If you Want To Write, At Least Know The Publishing Rules
Saturday Email Roundup: In this email, and remember I get about 140 emails per day, in regards to publishing books from publishing non fiction to fiction. This is one in regards to publishing nonfiction: ( Names are left out of course, otherwise it is as is)
“Dear:
Enclosed I have sent the entire novel book of my nonfiction piece. I know you’ll like it. There is a lot of research done in this book. It is important that this gets to as many publishers as possible in as short a period of time. I do not intend for anything to be changed.
The people in this novel book are vital to each other, I interviewed many people on the topic of the Wild West in Europe. It is similar to the Wild West in the American plains, but better. Please read the second chapter and the final chapter then read everything else. Again I intend to change nothing as it is too important to me.
Yours,”
Okay Couple of problems here:
What dot hey mean by novel book of nonfiction?
Also,
If you think your two best chapters are the second and the last why not change it? What is so important to non changing it than changing it if it will make your book better?
8 Comments
Pip Hunn
Perhaps they're using the word 'novel' to indicate an unusual non-fiction book? Although it wouldn't have been the best choice of words if that was their intent!
Do you get a lot of emails with the 'please look at this but I'm not going to change anything' line in it? Seems counter-productive if you're sending your entire novel around for people to look at!
Cheers;
Pip
sallyhanan
So great that they know the right people to send their entire novel non-fiction to . . . unless you have . . . CONNECTIONS! 🙂
Christy Pinheiro, EA ABA
Wow. I don't have any words.
I din't know that a non-fiction novel even existed.
And from the sounds of the e-mail, this author isn't open to any editing… so it looks like AuthorHouse or IUniverse.
Good luck with that.
Rebecca
Pip hunn– no unfortunaely it was a non-fiction interview of people type. I myself never heard of nonfiction novel.
SalyHann– I do work with a literary agent, which is why I get a lot of emails, unfortunately, I work with a literary agen who si quite busy…
Christy– i don't think editing is what they have in mind, and yes AuthorHouse and Iuniverse will publish it I have no doubt.
Duchess O Blunt
I'm curious Rebecca, did you pass this one on to your literary agent? This email doesn't give the reader any reason to want to read it – or am I wrong about that?
Rebecca
duchess– nope didn't send it. I couldn't. I mean all literary agents work hard enough. I've always said put the ego behind you, of course if it wans't teh first bok and their names were linked to say oh Harry Potter, well… maybe it would be different
Pip Hunn
Rebecca –
Is a lot of your submission-type email so… Ego-laden?
I was reading over the letter again, and it strikes me as presumptive of our heroic Anon to say
"It is important that this gets to as many publishers as possible in as short a period of time. I do not intend for anything to be changed."
I mean, when I get e-mail asking for suggestions on people's writing, they're obviously asking for editorial opinion.
Usually, good writers are well aware that their stuff is always going to benefit from another person's input.
So what do you do when confronted with ego like this, and does that response change with the quality of the attached work? Do you even bother reading it?
Rebecca
Pip– believe it or not, this is very very common, I'd say I get about 140 emails a day, and even though my agent isn't looking for any more work (she has a lot) people still send emails.
When confronted with egos, I try to look at the quality, but I am harder, since I know that they might ( or will be) unwilling to change anything.
I'll be puuting this as a post.