Romancing the Blog | Romance Authors and Readers Who Blog

Did you ever have one of those days where you felt like no one was listening? I have so often heard writers talk about working in a vacuum. And I sympathize. There are days when I sit in my office, tapping away at email, reviewing manuscripts, getting projects ready to go to editors, deciphering royalty statements, packing up submissions for overseas, etc. where I can feel as if I am doing it alone. And, yet, networking is one of the biggest parts of my job. Knowing editors and being known by them is the key to my trade. Naturally, this aspect is true for writers as well, even if they only communicate via the text itself.

But when a writer is just starting out it can be so easy to focus on that goal of publication without seeing past it. And for those who have already been published, that goal may shift to simply getting the next contract. One might not recall that while it only takes one person to create the story, it takes a network of people to bring it to its full potential….

Family and Friends: Perhaps this is needlessly said. Everyone always appreciates their family and friends, right? For instance, the husband who goes without your gourmet home-cooked meals because of a deadline, or the children who make their own PBJ so mom can spend another hour at the computer. Or the friend who believes you can still do it even when you’re fast losing hope after the latest rejection. This is not an issue of guilt, but of appreciation. Never forget to show the latter.

Personal Critique Group: Not everyone has one. Those who have good, supportive, actively critical ones are lucky. Sometimes, they sound like cheerleading groups. Not that there’s anything wrong with a pick-me-up when facing the impenetrable wall of publication. It can be what you most need at the moment. They are also often the people who challenge a writer to improve the craft level of their work. This could so easily mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection.

Writers Groups: Like the RWA, Novelists Inc., SFWA, etc. — these can be invaluable. They have networking opportunities with other writers and usually provide the conference venue for interacting with publishing professionals, as well. Sponsored newsletters educate and inform. Providing writers with a sense of community when so many work individually should not be an element that is ever overlooked.

Agent: This is the person who is always on your side. Not long ago, a list circulated on the internet of the 20 Worst Literary Agents. It raised quite a furor. I was struck by this particular post: What a Literary Agent can and should be. I could so easily write an entire entry about how agents do more than simply place the book with a publisher. It would also not be difficult for me to explain that they are the truest advocate and the staunchest ally. If you get a good agent, that is. Be on the lookout and when you nab one, hang on for all you’re worth and be sure to positively build that relationship. It may be one of the most valuable and long-lasting connections of your writing career. (See, I said it was easy for me to go on about this one….)

Editor: Though the editor owes their ultimate allegiance to the CEO that signs their paycheck, make no mistake: they are the in-house advocate for your work. They discover it. They love it. They convince their company to take the risk to publish it, and then they nurture it every step of the way from acquisition to publication.

Editorial Assistant: If your editor doesn’t have one, then they do everything themselves. Appreciate that editor all the more. But, just in case there is one of these handy, all-purpose people on staff, please be aware that they are involved in many aspects of the book. They may liaise with the production department, or get ARCs sent out for reviews, or any number of other things. Plus, it’s entirely likely that they may someday be acquiring their own list.

Production: This is a vast aspect that I am oversimplifying. This includes the design of the book, both inside and out. The line editing to make sure the text is as perfect as humanly possible. It’s far more than simply the cover and copy that will attract someone to pick up the book in the first place. And most people who work in these positions are assigned to several books at once. It’s challenging and detail-oriented.

Sales: These people present the book on behalf of the publisher to the companies who will decide how many copies get into which stores. On a regional level, they meet with those who run independent stores and convince them to place a number of copies on their shelves, or with regional directors of chains with the same agenda. The relationships that they have built are crucial to the placement of the book.

Distributors: This part of my ever-lengthening essay should be called “how to get physical copies from the warehouse to the reader.” If this road does not run smoothly, a book may never have the chance to impact the reading market. This is an essential connection as well. If individual bookstores dealt directly with each and every publisher, their overhead would increase exponentially, particularly when evaluating new publishers who wish to have their titles carried. A central distributor is key to keeping the material flowing.

Booksellers: Once upon a time, my first official position in publishing was exactly this one. I took books out of the box and put them on the shelves. Can’t buy them if they aren’t there. I knew the frequent buyers and what they favored. I scavenged ARCs or read novels that caught my interest during shelving and if I fell in love with them, I recommended them to anyone I thought I could convince to buy a copy.

Reviewers: A friend of mine who reads quite a lot maintains that they have never purchased a book based on a review. However, it’s entirely likely that the book may have been placed in the store because of a review it received. Booksellers read publications such as Publishers Weekly in order to maximize their coverage of the books that look to break out. Publishers place quotes from well-regarded reviewers or other authors on the covers to attract more sales.

Readers: Let us not forget those who may, perhaps, be the most important segment on your team. It’s entirely likely that this group also spans the others. Without them, your book will not succeed. Without them, the work of all the rest will lie dormant.

An editor recently remarked that 95% of the time when a book fails to get published, they hear the writer point a finger in the direction of the agent or editor. Around the blogosphere, one occasionally also sees someone decide that their cover is at fault for the sales. There are a number of other reasons that have also been put forth. While in some cases these may not be inaccurate observations, voicing these objections so negatively can impact the writing community as a whole, promoting an adversarial environment. It sometimes seems far too simple to focus on the business of publishing and measurements of personal success, instead of the people. While the list above is only a (very) brief (and somewhat dry) overview, and may not include everyone, I hope it invites us all to remember that everyone who participates in the launch of a book wishes it to succeed. And sometimes it is the “littlest person” who may cause it to do so.

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