SLOW WEEK

[Lieutenant Kije]

I was under the impression from Jeffe's congratulations and from the ensuing talk about EUOL's books that one of them is being published (or might be.)  Of course they all might be, but 'might be' as in there's a good solid chance of it happening in the near future.

[Spriggan]

EUOL's in contract negotiations with a publisher right now.  nothing's dead set but there's a pretty good chance you might see his book out next year.

[Lieutenant Kije]

Which book is it, or can you not say?  I'm roughly aware of his work as of a couple of years ago.

[EUOL]

Well, so much for keeping quiet about things until they actually happened.

In March of this year, I got a call from Moshe Feder, an associate editor at TOR.  He had found my novel, The Spirit of Elantris in the semi-slush pile, and liked it.  (Fell and I met him at World Fantasy two years ago, and both sent him novels.)  


I called my agent and asked him to handle negotiations.  In April and May I did an extensive rewrite of the book while Moshe sought permission from the marketing department and his superiors to acquire a novel.  In June I sent out the revised version, and Moshe took this to David Hartwell and got permission to buy it.  

Right now the book is in the 'P&L' phase.  'Profits and Losses.'  Moshe is waiting to hear back from the production department on how much it is going to cost to publish the novel (losses) and is figuring on how many they will print and how many they can expect to sell (profits.)  Once he has this, he will put together a proposal and take it to Tom Doherty to get final permission to make an offer.

When that happens (if it happens) he will call my agent and make an offer.  Then, and only then, can we congratulate EUOL for selling a book.  Could take weeks yet before we know, and a rejection from a high-up editor is still only a rejection.  

And no, I didn't beat Level four in Ikaruga.  I only GOT to level four.  (Man, the tales of my exploits are becoming quite inflated.)

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Don't look at me. I only told ONE person, and told him to be mum, since as you hadn't mentioned it publicly, you might want it quiet. And he wasn't the one who spilled the beans.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Agent eh? And how abouts did the agent and you come together? If you don't mind me asking. Because whenever I think of agent I think of some top paid, money grabbing, self inflatious dick.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Rather than, professional who knows the buisness of witing so well he can get your work published while you spend your time writing?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Yeah, hollywood gives you a bad image of agents generally, especially for musicians (because we all know how artistically pure rock musicians are) (that's sarcasm in that parenthetical aside, incidentally).

But it's been my observation, especially with writers, that agents typically are a MUCH bigger help to their writers than a hinderance. Assuming you get a decent one, of course. There are people in every industry who can't be trusted. And they tend to advertise themselves heavily.

[stacer]

EUOL, you said: "a rejection from a high-up editor is still only a rejection."

I beg to differ. A rejection from a high-up editor is one more rung on that ladder, if it comes to pass--your work is being recognized better and more frequently. A personal rejection as opposed to a slush pile slip means you're making connections. Wasn't it Dr. Seuss who got rejected over 200 times? He was walking home one day, set to give it all up and burn the mss, when he ran into a friend who worked as an editor, who offered to publish it on the spot. I know that most of the writers I know had to go through years of rejections before anything was published, and you've had a few years at it, so now's as good a time as any for it to get published, right?  

If it helps any on the "profit" side, I'd buy a copy.  

[EUOL]

Heh.  Yes, Gemm, you've been tainted by the Hollywood kind of agent.  In writing, almost everyone agrees that getting an agent is a very, very good idea.  Most publishing houses won't even accept non-agented submissions.  TOR is one of the last hold-outs there.

Literary agents are people authors hire to be their business managers.  They know the market, and they know the editors, and they know which ones will like your book.  They talk you up and try to sell you.  If you get a book sold, most editors will tell you to get an agent to handle contract negotiations.  

That said, some people--like LE Modesitt --do all of their own stateside negotiations.  (Though they still have an agent to sell to foreign markets.)  Anyway, to answer your question, I met my agent--Joshua Bilmes--at the Nebula Awards about three years ago in New York.  He's been an enormous help.

Anyway, I found out some interesting things today while talking to Moshe on the phone.  First, TOR purchased the first six books of The Wheel of Time series in a lump.  That dispels a hole number of myths about the series being intended as a trilogy, then expanded to grub more money.  It was planned as an enormous series from the beginning.  Second, interestingly enough, the second most profitable author at TOR is the aforementioned Modesitt.  I was surprised, but apparently he is so prolific and so consistent that he just puts out more than everyone else, and ends up selling more.

[Lieutenant Kije]

Sorry, EUOL.  I guess it was because I pushed that things got disclosed.  I can see how you'd want to keep things under wraps until something is final, but now (for what it's worth) you've got some more people rooting for you.  I'm excited about it.

[EUOL]

Eh, not that big a deal.  Truth is, most people on this board knew anyway.  Those of you not having the benefit of living in Utah, or at least visiting and staying at my house, out to be let in on the secret, I suppose.  

Anyway, I guess this is a good time to post something of relevant note.  Like every year, I will be going to the World Fantasy con this fall.  It begins on Oct 30th and goes until Nov 2nd, and will be held in Washington DC.  So far I've only been able to get Tage to agree to go, but Fell is heartily considering it.  

This is a great con for those of you interested in writing professionally, as it is usually attended by a good percentage of the editor/agent community.  However, it is expensive.  Tickets are $120 if you get them by the end of July, and $150 after that.  Hotel rooms in the center of the city are expensive, even at the cheaper hotels.  There is a Holiday Inn next to the con hotel, however, and its rates are a little more reasonable.  (Averaging about a hundred bucks a night.)  With airfare and food, the trip will probably cost around $500.

Tage and I could use another person to share hotel room costs with us.  I will warn that we can't guarantee you'll meet someone who wants to buy your book (if you have one.)  Fell and I had to go for several years before we met the right editor, and even then he decided Fell's manuscript wasn't right for him (and could still very well do the same for me.)  Last year, we didn't really meet anyone at all (except for a brief and fruitless exchange between myself and David Hartwell.)

If you're interested, however, give us a holler.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

OK, recommendation. This thing HAS to be near a metro stop. If there's just two of you, you can sleep in my living room (I've got two sleeper-sofas). Metro tickets are pretty cheap, and there's a stop less than 5 minutes from my house. Plus, we can game a night and I can absorb what you guys do by proxy, since I can't afford the entrance fee. (unless a windfall comes my way). In other words, even over Holiday Inn, you'd be saving a bundle. Jeffe will attest to the convenience of the DC metro system.

Just to pay back the rides and couches I used earlier this month. Whattya say?

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

The DC metro is the cleanest mass transit system in the world and if your confrence is in the city proper youd be fools not to use it.

Plus a hotel in the city is outrageous,

for 5 dollars you can ride the metro all day as many stops as you want. I think a one way trip is $.45 from springfield. Plan about 45-60 minutes for the trip and go with it. No traffic, no cabs, very little walking. Im not saying its the NY subway... but.

[EUOL]

Hum.  That's a charitable suggestion.  We'll certainly consider it.  We'll let you know before too long--after we find out how many of us there will be.  If it's just Tage and I, then getting a hotel room would be very expensive.  If we get four people, it might be worth the convenience of staying next door to the con.  Anyway, we'll keep the offer in mind.