PROGRESS ON PUBLISHING’S

THORNIEST ISSUE: RETAIL RETURNS 
 

With the economic crisis affecting both ends of the publishing industry—retail and wholesale—efforts are increasing to resolve the sticky issue of what in effect is a consignment arrangement between publishers and retailers. Book sales are unique in that they are seldom final when shipped to traditional book sellers. Titles that are carried in specialty stores and gift shops are sold on a non-return basis. 

An article on the subject by James Sturdivant in Book Business Magazine opens with a description of the HarperStudio arrangement with Borders in which books are sold at a 10-15% discount in exchange for an agreement they will not be returned. 

A variety of other solutions have been bandied about to resolve the return problem. Some publishers have begun to share markdowns at the retail level. In other cases a discount is offered on large volume shipments with added agreements limiting the number of acceptable returns. In rare cases, retailers are required to cover shipping costs. 

The new printing technologies that make short runs feasible may automatically correct the situation. However, printing on demand does have its downside. Retailers will more frequently be in out-of-stock positions unless they are immaculate in maintaining inventory controls. Wholesalers too may experience inventory shortages. 

Whatever the final outcome, the resolution of this problem will save money for publishers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers and protect the income of authors. It’s time to end the talk and initiate much needed action. 

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E-BOOKS ARE ON THE MOVE 

Two articles in Publishers Weekly’s edition last Thursday reaffirmed the explosive interest in e-books.  While discussing 2008 results, Barnes and Noble CEO Steve Riggio announced that the staid bookseller is moving headlong into the digital world. While he would not reveal details, Riggio did say the company will sell “a broader range of products” in digital format than it currently does  through “the four walls of our stores.” 

In the same edition in which Riggio stated that digital delivery “opens a new door,”  PW reported on a deal between Google and Sony in which 500,000 public domain books will be available for use on the current models of the electronics giant’s Reader Digital Books. 

By pressing a button on ebookstore.sony.com, the books can be transferred to the PRS-505 or the PRS-700 models of the reader. Executives at both companies stress that this is part of an effort to make books more accessible through an “open platform.” 

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Charlie’s Choice

Weekly Tips to Help You Write,

Publish  & Promote Your Work 

DEVELOPING YOUR NOVEL 

      You will remember that we talked just briefly in last week’s column on the importance of maintaining interest, excitement, even tension througout your book to keep the reader’s attention. 

Seven elements are vital to making this happen, and we will review each of them in turn as we dissect the novel over the next few weeks. The novelist must always be conscious of these. As he/she writes day after day, it is too easy to become lost in the story, and possibly overlook one or more of them.

      As the tale progresses, for example, we may at times forget the viewpoint from which the book is written (who is telling the story) or we may forget the importance of creating distinguishing features, both physical and psychological, for each of our key characters. We may also stray from the basic theme or structure of the book and pursue some twist that makes the writing easier, but leaves the reader confused.

      Make a list of the key elements, and use that to double check yourself at different stages of the book to ensure you remain on track. The seven elements are: Structure, Plot, Theme, Viewpoint, Description, Characterization and Pace. There is no particular order of importance. Each of these contributes in its own way to the success of your novel.

Theme

      While it is essential not to preach when writing a novel, most authors write because they have a message to deliver, and often that can best be transmitted by telling a fictional story. The message is delivered subtly through the decisions and actions your characters take. However, there are pitfalls that one must avoid. Too often the theme you care enough about to incorporate into your novel can direct a character into a dead end.

      What I mean by that is by adhering so closely to your theme that it almost becomes a polemic may leave your character with only a single choice. That can happen too easily to your protagonist as he/she moves along the path toward the goal that has been set. An obstacle occurs, and the protagonist suddenly discovers there is only one decision that he/she can make to overcome it. With no alternatives to choose from, tension is destroyed and the book stalls.

      It is essential as you develop your theme that you plan well in advance to control how it relates to the key characters and to the unfolding of your tale. The motivations that impel your protagonist to take a certain action must at all times conform not only to the essential aspects of his/her character and moral convictions, they must always remain true to the theme that you as the author, are attempting to develop.  

      Please understand that we are trying to avoid making our characters one dimensional. No one is all good or all bad, and readers seldom relate to a character who is rigid and unbending. The protagonist must be able to be tempted to take the easy way or to even compromise some of his/her principles. That’s fine. In fact, that’s as it should be. The protagonist agonizes over which of several avenues to pursue, and finally selects the one that best conforms to his/her essence and to the theme you are promoting. In real life, people do waver. They do consider other approaches before settling on the best one (unfortunately it is not always the best).

Structure

      This is a very simple concept to understand, and a vital one. It is the frame within which you place the action and the characters. Developed properly, it is the organization of your book formed in a way that ensures that every action has a reason…a motivation. Events don’t occur by coincidence in fiction the way they can in real life. To be believable, an event must have an origin. Something that happens or is said earlier in the book plants a seed that blossoms at some later point in the story.

      W hen you write fiction, there must be a reason why something happens or is said.  That means you, the author, must lay the groundwork by ensuring that enough material has been placed earlier in the story to create a character’s persona and the context within which the character speaks or acts. All of that is done within the sequence of scenes that make up the story. It is the structure that determines how the scenes are incorporated as stepping stones that bring the reader along throughout the book. 

Plot

      In her book 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, Pulitzer Prize winning author Jane Smiley explains, “Fiction is not so much about what happens as about how it happens; how it happens is intimately bound up with who does it.”

      What does that mean in the simplest of terms? It is really the definition of plot, the vehicle that carries the protagonist throughout the book in and out of the scenes and the ups and downs that occur within them. The structure determines the overall framework of the book and ensures that the motivation for each event is tucked into an earlier portion.

      The plot utilizes the motivation to make the event believable and calls on the determination of the protagonist to complement his/her motivation and actually demonstrates it through the happenings that take place. In a very real sense, plot is the sequence of events that occur in your story. It is the plot that carries you up to the heights of the roller coaster and then plunges down into the depths.

      When we analyze scenes in next week’s column, you will see even more clearly how structure functions to keep all on track, while plot becomes the tool with which you carry the reader through each of the protagonist’s exciting challenges.  See you next week.

      Keep Writing!   

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LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THE

NEWSPAPER FRONT 

When Scripps locked the door at the Rocky Mountain News, a group of out-of-work staffers took the proverbial bull by the horns and began organizing a paid digital paper called InDenverTimes.com. Their primary competitor would be Dean Singleton’s Denver Post, at one time part of a joint operating agreement with the News.   

Three highly respected local entrepreneurs have agreed to finance the operation if the staff is able to secure 50,000 paid subscribers by April 23^rd, the date of what should have been the newspaper’s 150^th anniversary. If successful, the plan is to launch on May 4. The start-up team of 30 ex-staffers is attempting to tap the list of 210,000 mid-week former subscribers of the News as the nucleus of the audience for their new paper. 

Meanwhile, a bit further west, a political powerhouse joined the effort to keep ailing newspapers in San Francisco alive. US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked the Justice Department to take a fresh look at anti-trust provisions that have ruled the newspaper world in the hope of  allowing a joint effort of The Chronicle and the Bay Areas News Group, another Singleton organization that owns and operates the San Jose Mercury News, the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune. 

Some interesting proposals have cropped up under the mounting pressure of newspaper closings. Let’s hope this become contagious, for a democracy without a vibrant, functioning press will not survive for very long. 

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AOL ANNOUNCES PLANS TO LAUNCH

ITS OWN ONLINE POLITICAL NEWS SITE 

A fascinating experiment is underway that will test a unique concept of offering traditional news commentary in a digital format. While details are still to come, apparently  AOL’s new site Politicsdaily.com will emphasize commentary, not breaking news, at least at its start. However, Marty Moe, senior VP of AOL’s Media Glow division, left the door open to a possible breaking news beat for later editions. 

Moe told The Wrap.com that the new site would be “polypartisan.”  If Melinda Henneberger, who has been chosen as its editor, is an example, the site will become “a quality news site,” as she has promised. The former New York Times staffer summed up the site as having “zero aggregation, original content, that pays writers a living wage and that pays bloggers.” 

With a background at Newsweek and Slate, Henneberger should be able to make good on her promise of producing quality writing far different from the ten-second news cycle. Her aim is to attract an audience that “wants do thoughtful analysis pieces that are heavily reported.” 

Cheers to AOL if it makes good on its promise. This will be a major improvement over the sketchy and compromised news that appears intermingled with endless inches of commercial ads on its second-rate news segment today.

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AN INSIDE PEEK AT WHERE WORKING JOURNALISTS GO

FOR BACKGROUND ON THE SPECIALTY THEY WRITE ABOUT 

Check this study, all of you authors who are searching for better coverage in the press. 

George Washington University has recently released a report on the way reporters and editors find sources to help them complete an article. Of the nearly 750 journalists questioned, one hundred percent stated they regularly use web sites for editing and reporting.  Information from PR professionals is used by 94% and 87% said they regularly refer to press kits. 

With more than numbers using the Web as their primary tool regardless of age, the myth that the Internet is principally a young person’s tool was exploded. The study found that those who use the Web “all the time” was highest among ages 30 to 49-year-olds. Journalists 50 years and older were the second highest group, with 29 and younger the least frequent users. 

In a surprising finding for those who have been wooed by the alleged popularity of social networking, the study discovered that these sites and podcasting are the least used by journalists on assignment. 

The study respondents also called for improvements in “pitches.” They include tighter and clearer writing, less promotional copy and more news. They also asked promoters to better understand the target reporter’s specialty before they send material. 

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NEW EMPHASIS ON DIGITAL CAUSING

SOME FRICTION AT COLUMBIA JOURNALISM SCHOOL 

There’s been a substantial difference of opinion among faculty members at the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism, long considered the premier in this specialty. The school recently announced it was incorporating a degree of training in the digital field to its traditional curriculum showpiece, Reporting and Writing 1. 

The school has long stressed training in concise writing, accurate reporting and journalistic ethics in its effort to turn out well trained and highly qualified graduates. It has always been generally believed that a degree from the school will open the door at most newspapers and magazines and more recently in the broadcast world. 

The traditional wing of the faculty opposes the move with some members going sp far as to call digital reporting “an experimentation in gadgetry.” 

Widely respected Dean Nicholas Lehmann takes a more cautious position. He says, “You have to have some familiarity, or you’re not able to execute a web site,“ and adds, “There’s this big, huge fundamental issue: How much of the skills do you teach.” Lehmann points out the school should not be replicating the kind of courses taught by The Learning Annex, an online school. 

As a proud alumnus of the school, I suggest those recalcitrant faculty members wake up to reality. Digital journalism is here to stay. Hopefully, it will never fully replace print. That would be a grave loss to our American cultural scene. But that concern certainly can’t override the reality that digital journalism will play a major role in the future or that digital web sites and blogs aren’t key resources for working journalists print, broadcast and digital. (See the result of the George Washington University study above.) 

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Charlie’s Choice

Weekly Tips to Help You Write,

Publish & Promote Your Work 
 

STARTING YOUR NOVEL 

      As I have written in my latest book The Writer Within You, perhaps the finest and most accurate advice that can be given to a beginning novelist comes from that great writer Somerset Maugham. He states, “There are three rules for the writing of a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

      It’s true that many successful books deviate from what is supposed to be the basic structure of the novel. But it’s important to understand the fundamentals before venturing off in your own unique direction.

      However, things are not necessarily as bleak for beginners as Maugham’s declaration asserts. Guidelines are available. Basic rules and techniques do exist to help you sustain your reader’s interest and excitement through 300 or more pages of text. Over the next few weeks, we will review most of those, and help guide you on the path to success to success as a fiction writer.

      There are reasons why a reader selects a specific novel and considers it enthralling and worthwhile, but finds another dull and discards it by page 3. Together, we’ll try hard to avoid falling into that second category.

Key Questions

      For those of you who have always dreamed of writing a novel, but never have, I’d like to start at the very beginning by having you ask yourself several important questions that I am asked regularly. So let’s get them answered and out of the way before we begin our analysis of how to produce a first rate novel.

1. How long should my book be?  The majority of novels run between 250 and 400 words. But there is no definitive length that you must adhere to. The answer is to make it long enough to present the action and the characters effectively while keeping it short enough not to bore the reader.
2. What length should my chapters be? The average usually falls between 10 And 25 double spaced typed pages. However, there is no standard length. Effective chapters can be only a few sentences long if the writer is attempting to create a particular ambience. Conversely, a chapter can extend for as long as it takes the author to tell the story.
3. Is there a prescribed length for my paragraphs?  Once again, the answer is no. The average seems to run between 10 and 15 lines. But within the same book, you might find a three line graph followed by one that is 30 lines long. As with sentences, the writing should be short and clipped when attempting to create an action scene or tension.
4. How can I find out how many words I have written? You will find that capability on most PC’s by clicking on “tools” in the upper menu bar. If you want to estimate it yourself, calculate on the basis of 250 words per page double spaced and written in 12 point type.
5. How much should I try to write every day? The answer is very simple: as much as you are comfortable doing. The two important factors here are (a) writing regularly even if you don’t feel at all inspired and (b) when on a roll, don’t stop. You can always go back and edit and rewrite if not satisfied. The key is to write…to get your words and thoughts down on paper. The polishing can come later.

      Now let’s talk about the document itself. Like everything else, a book has a beginning, a middle and an end.  Each of these segments has a specific role in a novel. The opening is designed to catch the reader’s interest and launch him/her into the book. The central portion carries the story through the protagonist’s ups and down while trying to overcome the challenge described in the opening. The book ends when the protagonist accomplishes his/her goal or fails. So let’s begin with the opening, and explore the other segments in future columns.

The Invitation

      Think of the first several paragraphs of your new book as an invitation to the reader to enter the special world you are writing about. Just as you have no desire to RSVP to an invitation to what seems like a dull, drab party, so the reader will accept only if those first graphs convince him/her that it will be worthwhile spending the hours it takes to read and reach the end.

      Donald Maas, a literary agent who has written the excellent book Writing the Breakout Novel, cautions, “The number one mistake I see in manuscript submission is a failure to put the main conflict in place quickly enough….(Conflict) makes us care  by bonding us to a character. It sustains our interest through constant development and escalation.”

      In those opening paragraphs, you must lay out the challenge that faces your protagonist. Phrased another way that means you have to state the goal that your protagonist must reach. That becomes the first of the critical elements that constitute the flow of a well-constructed novel. The others will follow naturally from this beginning. As the protagonist moves toward attaining his/her goal, obstacles arise. These intensify the conflict. Tension develops, and as the conflict is overcome, a period of momentary relief takes over until the protagonist stumbles over his/her next hurdle.

      That sequence occurs over and over again, until the final resolution is reached. At that point, the book ends with the protagonist either successfully accomplishing his/her goal or failing. In the vast majority of novels, the protagonist is successful.

       Of course, if this “roller coaster” of obstacles and resolutions is to be believable, it must be massaged to make each scene grow logically out of the ones that precede it. It must include strong development of the major characters to humanize them and make them believable.  

The degree to which the action, the characterizations and the narrative are logically integrated will determine the believability and the success of the book.

      Next week, we’ll dig deeper into these inside pages, and further explore the “roller coaster” ride that I referred to above. See you then 

Keep Writing! 

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FLORIDA PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION TO HOLD A

HIGHLY INFORMATIVE ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION 

April 25^th is the date for the unique round table discussion sponsored by the Florida Publishers Association. The one-day event will feature a most unusual program. The morning will be a discussion of problems individual attendees face. It will also be a chance to talk about them with fellow attendees and also view the vendor displays.  

After lunch, the afternoon will be devoted to tackling the most important questions raised that morning. Subjects will include book production, marketing, sales, e-books and much, much more.

The round table is designed to help publishers, authors, book publicists and others associated with the industry. So come loaded with profound questions for the experts to answer. 

E-mail Association Director Betsy Wright-Lampe at fpabooks@aol.com for a brochure. 

For those who seek better exposure in the library market, FPA will be exhibiting at the Florida Library Conference.  You are welcome to display your book(s) face out and provide give-aways. At last year’s show, the FPA won the Best Booth Award. Contact Betsy at the e-mail address above for a brochure. 

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SIGN OF THE (TOUGH) TIMES:

PAID ADVERTISING ON MAGAZINE COVERS 
 

It began with newspapers struggling keep their budgets out of the red. Ads appeared on the bottom of page one in several papers, with a stray occasionally sneaking up above the fold. Now the magazine world is jumping aboard the trend, despite the guidelines set forth by the American Society of Magazine Editors. 

Sid Holt, CEO of the Society, was quoted in Media Post on the subject. “The guidelines are very clear that the cover is editorial space and advertising should not appear,” but adds that “the Society doesn’t want to tell publishers how to operate their businesses.” 

The controversy surfaced again when Scholastic Parent & Child announced that a cover ad will appear in the April edition for the first time in the magazine’s history. Others are being planned as well. The ad will be labeled as an advertisement, a company official stated. 

The rationale put forth by advocates of the move cites newspaper page one ads (even the stately New York Times has been doing it for years) and home pages of web sites many of which are packed with advertising. Indeed, the situation has become so rampant that the Online Publishers Association recently formulated its own guidelines for digital publications. 

Frankly, guidelines are great, but within reason, bottom lines are pretty important too. With the major upheavals in the print publishing world and the squeeze of the economic meltdown, even the  cranky old news dog writing this blog is willing to cut publishers some slack. 

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