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 "Hey, I thought I'd get a book about me, maybe a movie or even a Broadway musical!" |
The sad story of how
a book wasn't published
By LYNN PERRIER
of TheColumnists.com
Those of you who are fans of this site already know that I am among a very impressive group of writers. I am not sure how I got here or why my scholarly peers agreed to let a cat lady (who said that?) share their space, but I am glad they have.
I am constantly impressed with their individual achievements not to mention their books. Oh yes, we can't forget their books. You need only read Managing Editor Ron Miller's column on the topic (Every Writer Has A Book Inside: July 7, 2008) to know what a prolific bunch they are.
Well, all except our boss, who only has two books to his credit so far.
Unfortunately, I have not even been that prolific. My writing days started many years ago, but it was more an outlet for pent up feelings then an attempt at serious writing. However, a few years ago I did start to write seriously. If, as our editor says, "Every writer has a book inside," I felt it was time for mine to come out.
It was at the beginning of this awesome
internet age and something became available which inspired everyone
who ever had visions of publishing their own work of art, to
get busy. It was called POD or Print On Demand publishing. It
seemed to be the answer to many prayers. How it works is you
write the story you have been waiting years to have published,
you send it to a publisher along with a fee, they print your
book for you. That's all there is to it.
The only hitch is you must market and sell it to book stores,
libraries, etc. yourself. The publisher will not do that. In
most cases, people thought that wouldn't be too hard because
they were certain local book stores would want their book and
then they could go further afield once they were established.
Every closet writer I know jumped on that bandwagon. It wasn't until much later when you took the time to study the fine print you realized Print On Demand means if you want five books or 500, they would print the quantity you ordered or, in their words, demanded. The problem was you needed to purchase your own book in order to market it. For instance, if Larry's Literary Emporium ordered 300 books, you had to purchase 300 books from the publisher to fill the order. The POD publisher would print as few or as many as you wanted, but you bought them first--and they were not cheap.
One lady I know spent her life savings to have her story published by a POD publisher. Unfortunately, after she paid her fees to the publisher, she didn't have any money left over to buy her own books. She went around trying to sell it to book stores with one rather dog-eared copy to show.
The mark-up she needed to add, on top of
what the POD publisher charged
her for her own book, made it too costly to sell to readers.
My mother didn't raise any stupid kids
and I wasn't going to fall for that.
I made up my mind to write my book and get it published the conventional
way and I knew exactly how it would unfold. First, I would find
an established publisher. You know, the kind of publisher who
would pay the big bucks. Once it was published they would then
arrange for me to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
It would immediately become one of Oprah's favorites and there
was absolutely no doubt in my mind, once she read it, she would
not hesitate to recommend it to her 777 billion viewers.
There is however a problem getting a book
published which inexperienced
writers do not know about in advance. I quickly learned.
No established publisher will see you or
even take your phone calls much
less read your work, unless you have an agent.
O.K. That wouldn't be too difficult. I had a writers' guide book which listed agents. All I needed to do was decide which one I wanted to represent me and call them.
After sorting through names of over 100 potential agents, I selected a few I felt comfortable enough to offer the opportunity to handle my book. I settled on about five in close proximity to where I lived. I knew there would be a lot of running back and forth and I wanted to make it easy on them.
I wrote, I left messages, I faxed these privileged agents telling them about my book and explaining I would be pleased to engage their services as I felt they were capable of representing my best interests. Out of the five, I would go with the first one who was smart enough to recognize a great opportunity when it was presented. I sat back and waited for the flurry of responses to come in. And waited. And waited.
Not one wrote me back. Not one even faxed
a confirmation they received
my correspondence and not one would take my phone calls.
I thought they would all be thrilled, knocking each other over to get to me first. Only in my dreams, it appears.
It was a rude awakening and after months of waiting for them to contact me I realized I needed to revamp my strategy if I was ever going to get my book published.
I have long been a fan of James Herriot and very much wanted to write in his style since I had my own share of animal stories. I had also done a series of poems for children based on my cat Toby. Toby has this incredible bushy tail with a white tip on the end. I could not resist writing about Toby's Tail. Who would not want to read about my beautiful Toby?
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Toby's bushy tail was big as a kite. It could clear off tables with just one swipe But his tail was different for it had a white spot on the very tip, just a small dot. |
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I would need to contact an agent who specialized in childrens' books. Agents ususally stick to a specific category or genre. I found a well-known agent who had represented a number of authors whose names I recognized and decided to take the plunge once again. He lived not far from me, so instead of faxing or telephoning and facing possible rejection, I got in my car, drove over to his house and left a couple of chapters of my "Tale of Toby's Tail" in his mailbox. I was a little more realistic this time, but I still hoped for the best.
I did not hear anything from him during the following weeks and the whole idea of having a book published was becoming remote. Maybe I would look into POD after all. It didn't seem I would be able to follow my dream any other way.
Long after my plan had become a vague memory, the phone rang. In response to my "Hello" a very gravelly, gruff voice at the other end replied, "Well, you sure as hell can write."
"Beg your pardon," I said. "Who
is this?"
"This is John Meyers (not his real name), the agent. I almost
dropped the receiver. I couldn't believe it. This was a recognized
and well respected agent who had been around the business for
many years. Publishers always took his calls. He didn't mince
words, didn't pay much attention to manners and got right to
the point."
He wanted to know if I would be able to
complete my manuscript within six
months. I said that was not a problem. He gave me few curt instructions
on how to submit it and told me he would be representing me.
I was not to discuss the book with anyone except him and he expected
to meet with me before that time to complete all the paperwork,
so I could take my rightful place among other famous scribes.
Well maybe he didn't say it exactly like that, but close.
The point was I now had an agent and Oprah Winfrey's favorite book list once again was on the horizon.
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The other cats loved to
tease and make fun And round and round him they would yell and run Calling him names like pokey and dot. No one played with Toby and he missed a lot. |
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In fact it didn't take me six months to complete my manuscript. About three months after that life-changing telephone call I drove over to Mr. Meyers' place to present him with my magnum opus. I parked my car and as I walked to his door, with a wildly beating heart and all the confidence in the world, I realized this short walk would be one of the most important in my life. After today my life would never be the same.
I rang the doorbell and a pleasant elderly
lady answered. I asked for
Mr. Meyers.
With a sad look in her eye, she informed me Mr. Meyer died three weeks ago.
If anyone knows of a good agent, I know of a writer with a completed manuscript that will give Beatrix Potter a run for her money.
Let's talk.
©2008 by Lynn Perrier. The photographs are the property of the author. All rights reserved. This column first posted July 21, 2008.
TO ACCESS LYNN PERRIER'S ARCHIVE OF COLUMNS ON THIS SITE, CLICK HERE: PERRIER ARCHIVE
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