Writing and Selling the YA Novel Read online

  Again, both of these fields are changing quickly, so who knows what the future will hold. One thing that can be said for teenagers is they're often way ahead of adults when it comes to accessing technology and embracing change. Even now I'm sure you will find success stories in both markets. For those of you willing to put in the extra time and research needed to explore fields in flux, you might find yourself on the forefront of innovation.

  TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING

  For the vast majority of us, despite the many other options available, traditional publishing will still be the path we choose. Why? This is math class, so let's consider this word problem: If a small press prints one thousand copies of your book and distributes them to X stores, and a large press prints five thousand copies of the first run of your book and distributes them to Y stores, then goes back to press and prints five thousand more, who will make more money if the book is priced the same in both cases, the author publishing with the small press or the large press? Assuming Y is greater than X, the answer seems obvious. The person publishing with the larger publishing house will make more money. In actuality, the amount of money an author makes can depend on what type of advance the author received from either house, what kind of royalties she's making, and whether there are any returns of the books sold, but for now, let's set those issues aside and focus on the advantages to traditional publishing.

  The reason so many people choose larger publishing houses is because they can allow your books to reach the largest possible audience.

  This, in turn, can lead to the greatest amount of profit from your work. Traditional publishing houses have large distribution networks, professional book designers who know what attracts teen readers, and marketing teams who will help your book reach teens everywhere it possibly can.

  So how does one enter this world? I'll tell you right now, it isn't easy, but it isn't impossible, either. And if you're able to sell your book, the rewards can be great. Let's turn our attention to the submission process and see how you can get your manuscript into the hands of as many teens as possible.

  SUBMITTING YOUR WORK_

  AGENTS VS. EDITORS

  The question of whether to use an agent or submit directly to editors is one you will hear constantly discussed among writers. Since I used to work at a literary agency, one might say I'm biased when it comes to this subject. But you could also say I have the inside scoop! How many jobs have you worked at where you came away feeling as if

  you would never again use their particular product? It's common to hear people say things like, "After working at that fast-food place, I will never again eat fast food." or "Since working for that computer company, I always buy from their competition." My experience has been the opposite.

  Both as a former employee and as a writer who still uses their services, I absolutely recommend getting an agent if you can. What does an agent do? A literary agent acts as the middleman between authors and editors. He sends your work to publishing houses, and if it sells he negotiates your contract and takes a commission—usually 15 percent—of your earnings.

  The reason some people prefer to bypass agents and submit to editors directly is twofold. First, it takes just as much time and effort to find an agent as it does to find an editor, and as with any field, you're not guaranteed to find a good one. Many people prefer to handle things on their own rather than risk ending up with an agent they're not well matched with. They can speed up the submission process by sending their material directly to the editors who can acquire it for the publishing house without having to wait for an agent to send out their work. They'd also rather not pay commission on the sale of their work. Agents receive commission on your royalties as well, so that can add up to a lot of money if your books are good sellers. Some writers feel that with a little ingenuity or a friend who's a lawyer, a writer can negotiate her own contract and save herself money in the long run.

  Here are the flip sides to those arguments.

  Yes, it does take a lot of work to find an agent, but once you've found one you're compatible with she can be well worth the effort. An agent spends a good portion of her time networking with editors.

  They meet at conferences, have lunch together, and correspond regularly regarding established clients. An agent knows which editors are looking for different types of material, whose plate is empty and who is swamped with submissions, who has a fondness for cats and probably can't resist your story about the teen who rescues kittens from city streets, and who can't stand fantasy so if you send her your boy wizard novel it's a guaranteed rejection. Since agents have personal and business relationships with editors, your manuscript is more likely to get read and more likely to be read in a timely manner. Many publishing houses state outright that they won't accept unagented submissions.

  In case this policy sounds unnecessarily harsh, I can testify to the incredible volume of material that is submitted every week to agents and editors. It's daunting to see how many people are fighting for so few publishing slots. By only accepting agented work, publishing houses are cutting down on the number of submissions and hopefully insuring a certain level of quality. This is another advantage to having an agent. Agented manuscripts arrive with a stamp of approval. Remember the final step in the scientific method we learned about in science class—replication of results? Well, when an editor sees a manuscript that's submitted by an agent, he already knows that at least one person (and probably several) liked this book enough to choose it above the rest of the pack.

  I don't want to overstate my case, though. A common misconception among aspiring authors is that finding an agent means a guaranteed sale to a publishing house. When I first started working at Curtis Brown, Ltd. I had this same idea, but I quickly learned otherwise. The material that agents submit is rejected frequently. Just because an agent thinks it will sell doesn't mean it will. The market changes all the time and what strikes one person as fantastic can fail to find a fan in someone else.

  But let's say your novel does sell. Agents can negotiate better contracts than the vast majority of us could on our own. They can usually get you a higher advance right up front. There are two reasons for this. First, since they're trained to negotiate contracts and they do it regularly, they know what to ask for. They know what other authors have received and what different publishing houses offer. This leads to the second part of the equation: They're not afraid to ask for what they know they can get.

  Here's another word problem for you: If an editor makes an offer for 10,000 dollars on a first novel and the writer is ready to agree to this offer, but the agent says, "No, let's ask for 12,500 dollars," how much commission did the agent earn if she were charging the industry standard of 15 percent? Less the agent's commission, how much more money did the author make than he would have made if he'd accepted the original offer?

  Answer: The agent earned 1,875 dollars. The difference between the original offer and what the agent earned is 2,500 dollars. Thus the author made 625 dollars more than he would have, even after he paid the agent's commission.

  Now let's tackle a second word problem: If an agent negotiates a hardcover royalty that starts at 10 percent instead of the 8 percent that was originally offered, and your book earns 100,000 dollars over the next few years, how much more money did you make off that higher royalty after the agent's commission is subtracted?

  Answer: Ten percent of 100,000 dollars is 10,000 dollars. Eight percent is 8,000 dollars. So you made 2,000 dollars more than you would have made with the lower royalty. At 15 percent, the agent's commission from 10,000 dollars would be 1,500 dollars. So you made 500 dollars more than you would have, even after you paid the agent's commission.

  Can you begin to see how these numbers might stack up? Good agents should be able to negotiate back their fees and then some. They end up costing you nothing. And even if you do eventually pay them out of your profitable sales, the service they offer is an important one that's worth the money. Agents make sure your contract doesn't rop
e you into something you might later regret, and they will act as your advocate if you hit a bump in the publishing process, such as a disagreement with an editor, cover art you hate, or a change of publishing houses mid-career. Publishing doesn't always go smoothly, and when things go wrong it's nice to have someone on your side so you don't have to muddy the editorial waters by arguing on your own behalf.

  TARGETING YOUR SUBMISSIONS

  Regardless of whether you decide to submit to editors directly or find an agent first, you still need to know how to submit your work. Manuscript submission is a long and sometimes arduous process, so you will do well to learn all you can before you begin. You only get one shot to submit your book to an agent or editor, so you'll want to use that opportunity wisely.

  Let's start with deciding who to submit to. Presumably you've narrowed your choices to agents or editors. If you re looking for agents I highly recommend submitting to agents listed in the Association of Authors' Representatives (AAR) directory found at http://www.aar-online/. org. The AAR holds its members to professional and ethical standards so you're far less apt to find a rotten apple.

  You can search for both editors and agents through resources such as SCBWI's Market Survey of Publishers of Books for Young People, their Small Press Markets Guide, and their Agents Directory (all of these publications are for members only); Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market, which includes information specifically for the children's and YA market; or Jeff Herman's Guide to Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents, which offers information on all types of publishers and agents. You'll find these publications are the staples every writer needs to navigate the submission waters. Not only do they include editors' and agents' contact information, but they usually give a brief description of what type of material the editor or agent prefers along with guidelines for submission. Read through these guidelines so you know which editors accept unagented material, which publishing houses won't accept e-mail submissions (few do), and which houses won't accept multiple submissions. You'll want to pay particular attention to which editors and agents handle teen fiction. This will save you a lot of time, energy, and postage.

  Here's another word problem to illustrate my point: If an author sends out ten query letters, and each large-size mailing envelope cost nineteen cents and the postage cost sixty-seven cents, and within each envelope there is also a self-addressed return envelope that cost ten cents with another stamp on it that cost forty-one cents, how much did the author spend on all ten submissions, not including paper, printing costs, and gas for his car?

  Answer: $13.70

  This may not seem like a lot, but you will probably send out far more than ten query letters over the course of the submission process. It makes much more sense to target your queries to individuals who are interested in the type of work you're submitting than to blanket the held with submissions that will only get returned.

  QUERY LETTERS

  Right about now, you might be thinking, "What is a query letter anyway?" Important question. Here's your answer:

  A query letter is a letter sent to an agent or editor asking if she'd be interested in reading your manuscript. Query letters are generally limited to one page, and they are a standard business letter telling the person you're addressing a little bit about your book, your credentials as a writer, and anything else you think is appropriate to include. Query letters are your way of introducing yourself and your YA novel to agents and editors— and we all know how important first impressions are.

  A large part of my job at Curtis Brown, Ltd., included reading query letters, so I can definitely give you some pointers as to what works well and what does not. Let's start with the positive:

  • Be professional.

  • Keep your letter brief.

  • Pay attention to presentation, making sure your query is clean, well written, and printed on good paper.

  • Make your first line matter.

  • Follow the rules. If an agent or editor requests a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), make sure you include one.

  • Include every writing credential you can claim. If you wrote for your college newspaper, mention your numerous published articles.

  • Mention any connections you might have with the person you're sending the letter to. If you met him at a conference, or if you have a mutual acquaintance, put that in your opening sentence.

  • Reference other YA books the editor or agent handles if they're among your favorites. This is a nice way to personalize your letter, showing you've done your research and have common tastes and interests with the person you're submitting to. (Helpful hint: To find out who represents your favorite authors, check the acknowledgments in their books to see if the author has thanked her editor or agent. If you're an SCBWI member, look for their publication called Edited By A House-by-House Listing of Editorial Credits.)

  • Mention if you are submitting to more than one agent or editor simultaneously.

  • Take time to make sure your letter is as perfect as it can be.

  Here are some things you should NOT do:

  • Don't reference your parents, your children, your grandparents, or your students (if you're a teacher) as the reason you believe your work will sell. Everyone has people who love them and will support their work no matter what, and even though you might know that your teenage daughter is a tough critic, putting this in your query letter won't help sell your book.

  • Don't try to be gimmicky. Yes, you do need to grab an agent or editor's attention, but you should do this by making sure your letter is well written and makes your book sound irresistible.

  • Don't pitch a book you haven't finished writing yet. Not only is a timely submission important should an agent or editor request your work, but you want to leave plenty of time to edit. Rushing through a first draft in order to fulfill a request probably means you've blown your chance to impress someone who liked your premise.

  • Don't try to sell two books at once. Query letters are limited in space, so you want to use every word wisely. It's very rare for an editor or agent to take on two books by a new author at the same time, even if you present them as a series. Pitching two books at once makes you your own competition. It's also likely that if one book sounds like a possible fit but the other one doesn't, both books will get rejected because the agent or editor will think that overall you might not be a good match. If you do have a series in mind, include one sentence that says something to the effect that, "If you like my book, I think it would make a fabulous series."

  • Don't compare your book to Harry Potter or the current #1 New York Times YA bestseller. Why not? Because everyone else will. You want your book to stand out as unique, and these references are so common they automatically lump your book in with the pack.

  • Don't mention past rejections or other books you have written that you've not been able to sell. Start fresh and keep things positive.

  • Don't submit to several people within the same publishing house or agency.

  • Don't resubmit the same work to an agent or editor who has rejected it unless it has been so substantially revised as to be considered a new work.

  • Don't include your entire manuscript unless it's been requested. MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

  So what happens if you get a bite? You've crafted the best possible query letter and an agent or editor writes you back and requests that you send your manuscript, or a partial sample. What next?

  First of all, pat yourself on the back. Any time you hear from an agent or editor—even if it's just a handwritten note on a form rejection letter—it's good news. It means your query letter stood out and the idea for your novel sounds compelling enough that it warranted his personal attention.

  Next, take a deep breath and remind yourself that a request from an agent or editor doesn't seal the deal. He still needs to read your work and decide it's the right match. Your job from this point on is to remove any obstacles that might stand between you and a contract.r />
  The first obstacle is timely submission. Once an editor or agent requests your work, try to send it in a timely manner. Strike while the iron is hot. Believe it or not, we routinely requested material at Curtis Brown, Ltd., that arrived weeks or months after we asked to see it. By that time, the original query letter was forgotten, filed away, and the enthusiasm that prompted us to ask for the manuscript had dissipated. In its place was a lingering suspicion that the author had just finished her book and we'd be receiving a lightly edited first draft.

  You'll want to send your manuscript as soon as possible after receiving the request, but you can certainly take a day or two to glance over it one more time to make sure it's ready to make the best possible first impression. I can generally read my whole book in a day if I need to, and if you have the time available, you might want to do one last check for misspellings, grammar mistakes, and sloppy wording. This is not a time for substantial editing—hopefully you've accomplished that before you started the submission process—but it is a time to look things over with an eye toward polishing your prose.

  Check your manuscript format and make sure it meets the following criteria:

  • double-spaced

  • Times New Roman twelve-point font

  • standard one-inch margins

  • printed on white paper

  • unbound

  • your last name and the page number are listed on each page

  • pages are clean and tidy

  • no blank pages are inserted into the text

  Always follow the guidelines for submission that an agency or publishing house provides, even if they conflict with what's written above. You want your work to meet their standards, and showing that you care enough to follow their stated policies will go a long way.

  Once your book is ready to be sent out, write a short business letter to the agent or editor thanking him for requesting your material and reminding him of the relevant details of your novel and your writing credentials. Agents and editors deal with many books every day, so it never hurts to refresh their memory.