We’ve all heard stories of writers who self-published a book and went on to sign a big deal with a major publisher. One of the most famous examples is Amanda Hocking, a thirty-something paranormal romance writer who self-published nine books that sold over a million copies.
In today’s publishing world – where so much happens digitally and virtually – a book launch party might seem like a quaint and outdated idea. Why go to the trouble of hosting an event when you can promote the book online?
Page Two’s summer intern recently asked us how she could stay up-to-date with the latest news in publishing. After all, commercial publishing is filled with just as many buzzwords, hot topics, complexities, and developments as any other major industry and can be confusing and intimidating to people on the outside.
In the book trade, some of the most coveted supporters a book can have are “big mouth booksellers” – booksellers who can hand-sell the book to customers and generate interest through word of mouth.
When we first became literary agents through Transatlantic Agency after years on the publishing side of the business, we diligently responded to every query we received from writers.
When our clients are drafting book proposals, many of them tell us that the section that confounds them the most is the market competition section. After all, who enjoys staring their competition in the face?
Last week a university professor asked us, “Will print books still exist in ten years?” It was a provocative question intended to spark discussion. But when we stated emphatically that yes, of course they will, he wasn’t convinced.
We recently gave our Page Two website a refresh and an update. It took months of planning and writing, and it required the expertise of some of our close collaborators.
We’ve had a few clients recently inquire about buying libel insurance to protect themselves in the event of a lawsuit when their books are published. We didn’t immediately know where to send them.
The world of ebook conversion is mysterious to most of us. It’s difficult to imagine what goes into designing a file that’s versatile enough for display on many different devices. The standard ebook file format is called ePub, and it’s designed to be responsive and to automatically adjust to the screen size of any e-reader, computer, smartphone or tablet.
Inevitably at some point, our self-publishing clients ask whether they should distribute their ebook exclusively through Kindle, or whether they should take a different approach. In most cases, we advise selling to a variety of ebook retailers.
Your substantive editor is the person who will review your manuscript to ensure the content and structure are clear. As we’ve explained in a previous post, substantive editing involves looking at big-picture things such as narrative and character development, pacing, consistency of voice, and chapter organization.
