How to Get a Book Deal While Avoiding the Slush Pile
By Jane Friedman | January 22, 2010 |
I hate the term “slush pile.” It’s a concept that I find outdated. Unfortunately, last week’s article in the Wall Street Journal, “The Death of the Slush Pile,” did a fantastic job of continuing the mythic symbol of the slush pile in the most unhelpful way.
First, to clarify, “slush” refers to any work that is sent to a publisher or agent that is unsolicited. Many New York publishers do not accept unsolicited submissions—and haven’t in more than two decades. Is this phenomenon really worthy of a trend article by the WSJ?
Even more strange, WSJ decries the disappearance of the publisher-based slush pile as something that harms aspiring writers—as if the opportunities available to writers have diminished as a result.
Not true. If any opportunities have gone away, it’s because publishers are cutting their title counts, cutting budgets, doing different types of projects, and finding a way to survive massive change in the media industry. It has absolutely nothing to do with slush.
What’s even more odd about this WSJ article is that most writers want to bypass the slush pile entirely rather than ensure they’ll always have a chance to get lost or misunderstood in it.
Writers who are new to the industry, or just have oddly shaped egos, will ask me, “How can I avoid the slush pile?”
Well, just by virtue of having something to sell that no one has asked for, you can’t avoid the slush pile.
Even if I, Jane Friedman, had a manuscript to publish—and I know dozens of New York agents/editors—my work would still end up in the slush pile. That’s because no one is coming to me proactively, asking to publish my work. It’s very rare for an agent or editor to approach anyone, and say, “Hey, let me give you a book deal!”
But some people DO get approached.
I bet you’d like 5 tips on how to be one of those lucky people.
1. Get media coverage. This can be on a large or small scale, but of course, the bigger the publication covering you, the more likely you’ll have agents and editors calling you within hours. Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia? Classic example of someone featured in the New York Times, then landing a book deal.
2. Get your work published somewhere that agents and editors scout for talent. Writer’s Digest magazine recently featured 12 journals that agents read. And take a look at this article that comments on how often NYT guest columnists for Modern Love get book deals. Writer’s Digest author Heather Sellers landed a book deal after publishing an essay in O magazine about 100 coffee dates to find true love.
3. Have a major personality, opinionmaker, or blogger recommend you in some form. You better bet that if someone like Seth Godin mentions you in his blog as some kind of amazing person, your popularity will skyrocket overnight. And I bet he receives so many solicitations for that reason that I feel very sorry for what his e-mail inbox must look like.
4. Develop a site/blog, or a community, or a tradition of content so significant, fresh, and original that it sparks #1 or #3. This is the dream for a lot of writers who start blogging or otherwise participating in social media. The WSJ incorrectly asserts that the Web has not been a great democratizer. Not true.
Just be careful that you’re not the desperate, look-at-me writer whose intention to score a book deal becomes a big turn off. The strange thing about being proactively approached by an editor/agent is that they’re most drawn to people who could not care less about them. (Remember how you can get romantically infatuated with a person who won’t even toss a glance in your direction? Same principle applies.)
5. Cultivate a network of connections who champion you without being asked. This is rare, but I’ve seen it happen. Some people are so compelled by another person’s work or story that they start beating the drum to everyone they know. These people can be like gold if they are positioned to influence the right people. From your end, it requires serious charm and also an idea or presence that’s truly inspiring and compelling.
Now, even if you can’t get an agent or an editor to approach you first, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time to make yourself attractive—aside from your stellar writing. You always want to make waves, and direct people’s attention as needed to the whitecaps on those waves.
Bottom line, it’s not about the slush pile these days as much as your skill in building individual and community relationships over the long-term—sometimes referred to more negatively as “networking”. The WSJ does get this part right when it says, “Relationships still trump everything.”
Without relationships, you’re stuck with the hope your brilliance will be discovered. And if you hope for an editor or agent to notice you, you’ll probably hope for readers to notice you, too. Deadly.
I don’t like telling writers to sit around hoping for someone else to notice their brilliance. It doesn’t happen that often, and you should never consider yourself an exception to the rule.
And that really gets to the heart of why I dislike the WSJ article so much; it promotes this idea of writers as passive creatures waiting for the hand of god to touch them.
Forget that. Find a way to create your own success instead. In today’s publishing environment, it’s imperative.
Jane Friedman has more than 20 years in the publishing industry, with expertise in digital media and the future of authorship. She’s the co-founder and editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential industry newsletter for authors. You can find out more about her consulting services and online classes at her website, JaneFriedman.com.
A thousand AMENS, Jane. Great post. Here’s to making our own successes!
.-= J.C. Hutchins´s last blog ..Help A Friend In Need =-.
I’ve always been of the notion that if you write something good, it’ll stick out, and agents will be at your feet thanking you for not submitting the usual ‘slush.’ That’s the interesting thing about the slush pile: gems lie among the rubble, and Stephanie Meyers burst out of that stack of half-written, hopeful scribble.
So yep “create your own success”! I feel motivated already!
Okay, yes, you scared me in this post because you came dangerously close to undo-ing all my hard work in which I repeatedly tell writers:
Don’t wait to be discovered. Produce yourself!
Produce yourself means work: building your platform, promoting yourself, pitching yourself. These are still the primary ways to succeed.
Trying to get Seth Godin’s attention might be about as productive as trying to get Oprah’s attention. I’m pretty sure if the platform isn’t in place, nobody can wave a magic wand.
Liked your take on slush piles. All good points.
Great article. I think the five points are first and foremost ways to build platform — don’t you agree, Christina? Thanks, Jane!
The assumption is still that “every” writer “wants” a traditional publisher. Most, for some reason still do, but given the few real incentives for traditional publishing except for the very few who reach the top strata, I just don’t get it.
So someone wants me to give up my rights to my work, in exchange for low financial return, a chance of losing even THAT if I don’t earn out my advance, no control over my cover, title, or even ultimately the content of my book… no control over distribution, etc.
Seriously?
Why don’t I just bend over and let a publisher beat me with a stick? Sounds about as appealing to me. Given the incredibly “long” odds for a bestseller, it just makes more sense from where I’m sitting to produce my own work, be in complete control of all of it, and just do my own thing. Find my own success and if I do that, THEN if someone wanted to buy my rights for an obscene amount of money, for “the dream,” then maybe. But I’m not holding my breath for that, and that just isn’t the point for me.
I’m one of those people just not interested right now. An agent who emailed me has probably told her agent friends that I’m on acid because I didn’t jump at the opportunity for representation. But it just seems like a ludicrous business deal to me.
Jane – you point out that there are fewer opportunities “because publishers are cutting their title counts, cutting budgets, doing different types of projects,” etc, but can you explain WHY many publishers continue to pay advances to authors whose first books/novels have not sold AT ALL? It seems publishers continue to be willing to pay simply because an author is “in;” this indeed creates fewer opportunities for those who aren’t. And it’s a real head-scratcher in this world of budget cuts.
It would seem they’ve neglected the agents’ slush pile. I’d be curious to see numbers that show how heavily studios and publishers rely on agents to sift through the slush for them.
Hi Jane :)
Thank you for the excellent post.
I like the overall theme of proactivity.
And the comments are superb!
All the best,
RKCharron
.-= RKCharron´s last blog ..News, Contests & More! =-.
Jonathan, I’m waiting for there to be agents for top agents, where the slush for those agents is so bad that you have to be represented by a junior agent to get through to them. :P
@Christina/Therese – Yes, what Therese said! :)
@Zoe – There are as many reasons to self-publish as there are aspiring writers. But I still think traditional publishers remain the experts when it comes to packaging and distributing print books on a grand scale, and that expertise is worth something. It is extremely difficult for an individual to accomplish that on her own.
@Sharon – Well, you’ve stumped me here, because having worked in the book business for 10+ years, I have not once heard about this trend of poorly selling authors getting 2nd book deals. I can tell you it doesn’t happen in my circle!
@Jonathan – Yes, agents have been the filter of slush for a long time now.
Excellent post! :)
.-= Lydia Sharp´s last blog ..Questions From Readers: How Do You Know If/When You Should Give Up On a Story? =-.
Wow. I thought I’d been reading up on all this stuff but my first response was, “WTF is Seth Godin.” Looked him up but still don’t know why he’s so important.
Lol to #4. So true, so true.
Also, to my surprise, Seth Godin commented on my friend Aurora’s blog ( http://www.firstpersonnarrator.com ) when she mentioned him. I think he must be amazing at managing his email and various other online mentions.
Great to meet you at the WD party the other night (sorry our conversation was so brief!) and thanks for an energizing post! I feel all called to action now, no joke.
.-= Kristan´s last blog ..The gods must be crazy =-.
Thank you for sharing excellent, practical advice, Jane. So true re: #4! During my writing career, I’ve had two agents and both offered representation when I wasn’t even looking for an agent! I look forward to reading your next post!
Cindy, you can learn more about Seth on his Wikipedia page. He’s a highly respected marketing guru:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Godin
Cindy, one more thing, found on that wikipedia page: “Godin’s blog[28], is ranked in the AdAge Power 150 as the #1 marketing blog out of 976 tracked[29].”
Last Seth Godin comment, I promise, but this video of him on TED is terrific. Be the purple cow!
https://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_sliced_bread.html
@Jane:
Apologies in advance that this is so long-winded. I need to join over-talkers anonymous.
On the packaging issue, I disagree. Any author willing to take the time can create a gorgeous and well-edited book. My book cover for my upcoming release, Blood Lust, was professionally-designed and looks as good as any book on any shelf. (Which is due to my talented cover artist, Anne Cain, not me. Only thing I did there was hire her.)
As for distribution, yes, on a grand scale larger traditional publishers still have the edge. You’re absolutely right. But that is changing. More and more distribution options are becoming available for an independent author who does things right. (i.e. creates their own micropress, owns their own ISBNs, goes through the right channels… NOT a self-publishing author using a vanity POD press. Nothing wrong with POD as a technology, but an SP author needs to go to a POD “printer” instead, like Lightning Source.)
Also ebooks are growing. And IMO if you go through the right distribution channels and know how to navigate that world, you just don’t need a publisher for an ebook. The Internet is the Internet, and publishers don’t, as a general rule, seem to have enough edge marketing online to be of much benefit there. (Though there are a few notable exceptions.)
There is no reason a self-publishing author who has done their research and is committed to the process and isn’t treating it like a get-rich-quick scheme, can’t do just as well as a small press. Or better, given that their marketing energy is all focused on ONE author brand. This assumes the author is writing something people want to read, but that’s the assumption in traditional publishing as well. Either you have the goods or know how to get or develop them or you don’t. And the only way to really “find out” is to get out there and start engaging with an audience.
The thing that separates the small presses from the larger ones is marketing capital.
So no, I can’t reach a giant number of people all at one time through traditional channels like brick and mortar bookstores, since I’m not independently wealthy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t build a large following given enough time, marketing, enough talent/skill (and that one is something other people have to judge for themselves), and enough of a backlist built.
There is an almost unlimited market for me to try to reach on the Internet. The question isn’t “can” I reach them, it’s “will” I? And that will depend on if what I’m selling is interesting enough to them as well as consistent marketing. Because a good enough book compounds your marketing endeavors with word-of-mouth.
I also don’t think it’s unreachable for a self-publishing author who has their stuff together and knows how to connect with and grow an audience to sell 10,000 copies of a book. I don’t expect that high of sales on a book for a few years yet, but IF I’m a good enough writer, I will make it happen. There are limitless marketing opportunities out there.
Once you’re selling 10k copies of a book, and building your visibility, then I think there are few traditional publishers who “wouldn’t” want a piece of the pie. (Because they will follow the money and realize that if an indie can sell that many, and the market for what they’re writing isn’t too niche and regional, they know they can reach even more.)
So comparing and saying a trad publisher has more reach than an indie author is a moot point, since an author’s career is almost always built over many books, not just one. If enough audience is built through those indie books and they are good enough books, then should the need for a larger audience materialize… so will a publishing deal from a larger publisher. Publishers are financial backers and everyone wants to back a “sure thing.”
Though I will concede that if an author doesn’t know “how” to build platform (or even what the word means), or “how” to judge and get quality in their book packaging and editing, then they are much better off with a mainstream publisher. I’m just saying book sales aren’t magic and anyone can grow a large audience over time, IF they can market, and IF they have something people want. I’m not saying it’s easy, just that it can be done, and as an author starts “doing it” other marketing and distribution channels start to open up. Success breeds success.
But I also love self-publishing itself. So the deal would have to be very sweet for me to give up any level of creative control. And I’m not “expecting” a big publishing deal down the line. I’m just saying that’s the only way I’d give up my rights and I don’t think it’s an impossible scenario, which is why “trad publisher reach” isn’t applicable to my world right now.
And holy god, seriously if I knew my comment was going to be about as long as your post, I would have REALLY tried to edit it down more. It’s hard to see in the little box just how insanely long a post ends up being. Eeek. Sorry!
Great post, Jane! I read the WSJ article last week and felt the same way. Networking and pimping yourself are indeed essential to getting noticed. As I know you are aware, a venue such as Twitter is incredible for opening doors to a writer. I have my lucky shot glass on my desk to prove it ;)
.-= Jeanne Veillette Bowerman @jeannevb´s last blog ..Forty Pounds =-.
Great Blog post. Writing is a changing business. Hard to believe the web is 40 years old. Some people are still in the dark ages when it comes to what is necessary to be successful in this field. There are a lot of good authors that need to understand the new ways of doing business. Thanks for pointing out some the keys to success.
.-= D.A.Quigley´s last blog ..The Moorish Gardens of Alcazar—Sevilla, Spain =-.
Jane,
Some people, for various reasons, have personality types that are not good at relationship building. These can range from the merely introverted, through the painfully shy/socially awkward, to those who are downright anti-social. Are the doors of writing success closed to such people?
-Steve
@Zoe – I’m confident readers will very much appreciate your longer explanation of why self-pub can be a superior option. And I pretty much agree with everything you say. The only caveat: Most people aren’t as independent, committed, capable, and entrepreneurial as you. :)
@Steve – I agree that relationship-building does not come naturally for introverted or shy, and I include myself in that circle! But the doors of success are not closed — though they may open more slowly, or be harder to locate.
I do think each of us has the ability to relationship-build, and we should find ways to strengthen that skill set. The key, I think, is finding the method, platform, or style that fits your strengths. Some shy writers have been able to successfully use Twitter & Facebook (and misc online forums) because of the writing prowess and creativity involved — and it allows you time to think about exactly what you want to say, and how to interact. Online relationship building counts just as much as offline.
In short, look for the positive qualities/traits you possess, and build out from there.
.-= Jane Friedman´s last blog ..Best Tweets – No Bananas Today =-.
Great article! The slush pile article did depress me, but your theory is what made it easy to push from my mind.
I truly believe I am my own manager/agent in anything I do in life. Even if I have an agent, I still have to do all the work I can to promote myself. Waiting around for something to happen rarely pans out.
Thanks for writing this.
.-= Clair Devers´s last blog ..She’s Crafty =-.
I’m late to this conversation but just wanted to thank you, Jane, for the post. I think the term “slush pile” is ridiculous and I don’t really pay any attention to it. instead, I write. And write. And write some more. ;)
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Maybe the truth doesn’t have to hurt? =-.
I love this post for the optimism it offers (that I can still get published through a slush pile), and the reinforcement that I have to self-promote. [sigh] I guess being shy is no longer an excuse :) Now I need to get my hands on that Writer’s Digest issue!
Jane – on those poorly-selling authors with second deals — I’ve got plenty of names up my sleeve; would love to run them by you one day.
Steve – Wouldn’t you agree that blogs and twitter and all those other great social media tools that let us to communicate without ever really being seen are amazing aids for the socially introverted?
Thank you Jane, that was very nice of you to say! (You know provided you weren’t being sarcastic, LOL!)
It’s hard to get my voice heard over the world wide web. My blog is (mostly) about the saga of substitute teaching, which is unique. But I also write MG and YA children’s books, so I don’t think that my blog will ever help me get those manuscripts published.
There are some people who have been successful with epublishing, but I don’t feel I can put in the time, commitment, and money needed to make a go of it. If I want an agent, I guess I’ll keep doing it the old fashioned way – writing, editing, belonging to a critique group, editing, submitting, and editing again. I’m hoping that someday, someone sees potential in something I’ve written.
.-= Theresa Milstein´s last blog ..Jaws and Claws and Junk =-.
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