Today’s post is by author and journalist Elisa Bernick.
Many years ago, I was at a book launch for a writer I didn’t know for a book I hadn’t bought. A mutual friend urged me to approach this writer with a question about how to publish the book I was working on. I hesitated for all the right reasons: I didn’t know this writer, why would he share this precious information with me? Was this the right venue and moment? I barely knew what questions to ask. Etc. Etc.
But my friend insisted he was a nice guy who wouldn’t mind a few questions. So, I walked up to him and asked if he had any pointers to offer on the publishing journey. I swear I saw smoke coming out of his ears. He was incensed that I would ask him this question on his big day, and he curled his lip in disdain and stalked away.
I felt about three inches high. How dare I—a complete stranger and newbie writer—have the audacity to ask him for advice about something that probably took him years of rejections and hard work to achieve, and I wanted him to spill the secrets of his success in a sentence or two? (At his launch? Yikes!)
All these years later, having published two books and many articles, I still cringe at the memory. But equally distressing is that I often feel the same way when newbie writers ask me for advice. I hate that I feel this way because I want to be a resource for writers even though (and probably because) that writer was not a resource for me.
The publishing journey is hard. There are many dues to pay along the way in terms of the number of drafts written, the number of rejections received, the odds against a writer getting published and the even greater odds against a published writer making any real money from their books. When a newbie writer (and a complete stranger) blithely asks me to sum up all that hard work and tie it up with a bow, I feel tempted to do exactly what that writer did years ago.
To save you from an equally cringy fate, here are some tips on what to do before approaching me or another published writer with questions about how to get your book published.
Be a serious writer who understands the drafting process. Please don’t approach me (or have a friend “connect” us) until you have written several drafts of your book. Bonus points if you’ve had beta readers or an editor look your manuscript over. That gives me a sense you have the persistence and intentionality at the book-writing stage that’s required for the publishing journey.
Ask specific rather than general questions. This makes our conversation valuable and efficient. General questions get general answers, which are not very helpful. Specific questions mean you’ve put some thought into this process and have already taken the time to research the publishing industry, which assures me you’re not expecting me to give you book-length answers about things readily available online and in books.
Have a concrete sense of your publishing journey. Before reaching out, please write a book proposal (Jane’s got a great free template you can use for nonfiction books!). This will give you a better sense of your publishing goals, and it will give me a better sense of how to help you reach them. This document will be the basis of our conversation, and it will allow us to get into the nitty-gritty details of publishing (such as how to effectively research small and academic publishers to exponentially increase your odds of getting your manuscript read).
Have a little background on me and my book. If you’re writing fiction, please don’t approach me—approach a fiction writer. If you want to be published by one of the Big Five, approach a writer who has been published by a large publisher. I write nonfiction and memoir. My books were published by a small publisher and an academic publisher. I can offer specific information about my own publishing journey and its tradeoffs (going with a small or academic publisher keeps your books in print for a long time, which can potentially make up for a small or non-existent advance). But I will have only general information about working with a larger publisher.
Do me a solid and buy my book. There are rarely shortcuts in publishing. Writing a book is an art form but selling that book is business. It’s important to be strategic from the get-go and understand that publishing is transactional—not only in terms of money but in feedback and camaraderie. If you want me to be interested in your publishing journey, please take an interest in mine. Buying my (or another published writer’s) book before asking them for advice is both a strategic move and, more importantly, a respectful thing to do. Buy my book, tell me what you think of it, and then let’s chat.
I really do want to be a resource for other writers, just as I wish that writer long ago had been a resource for me. If only I’d bought his book and asked him to sign it, and if only he’d taken a moment to say, “Actually, this isn’t the best time to chat, but I’ve got some pointers on my website.” And if only I’d done the research and found suggestions like the ones I’m offering here, my publishing journey might have been just a little bit easier (without that awful cringing).
Elisa Bernick is the author most recently of Departure Stories: Betty Crocker Made Matzoh Balls (and other lies). It is available from Indiana University Press. Contact her at elisa@elisabernick.com.
I’m like you – I want to be helpful to other writers. But you’re right – approaching an author out of the blue and asking for general information is like asking me to describe a complex learning journey I’ve been on for five years. Plus many writers (not me, but most of my friends) make a living through offering other services for a fee – free-lance editing, paid seminars, craft books, etc. When I ask another writer for help, I always indicate that I’m glad to pay for their time – an hour on Zoom with someone can yield a lot and I’m glad to compensate them. Sometimes they offer the time gratis but doing so indicates I realize their time and expertise is valuable and I’m willing to pay for it.
I want you asking the questions, to be sure. Getting paid for your time is a great second step.
This resonates with me, especially “Writing a book is an art form but selling that book is business.” As a writer, I know when I go to a book signing I’m going to buy the book – and pay a premium for it as the book store doesn’t discount like Amazon does. In my mind, that’s the price of admission to get a moment of the author’s time. I also know the author truly appreciates the real time purchase. Thanks for all these tips, Elisa 🙂
Too bad, Elisa, that such a moment created all this regret for you. But I also get it. I did this little online launch event for my novel–published by this tiny indy for a tiny advance–and it kind of turned into an inquisition as three or four people kind of hijacked the proceedings to ask me how I got published, how long it took, even how much I got paid. I answered their questions best I could because I didn’t want to come off like I was keeping secrets. But did any of those writers actually buy my book? Not a one.
What obnoxious klutzes!
“Even if you can’t buy my book, please tell your friends.” I bet you said that at some point during the event. The real trick is to keep pivoting on the how-to questions so you can talk about the content of the book. You could even ask questions of the people asking questions.
What helpful tips, Elisa. Like you, I regret newbie mistakes I made 30+ years ago. But that’s all part of the learning process.
Referring new (or clueless) writers to a specific how-to book or website is a terrific idea that I’m going to adopt.
Great advice. . . as always, Jane Friedman
Terrific article Elisa Bernick.
Still dancing,
Alice
I appreciate the advice, particularly as someone who works on the business side of publishing. I also wonder how hard it would have been for the author to show some kindness … “I’d love to talk with you about that some time, but not now. I’m here to share the content of my book and (hopefully) sell a few copies.” That can be both honest and open.
It can be and often is a hard journey to publication. If we started with kindness, maybe the industry would feel more inclusive than it does today.
That should be the right approach for a Human Being.
After my first book was self-published I looked around for venues to hold a book signing. I couldn’t find a book store interested, not even a small private one, or the library. Then one day I walked into an arts and crafts store and spotted a placard placed near the checkouts. It read “Are you a published author looking for a place to hold a book signing? Use us! Ask our manager for details.” That was for me and a few minutes later I was hooked up for the coming Saturday. I didn’t quite know what to do, but improvised as best I could.
It was a disaster. Not a single person approached my table to even read the blurb I’d printed on a free standing poster. There were a lot of people there that day and with my placing it was impossible to miss me.
I would have been happy to tell anyone who asked anything they wanted to know. It didn’t even have to relate to books or publishing. I would’ve done a song and dance. No takers.
I never tried that again.
Hi Neil: One of the toughest things—ever—is trying to sell your book to strangers. It takes a lot of practice and determination, not unlike being a door-to-door salesman.
I once wrote about an author who mastered the art of the handsell at conventions. His advice here: https://mailchi.mp/hotsheetpub/hybrid-publishers#mctoc4
The bookstores where I’ve had events always wanted to see my plan to bring people into their retail shop. I bet you invited friends on that day, right?
That’s unfortunate, and they also didn’t give enough time to market the book signing or garner interest (on your end or theirs). It is a unique venue, but also unless your book was about the types of products their customers buy (arts/crafts) I can see why no one stopped (speaking as a consumer).
Jane, thanks for the link!
I understand your reticence. As journalists, we both know that asking questions is the way to learn things. I didn’t have many prerequisites to ask the CEO of HP questions, or the playwright Edward Albee, either. One was gracious, the other not so much. I did know to arrive with good questions, so maybe that’s the trick. I wonder about that moment when the newbie, earnestly investigating, gets sized up about how many drafts they’ve written. If I ask, “How close to the memoir’s proposal was the finished book?” then would I need my proposal in hand?
This is a great post. Writers who have several books published would love love love to help others on their journey. But there’s a time and a place to ask advice, and a book signing is not the place. Plus as the article suggests, be specific. I often get asked for my agent’s name, which publisher I’m with, and the overall blank question: “You’ve been published traditionally. How do I do it?” as though there was a one, two, three formula. I wish there were. I really do. My number one piece of advice for a would-be author is keep at it; perseverance is the key. Thanks so much for sharing this.
Great advice for someone (me) who is author/publisher adjacent. I always appreciate hearing authors’ experiences, how they got started, and their publication process. This helps me as I continue to learn, so I can better support them as a researcher. Thanks for sharing!