# Ask the guy with a book coming out in five days **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669 "2009-02-20T03:37:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/21 "2009-02-20T05:34:27Z")
Hey, congratulations! The book sounds good. Here’s to staying published! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/22 "2009-02-20T05:39:57Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > … is there such a thing as non-quirky magical realism? I think maybe “whimsical” is more the word I was looking for…or “droll.” It’s lightly humorous but not farcical. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/23 "2009-02-20T09:03:43Z")
What did you have to do to get the agent? What did s/he have to do to get your book published? ---
**Author:** ![Hrududu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Hrududu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hrududu)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/24 "2009-02-20T11:10:52Z")
Did you contact agents/publishers before you had completed the book? Or did you get everything done and dusted before you approached anyone? Also what was the process like from completeing the book to getting and agent and publisher? Congratulations by the way. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/25 "2009-02-20T11:33:07Z")
How cool! You know you’re living our dream, right? Everyone else has asked my questions, of course… ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/26 "2009-02-20T11:48:04Z")
Thanks to everyone for your congratulations and compliments. I’m not worried about anonymity… this is the only website I even post on where I don’t use my real name and link to my personal wesbite, actually. I just try not to tell people my PIN# or passwords. So for questions… Are you thinking about Book No. Three yet? Yes, I’ve got a synopsis of it written and will begin writing it when I’ve got the final ms. approved for book no. two. Do you need quiet to write? Not absolute quiet. I often have the TV going, or my wife will be on the phone, or a cat will be meowing at me, but when there’s people shouting outside or something it gets difficult to concentrate. Do you work on only one piece of fiction at a time, or do you pick up and put down other bits as the mood strikes? One of the big changes that helped me go from writer to author was to focus on one project and see it through rather than dally around at twelve different things. The most I’ll do is planning ahead when my WIP is off with my crit group or editor. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/27 "2009-02-20T11:48:35Z")
> [@](#): > > My book is a middle grade novel (originally sold as YA but converted in editing). Is YA a term or the old title? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/28 "2009-02-20T11:51:11Z")
… is there such a thing as non-quirky magical realism? It’s funny because a lot of people do use that term (magical realism) to describe this book and the next one, but I never would – I don’t think for one second I’m in the same class as Calvino and Marquez. I just like to say they are tall tales. Cricetus, do you also write short stuff? If you write short items as well, have you tried to sell those as well as the novels? I’ve sold three short stories (and written dozens), but have generally too busy with novels to write stories anymore. There’s not much market for them, anyway. I’ve been thinking about turning some of the scenes I cut from the first book into short stories, though. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/29 "2009-02-20T11:55:46Z")
What did you have to do to get the agent? What did s/he have to do to get your book published? I researched and queried ten agents and got two offers, and picked the one I liked best (who was actually my top choice of the ten anyway). I had a lot of help from an author friend of mine on the querying part and on getting the short list of agents. Agents have a lot of intimate knowledge of the industry-- they know editors and they know what those editors are looking for. It’s nice having an agent anyway so you don’t have to do any actual negotiating or pleading yourself, at least not once you have an agent. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/30 "2009-02-20T11:57:10Z")
Is YA a term or the old title? Oh, sorry. It’s “young adult,” for books targeted at teens. I sold the book as teen fiction and it ended up being “middle grade,” so it’ll be sold in the children’s section of bookstores instead of the teen section. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/31 "2009-02-20T12:12:31Z")
Heartfelt congratulations on this wonderful success!!!11!!! I am very excited for you and think you should shamelessly self promote your work! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/32 "2009-02-20T15:23:42Z")
Congratulations! I talk to a lot of authors and read a lot of press releases. How much input have you had on your own publicity and activities, and how much is your own initiative? Are you lining up your own appearances and signings, or is the publisher’s PR office doing it for you, or a combination? Will you be entering contests? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/33 "2009-02-20T15:33:59Z")
So is your day job writing/editing-related, somewhat writing-oriented (marketing or something, maybe), or completely unrelated (programming or accountancy or whatever)? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/34 "2009-02-20T16:00:07Z")
How much input have you had on your own publicity and activities, and how much is your own initiative? Are you lining up your own appearances and signings, or is the publisher’s PR office doing it for you, or a combination? Will you be entering contests? Good questions, all. I do have a publicist who has sent out press releases, and this has led to a couple of good opportunities (the biggest being the television appearance.) I set up about half my readings on my own, though – I have four lined up. So it’s definitely mutual. I have three bookstore appearances and three other appearances at libraries, on TV, and at a bookseller’s convention lined up, and also went to a librarians’ conference with some other authors. I believe the publisher will enter me in any contest I’m eligible for, though I’ll make sure I’m entered for local ones they might not be aware of. My day job is not related to writing or editing (at least not writing or editing fiction. I do write some work-related articles, documentation, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/35 "2009-02-20T16:19:55Z")
No question, but I wanted to congratulate you and wish you luck! ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/36 "2009-02-20T16:26:23Z")
Your book has a 2009 copyright date, yes? So you will be eligible for next year’s [Midwest Book Awards](http://www.mipa.org/uploads/2008EntryCall9.15.08.pdf); don’t forget to enter. ETA: And don’t overlook kids’ baseball events; now’s a good time for that. Don’t have to be bookstores – how about toy stores? ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/37 "2009-02-20T16:29:43Z")
Neato! My kids are roughly in the target age, so I may be forced to pick up a copy. Do you do the autographed bookplate thing? (a friend who wrote a book sent me one such when I gave her book as a gift). ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/38 "2009-02-20T16:52:16Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I think it all depends on the success of your books, Dangerosa. JK Rowling was doing OK after three or four books. Harper Lee is doing fifty years after one. It just has to be, you know, THAT book. 😉 > > Most of the published writers I know without day jobs do lots of traveling to writers conferences, etc., have a spouse with a good income, live in poverty, or some combination of the above. That’s pretty much my experience - and Yolen was talking to a bunch of SF/Fantasy Fans who all wanted to be writers - I don’t think she was trying to encourage them to believe they might be Harper Lee. The writers I know personally have mostly been in similar situations to the ones you know - some teach a little as well. There also seems to be a nothing to plenty to nothing cycle - you get an advance and it seems like a lot of money - but it represents a year of work that you still need to do. Without discipline, you can publish a lot, stay in print, and yet manage to still be poor because that big advance check seems like limitless money when it first arrives. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/39 "2009-02-20T17:04:35Z")
I looked for an excerpt on your website and didn’t see anything. The Look Inside feature isn’t enabled at Amazon. I like samples from authors who are new to me. Where’s my taste? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669/40 "2009-02-20T17:09:59Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I looked for an excerpt on your website and didn’t see anything. The Look Inside feature isn’t enabled at Amazon. I like samples from authors who are new to me. Where’s my taste? 🙂 [Excerpt here](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0375855793/ref=dp_proddesc_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-guy-with-a-book-coming-out-in-five-days/486669.md?page=3)