Can you believe we are less than two weeks away from Thanksgiving? Craziness! Though I do like any excuse to eat pie….
With all the exposure authors now have on the Internet, what’s considered appropriate behavior? What’s a definite no-no?
This varies from house to house, but a general rule of thumb is to ask yourself, “If I worked in an office setting, would I say this to my co-workers and boss?” (Though, working in romance, I say things to my co-workers that I’m pretty sure would be considered inappropriate/harassment elsewhere.) What you need to remember is that being an author is a job. Sending in your manuscript is like sending your resume. If I love it, but then I Google you and find something that makes me think I really couldn’t work with you, I’ll pass.
Now, don’t panic. I expect you to have a personality. I would never say, “Oh, this person is a *insert team here* fan? No thank you!” But there are a few triggers that make me think twice:
Bashing your publishing house (especially if you are still under contract)
Ranting about agents or eds when you don’t seem to have a reasonable gripe
Saying things like, “I’m already late on my deadline, but I just can’t do it today. I’m going shopping!”
Things that indicate you are a diva/high maintenance author (“This ed took 24hrs to respond to my question! Why did it take so long”)
Things that indicate you have really inflated expectations (“I can’t wait until I’m on Oprah.”)
TMI (specifics of your sex life, bowel movements, etc).
From what I’ve seen, most authors are very good about their online personalities. Just remember that whatever you say will be there a long time…you don’t want to regret what you’ve said 10 years from now.
Okay, your turn! Ask away.
A note: I only answer questions for a few days after posting. It’s just too time-consuming to keep up throughout the month! I will check the comments through Tuesday, Nov 16th. If you’re reading this after that date and would like to ask a question, keep an eye out for my next blog. I’m here the second Friday of the every month.
Too funny, Megan. I’m sure I’ve said stuff online that I shouldn’t. But I don’t mind being held accountable for my own words—it’s all those other Maggie Robinsons and Margaret Rowes out there that I hear about through my Google Alerts.Those are some scary women, LOL.
People should know that Megan is generous with her time and answers questions too every now and again during an #askeditor session on Twitter. Worth signing up for that alone.
Here’s a question. Do you see a color trend in book covers? What color catches your eye when you’re shopping? Are marketing studies done on this kind of thing?
I see trends more in overall style and composition than I do color. Personally, I’m always drawn to a nice blue or teal, but that’s my favorite color, and isn’t restricted just to books (I have to stop myself from buying too many blue clothes).
It’s really hard to do studies on this sort of thing, because there are too many variables. Can you really say the cover was the definitive reason this book failed? Or was it poor distribution, lack of prominent reviews, bad title, etc? In hindsight, you can say, “Wow, that was a horrible cover! Maybe it contributed to the poor sales.” But having a great cover is no guarantee of sales either. Occassionally, comments like, “Green covers don’t work in romance” or “Don’t put a flower on it, those books don’t do as well” come up, but that’s usually an observation by a few people, not a scientific study. Trust me, if selling books was as cut-and-dried as some scientific principles, people in the publishing industry would get a lot more sleep at night.
You make great points, Megan. To add to what you said, it’s not just what people say on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. It’s also what they say in public, that someone else may at that very moment be passing on. For example, if you’re speaking at a writing conference, likely someone is tweeting what you’re saying. And, quite possibly, taking it out of context. Of course we should act like professionals, but I’m afraid people’s openness and willingness to share their experiences and thoughts will be curbed. That has always been one of our strongest resources in the romance community.
Good call on behavior at conferences. I’m always a bit leery of cameras at conferences for this reason. What if I trip while holding a drink, and it looks like I’m totally wasted? And then my boss finds it on Facebook? (Yes, I really am this clumsy. Also slightly neurotic and paranoid.)
I think we can’t anticipate and prevent all bad publicity, e.g. words being taken out of context, etc. But there’s no reason to hand people reasons to not buy your book. If someone asked you, hey Author, you can drive this really unsafe car with no doors and poor brakes, or you can drive this nicely-maintained, safe car. Your choice! Unless you have a death wish, you will probably choose the safer car. Same principles apply. You can’t avoid all accidents, but you can try to minimize what you can by controlling your own behavior.
You always make me stop and think “So, what all have I said on twitter lately?”. Hmm, maybe ranting about my husbands OCD over making a puppy mansion was TMI.
But I can say that I’ve stopped following and buying authors because they’ve posted one too many times over their political veiws. I’m not there to talk politics.
But as far as asking you questions I have one today. Now that the NYT is introducing ebooks to the best sellers list will this give authors who are mulitpublished and on that ebook best sellers list more “presence” in the print world when you see a query from one? I know you say its all about the story but will this catch your eye?
Thanks Megan, its always great to read the questions and answers here.
Sayde
I think you are safe with the puppy mansion :] But I’m with you on the politics. I try to stay away from anything that could remotely be construed as political. Don’t need the headache of being attacked for it and then feeling like I need to defend myself.
I’m curious about this list as well. My first thought was, “Are we now going to have to qualify which list when we mention this to a bookseller? Is the e-book list going to be considered “not as good” as the print list?” It will be really interesting to see how it plays out.
As for submissions, NOTHING comes before my own love of the manuscript. Getting on a bestseller list will not make me like your book more. However, I would probably be more willing to hand it to another editor if it wasn’t my taste. As in, “I got this sub; I really wasn’t into it. But she’s a NYT bestseller, so I thought maybe I should get another read before I pass on it completely.” And don’t kid yourself: even NYT bestselling authors can write a bad book.
Okay – in the vein of ‘anything’ – here’s my question: What are your three favorite items located in your office right at this very moment? You can only pick three.
My stuffed Bob the Tomato (from the VeggieTales movies)
My Kindle (I would have said my books, but I figured you’d consider that more that one.)
My thermos that I bring my tea in every morning (SO NECESSARY)
Hi Megan,
As an editor, do you place more value on a gifted writer who can write in a variety of genres or one who has carved out a specific niche?
Thanks~
If it’s an already established author who is trying something new, but also wants to continue writing what she’s known for, I’m open to that. If it’s an unpubbed writer or one that isn’t really established, and you have 14 manuscripts all in different genres, and you can’t seem to figure out what genre you’d like to write, it scares me a little bit. I can only buy you for ONE genre at first. Even if the book is a 3-book deal, I contract them so they are all at least in the same genre. We want to brand you as an author, and it’s very hard to do that if you are constantly jumping genres. And I don’t want to gain some ground with your first contract, and then have you want to change genres with the second (which is like starting from scratch).
Also, inability to choose a genre could be from an inability to focus…are you going to have trouble meeting my deadlines for say, contemporary romance, because you didn’t “feel” like writing one and wrote 3 paranormals instead? You have to be careful that this is coming from a genuine desire to write in more than one genre, and not because you want to jump on a trend (bad idea all around) or because you are a bit flaky (you know there are people like this.)
However, genre jumping is a bit less of an issue with e-pubs, from what I’ve heard.
I’m a big fan of romance, have been since I discovered it when I was a teenager, but I’ve noticed in recent years that sometimes the focus is too much on subplots and not enough on the romance/relationship, at least for me. There are some authors who’re great at straight contemporary romance, but it feels like they’re few and far between. So, I ask as a reader and a writer, do you think just straight romance can make a bigger comeback?
I think in both contemporary and paranormal, books have started leaning towards worldbuilding and subplots. In paranormal, it’s because in order to make the books stand out, the worlds often need to be more and more detailed. In contemporary, I think it’s just a cycle we’re in. Not that long ago, romances were of the family saga variety…such a scope is naturally less detailed about a main couple. Then we moved into contemporaries that had one main couple, and perhaps a side relationship with a friend. But the focus was on the hero/heroine and their lives. Now we are trending into something a little broader in scope: the small-town community type romances. It will cycle back eventually.
I suggest taking a look at category romance, if you haven’t already. Category is great because the shorter nature of the books means they can’t have as many complicated subplots–so you’re left with the juicy romance :]
Thanks. Not really an area I want to go at the moment, category that is.
Still wishing LaVyrle Spencer would come out of retirement…..
Elizabeth
Don’t sell category books short just yet, Elizabeth. They really can be wonderful, h/h-focused reads. I write for Silhouette Desire (as well as Brava, of course
) & can definitely attest that no matter what else might be going on, my focus is *always* on the main romance.
Of course, the same could be said of my single titles, frankly. I am a “it’s all about the romance” girl, no matter what.
I do appreciate category romance, Heidi. And I have a couple of friends who’re writing series romances that are terrific. But what I’m writing currently doesn’t fit there. And yes, your stories are all about the h/h. lol I appreciate that, too.
Elizabeth
Hey, Megan. My question came up last night, so nice timing!
How do you feel about picking up the rest of a series that is being published by a small press/epub? (assuming there is no option clauses, ect with the small/e owning the world/characters)
What sort of things do you look for when you pick up a series midway through like this?
Thanks!
This always makes me a little wary. One, you don’t want to confuse readers if the series is in a different format or they can’t find it at the same places they used to be able to. Two, in the back of my head, there is always a voice saying, “Well, if the series was so great, why doesn’t her current publisher want it?” Two reasons I pass on options: poor sales, or crazy author I can’t deal with anymore (very rare). So obviously that’s in my mind when I see a sub in the middle of the series.
If the current publisher hasn’t passed on it, the author just hasn’t chosen to submit to them (does this happen? I’m not familiar with life w/o option clauses), then I wonder, “Wait, why is she not letting her current publisher get a look at it? What did they do? What did SHE do?”
Of course, there are completely legitimate reasons why you might move your series from one house to the other. But I’m going to be skeptical until I get an explanation.
Thanks for the response, Megan! Very helpful.
Hi Megan,
Thanks for answering questions. I have two.
First, if I submitted something to an editor at your house and they said they didn’t represent that type of book would it be okay to send it to another editor at the same house?
If so, which editor at Kensington loves romantic suspense the most? And do they take unagented queries? Sorry, that was three.
I too love my kindle. Never leave home without it.
Thanks!
Technically, that’s a no-no. Only a couple situations in which you should re-query same house (if the editor you originally queried left, etc). And honestly, we put all our editors and what they represent on our website. When things come in that aren’t what I do, I think, “Okay, this author was too lazy to do to put any research into their query. Why exactly should I take them seriously?” It’s just very unprofessional when we are open with that information.
Yes, we take unagented queries. All of our emails are here: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=14298 Who you query really depends less on genre and more on imprint. We have romantic suspense in Zebra, Brava, and Aphrodisia, and which line you are targeting changes which editor you should send to.
This was a very informative post, Megan and appreciate that you allow people to ask you anything. I’m quite outspoken myself and I’ve been surprising myself at how careful I’ve been but it’s nice to read this and remember to keep things professional.
My question is if there is any MS you might read that you love but would shy away from for some reason. For example, odd setting, strange plot, touches too many subgenres, etc.
Thanks for your time!
Absolutely. I recently had a submission that I really enjoyed, but I could not for the life of me figure out how to market it. It was pitched as general fiction, but there was a paranormal element, and I didn’t really think it really fit our current women’s/general fiction line. The plot felt YA, but the writing was really more suited to the adult market, in my opinion. So I had to let it go.
Bottom line: I have to be able to sell the book. If I can’t figure out the best way to do that, I don’t make an offer.
Hi Megan,
In the same vein of genres, my question is do you consider many different historical eras a problem to market and do you prefer a historical author to pin herself down to just one era in the historical genre?
Depends on how close the eras are. Medieval and Industrial Revolution? That’s a problem. Late Georgian Era and Early Regency? Not really an issue. Again, it’s a matter of keeping your readers. Medieval readers might not want to read about industrial times, but readers who enjoy a book set in 1797 probably will adjust well to one set 20 yrs later.
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Very informative!
About how long after you fall in love with a submission are you given the okay to make an offer? And is there a time difference if it’s an agented sub vs. author sub?
We have a weekly editorial meeting. I usually bring up a manuscript at the meeting following my read. However, sometimes I ask for a second read from one of my colleagues, which could add a week or two. Or occasionally, I know another editor is bringing up a similar project, and we decide to space our requests so we both have a good chance of getting approved. I am notoriously impatient, so I want to make an offer as soon as I possibly can after reading a manuscript.
This does not vary for agented or unagented subs. However, I usually read agented subs in a shorter time frame (e.g. I get to them in 6 weeks instead of 10). But after I read the manuscript the time frame is the same.
Thanks
It’s fascinating to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes!
Hey Megan! I always appreciate your candor on these posts. Thanks for the reminder that what happens on the internet STAYS on the internet forever….
Here’s my question. I’ve noticed that some Brava titles are reissued in mass market later. Is this because of strong sales or is Kensington trying to move the author to a different line?
It’s not because we are trying to move an author. When we reissue mass markets, they are still under the Brava imprint. Usually it’s because of strong sales or a certain hook that we think we can capitalize on in mm.
Hi, Megan,
Thanks so much for this blog. I’m learning a lot!
I have two questions, if that’s okay to ask.
My first is what makes you decide to release a book as a Brava or as a Zebra?
My second is about how long the process takes, from query to request for a partial to request for a full and your response? I’ve heard it can take around 6-8 weeks for an answer to a query and 2-3 months for an answer on a partial. What happens after that?
Thanks again for answering our questions.
Jenna
Our three romance lines, Zebra, Brava, and Aphrodisia, vary by level of sensuality. Zebra is the lowest level, and Aphrodisia is very, very sensual (some books in that line could be considered erotica). The rules for each line are not hard and fast, so some projects might be borderline, but usually it’s pretty clear to the editor which line it belongs in.
This varies widely by editor. For me, query= 2-3 weeks and partial/full = 2-3 months. I don’t have different queues for partials and fulls. 99% of the time, that’s the end of the road for the project. Occasionally I loved it and want to make an offer. See above replies for my answer about how long it takes to get approval after I’ve read a manuscript.
Thanks so much, Megan! I really appreciate the information.
Jenna