Who Decides to Publish Your Book?

The following blog post is shared by permission from the Steve Laube Agency blog    

The editor you met with at a writers’ conference liked your proposal and asked you to send it to her after the conference. She was already talking about format and promotion ideas. Or you submitted a proposal and received an enthusiastic response from the acquisitions editor. Four (or maybe six to eight) months later, a rejection letter showed up in your inbox or mailbox.

What happened?

No matter how much editors like potential books, they don’t have final say in sending contracts A lot of other people are involved in the decision of whether to issue a contract or a rejection letter.

Before becoming an agent I worked 11 years as an acquisitions editor and later as an editorial director for Bethany House Publishers. Most publishers have two physical board meetings to help make the decision whether or not to publish a book. This process varies from publisher to publisher and each company has its own name for its board meetings. Thus many authors get confused when hearing different labels.

Some rejections state that “the book did not get past the committee.” This statement can mean a lot of things. It could even mean it didn’t get past stage one below. So take a comment like that with a grain of salt, or at least get clarification if you wish to know how far your book actually went in the process.

Let’s look at the stages your proposal goes through in this process (all of this presupposes that you already have a literary agent who has helped your craft your proposal so that it will get reviewed by the right person at the right publisher):

Stage One: Editor

The first stage is with the editor, one-on-one. This person must decide which book projects he or she wants to sponsor to colleagues. Most rejections happen at this desk. For some reason it didn’t click. Rarely does anyone else in the company see the rejected proposal at this stage. Some junior editors may show it to a senior editor, but not in a formal presentation meeting.

Stage Two: Editorial Board

The second stage is the editorial board. Editors gather together and pitch their discoveries to other editors. The editors create consensus for the project and occasionally brainstorm a different direction for it. If you get approval at this stage, many editors will call the agent or you and tell you the good news. But this is only a mid-level step.

Stage Three: Publishing Board

The third stage is the publishing board meeting (aka pub board). This is the biggie. Again, each company operates differently, so consider this description as a generalization. In this meeting are the company executives, presidents, vice-presidents, sales and marketing folks, and editorial representatives. I’ve heard of these meetings having as many as 20 people in attendance. Likely it is closer to 10 at the most.

Most editors have worked hard prior to this meeting. They have put together pro-formas that show the projected sales and profitability of the project. Likely they have already gone to the sales department and received a sales projection. Some go as far as gathering printing bids for the book prior to the meeting. Each member of the committee receives the pro-forma and a copy of the book proposal. (I can’t emphasize enough the power of a top notch proposal.). The executives receive this information before the meeting but not all are able to read it in advance.

It is this meeting where every objection possible is thrown at the book. Participants come up with reasons why this idea is a failure and why it should never be published. The discussion can be brutal. The editor is the advocate who defends the book against objections. If it survives this gauntlet, it will likely survive the general marketplace. In my time at Bethany House each project took a minimum of 15 minutes to present and receive rejection or approval. But some discussions lasted an hour.

There were times I went into the meeting expecting a slam dunk and got rejected. Other times I thought I’d get shot down but ended up with approval. An editor considers it a good day when 80 percent of what he or she presents in the pub board meeting gets approved.

Reasons for approval can be everything from pure economics to personal agendas by an executive. If that executive loves the topic, he can push the rest of the meeting toward approval. If everyone is tired and cranky, then the proposal may be doomed for publishing success. This is a subjective business, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the pub board meeting.

At this stage, the editor has company approval of the book. Some publishers authorize the contractual parameters in this meeting. Others have to have a separate meeting with the finance department.

But now is usually when the editor calls you or your agent with the good news. Negotiations begin on the contract, and you are on your way to your next published book.

Steve Laube, a literary agent and president of The Steve Laube Agency, has been in the book industry for over 31 years, first as a bookstore manager where he was awarded the National Store of the Year by CBA. He then spent over a decade with Bethany House Publishers and was named the Editor of the Year in 2002. He later became an agent and has represented over 700 new books and was named Agent of the Year by ACFW. His office is in Phoenix, Arizona.

Originally published Published in The Advanced Christian Writer, September/October 2005. Revised 2009 and 2015.

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Breaking Into the Major Leagues of Publishing

Posted by Michelle Griep

You can break into the writerly big leagues!

Want to find out what it takes to land a contract in the writerly big leagues? Then read on as author Dina Sleiman shares her experience . . .

I, like most authors, have faced the ultimate novelist’s conundrum. You can’t get published until you’ve established a platform, which usually requires being published. Ironic, yet to those in the trenches, not so funny. I remember the first time I went to the American Christian Fiction Writers conference. I looked around the room and realized there were probably hundreds of writers who were ready to break into publication, and that only a handful of us would make it into the major league publishing houses each year.

That was 2010. Since then I have had two small press books published, as well as one ebook only release with a quickly defunct Zondervan line. Finally, this year, I feel like I am breaking into the major leagues with my Valiant Hearts Series from Bethany House Publishers. During those same five years, I have seen many of my writing buddies go from being unpublished to the minor, middle, or even major leagues as well. So I know it’s possible. And, as an added bonus, I work part-time as an acquisitions editor for a small press, WhiteFire Publishing, which gives me a unique perspective on the issue as well.

Here are some of the routes to the major league publishers.

Find a Major League Agent. 

Unless you sell tens of thousands of indie books, you will probably not be able to bypass this initial step. But note I said “major league” agent. Many very lovely, reputable agents still don’t land many major contracts. So if you want in with one of the top companies, do your research and find an agent who frequently works with them. Even then, you will probably need to add some of the techniques I mention below.

Contests. 

If you do well in a contest, an editor who judged your book might ask to see more. But even then, they will probably want you to have an agent. And in order to make it past a publishing committee, you will probably need to be utilizing one or more of the following tools.

Blogging. 

I mention this one mainly because it has been effective in the past, and because it is helpful as a piece of your platform. But these days the blog-o-sphere is flooded, so blogging alone won’t do the trick. However, being part of a group blog can be especially helpful because the members support each other and create a great synergy for publishing, marketing, and even boosting creativity.

Networking. 

Meeting agents, editors, and other authors is a great boost to any writing career, and writers conferences are probably the easiest place to meet them. It is only human nature that we will show some preference to people who we have met and liked. Agents and editors will probably give a few extra priceless minutes to submissions with familiar names at the top. And authors are surprisingly happy to give their friends a leg up whenever possible. But make sure to be pleasant, kind, and supportive when meeting people. Otherwise this technique could quickly backfire.

Check out Dina's major league release!

Small Press Publishing. 

It is not as easy to break in with a small press as writers seem to think. However, small presses often take on writers with small platforms. I have heard rumors that major publishers look down on writers published with small presses, but I have never seen this play out. In addition to giving you some exposure, small presses give you the experience of working with editors and marketing your book, which will help prepare you for those major leagues. But make sure it is a real, royalty paying small press. While a small press might not pay you an advance, it should not charge you a penny! And make sure it turns out quality books and has a solid reputation. If you accidentally publish with a vanity press thinking it is a small press, you could indeed hurt your chances with a major publisher.

Shorter Fiction. 

Some of my friends have started their journeys by writing short stories and novellas that have been included in collections with previously published authors. This is a great way to gain both experience and exposure. And if an editor likes you, they might start asking for novel proposals. So if you are great at networking and making friends, this could be the perfect route for you. Often members of author networks or group blogs support each other in this way. Several of the ladies from my group blog, “Inkwell Inspirations,” took this route with great success.

Indie Publishing. 

While this is not my area of expertise, I am aware that it has helped some people break into the major leagues, whether on their own or as a route to finding publishers. But this method is far from fool proof. Success in indie publishing requires 1) great writing, 2) great editing, 3) a great cover, 4) great marketing, and 5) a little bit of serendipity. One of the best methods I’ve seen is when unpublished writers release indie books as part of a collection with a number of well-known published writers. However, if your indie book is a flop, poorly marketed, or just plain awful, then you will be worse off than the un-published writer, so approach this method with wisdom and caution.

A Stellar Idea that Fits the Market. 

Remember that I started this post with the assumption that the writer is already at a professional level. Sought after companies receive stacks of quality manuscripts from agents. Those stacks will include novels by plenty of authors who have utilized many of the techniques listed above. At that point it comes down to an awesome idea and an awesome voice. Awesome voice really can’t be taught. But by studying the market, knowing what’s out there, and finding that perfect balance of same but different—you just might stumble across a stellar idea.

In my case, I blog, have contest wins, small press books, experience in publishing, and an agent. Whew! Even all of that wasn’t enough while I kept turning out hard to market ideas. Finally, I was struck with that stellar idea. As I was pondering a similar but different approach to Melanie Dickerson’s successful YA medievals, I came up with the concept for my Valiant Hearts Series, which features strong young heroines in legendary male roles like Robin Hood and Lancelot.

Remember that it takes most authors five to ten years to get published once they get serious about their writing. And it can take much longer to break into the major leagues. But I hope this post will encourage you that it is possible and help you to discover some of the routes that just might take you there.

Author Dina Sleiman

Dina Sleiman writes stories of passion and grace. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Dauntless, book one in her Valiant Hearts Series with Bethany House Publishers, is now available and was a Library Journal pick of the month for April 2015. Dina also serves as an acquisitions editor for WhiteFire Publishing, and she loves to teach at writers conferences throughout the US. For more info visit her at her website.

http://dinasleiman.com

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