Contracts

Rapidly approaching the third month of my internship at a literary management agency in NYC, I am trying to focus my attention on several aspects of the business of being a literary agent that I haven't covered all that well just yet.

One of those aspects is the importance of understanding book contracts.  I had requested a workshop on this topic from the supervising agents, and they were wonderful enough to set up a discussion and several sample contracts etc.  However, it ended up being scheduled during day 3 of my post-eye-surgery agony, so I wasn't able to attend.  But all was not lost, since the newest agent in our office is the new contracts manager.  She was kind enough to carve out a few minutes to go over a general contract.

I was a bit relieved to find that generally speaking, the design of most book contracts are pretty similar and pretty straight forward.  While there can be shady bits from time-to-time, the beauty is they are relatively easy to spot if you are well versed in standard book contracts.  Anyway, here were a few tips handed down by my contracts mentor:

#1)  As the agent, your role in the process is getting the writer the best deal possible.  You are there to protect his/her interests.

#2)  As my father taught me when I was first learning to drive..."Look at the BIG picture."  A book contract is a long-term investment.  You'll naturally want to get the best deal for right now with the best advance, but more importantly, you want to give your author the best chance at future success as well.

#3)  Earning Out.  The writer will get an advance when the contract is completed, and you will get your commission, however, neither of you will be paid anything further until the book has sales that exceed the amount of the advance.

#4)  Agency Clause.  As a literary agent, your main role is to protect the writer.  But you must also protect your rights as well, so always be sure your agency clause is clearly written into the agreement.

While there are plenty of finer points, these are just a few of the basics to help get you started.

~Michelle In Turn

(p.s. Thanks Joy!)

Blogging with my Eyes Closed

Some of you might be thinking, "What's with the massive font, Michelle?"  And to you all I reply, L-A-S-E-K.  


That's right, after 31 years of being legally blind without glasses or contacts, I decided the time was right to have vision correction.  This was a really tough decision in some ways, mainly because I am in the process of seeking out a new career in the publishing world...you know, the land of READING!  But on the other hand, it's one of the easiest decisions I've ever made as well.


I had the PRK Custom Lasek, because my vision was so poor, and I wasn't really able to get any less-invasive procedures.  The first few days of recovery can only be described as brutal, but now on the 5th day I can honestly say I am already seeing better than I have in my whole life.  I mean, I have peripheral vision!  I frown on the overuse of exclamation points too, but this is one occasion that warrants it.


I can see!  And now, I'll be able to see perfectly for my new career, and the rest of my life.  So what if I've temporarily lost that sexy librarian look for now, I'll so get it back in my mid-40's.  Something to look forward to ;-)


Happy seeing!!!!!!!


~Michelle In Turn

An Interview = An Opportunity

The Interview

Just after your resume` and cover letter, an interview is usually your prime chance to make a great first impression.  I feel that having the chance to meet with a potential employer face-to-face, rather than just via a few pieces of paper, is always a better way to show 'em what you've got.  

However, many people that go on interviews forget about the small stuff.

1)  Dress professionally.  No, not like a kid trying to be a professional...but top to toes professional.  THIS INCLUDES UNDERGARMENTS.  You don't want your interviewer's standout memory of your interview experience to be the panoramic view of a massive wedgie as you exit their office.  No, no, no!

2)  Bring extra copies of your resume` and cover letter.  In the event that it's a panel interview, or if another supervisor/important entity in the company decides to pop in unexpectedly, it always shows foresight when you can nonchalantly slip a copy of your credentials in front of them without having to interrupt the meeting.

3)  Have supporting documents with you.  While this is rarely required, especially during an initial interview, I've always thought of supporting documents like a security blanket.  In a high pressure situation, it's easy to lose your cool, but even easier to lose your memory!  Even if you never open your portfolio, or binder of prior experience, having it as a concrete object in front of you allows you to pull ideas from it.  You may not need to open it, but having a well organized collection of supporting documents can give you inspiration in a pinch. It also lets the interviewer know you've done your homework, you have experience and you can prove it.

4)  Don't be afraid to ask for a few seconds!  There's nothing worse than answering an interview question with a knee-jerk reaction and wanting to slap yourself in the head right after.  The English language is rife with filler phrases, so work some of them into your repertoire to buy your brain a few extra seconds of processing time.  "Wow, I hadn't really thought of that before.  Let me think about that for a second."  Now your brain has caught up with your mouth and you can give an appropriate response.  (Politicians do it ALL the time.)  Trust me, it's so worth it.

5)  Show up with confidence.  In this tough economy, if you've been invited to the party you're already a hundred miles in front of the pack.  The company has clearly expressed interest in you, and even carved out a portion of their day just to meet with YOU.  So, take it for the compliment that it is and have confidence in your abilities.  Rather than focusing on whether or not they like you, or if you are the one they want, assume they already do or they wouldn't have called you.  Focus on your strengths, abilities and what sets you apart.  The rest is a trip to HR to negotiate salary ;-)

6)  Never fear...NEGOTIATE!  Once you know you have the position on lock, you have one opportunity to negotiate a higher salary.  An employer is always going to do their best to keep their own costs down, and so if you don't ask for anything more, they have no motivation to offer you more.  And once you're hired, salary increases are usually slight, and few-and-far between.  Be prepared with prior salary, prior related experience, education and any other tidbits of information that can help you secure a better take-home for yourself.  The worst thing they can say is no, or it's the best they can do.  You haven't lost anything by asking.

That being said, I need to hop in the shower and prepare for my own interview today.  Wish me luck!

~Michelle In Turn

The Value of Author Websites

Yesterday I had the chance to attend an industry professional development session with writer and techie-guru Lori Culwell of bookpromotion.com.  The focus of the presentation was on author websites, and their value to your (ie. the writer's, the publisher's and the agent's) bottom line.


Here are some of the big ideas from Lori's presentation:


1)  Y'all (writers, agents and publishers) should know what comes up as the top-ten items when you Google an author.  That first google page is what the vast majority of your "visitors" will see- be sure it's full of good things, and ultimately, things that can lead them to purchase your book!

2)  Today's readers, especially fiction readers, want to feel connected to the author.  A contemporary writer must have an interactive online presence to hook readers, and keep them hooked.

3)  Writer's should have control of their own domain name, and control it's hosting.  Free websites are NOT recommended, as the writer ultimately does not own the content, and/or cannot change or update the content over time.  Owning your domain and paying for hosting are small investments that will pay off over time.

4)  The subject of an author's novel doesn't have to be the only fodder for online discussion.  Does the author write about vampire love, but have a passion for basket-weaving?  Great!  Add some tweets or a blog post or two about things other than their writing life.

5)  Nonfiction writers need to establish themselves as an authority. So, they should be spending time blogging, posting, writing articles, and tweeting about everything and anything to do with the subject matter of their book.  Build a presence in the real world, and establish credibility within their area of expertise.

6)  Take advantage of the many forms of web statistics available.  Find out how to capture emails, track who is visiting the author's page, and use that information to reach out to audiences new and old.

7)  Photos can go a surprisingly long way.  Google images for example, is a source readers and online shoppers frequent.  Be sure to take advantage of this not only by posting lots of pictures on various subjects, but also by tagging all of your photos so they lead back to your website and your book.

8)  Make buying the book as simple as possible.  Have links for individual booksellers that go directly to the purchase page for your particular book.  [According to Culwell, online shoppers have short attention spans, so make purchasing fast & easy, or risk losing the sale.]


Lori Culwell covered so much in such a short period, but she is clearly an authority on the subject, and a great person to reference.  You can tweet her at @loriculwell or check out her website bookpromotion.com.


~Michelle In Turn

Books from the E & F Trains

Living in Queens, and commuting to my internship in Manhattan several days a week, I can't help but notice just how many people choose to spend most of their subway time reading a good book.  Some are thumbing through paperbacks, drooling over a hardcover, or zoned in to their eReader.

I decided it might be fun to start talking to my fellow commuters about what they're reading.  Or, if they're not in the mood to talk...I could always just jot down what it is they're reading and in what format.

The first night I began to observe I met two women.

The first was a shy little lady, mid to late 40's,  reading a hardcover of The Inner Circle by Brad Metzer.  It wasn't a book I was familiar with at all, so I looked it up online to see what it was all about.

While searching Amazon.com for a description, I found this note by Davit Pitt from Bookmaster:

In this political thriller with historical-conspiracy overtones (or perhaps it’s the other way around), Meltzer creates his most engaging protagonist in years. Beecher White is an archivist with the National Archives, who stumbles upon an old book hidden away in a room used exclusively by the president. But did the president know that the book (a spelling dictionary that once belonged to George Washington) was there? And—almost impossible for Beecher to imagine—could it be that the president or someone close to him is willing to kill to regain possession of the book? Meltzer teams Beecher with an equally strong character, Clementine Kaye, a woman from the archivist’s past whose estranged father is, perhaps not coincidentally, the man who tried to kill the current president’s predecessor. Meltzer expertly develops the story, throwing in twists and turns at appropriate intervals, and he does an excellent job of putting us in Beecher’s corner and making us care about what happens to him. The story has a surprising and satisfying conclusion, and Meltzer leaves the door wide open for a sequel. --David Pitt

Another woman, a very friendly and upbeat lady in her late 30's was using her eInk Kindle to play a game.  Since she was sitting right next to me, I decided to ask her a bit about her eReader, and what kinds of books she enjoyed.  She told me that she LOVED her eReader, especially for the subway, because it was much less cumbersome than carrying a traditional book.  She shared that she had almost always had at least two books with her, and at times a back up for her back up! (No reader wants to be left with idle time.)  She also mentioned that in an effort to clean out her house, and make room for new things in her life, she had recently donated her very large collection of books to a charity.  She said it felt good to give those books to people who would actively enjoy them, and also get back the space in her house.  Now, she downloads new books ALL the time with her Kindle.  Her most recent download was Helpful Herbs for Health & Beauty:  Look and Feel Great, Naturally by Barbara Griggs.

I'll be sure to keep stalking the reading material of my fellow strap-hangers to bring you more great titles from the E&F Trains.

~Michelle In Turn