Bird In The Hand?
The hardest part of a writer's job may be the writing itself, but next to that is getting published. I've talked about the rejection writers endure before they find an agent or a publisher willing to take a chance on their work. Which is why so many authors will sign practically any contract. Just to get offered a contract is a thrill.
Which leads me to my present dilemma. Five Star has offered me a contract for another book. For those of you who've never written, or those who have and haven't yet been published, this is a big deal. Like I said, any contract is beter than no contract -- almost. The problem is that the book Five Star wants is the best book I've written to date. Which means I think it has real market potential.
Don't get me wrong. Five Star is a great publisher. They put out a quality product, and they're great to work with. But the advances they pay are small, and they really distribute only to libraries. Yes, you can order your book through a bookstore, and yes, Five Star books are available through major distributors like Ingrams. But, let's face it, a Five Star book is lucky to sell 1,500 copies. The few FS authors who have sold 2,000 copies of their books have been the FS equivalent of NY Times bestsellers.
My fourth Emerson Ward mystery -- the first one published by FS -- ended up getting picked up in mass market paperback by Worldwide Mystery. Again, I was happy to see the book out in pb and available to more people, but Worldwide is its own story (for another blog entry). But my latest hasn't been picked up in paperback, and while I like seeing my work in print, I sometimes wonder how long I can continue to put in 12 months of work for $1k.
Two agents are presently looking at the work FS just made an offer on. I've e-mailed them to let them know I have an offer. They haven't responded yet. And close to 150 agents have already turned the book down (and no, for the uninitiated, that's not a reflection of how bad the book is, but rather a reflection of how competitive the market is).
So, the question becomes: the contract in hand, or the two agents in the bush?
Stay tuned.
Mike Sherer
www.emersonwardmysteries.com
posted by Michael W. Sherer @ Friday, November 10, 2006
2 Comments:
At November 21, 2006 9:07 AM,
April Star said…
You make some excellent points, Mike. A concern I have right now with Five Star is the recent news that the book slots are filled through 2008. My debut novel, TROPICAL WARNINGS: A Wanderlust Mystery was just released. I've had numerous emails from readers who are already asking when the next in the series will come out (first it has to be accepted)! I was told I can't submit anything until January because whether or not they would accept another title from me would depend on how the first one goes (which is going great)! But...will readers really wait until 2009 to continue my reading and following my series? As a reader, I wouldn't want to wait that long.
I also submitted Tropical Warnings to Worldwide but haven't heard back yet. I also submitted an ARC to the largest literary agency in Istanbul per their request and interest in the foreign rights. There is so much more that goes into a book than the writing itself. And long after the book has been published.
All the best to you, Mike, and good luck with the agent search.
Oh, and my first book signing is December 2 in Sanibel Island, Florida. I hope my books arrive in time. How horrible would that be? The author at the bookstore without a book to sign!
At November 29, 2006 6:07 AM,
Kate Allan said…
Good luck with your decision. I have two books published with Robert Hale in the UK who sound similar in that advances are low and their main market is libraries. Of course I dream about the big time, but it's still a million times better than nothing to be published by a reputable publisher at all.
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