Lyons Literary LLC

Do Free Online Sample Chapters Sell Books?

2009-10-14T08:57:00.003-05:00

Over the past few years there's been quite a debate about whether providing free sample content online spurs overall book sales. According to new data from LibreDigital, the answer is yes.

Drooling over Whedon

2009-09-28T08:16:00.000-05:00

Wow, thanks to my brother for pointing me to these rankings of the best ever shows from the Whedonverse!

Google Settlement Fairness Hearing Adjourned

2009-09-24T14:41:00.002-05:00

The Authors Guild has just announced that Judge Denny Chin has granted the parties' motion to adjourn the Google settlement fairness hearing until October 7th in order to give time for the settlement to be amended to address the Department of Justice's concerns.

Apple, email, and ebooks

2009-09-10T08:55:00.004-05:00

Apple conducted their usual press event to unveil new products, but unfortunately the Tablet was nowhere to be seen.

In-Stat conducted an ebook reader survey, with the most desired feature request by current ebook owners being email capability. Agreed! (via Shelf Awareness and Teleread)

Finally, I want to belatedly call attention to another thoughtful post on The Shatzkin Files, this time discussing the controversy around ebook pricing.

Amazon and The Authors Guild

2009-09-03T09:41:00.001-05:00

As you may be aware, Amazon filed a brief objecting to the proposed Google Book Settlement. Here's the response from The Authors Guild.

Really? A Publishing Comedy?

2009-09-01T08:47:00.002-05:00

It seems the publishing world isn't as boring as it sounds. CBS has just bought a scripted comedy about a book editor and her friends. I'll check it out.

Dan Brown's eBook

2009-08-20T08:57:00.004-05:00

TechFlash is reporting that Amazon will be releasing the ebook for Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol on the same day as the print version and for $9.99. This is a big score for the 10,000 pound gorilla, as there was some speculation that Random House, Dan Brown's publisher, might delay the release of the ebook edition to avoid cannibalizing hardcover sales.

eReader News

2009-07-27T09:28:00.003-05:00

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Samsung unveiled their eReader in Korea today.

I haven't heard much about the Apple Tablet, but I guess publishers have been briefed, and now the rumor is that it will be out in time for Christmas.

The Washington Post reviews the B&N eBookstore, and there's not a ton of love, with digital rights management continuing to be a giant blister in the ebook world. I personally think B&N gets it right with some social DRM - allowing you to lend or resell your books if you're willing to share your credit card number with recipients - but then flounders by limiting your reading to software and devices it approves.

New Links

2009-07-23T13:22:00.005-05:00

I've added some new links and also listed them below, mostly focusing on eBooks and/or the digital world.

Black Plastic Glasses

Plastic Logic Redux

2009-07-22T08:13:00.004-05:00

On the heels of the announcement about Barnes & Noble's eBookstore (which TechCrunch reviews here) and that they'll be the vendor for the new Plastic Logic eReader, Plastic Logic has now announced that AT&T will provide wireless support for the new device, so just like with the Kindle readers access books anywhere they get a signal. This partnership also means that the device will connect internationally, but as Teleread points out it could create even more problems with the already overburdened AT&T network.

However, Plastic Logic continues to emphasize that their eReader is targeted more for business professionals and business documents than for reading books due to the larger screen. Considering the recent news though, I just don't buy it.

A New eBookstore

2009-07-21T13:12:00.003-05:00

Barnes & Noble announced yesterday the launch of their own eBookstore, with over 700,000 titles and pricing at $9.99. They will also be the exclusive vendor for the much hyped Plastic Logic eReader that will be released at the beginning of next year.

This is definitely a bad week for Amazon considering the debacle over the company's deletion of pirated copies of George Orwell's books from users' Kindles and the class action suit filed last Tuesday as a result of cracking Kindle faceplates.

It's not like Google is having a good day either though.

Oscar Whitfield

2009-05-22T08:26:00.003-05:00

So there's this guy named Oscar Whitfield who queries me and a whole bunch of other agents every day. The query is exactly the same, with the same email subject title and content. However, he does seem to be using multiple email addresses, which means he can escape my junk filter from time to time.

I wrote him about a month ago, asking him to stop querying me because 1) he wasn't using my submission form; and 2) I had no interest in his work. He responded obnoxiously, telling me he was going to continue querying me despite my request, and he was going to "knock down" the doors of publishing.

It's people like this that help contribute to the negativity sometimes involved in the querying process. So my plea to you at the start of what I hope will be a beautiful Memorial Day Weekend is the following: if you know Mr. Oscar Whitfield, please ask him to stop. And if you know any other people spam querying, ask them to stop too.

Google Settlement Update

2009-04-29T07:49:00.003-05:00

Two updates for you regarding the proposed settlement for the Google Book Search. First, the judge reviewing the case has extended the deadline for authors to opt out of the settlement by four months, to September 7th.

Second, as a result of complaints from some groups opposing the Google Settlement, the Justice Department has opened up an antitrust inquiry into the matter. The New York Times has a surprisingly decent summary of the situation.

Multiple Submissions

2009-04-28T08:55:00.002-05:00

I know I've written about this before, but it came up a few times at the ASJA Conference this weekend, so I thought I'd revisit it.

Some agents have an exclusive submission policy regarding materials - i.e. you can't send your query or manuscript to another agent while they are reviewing it. I STRONGLY believe that this is an unfair policy. The only times I can think that an exclusive might be appropriate is if the agent is an absolutely perfect fit for you or they happen to be one of the biggest and best names in the business. Otherwise, my suggestion is to submit to multiple agents at a time.

Most agents are extremely busy and out of necessity are slow in responding to submissions. If you wait for a response from each of us before sending your project on to the next agent on your list you could be querying the same project for years and years.

My only caveat with multiple submissions is that you need to tell agents who have your partial or full manuscript when another agent has expressed interest in representation and give them at least a few days to get back to you.

Do you like contests?

2009-04-27T08:54:00.002-05:00

My client Kelly Meding has launched a contest to count down the release of her debut novel Three Days to Dead. Check it out if you like science fiction/fantasy trivia! Oh, and Mogwai rule!

New Query Policy

2009-04-23T09:22:00.005-05:00

Starting today Lyons Literary LLC has a new policy regarding queries.

I still will only accept queries sent via the electronic submission form found on our website; queries sent in any other manner will not be responded to. Assuming you fill out the submission form properly (i.e. provide a proper return email address) and your spam blocker allows it, you'll receive a confirmation email from the agency that your query has been received.

If you don't hear from us within three weeks of sending the query (besides our initial response confirming receipt) then we are passing on the project. If I'm interested in seeing more (likely either the first thirty pages or a proposal) I'll write you back before then.

Finally, if you've sent me a query using my submission form before today then you'll still hear from me at some point, though I'm admittedly still far behind on these.

I hope this addresses the most significant concerns of aspiring authors, but let me know if you have any suggestions.

Agent for a Day

2009-04-22T09:04:00.000-05:00

In a surprise for most of the people involved, but not a surprise to me or likely other agents, only two people successfully guessed all three published books in Nathan Bransford's Agent for a Day Contest, and none of the books were among the top five most requested queries.

On a different note, I am thinking of changing my query policy based on some of the discussion I've seen on the Web. As of now I'm still trying to respond to every query sent to me via my agency submission form and filled out properly (e.g. with an email address for response). However, I've fallen severely behind and since I continue to receive over 75 queries a day, I'm not sure when I can ever fully catch up. I also continue to get frustrating responses from writers after rejections asking for more details or simply just insulting me for deciding to pass. I'm also getting more and more emails from writers reasonably wondering when they might hear from me.

So here's what I'm thinking. I'm going to set up a mailbox that sends an auto response confirming receipt of a query, and a note will be included saying that if the form was filled out properly AND I'm interested in the project that you'll hear back from me within three weeks. If you don't have a response within three weeks, it's a pass. Thoughts?

So you want to be an agent?

2009-04-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

In the rocking idea department, Nathan Bransford is going to have a "Be An Agent for A Day" Contest on Monday, April 13th. While the quality of the pitches will likely be much higher on average than what an agent usually receives, it should still give readers a chance to show if they can pull a gem out of the slush.

The Authors Guild Responds to the Wall Street Journal

2009-04-07T08:30:00.003-05:00

I noted last week the Wall Street Journal op-ed criticizing the Google Book Settlement and posted Janet Reid's response. Paul Aiken, the Executive Director of the Authors Guild, has now responded as well.

Love of Reading

2009-04-06T17:20:00.002-05:00

Tanya Egan Gibson has started a website in conjunction with the release of her novel How to Buy a Love For Reading where people can share stories about how reading changed their lives - or even saved them. Check it out and contribute!

January Sales

2009-04-06T07:58:00.004-05:00

All is not lost. Book sales rose 3.6% to $785 million in January, according to the Association of American Publishers (via Shelf Awareness). Of particular note is the continued dramatic rise in e-book sales - 173.6%. Of course, this is still only $8.8 million, as compared to the $102 million pulled in by Adult paperback titles.

Notes on a Rainy Friday

2009-04-03T09:35:00.004-05:00

Some catch-up from the week.

Janet Reid responded eloquently to the Wall Street Journal article about the Google Settlement. Maya Reynolds presented an interesting third opinion on the matter.

BookEnds opened up a can of worms with AgentFail, which led to over 250 responses, most of them bashing agents. I agree with Nathan Bransford about all of this, but just wanted to mention a few things.

First, I'm always amazed by the amount of anger that writers have towards agents because I look at myself as an advocate for authors, and particularly for my own clients. However, I don't live in a bubble. I realize that we are the initial gatekeepers in this business, and by saying no (or not saying anything at all) we're preventing you from getting published. But we're not dog-like creatures eagerly anticipating the return of Gozer. We're filtering queries and trying to find talented and skilled writers whose work will be bought by a publisher and read by the public.

I've expressed before my opinion on whether part of my job is responding to queries, so I won't rehash it here beyond saying that I try to respond to every query sent to me via my submission form (though I admit I am weeks behind due to both personal and professional reasons) even though I don't believe it is my duty to do so.

Finally, I've noticed that some commentators complained that agents respond too quickly to their emails. I've literally read hundreds of thousands of queries in my life. I've gotten good at telling immediately whether a query isn't right for me. I understand that you've been working on a project for six months, and it's brutal and frustrating to hear that I'm not interested two minutes later, but all I'm saying is that I'm not interested. It does not mean it isn't worthy.

OK, hope you have a good weekend.

Bailing Out Books

2009-04-01T07:33:00.005-05:00

I had hints of this, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. But the press conference last night on Books TV confirmed it!

I'm delighted to announce that The American Book Society of Publishing Association of America announced they're taking a unified stand and refusing to pay any advances over $1million to debut authors, TV reality stars, and older thriller writers who don't sell tons of copies anymore but still get paid like they do.

Who knows, maybe ABS Publishing Association of America will decide to tackle the returns system next!

Happy Launch Day!

2009-03-31T08:33:00.003-05:00

It's my pleasure to announce the release of Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells!

In a world where being of mixed blood is a major liability, Sabina doesn't' really fit in. And being an assassin - the only profession fit for an outcast - doesn't help matters. But she's never brought her work home. Until now.

Her latest mission is uncomfortably complex and threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races. As Sabina scrambles to figure out which side she's on, she uncovers a tangled political web, some nasty facts about her family, and some unexpected new talents. Any of these things could be worryingly life changing, but together they could be fatal...

"Brassy, sassy, and hip! Wells's promising debut is a fast-paced trip through a dark and dangerous landscape featuring an unusual take on vampires, mages, faeries, and demons." - Kat Richardson.

"Jaye Wells dishes up a read so satisfying that you can't wait until the next serving." - Cheyenne McCray.

Query Observations

2009-03-26T14:47:00.005-05:00

I have received over 2,000 queries since January 1st, and unfortunately I have not responded to most of them. I'm working my way through them though, and I have to ask for your continued patience if you're waiting to hear from me.

In the meantime, here are just a few things I've noticed:

- I'm getting tons of emails from writers under the age of 18, which I suspect might be due to the increased availability of publishing resources online. If you're wondering, I look at these queries with the same consideration as I do with queries from adults.

- There are two clear groups of queries - the first are from people who probably will never get representation and become published, evident by the crappy writing and lack of effort in their queries. The second group is composed of writers struggling hard with their craft, doing their research, and drafting thoughtful and composed queries. In the past I would say more than 75% of the emails I got could be grouped in the first group, but I think the numbers have reversed and 75% would now fall in the second group.

- I continue to get catty emails in response to rejections, and I continue to struggle not to respond in kind.

- I just haven't seen that many truly inventive mystery ideas, but urban fantasy queries are ripe with creativity.