MY ROAD TO TRADITIONAL PUBLICATION David R Slayton - Author WHO AM I? Or better yet, why am I the one teaching this? I’m David R. Slayton. I live in Denver, Colorado. I’ve been writing fantasy, epic, urban, and YA for about a decade now. This year I published my debut novel, White Trash Warlock, with Blackstone Publishing. It’s been a long journey with several books, two agents, and a lot of rejection. I want to share some of what I learned about the process with you and hope that it helps. ABOUT ADVICE As you write and attend workshops, etc. you’re going to get a lot of advice. And you’re going to hear that there’s only one way to do it. This is very wrong. Take all advice, including mine, with skepticism. Keep what helps you. Discard what doesn’t. There is rarely a single solution to publishing or a path forward for your writing. Whatever advice you receive, please don’t let anyone take your writing from you. WHY TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING? First, I want to emphasize that there is nothing wrong with or inherently better or worse about indie versus traditional publishing. There are pros and cons to each. It’s about picking the right path for your work. I chose traditional publishing for specific reasons: I wanted the wider distribution possibilities. I wanted a partner in marketing, promotion, etc. I wanted editors who would make my books stronger. I didn’t want to have to produce my own audiobook. I wanted to be able to submit for a wider array of awards, etc. And I made this choice knowing that traditional publishing is collaborative and by going that route I was going to give up a lot of control over my work. RELATIONSHIPS IN TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING Traditional publishing is largely based on relationships. In many ways it still operates on a model of who knows who, etc. It is very important that you understand that these are professional relationships, much like you might have in your day job. The author produces the work, but they then collaborate with their agent and editors to make the book as commercially successful as possible. It is important to understand that traditional publishing’s main goal isto monetize a writer’s work, to ensure that it makes the most money possible (so the focus is not necessarily on artistic merit, etc.). The key terms are collaborate and monetize: for example, your cover and title are Marketing’s realm. They may change your title or work with you to develop a new one that they think will better sell the book. RELATIONSHIPS IN TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING Author - Write the Books, the product Agent – Represents the Author and negotiates contracts, rights, etc. She submits the Author’s books to Acquiring Editors. Acquiring Editor – Represents the Publisher and if they feel the book is a good fit, will attempt to acquire it. Publisher – the house or company that produces the books. Marketing – Designs covers, chooses titles, and promotes the books. Copy Editor – Proofs the book for typos, grammar, aligns it to the Publisher’s style guide, etc. While the author writes the books, it helps to not think of Developmental Editor – Works with the Author to improve the the relationships as power- book for publication. based. It’s a team approach. Typesetter – Formats the book to go to the printer. CHOOSING YOUR HILLS (THERE’S NO I IN TEAM) This may seem a little harsh, but it’s important to understand that once you’ve signed with an agent, your books are no longer entirely your own. You have to be willing to collaborate, or else traditional publishing is not right for you. As you write your books, think about your dealbreakers, or which hills you’re willing to die on, because you don’t want your professional reputation to be that you’re hard to work with or that you won’t take input. Try to make your hills few, the things that really matter to you. For example, in White Trash Warlock, Adam is gay. That is something I was not willing to change (and no one asked me to). But it’s a hill I’d die on. A lot of the plot centers around Adam and his brother Bobby, with whom he has a difficult relationship. If Blackstone had asked me to change Bobby to Bobbie, making him a sister rather than a brother, I would have entertained the idea and likely said yes (that wasn’t a big enough hill to risk damaging the relationship). Your agent and your publisher are not your enemy. They are team members and the suggestions they’re making are intended to help you sell as many books as possible. Listen to their suggestions and check any defensive reactions before you reject them. That said, editorial notes are a conversation, not commands. Talk through them with your editor. You might reject some notes and realize others help make it a better book. For example, my editor wanted to change some of Adam’s phrases, but Adam is like me, he’s from rural Oklahoma, so I rejected those changes because that’s how Adam would speak. “Jean jacket” instead of “denim jacket,” etc. Other changes clarified what I was trying to say so I accepted them. THE TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING PROCESS Agents and Editors will not look at incomplete novels (non fiction has other rules), so you don’t need to stress about the publishing part until you have a book to query with. The first, most critical step, is to write the absolute best book you can. It is highly unlikely that the first book you write will be the first book you sell, but don’t despair about that. By finishing one, you’ll learn so much. The second book will be easier and better. We could spend weeks talking about how to write, etc. – but I recommend reading a lot of first books by authors in the genre you want to write in. For example, if you want to write books like Brandon Sanderson’s, don’t try to write Mistborn, start by trying to write Elantris, his first published novel. Also, if your goal is to traditionally publish, studying books in the genre you want to write in is immeasurably important: outline them, break them down by word count, chapter length, etc. www.davidrslayton.com THE TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING PROCESS The Author Author Writes Author Queries An Agent Offers The Agent Submits Accept the Offer An Editor Wants Novel Agents Representation Book to Editors of Rep the Novel The Agent works with Contract is Finalized Editor Submits Book The House Acquires the Author to and Signed by All Publisher Designs the Publisher Markets the to the Publisher’s the Novel and offers a Negotiate the Parties (Publisher, Edits Begin Cover Book Acquisition Board Contract Contract Agent, and Author) By the way, there are bunch of steps not listed here, but these are key milestones I encountered with a lot of rejections and edits along the way. www.davidrslayton.com NOW THAT WE’VE TALKED ABOUT WHO AND WHY, LET’S TALK HOW Getting an agent usually requires you to query, which is a business letter you send them. An agent’s role is to submit your books to publishing houses. Some are editorial, meaning they’ll help you improve your work before they send it out. They audit your royalty statements for errors, negotiate contract details, and help look for other opportunities for your work (video games, film, etc.). In exchange for this, the agency takes 15% of what you make, from an advance if you receive one, and from future royalties if you earn out. As with choosing how to publish, I chose to work with an agent because I wanted all of the above. www.davidrslayton.com ABOUT AGENTS Most publishing houses require you to have a literary agent. An agent’s role is to submit your books to publishing houses. Some are editorial, meaning they’ll help you improve your work before they send it out. They audit your royalty statements for errors, negotiate contract details, and help look for other opportunities for your work (video games, film, etc.). In exchange for this, the agency takes 15% of what you make, from an advance if you receive one, and from future royalties if you earn out. As with choosing how to publish, I chose to work with an agent because I wanted all of the above. An agent is a partner and advocate for your work. A good one is invaluable, a bad one (and there are some out there) can do your career harm. Before you begin querying agents know what you expect from them, and what they bring to their table. Research carefully, making sure they represent the type of books you write and have a track record of sales. Querying and getting an agent is a lengthy discussion for another workshop, but I’d recommend starting by reading: Angie Hodapp’s Do You Need a Literary Agent? www.davidrslayton.com QUESTIONS? www.davidrslayton.com SOME BOOKS THAT HELPED ME ALONG THE WAY Revision And Self-Editing by James Scott Bell Story Genius by Lisa Cron The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maass The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi www.davidrslayton.com THANK YOU You can find me on the web at www.davidrslayton.com and you can find White Trash Warlock at your library or bookstore.