The Dazed & Confused Author Toolkit
The Ultimate Guide to Getting Published
Published by Dazed&Confused London E3 Copyright Š Amelia Reid 2016 The right of Amelia Reid to be identified as the author of the Work has been asserted by hum in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. Please visit dazed&confusedguides.co.uk for a catalogue record of this title. ISBN 978 1 907970 31 2 Typeset by Amelia Reid Printed by T J International Ltd. Visit dazed&confusedguides.co.uk @dazed&confusedauthor #dazed&confusedauthor
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Contents
About us
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Stand up for your rights 16
Who’s who in Publishing? 8 Creating the ’buzz’
Self-publishing – The perks & pitfalls
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Show me the money
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Publishing jargon – A Glossary
Contracts, copyright & royaties… The scary but essential words
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Further Info
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About us Hello & welcome to the Dazed & Confused Author Toolkit: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Published. If you are an author suffering from severe bewilderment, disorietation and confusion striving for success in the complex world of publishing, this is the right place for you! This guide will lead you along your road to literary triumph with step-by-step instructions, checklists, glossaries, elucidating quotes and tips and tricks from industry professionals.
This is an unbiased, neutral and free resource for authors wishing to publish a trade fiction, non-fiction or children’s book in the UK. Whether you are a perplexed first-time author or an expert with multiple titles to your name, this collection of practical advice highlights what publishers will do with your book and how you fit into this process as an author.
Facts & Figures: 200,000 books are published every year in the UK alone. Make yours stick out with our help!
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Who’s who in The
recipe
Stunned by the relationship between different players of the publishing industry? You are right to be, as authors, publishers and literary agents all form part of a convoluted love triangle. Here are the ingredients to make your book the perfect feast for you readers...
Author: The raw meat
Publishers: The cooks
You provide the raw meat, the manuscript full of your ideas, experiences and stories that then needs to be prepared, marinated, cooked and left to rest by publishers and literary agents to create a succulent feast for readers.
o Bankers – they pay your author advance o Curators – they identify and market the best content o Brand builders – they foster your career and build a brand for you o Watchdogs – they protect your intellectual copyright (IP) through anti-piracy measures, territorial control, PA initiatives and digital asset management o Sales & distribution specialists- they ensure the discoverability of your book. They are masters of the publishing supply chain, specialists in price & promotion and pioneers of emerging markets o Marketers – they connect your book to readers in the most meaningful and effective way.
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publishing? Fa Fi cts g ta It u ure & ke s s to s a ual : l to 10 rou y pu mon nd b 9 t bo lish hs ok a
Literary Agents: The marinators All agents will undertake different tasks after a publishing house acquires a book from them. Some might do editorial work on your manuscript, whereas others will leave it to the editor. So don’t fret. o Rights experts - they often sell the rights to your book and help you decide which rights to sell. Many publishing houses also sell rights in-house o Contracts specialists – they help you negotiate licenses and agreements and help chase your money! o Commissioners - they typically receive 15% commission for home sales and 20% for overseas sales. This is taken from your author advance and royalties before it is paid to you o Matchmakers - they work with publishers and know which editors from which publishing houses might want to acquire your book!
o Gatekeepers – they aim to foster long-term relationships with you, so if everything goes smoothly, they will probably go on to represent your future titles!We recommend hiring a literary agent to represent you. You can find them on the list of agents in the Yearbook onWritersandartists.co.uk. Check whether they are a member of the Association of Authors’ Agents first on Agentsassoc.co.uk. We currently foster good relationships with Matthew Hamilton at Aitken Alexander.
Lightbulb moment: Their main role is to earn money for you, give you career advice, and sort out all legalities and formalities!
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Publishing depar The closer the different publishing departments work together as a team and understand
L A I OR
T I D E
This department manages the acquisition or commissioning of new publications, liaises with authors and controls the development of your manuscript into a finished book. If the editorial team decide that your book could be a success in their weekly ‘editorial meeting’, they will attempt to persuade the rest of the house in an ‘acquistions meeting’. After your book has been acquired, they will create an Advanced Information sheet (AI), providing all the details about your book. In future, this ‘copy’ will be used for catalogue entries, jacket blurbs or press releases. Editors also draw up your contract and negotiate financial terms. After your contract is signed, your editor will work on your manuscript in detail, making structural edtorial suggestions and close line editing (page by page), taking into account upcoming trends and gaps in the market whilst channelling your artistic ideas.
What do you need to do? Revise the manuscript by the agreed delivery date, taking into account the editor’s notes and your own vision. It is integral that you always stick to deadlines to prevent the loss of loose time and money! Do not be offended by their suggestions and contact your agent if you disagree with certain corrections.
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tments made easy the meaning of your book, the quicker your book will travel from submission to shelf!
PROOFREADING & COPYEDITING Whenyour editor is content with your manuscript, the copyeditor will correct your narrative for spelling, grammatical errors, sentence structure and coherency. Then, the proof reader will make sure there are no technical errors and omissions. What do you need to do? Again, be open to corrections and revise the changes when you receive the corrected ‘proof’ of your book.
Facts & Figures: This step is often freelanced outside of the publishing house.
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N O I CT
& N IG
U D O PR
S E D
Looks after the design, production, scheduling and costs of printed books (p-books) and e-books. They create a ‘camera ready copy’(CRC) before your book is sent off to print. The designer’s key function is to understand and channel the visual expectations of booksellers and readers, creating a cover which will sell your book! When the designer receives the final typescript, they will draft a brief known as a ‘type specification’ or ‘spec’. They mock up sample spreads to be presented to the board in ‘cover meetings.’. They decide on the weight, bulk, embossing, foils, format, paper and print run of your book, finally placing an order with the printer. What do you need to do?Often, you won’t actually meet the person designing your cover. Your editor will send you the cover design to look at. If you don’t like the cover, see if your agent will mediate with the publisher on your behalf, but the publishers generally make the final decisions!
Lightbulb moment: People judge books by their covers!?
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MARKETING & PUBLICITY Responsible for branding, packaging, publicity and promotion. Modern marketing departments follow the ‘pull marketing’ technique of creating excitement and a ‘buzz’ around your book prior to publication. The marketing manager promotes your book to readers in the most effective, innovative and creative way. They are experts in discoverability and spcialists in defining and broadening your audience. Whilst channelling a targeted audience, they also try to attract new potential buyers. Marketing campaigns might include traditional poster advertising in tube stations, bookshops (window and point-of-sales promotions), magazines or newspapers. Digital advertising on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc.) and websites are also integral as well as promotions via Amazon, Applestore and Kobo. Publicity managers work on media ‘free’ publicity with the emphasis on the ‘sell through’. This covers reviews, features, bookshop readings and signings, festival appearances, book tours and radio and television interviews. What do you need to do?You might initially be asked to fill out an ‘author questionnaire’ for the marketing campaign.
all aign talks to mp ca g in et vision rk ‘A good ma the editorial s ke ta s, nt me rt publishing depa Killingley !’ - Jessica al re it s ke ma and ) ctor of Hodder (Marketing Dire
‘The marketi ng departmen t is the engine room of the sales department’Swainson (Se Bill nior Commiss i o ning Editor at Bl oomsbury)
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SALES & RIGHTS The sales department is responsible for ensuring that your book moves profitably through the channels of distribution to the end-user whilst the rights department exploits the rights that were acquired when your contract was first negotiated. The sales manager convinces retailers to stock your book by approaching book shop chains, independents and major trade customers (supermarkets, specialist shops, online retailers). The rights manager sells and protects the rights of your book, proviing direct revenue for the publisher. More detail on this later! They value your book according to the international market, working with commissioning editors and sub agents in other countries.
What do you need to do? Agree with your literary agent on the rights
you wish to sell to your publisher! Be aware that agents like to retain control of your rights as it means that both you and your agent receive a larger share of the profits. However, your publisher may insist on buying most of your rights. In this case, you will still get royalties on any rights sold, but they will be lower.
THE PRINTERS Most publishers no longer own their own printing presses, so they will print your book externally with a familiar printing company.
What do you need to do? You saw it coming‌ printing companies serve hundreds of publishers and operate to tight schedules so you need to deliver the finished manuscript to your editor ON TIME or you may lose your slot with the printers and delay your publication date!
THE BOOKSELLER At the end of this entire process, you will hopefully walk into Waterstones, Blackwell’s or WH Smith and be able to marvel at your beautiful book on the shelf!
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CREATING THE ‘BUZZ’ This is the DIY section of our ultimate toolkit. There are a few easy things you can do to create a ‘buzz’ and make some noise around your book. Some of our friends in the publishing business have shared their top tips! If you are comfortable with using social media to speak directly to your audience, this is a plus.
TO DO LIST: o ‘Think about your friends and who would pick up your book and why when finding you audience’ - Sam Missingham (Head of Audience Development at HarperCollins) o ‘Marketing is more about the reader than the book’ - Damian Horner (Brand Development Director at Hachette) Ask yourself these questions when marketing your book: Who? What? Where?When? How? o ‘Get talking and be(e) sociable! Word of mouth surprisingly still most affective’ - Martin Neild (Chairman of Book Marketing Society) o Be as active as possible on social media and try to get your personal voice across –Trust us, your audience will notice your authenticity! o Promotional competitions are very effective on social media o Create an active and tailored author website or blog o Nurture your literary contacts and connect with other authors and publishers at events, literary festivals and bookshops and don’t be afraid the ask for reviews or quotes from them.
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SHOW ME THE MONEY Puzzled as to where the money goes when your book is published? Here is the simple breakdown: Facts & figures: Booksellers can either choose to sell the book on at full price, making a 45% profit, or price it with a competitive discount, meaning they make less profit but customers might be more likely to buy a copy.
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CONTRACTS,COPYRIGHT, ROYALTIES... The scary but essential words
These words can be mind-boggling without the right guide to help you to de-code them. Contracts are legal agreements outlining what the publisher will offer you and what you need to offer in return. Every publishing house or agent has their own bespoke contract. Here are some of the key contract clauses explained: o Description of the work, format, language, territories and rights granted o Publication date o Copyright clause– intellectual property, allowing the author to grant license to copy and also the right to protect their original work for up to 70 years after their death according to the1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. If you lease your IP to the publisher, the publisher is committed to protect your copyright by identifying potential copyright infringements and preventing them o Royalties clause–Percentage of an agreed-upon amount you will receive for the sale of each book (e.g. you will receive10% of the first 2,500 copies sold, 12% on the next 2,500 copies sold). Only payable if the book sells enough copies to ‘earn out’ the advance o Advance clause - money paid upfront to you once your book has been acquired and the contract signed, usually delivered upon signing contract, delivery of the manuscripts and the day of publication o Warranties clause outlining that you will not deliver any material to the publisher that is not your own, original and accurate work o Indemnities clause promising that you will reimburse the publisher for the costs associated with any claim alleging that they have infringed your copyright. o Exclusivity clause confirming that the publisher has the final decision on format and presentation. ‘Copyright is the democratic framework for you to make money out of your creativity’- Richard Mollet (Chief Executive of the Publishing Association)
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Stand up for your rights Dazed as to what rights you have as an author? You own all the rights associated with your book. In order to publish it, you need to license your rights to a publishing house. The more rights you exploit, the more money you will make from the book and the wider your potential audience will be. Without the sale of rights, most publishers wouldn’t even break even! To sell foreign rights to your book, publishers and agents will travel to book fairs (London, Frankfurt, Bologna).
Type s of righ Volu ts: that me righ ts – you prim need pape ary such rbac righ k ri repr as h ts ght in ar publ t, terri s, larg dback o r ish e t o prin rial and t , righ sel diff l your b ts (to ook coun erent in trie s). Subs idia seco r n addi dary ri y rights gh ti high on, oft ts grant e er p erce n givin ed in g yo ntag u e of mone a y!
of : s es Typ torie eakSp ri ter lish ld ng Wor Lan- E ing ll d A es r o g - W gua h K & - U wealt ve n o usi m l m c o x C U E - E
o Translation – sales of translated copies of your book to foreign countries o Book clubs – sign up member who guarantee to purchase a minimum number of your books over a set period of time o Audio - the rights to record an audio version of your book o TV, film, stage and radio options – the right to adapt your book for a new medium o Hardback, paperback, digital, accessible editions- the right to print your book in different formats o Serial – sale of parts or all of book to newspaper, magazines or journals o Merchandising - the rights to produce merchandise based on your book. For more info check out http://www.societyofauthors.org/
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Self-publishing The perks & pitfalls The invention of innovative e-books, apps and other reading formats has seen the rise of self-published authors. Instead of working with a publishing house, self-publishers leave out the ‘middle man’ and it’s all about getting direct contact to readers. Bewildered by the self-publishing hysteria? Here is a simple list of pros and cons:
o Larger percentage of the revenue of your book
o Higher risk as you may have to invest your own money and no upfront advance
o More control over the final product and can chose your own title, dynamic pricing, commission, cover
o Cost of additional services (proofreading, marketing, design, print etc.)
o No obligations, rejections, deadlines or controlling bosses!
o Perception that self-published books have less quality and prestige
o Instant access to sales figures o Lack of contacts (booksellers, newspapers, making it difficult to get reviews) o Lack of structure
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Publishing Jargon To end your confusion for once and for all, we have put together a short glossary for you:
AI sheets – Advanced Information Sheet with information on your book (title, ISBN, format, extent, price, rights holder, sales points, quotes about previous books, blurb and biographical note) ASP – Actual Selling Price Auction - several publishers who are interested in your book put in bids to acquire the right to publish it Backlist – previously published books on a publisher’s list, which are more than a year old Book proposal form - non-fiction authors are required to fill out this form when submitting a manuscript or ‘book pitch’, outlining your book and identifying its market and unique selling points Earning out - until your advance has been met, the publisher will retain your royalties. Once you have earned out your advance, the publishing house will pay royalties directly to you or your agent eBook - a digital version of your book that can be read on e-reader, tablets or mobile devices. Enhanced eBook - a digital version of your book with multimedia enhancements (e.g. video or audio content) Folio – publisher’s jargon for page number! Front list - books in their first year of publication on a publisher’s list
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IP – Intellectual Property, ideas or inventions derived from the work of the mind, IP laws give owners exclusive rights to exploit their assets ISBN - International Standard Book Number, the unique 13 digital number to identify a particular edition of a book, generated by EAN (European Article Numbering system) OA -Open Access is unrestricted online access to articles, journals, book chapters etc. Permissions - the process of getting approval to use third party materials (e.g. images or quotes) of your book Print on demand - digitally printed book dependent upon the number of books ordered Proof - the final version of your manuscript before it goes to print Puff – quotes from other authors positioning you within genres and styles RRP - Recommended Retail Price Slippage – when an author is late delivering a manuscript, disrupting the publishing schedule.
Further info Expand your knowledge with these useful resources to enhance your publishing success:
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Clark’s Publishing Agreements by Lynette Owen From Pitch to Publication by Carole Blake Getting Published by Harry Bingham Publishing Law by Hugh Jones and Christopher Benson Selling Rights by Lynette Owen The Professionals’ Guide to Publishing by Gill Davies and Richard Balkwill The Publishing Business: From Pbook to Ebook, by Kelvin Smith The Society of Authors Website Writers & Artists Website
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