Wow, JJ, great answers. Thanks so much. JJ, Allison, others, what do you use as a "close" to get your listeners to buy your books at a presentation?

Threats.

Allison, let's talk the pros and cons of Agents. And how did you get yours? Some authors say GET AN AGENT. Other says, YOU DON'T NEED ONE.

Threats. You crack me up!

Hello Ladies!

I took the day off yesterday...sorry to leave y'all hanging! But I'm back!

Da Queen said it quite well, and I ditto just about every word regarding book signings. I've found that as new authors we have stars in our eyes about the prospect of a book signing. Yet the reality quickly removes the first blush of romance once you have experienced a few nightmare signings.

And trust me, MOST of them are nightmares because there are so many variables...unless you are John Grisham or Danielle Steele.

Don't get me wrong, I love talking with people and sharing my books, and we never know who God will send into our path as we make our books available at book signings, but unless you are a big name draw, or unless a tremendous amount of advertising, publicity and/or marketing has taken place, the chances are high that very few people will attend.

Enough said on that topic.

Lynnie asked about a good "close" to encourage folks to buy books after a presentation. Hands down, beyond a shadow of doubt, when I read an excerpt from any of my books in the course of a talk, those books sell very well. It's the "show me" don't "tell me" method of selling.

Find a section you can read...the key is not too much or too little, but just enough to whet their reader's appetite. It works every time for me.

Da Queen asked about Literary Agents and it's funny because I had this conversation at great length just a few days ago. You are correct, some folks prefer to conduct their own contract negotiations and they are good at it. But there's more to it than that...

The publishing world is not the same as it was, say, even six years ago when I got started. The competition has increased exponentially and where some large publishing houses used to accept "un-agented submissions," many of the more reputable publishing houses no longer accept manuscripts, proposals, or even queries that are un-agented.

This helps them to "weed out" the grain from the chaff, as it were.

But let's say you can get access to an editor, perhaps you've met someone at a writer's conference or at an event, and let's say they come back and offer you a contract. Do you really want to act as your own agent and discuss the delicate intracacies of finance? Do you even know enough about first and second rights and serial rights, and international rights, and film and TV rights? And how about foreign language rights and kill fees and percentage payouts and...on and on and on?

In our litigious society, companies have had to go to mind boggling extremes to protect themselves, publishing houses are no exception, and this has equated to the use of terms, verbiage and legalesse that requires someone well versed in the publishing field to interpret.

Plus, a good agent knows what comparable authors are being paid, and they know what trends to look for in contracts, and they can speak on your behalf to discuss money which I personally believe is NOT what I should be talking to my editor about in the first place. I want to be a writer, not an agent. I want them to think of me as a creative entity, not the person who negotiates a contract, or who has to handle financial issues in the event something comes up.

In many ways, it's all a matter of perception. By having a professional literary agent, an author is considered to be equally professional.

Plus, a literary agent knows what other publishing houses are looking for, and they have personal contacts with editors and they can actually get your book proposal into the hands of these editors (instead of the cold call mailing an unagented manuscript or query gets.) This is a valuable asset and worth every penny of the 15% they get paid.

Long story short, you can tell I am "Agent Friendly." My husband owns a real estate brokerage firm and we discuss the "For Sale by Owner" folks all the time...kind of the same thing but in a different business. He gets a lot of clients who suddenly find themselves in possession of a nightmare purchase agreement that contains things way over their head. Plus, it's very hard for a owner to haggle (aka: NEGOTIATE) on their own behalf - it can be uncomfortable.

Okay, so there's my chatty, long-winded response. Whew! I'm sure y'all are getting way more than you bargained for in asking me to host this months forum...I can't shut up!

Yada-yada-yada~!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Allison,
Great response and I'm sure all of us took it to heart. But given all of that, could you now give tips on FINDING and CAPTURING an agent? In general terms, of course.

Be as long-winded as you want, we love it. Just call me Sponge-Georgia Round Pants. I'm soaking it all up!

JJ

Allison, do you use the same agent for both non-fiction and fiction? You've been so great at giving such detailed answers. I really appreciate it.

Same agent for both fiction and non-fiction, at least for now, seems to be working out great.

As for finding an agent...do your homework first. Pick up the Literary Agent Market Guidebook, or the Writers Market (which has a section on agents.) Do online searches to see who is accepting new clients....and who reps books like those you write (or want to write.)

Then develop a crisp, clean, professional proposal to wow the agent! Make sure you send them what they ask for. Every good agent will have a web site. Check out my agent's web site at: www.stevelaube.com

Onward!

Gee, Allison, have you ever thought of being an agent?
Hannelore

Allison,
I think a lot of writer's may not know the value of a business plan and could use more information. I hestiate to call it goal-setting because that term screams "work" to a lot of people, but essentially that's what it is. A measurement so you can see how you're progressing. Or not progressing.

Would it be too personal for you to share how you developed your business plan. I'm talking specifics....like did you have a template to follow? Did you learn to do this in a course you took? Self-taught? What resources could you suggest for building a sound forecast for their writing business? How did you come up with your long-term goals?

These are questions that are just popping out of my head. I'm sure you can best described the process yourself.

Thanks in advance!