The
Magic Bullet: Q&A for Writers
Last Updated: August 2, 2007
 Writers
often search for a magic bullet or the one secret that—if
only it were known to them—would open up the pearly gates
of publication.
Unfortunately, there are no guaranteed paths to successful publication—it
happens mostly through luck, persistence, and practice. But you
can inadvertently sabotage your writing and publishing efforts by
not understanding the industry and how it works.
This column invites you to submit any question that will help you
understand the publishing industry better and thereby increase your
chances of publication. It also covers any topic that instills angst
in writers—which opens up the field to just about any question
at all.
Click
here to submit your question. [If that link doesn't work, send
your e-mail to: editorfriedman (at) mac (dot) com with subject line
"Q&A Column"]
Q&As:
August 2, 2007: 2007
marks my fourth year attending Book Expo America (BEA), the largest
trade show of the book publishing industry. Few people outside the
publishing industry know about BEA or understand what people do
there. Here's an overview.
March 29, 2007: I put
out a call to readers to help put an end to the urban myth that
one cannot publish two novels without securing an agent first. Here
is just a small sampling of the response I received.
March 8, 2007: Do you
know of any writers who have gotten at least two novels published
without the aid of an agent, excluding vanity presses—only
small press through university through NY press?
February 6, 2007: What
is the time frame for resending a query to an agent and should I
requery? (I have received many, many replies to my queries that
simply state the agent or agency is too overloaded and cannot handle
any new projects.)
January 12, 2007: I have
read a lot of books in my time and find the stories that are entered
in contests are not that interesting. Doesn't the winner depend
on what the judge likes? Also, how do I know if I am good, or how
I can do better, if I can't let an authority read it?
December 21, 2006: Writers
often ask me what happens when I receive book proposals. Do I offer
a contract as soon as I realize I like the book concept? Do I share
with colleagues first? What's the acquisitions process like?
December 13, 2006: I
have put together a poetic tribute to Ogden Nash that I have written
and would like to have published but don't have the money to do
so on my own. It contains about 64 poems. -Richard Walker
November 30, 2006: Here
are a few phrases that you might find in a rejection letter, plus
my view on what editors or agents might mean when using them.
November 20, 2006: A
publisher agreed to read my manuscript. It has been five months
and I have heard nothing. In terms of proper etiquette in the publishing
world, I was wondering how long I should wait to hear something
before I assume I am being ignored... -Catherine Harbaugh
September 7, 2006: Is
it appropriate for me to re-send another query after I have made
major revisions to my manuscript? ... I have found a children's
book in the public domain I would like to keep pretty much as it
is and get it published. I am sure I cannot just copy it and send
it off to a publisher—or can I? ... What is the policy on
submitting a query letter regarding a book that isn't finished yet?
-Rebecca Jane, Alix Mosley, Tyler Stoddard Smith
August 31, 2006: I read
some of your well-written and precise instructions of how to find
a literary agent. In comparison to the many available on the Internet,
yours is the best by far. Nevertheless, I believe something is missing...
-Gabriel Timar
August 25, 2006: It seems
as though publishers and agents are looking for very polished manuscripts
as well as finished ones at that. How polished does a manuscript
have to be for submittal or do they still have editors that work
with the writer? Thank you. -Matthew Potter
August 18, 2006: I would
like to know if I could amalgamate two old children's stories, which
are in the Public Domain, into one new tale. The stories are Hansel
& Gretel and Goldilocks & the Three Bears. I have written
the story, but am not sure if it could be published. -Hartley
Hines
August 9, 2006: My question
concerns getting that first novel published by a good firm. From
what I've read, the critical first step is finding an agent who
knows all the right people at the big houses, so I'm wondering how
one gets taken on by such an agent, especially when many of them
accept new clients by referral only. -Michael O'Donnell
--
Jane Friedman is an editorial director at F+W
Publications, where she oversees several imprints, including Writer's
Digest Books and Writer's Market Books. She is the author of The
Beginning Writer's Answer Book (Writer's Digest Books, 2006).
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