lynnmosher
06-22-2008, 06:50 PM
This is another article from Mary DeMuth through FeedBlitz with suggestions about what to do when the publishing house you deal with has personnel shifts. Great article.
Note: This is the second in a three-part series about publishing realities. So please come back next week to get the conclusion.
Reality Number Two: People are moving. In a recent Publisher's Weekly, the big news was the shifting and moving around of various CEOs in the ABA. If you've never experienced a personnel shift in your writing/marketing/publishing/speaking career, you will. Just blink your eyes, and it will happen. And it's not merely shifting and downsizing from the top that affects a house. That usually affects the demeanor and atmosphere of a publishing entity. But it's the professionals who work directly with authors whose shifts affects us most.
How?
If your acquiring editor moves to another place (or becomes an agent or a publicist or a freelance editor), you have lost your cheerleader. This has happened to me twice, and it wasn't fun.
If the person in charge of marketing your staggering work of genius takes an extended leave, you will have to scramble to catch the next marketing person up on your book, its message, and its audience.
If a publicist moves to another position in the company, you have to backpedal and remind the new person how exactly your book ties in with the current events of the day.
If your agent moves on to become a school teacher, you have to stop everything and start interviewing other agents, getting recommendations, writing letters, etc.
What can an author do?
Keep everything. Keep every file you've written about your book, its message, its unique selling point, the back cover copy. These things can easily get lost in transition. Be sure to keep a backup copy of your manuscript too. And back all of that up daily.
Keep a good relationship with those who move on. Don't burn a bridge. This is a small industry. (You may not think so when you first start this journey, but don't be fooled. It's tiny. Burning a bridge has big implications. Hold your tongue. Keep your cool. Rest in God.)
Know that sometimes this happens. It's not worth throwing a hissy fit if your book doesn't get the attention you feel it deserved. Be proactive instead of reactive. Think of ways you can promote the book yourself. Actively seek to partner with the new person you're working with.
Send Thank You notes to those who have moved on.
Send "I'm glad to be working with you" notes to the people who are new.
Slay the tendency to gossip.
Remember that ultimately, your book is your responsibility. Someone moving on shouldn't drastically change things.
But even so, things sometimes don't go well. Expect that (not in a self-defeating way, but in a realistic way. Things don't always pan out the way we expect them to. And I truly believe the mark of a growing follower of Jesus is his/her ability to weather dashed expectations.)
Unless it's your agent who has moved, share everything openly with your agent. It's his/her responsibility to help you share your needs/wants with the publisher in transition.
If you have a prayer team, ask them to pray you through the recent transition.
Recently, I received a kind email from my editor. His house had recently gone through some downsizing. He emailed me to assure me that his job was intact. I let out a happy breath. Because the reality is, it's stressful to walk through transition. For everyone involved.
www.marydemuth.com.
Note: This is the second in a three-part series about publishing realities. So please come back next week to get the conclusion.
Reality Number Two: People are moving. In a recent Publisher's Weekly, the big news was the shifting and moving around of various CEOs in the ABA. If you've never experienced a personnel shift in your writing/marketing/publishing/speaking career, you will. Just blink your eyes, and it will happen. And it's not merely shifting and downsizing from the top that affects a house. That usually affects the demeanor and atmosphere of a publishing entity. But it's the professionals who work directly with authors whose shifts affects us most.
How?
If your acquiring editor moves to another place (or becomes an agent or a publicist or a freelance editor), you have lost your cheerleader. This has happened to me twice, and it wasn't fun.
If the person in charge of marketing your staggering work of genius takes an extended leave, you will have to scramble to catch the next marketing person up on your book, its message, and its audience.
If a publicist moves to another position in the company, you have to backpedal and remind the new person how exactly your book ties in with the current events of the day.
If your agent moves on to become a school teacher, you have to stop everything and start interviewing other agents, getting recommendations, writing letters, etc.
What can an author do?
Keep everything. Keep every file you've written about your book, its message, its unique selling point, the back cover copy. These things can easily get lost in transition. Be sure to keep a backup copy of your manuscript too. And back all of that up daily.
Keep a good relationship with those who move on. Don't burn a bridge. This is a small industry. (You may not think so when you first start this journey, but don't be fooled. It's tiny. Burning a bridge has big implications. Hold your tongue. Keep your cool. Rest in God.)
Know that sometimes this happens. It's not worth throwing a hissy fit if your book doesn't get the attention you feel it deserved. Be proactive instead of reactive. Think of ways you can promote the book yourself. Actively seek to partner with the new person you're working with.
Send Thank You notes to those who have moved on.
Send "I'm glad to be working with you" notes to the people who are new.
Slay the tendency to gossip.
Remember that ultimately, your book is your responsibility. Someone moving on shouldn't drastically change things.
But even so, things sometimes don't go well. Expect that (not in a self-defeating way, but in a realistic way. Things don't always pan out the way we expect them to. And I truly believe the mark of a growing follower of Jesus is his/her ability to weather dashed expectations.)
Unless it's your agent who has moved, share everything openly with your agent. It's his/her responsibility to help you share your needs/wants with the publisher in transition.
If you have a prayer team, ask them to pray you through the recent transition.
Recently, I received a kind email from my editor. His house had recently gone through some downsizing. He emailed me to assure me that his job was intact. I let out a happy breath. Because the reality is, it's stressful to walk through transition. For everyone involved.
www.marydemuth.com.