her luck. Things turned around when Ginger found Fred and twirled away on her very high heels. And they all lived happily ever after.

But while moviegoers sought escape in song and dance, what types of books did the readers buy? The best-selling novel of 1931 and 1932 was Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth, the story of a poor Chinese farmer during turbulent times. The 1931 nonfiction list included books about games, biographies and several political and/or current event books. (These best-selling book lists come from a 2006 class taught by Professor John Unsworth at the University of Illinois’s Graduate School of Library and Information Services,  ”20th Century American Best-Sellers.”)

One of the best selling writers during the Depression and World War II era was the Lutheran pastor, Lloyd C. Douglas. Among his novels written during this time period were Magnificent Obsession, Green Light, White Banners and The Robe. The Robe, which examines events connected to the cloth Jesus wore at his crucifixion, was on the best-seller list for three straight years during World War II.

On the nonfiction list, one of the big sellers in 1933 and 1934 was 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs and Cosmetics by Arthur Kallet and F. J. Schlink. See? There’s nothing new under the sun. Biographies and narrative nonfiction-type stories fill the ranks, with books about war clouds growing in Europe appearing with greater regularity toward the end of the decade.

Another big fiction seller during the Depression was Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind–an historical novel set during the Civil War, which emphasizes Scarlett O’Hara’s pluck and opportunity-grabbing ability. Plenty of escapist literature appeared on the list: Anthony Adverse, a swashbuckling story that topped the list in 1933 and 1934; Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s true tale of adventure:  North to the Orient; and Clarence Day’s domestic comedy: Life with Father. A.J. Cronin medical dramas appear almost yearly.

The fiction lists generally hold at least one mystery (often by Mary Roberts Rinehart), romantic suspense novels, tearjerkers, American historical fiction and usually one humorous book.

What sort of conclusions, if any, can we take from lists like these? Is it possible to take historical information and apply it to today?

During times in my life when things aren’t going well, when death or fear drags me down, I don’t want to read heavy stories. I read to escape from my turbulent life into a place that may also be unruly, but at least is guaranteeing me a happy ending. That may be why I always read the last chapter of the murder mystery . . . before I should.

Which brings us to today.

In a time of pressing financial need, chaos around the world, frustration with government and sagging moral institutions, what type of book do you want to read? What would be the felt need for a large enough component of the reading public to make book sales soar?

Or, what type of book do you NOT want to read during trying times?

Location: Main office, Santa Rosa, CA

Those of you who have been following my writing saga on the Books & Such blog may be interested in hearing the latest wrinkle. After releasing on September 1, 2011, A Log Cabin Christmas Collection hit #34 on The New York Times bestseller list for the week ending September 17.

To call me astounded would be an understatement. I keep repeating the words, “New York Times best-seller.” They still ring like a fantasy.

Maybe not even a fantasy; these are words I never even dreamed. So what does that make them? Fantastical? Improbable? Mythical?

Whatever. But, technically, true.

I realize A Log Cabin Christmas Collection is on the best-seller’s list because of the lead author: Wanda Brunstetter. Wanda has several other novels on the list this fall. But still, in small letters on the bottom of the cover appears, Michelle Ule–or my alias on the list: “et al.”

Some of my incredulous family members are suspicious. “How many copies of a book do you have to sell to make The New York Times Bestseller list?”

The answer varies between, “I don’t know,” and “it’s complicated.” But a more nuanced answer goes like this:

The New York Times first published their best-selling books list in 1942. The list is generated through the News Survey Department, which has nothing to do with their fine book review. The department uses weekly sales reporting samples of chain and independent bookstores, along with sales results from book wholesalers. It does not take into account Amazon’s sales or those of big box stores such as Costco or Wal-mart (which carries A Log Cabin Christmas Collection), or even Target—which also carries my book online.

It may be worth noting that only about one percent of books make it to the NYT best-seller list.

It also might be worth noting that the highest ranking A Log Cabin Christmas Collection hit on Amazon was 9,522.

Cynical family members also wonder if the NYT list could be manipulated. According to Wikipedia, it has been tried. In 1995, authors bought 10,000 copies of their book,  The Discipline of Market Leaders, claiming it was an excellent marketing investment for them. The book stayed on the list for 15 weeks and while not illegal, most publishers believe the authors’ purchase and skewing of the figures was unethical.

I didn’t do that.

The big question, of course, is what makes a book a best-seller? No one knows how to guarantee that a title will make the list, even though marketers promise they can get your book on the list. It basically winds down to catchy titles, intriguing book covers, creative marketing, hot genres, an author who has appeared on the list previously, and selling to all sorts of different people–crossover appeal.

In our case, A Log Cabin Christmas Collection is aimed at a niche market–Christmas stories in a historical setting–and is gorgeous. The greenery on the cover is embossed, and the pages are ragged-edged like a pine log. Novellas, short stories about 60 pages in length, make for quick reads, and of course these particular novellas are inspirational–one of the areas in publishing that is growing.

Sales were helped by Wanda Brunstetter’s name, but we had several other well-know writers in the mix: Jane Kirkpatrick and Margaret Brownley, not to mention Kelly Eileen Hake, Liz Johnson, Liz Tolsma, Debra Ullrick and Erica Vetsch.

All in all, it’s been a wonderful, fun experience. And in my own case, friends are laughing with me and asking a really hard question: “If your debut novella winds up on The New York Times bestseller list, what will you do next?”

Indeed.

Think of best-sellers you’ve enjoyed. What led you to that particular book? Did it make a difference that it was on The New York Times or some other bestseller list? What role do best-selling lists play in your choice of reading material? Should a list make that big of a difference? Do you think quality determines whether a book will be on a list?

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

New financial/sales reports are just coming in for publishing for 2010 and the first half of 2011. Now, for those of you who are yawning, I promise to only discuss what’s likely to show important trends that every writer should be aware of. So read up!

Here are the newsworthy items:

• Fiction remains the leading sales driver of e-books. But the chart below illustrates just how dominant fiction is. The chart on the left is for unit sales; the chart on the right is for revenue generation. What does this add up to? Fiction brings in more than half of e-book revenue, while all other categories are like saplings shaded by a redwood. Why should you care? Because this tells you that, if you’re writing nonfiction and aiming your personal marketing plans toward selling e-books, that might not be the best plan unless you have a special “in” to your market. But if you write fiction, many readers await your e-book.

• Of the various fiction genres, literary/classics take the lead in unit sales, with science fiction close behind. Holding third place is Christian fiction. We can guess that the classics have the lead position because so many of them are being offered for free or 99 cents for an author’s oeuvre. I own all of Jane Austen’s work and paid 99 cents for the package. Sci-fi makes sense because those who read this genre tend to be purchase technological toys; e-books and sci-fi readers are a perfect fit. But look at Christian fiction, beating out romance, mystery and general fiction.

• Buyers who purchase e-books online tend to purchase print books from the same source.
• e-books constituted 4 percent of units sold in 2010.

I’ve suggested one application for the first graphs–where you would place your marketing energy based on what you write. Now, let’s talk about other implications of the study’s results.

1. Does this information give you pause or renewed energy for the category you write?
2. In what ways might these numbers help you to direct your marketing energy/dollars? What do the numbers tell you about where your buyers are?
3. How do you balance this study with the reality that, while e-books are gaining strength very fast, most buyers are hugging their books to their chests rather than clicking “buy” on e-readers?
4. Unfortunately this study didn’t look at the price paid per unit for e-books. What’s your best guess as to what that might be? What do you base your opinion on? And what are the implications of the unit price for writers?

I know these questions don’t necessarily lend themselves to off-the-top-of-your-head answers, but I believe it’s worth the time for each of us to consider what these numbers mean. They predict the way ahead for all of us.

We’re done. Another ICRS under our belts. What a great show it turned out to be. I’m writing my blog on an iPad, typing slowly with one finger. (Why couldn’t I have learned to text as a teen–I’m so jealous of teen textability.) So you are the winner– I’ll keep this short and to the point.

When anyone offers to speculate on the state of an industry, your response should be to roll your eyes. It’s an exercise not unlike the blind men describing the elephant. We only know what we’ve observed. But I thought I’d share ten observations with you.

1. We sensed a whole new energy. Publishers are definitely buying books.

2. Since Christmas 2010 the velocity of eBook sales has been breathtaking.

3. In fiction, historical is still strong but we saw the beginnings of a renewed interest in contemporary. We did see that editors are looking for very specific genres or time periods or settings to fill holes.

4. In fiction, editors seem to be somewhat more open to the unusual. One editor gave us percentages– a small percentage of her line can be used to introduce debut novelists, another small percentage can be experimental, while the bulk of the line is for excellent, but tried-and-true fiction.

5. In fiction, genre is still king. Publishers have not been able to develop any significant market for literary fiction.

6. In Christian nonfiction, basic is back. We talked to editors who are actively looking for books addressing things like simple Bible literacy.

7. In nonfiction platform is more important than ever. We had an editor tell us that if they take a project to committee they are asked to give specific details about the author’s social network platform. Another editor said it takes so long to get a writer up to speed on effective social networking that if it comes down to someone who is already well-networked and someone with a limited network, there’s no question who will get the nod.

8. Brick and mortar bookstores are still struggling. Some of the challenges are:

• Discount price competition from the big box stores (Walmart, Costco, etc.) and from Amazon and CBD.
• The ease of direct eBook sales, effectively cutting the store out of the equation.
• The tough economy–unemployment and underemployment resulting in less disposable income.
• The high price of gas, meaning people think twice before getting into their cars to go to a bookstore rather than to buy online. It’s created a perfect storm of trouble for the independent bookstore.

9.  We observed a proliferation of innovative new media ideas– the fusion of books with digitally delivered sound, video, extra content and interactive content.

10.  It was exciting to see the birth of several new publishing houses. We had meetings with three of them– Worthy Publishing, whose inaugural list featured a breathtaking offering of potential bestsellers; eChristian who look to be a major player not only in audio and eBooks but are also doing traditional books; and Jericho books, a division of Hachette, focusing on thought-provoking books for the church’s disillusioned, disassociated and disgruntled. Here’s how they put it, “The mission of Jericho Books is to seek new, innovative authors who reflect a growing change in the church. These non-traditional voices will appeal to the fresh perspectives in today’s culture and provide an avenue for those exploring political and social issues as they relate to faith.”

There was so much more, but these ten give you a sense of what we observed. We’re gearing up to meet the challenges.

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

I think a lot of younger readers would say the Harry Potter series introduced them to young adult fantasy. Some might say it was Twilight. For my generation and for those older than I am, I think that introductory series would be The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the fantasy book I remember loving all the way back to when I read it in elementary school. C.S. Lewis’s book have influenced the kinds of books I enjoy reading today. I still love a book with dragons, giants, talking animals, shape-shifters, etc., and Lewis has all that and more in the Chronicles of Narnia. I also have a special love for allegory as a result of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

I represent quite a few YA authors, and many of their projects are fantasy. I’m not sure if I would be interested in fantasy books/allegory if I wasn’t introduced to the genre through reading C.S. Lewis. It’s hard to say, but I’m so glad C.S. Lewis wrote those wonderful books. The Chronicles of Narnia can be enjoyed by readers of any age. Young adult fantasy seems to still be that way. The stories are often interesting enough that older readers and parents enjoy the books as well.

What was the first fantasy novel you read and loved? Do you still read young adult fantasy?

Factoid: The very first gift I ever gave to my husband (then boyfriend) was a complete volume of The Chronicles of Narnia. He had never read the books!

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

It’s summer! The beginning of summer is a great time to talk about reading since we’ll all be taking books with us out to the pool and on our vacations. Right? I would like to take this week to share about five books (other than the Bible) that I love and that have influenced my life in some way.

Today’s book led me to my position as an agent at Books & Such. I’m asked at writers conferences about the journey to my job all the time, so it’s nice to get to share it with all of you, too…

Waterfalls by Robin Jones Gunn is a story about a woman who works as an editor. There’s much more to it, of course, including that she falls in love with a movie star and talks to her goldfish, but the editor part is the most important for my journey.

I decided after reading Waterfalls that I wanted to be an editor. The main character of Robin’s book, Meri, got to work from home in her pj’s and read all day. Sounds pretty nice! She did have to speak at a writers conference, but I was going to pass on that part. So at 16-years-old I knew that I wanted to get an English degree and become an editor. Just about everything I knew about publishing at the time came from that book. I didn’t know anything about literary agents.

During college, I was looking for an internship anywhere because all of the first-time jobs for assistant editors require at least two years of publishing experience. I didn’t really want to move to New York for a summer to work for free as an intern at a publishing house, but that was looking like my best option. I asked a few women at my church to pray for an internship for me, and within days Michelle from our agency contacted me. Michelle goes to my church and was told about me by one of the women I talked with. As a writer herself, Michelle tries to take off the summers to write; so Janet was looking for someone to fill in for Michelle. Janet was willing to call my work an internship, it was 10 minutes from my house, and she was going to pay me! I still had no idea what a literary agency was, but the job sounded good to me.

I worked at Books & Such for two summers and then for a year after I graduated as an intern. At that point, Janet offered me a job as an agent. I guess she liked me. She had been training me during that time for my agenting job and continues to help out when I have questions. Agenting is different from my original “dream” of being an editor, but I think it’s a great fit for who I am. I love my job!

And there was frosting on the cake: Janet represents Robin Jones Gunn! I’ve been able to work with Robin on some special projects she needed done, and we’ve formed a friendship.

God sure knows what he’s doing, and I’m grateful to know he’s in control of my life. And speaking at the conferences isn’t so bad either!

What about you? Did a book influence you toward wanting to be a writer? I’d love to hear your story.