Tag: publishing

Books on Books!

by Maria

Ereader

When we moved apartments a few weeks ago I realized that I have a book problem. (This should have been obvious, no?) But really–I didn’t quite realize that I had too many books. Way, way too many books. Right now I have boxes of books in two different storage units. And I want to keep them ALL.

I poke fun at Jarrett all the time for being a little hoarder-y about certain things (he owns 3 back-ups for his favorite hat), but I am a major hoarder about books. I have a problem. I have a clutter aversion to every single other thing, but books… You really can’t have enough, can you?

Yes, it turns out you can. And you don’t realize it until you have to pack all the darn things into boxes and lug them down the East Coast.

So. I’m trying three tactics in our new apartment in an effort to stop the madness:

1. Limit space: We had to throw out an old bookshelf that was bowed from too much book weight, so I’m tasking Jarrett with building me two new bookshelves. We’re using these plans from Ana White, and we’re so excited to try our hands at our first furniture build. (Also, she has a fabulous book called The Handbuilt Home, in case you need more books…) But I’m limiting us to only building two big bookshelves. One I’ll keep in my office space for author/agent copies, and the other will be for my non-work books. So if anybody wants some free books this summer, let me know! A big clean-out will be happening early- to mid-September.

2. Virtual bookshelf: I have certain books that I hold on to just because I think they’re wonderful resources, and I love to recommend them to others. Most of these are books about books–books about writing, publishing, and platform building. I’m now putting those here, on my Bookshelf page, so that they’re always there if someone’s looking for extra resources.

3. Ebooks!: I am probably the last literary agent on this green earth who doesn’t own an e-reader. I usually have 2-3 books that I’m in various stages of reading, and I stuff them in my too-big purse like a lunatic. It’s like I refuse to acknowledge that this handy device called an e-reader would solve all my problems. But no more! I am getting myself an e-reader before I give myself scoliosis. But Nook or Kindle? Anybody prefer one over the other?

So in my imaginary perfect life in our new, uncluttered apartment, we will not have a book problem. Let’s see how this goes…

When is the right time to build a platform?

by Maria

when to start marketing a book

Now. Always, always now.

I was at a writer’s conference this weekend full of fabulous, motivated writers who were eager to crack the code of publishing. They had spent months, sometimes years, on their manuscripts, and they had worked extremely hard to polish those manuscripts and proposals to a perfect shine.

But, on occasion, I also heard a familiar refrain, one I hear often in the hundreds of query letters I receive a week: “My website is in the works…” “I plan to launch social media accounts …” “I will create a site to promote…”

The truth is, “I will…” has very little weight with publishers, agents, retailers, or any other gatekeeper. “I have…” is what we want to hear. “I have…” means you’re committed; you’re all in; you’re creating a community of customers now, before you even have a product.

 

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The $50 Home Makeover out this week!

by Maria

This week was the official release of a book I’m so proud to have worked on—The $50 Home Makeover by Shaunna West!

The $50 Home Makeover

It’s a GORGEOUS book, all thanks to Shaunna’s stunning photography. She really has a talent for capturing bright light and pops of colors. She’s also an incredible businesswoman, who’s built her Perfectly Imperfect brand through her blog, online store, and her physical store in Alabama. If you’re not sure how to turn your creative passion into a career and eventually get a book deal, follow her!

She also had a lovely book launch party at her store (read about it here), which made me wish I could jet off to Alabama to buy pretty things in her shop and celebrate this fantastic book.

I acquired and edited this book when I was still an editor, and it’s exciting to finally see it in stores. There are a ton of projects I mentally earmarked to try when I was reviewing the page proofs.

I would love to try her idea for customizing affordable Ikea curtains, especially since we’ll need curtains when we move into our new apartment in September. All you do is buy plain curtains from Ikea and then fancy them up with a swash of gold paint. They look so elegant and timeless—like you spent big bucks on them!

The book also has a great tutorial for painting builder grade cabinets and making them look chic and expensive. And there’s an equally fantastic project for adding a pretty frame to a builder grade mirror, so that it has more personality.


BookLaunchPartyInvitationsPhoto by Shaunna West.

This is the perfect book if you’re feeling very stuck in your home and don’t have the budget or the time to take on big renovations. It’s amazing what a coat of paint and a few bucks can do if you have just the right inspiration.

Go pick up a copy of it, curl up on the couch, and start taking in all the pretty! You’ll be surprised how inspired and excited you’ll be to make your current home your dream home.

Read, Eat, Drink — Weekend Roundup

by Maria

A weekly round-up of books, news, thoughts, recipes, and miscellany for the weekend. 

Read: The Great Contraction.

Tuesday brought the announcement that Hachette Book Group (one of the Big Five publishers) will be buying the Perseus Books Group imprints, while the distribution arm of Perseus will be sold to Ingram. This follows news that broke in May that HarperCollins (another Big Five publisher) will buy Harlequin (most known for its series romance, but which also publishes fiction and nonfiction for women) from Torstar, the Canadian media company.

I think Dennis Johnson, co-founder of indie press Melville House, sums up the big picture best here:

“…It’s just another consolidation story, one that’s been predicted all along: More of American publishing is going to consolidate, not necessarily to fight Amazon but simply to survive in a marketplace that dictates consolidation, and has since before Amazon existed. American publishing, after all, has been consolidating slowly since the 1960s. It’s only accelerated recently, and now the other shoe will drop soon enough — HarperCollins merging with Simon and Schuster is the one most are predicting.”

For agents, consolidation means less places to sell books, since imprints within one house often won’t bid against each other in an auction. For writers, this means less competition for your book, which is never a good thing. This is especially important in the nonfiction realm, since Perseus is primarily made up of fantastic nonfiction imprints like Running Press, Basic Books, Da Capo, and others that will now come under the Hachette Book Group umbrella.

Of all the coverage since the news broke on Tuesday, this article is my favorite. It manages to capture that particular feeling and mood that washes over publishing people when news like this breaks. It’s one of quiet concern, contemplation, and increasingly shaky optimism.

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Eat: Elk.

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Anyone who knows me knows that I get a great kick out of trying wild game. It was only a few years ago that I’d never even had a taste of venison, but now I’ve grown to love it in all its forms—steaks, pastrami, jerky, whole roasted loins, sausage.

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