This was exactly what I needed to hear! I just signed with my agent in mid December, right before the whole industry shut down, and she's been great about communicating ideas and plans, but i was still a bit anxious about what I should be doing right now. Nice to know I can take it easy for a second :D
So glad you guys are back. I've missed your videos. Hope you enjoyed your time off with friends and family and I wish you all the best in the new year!
Teach us more about comps, in depth and specifically not just hypothetically. Not just that they are important but actual examples you see that bookends youtube audience can also evaluate and know. We need a round 2 of comps or more in depth look
Top quality video, James McGowan's book "Good Night, Oppy!" Is great, and the Art is Amazing. I hope someone makes art as amazing as it is for my books when I get them finished.
Thank you Ms. Jessica Faust, and Mr. James McGowan, and all at BookEnds, for the most generous, and empathetic sharing of your unique insights into the publishing industry. This, (and many of your other videos)is a wealth of information that is so valuable to authors. 🙏🏽🙌🏼❤
Hey guys, I hope you've enjoyed your break and the slower start to follow. I'd love a video specifically to help memoir authors. I've written mine and I'm in that query process. Thanks for all the helpful videos!
You've both covered such a vast array of topics with superb punch/ counter-punch that is unique on TH-cam. I'd love a video that covers how your clients begin a new project, since I'm beginning a second novel this spring.
Hello! I have a few questions. First, how are you and publishers dealing with the rise in submissions of AI generated works? Is there a process you have to check for authenticity and screen them out? Second, are there any genre trends you're seeing interest in from publishers this year?
From watching this channel for four years or more, I can tell you they'll mention this first to you and everyone, "Don't chase trends. Write the book YOU want to write. Write the book you never saw on the shelves that you believe deserves to be on the shelves. Write the book you love for you and then send it out to the world to query. Chasing trends always change constantly within the year. They'll even change halfway through the year. By the time you come upon a trend, and write that book on said trend, that trend will have moved on before you started querying."....I know I paraphrased, but that's the main key points that stuck with me from a few videos ago. Go to their main channel page, type in the search of a keyword to find the video you are looking for. There are at least ten videos that half pieces or whole explanations of this subject in their videos. It will save you time. Hope I helped you a bit to get you warmed up on this subject.
Hi! As agents, so far we haven't really run into a major problem with AI generated submissions; most of our AI considerations at this time are focused on trying to get AI clauses into publisher contracts to protect our authors from having their work fed into AI tools for training purposes. This is an ever-evolving conversation, though, and as AI generation becomes more capable of producing content that reads as being written by humans, surely there will be more consideration to this possibility at the query stage. And perhaps other agents are taking precautions regarding their queries now; we have not found that necessary so far. As for trends, we might be able to dedicate a video to talking about this, because covering so many genres will require a video! While we always say not to write to trends and to write what interests you, it's always good to keep an eye on the market and stay up to date!
You see, not all of us DO know that the industry basically closes down over Christmas!! I mean, who told us? I often find that it's easy for agents to assume we know things when we don't. Having said that, I DID spend some of the time regrouping and re-evaluating where I go from here.
Good info! It made me curious about your typical work week: What % of time is spent reading queries/requesting mss, vs. % reading fulls, vs. % editing mss before shopping them out, vs. % in contract negotiations, vs. % in putting out fires? How do you manage that complex workflow?
For fiction authors, having a social media account/platform doesn't matter, though it can work in your favor if you already have a massive following. It will almost never hurt a fiction author if they don't have a platform. But NONFICTION authors need to have some kind of platform; this can be on social media, but can also come from being renowned in their field, giving lots of talks/conferences, etc.
Happy New Year! The first questions that come to mind from the many I still have are as follows. I'd thought I'd figured out boutique verses full service literary agencies but seems gray like everything else! What about the ins and outs of book tours, if possible, from an agent's perspective? How about some talk on film adaptations especially from an agency like yours that doesn't scream film like ones that deal with actors and the like? I'd appreciate knowing what I'm looking through on PM when I see agents from different agencies selling, for example, film or foreign rights. How is this happening? Do agents specialize in certain aspects? Do y'all put the book out there, and agents just sell whatever they can? Would y'all talk more on what literary scouts are scouting? Please, forgive my lack of correct terms, etc. but on steep learning curve! TY📚
Happy new year!! Happy to see you guys back! I do have some questions: - Do agents ever represent comparable authors? If I have a dream agent that represented one of my comp titles is that a good match or not a good match? - How common is it for someone with an agent to not get published. Obviously an agent doesn’t guarantee publishing but what are your chances once you have representation?
Happy new year! Yes, sometimes agents do rep comparable authors! It's up to you how hard you play up the comp-for example, if the books are EXTREMELY similar you might want to downplay their similarities while still emphasizing that you think you could be a good fit because of one or two comparable elements; if the books just have a theme or character dynamic in common (that is, a big picture item), you can emphasize the similarities as a way of showing them why they might like your book. I won't say that agents never reject a book based on the fact that they already rep similar books. Established agents are often looking for books that fill gaps on their list rather than books that are similar to what they've already sold. But you can always try to emphasize similar big picture elements to appeal to them. An agent who always loves strong characters would love to know if your book is comped to another title on their list because of its strong characters! Unfortunately, it's really dependent on the genre and the success of the market whether books sell, and that's something even agents can't really predict. We'd like for the majority of the books we take on sub to succeed, but realistically speaking, a lot of them don't. But usually, we still believe in our authors and will keep taking other projects out on sub in hopes of finding one that sells!
Love your helpful videos. Though my novels have been getting published and selling since 2020 I have yet to secure an agent. However, I am determined to work with you guys. I will be reaching out again soon. We shall work together my friends. Love and light!
First off welcome back! Question: I selfpublished a title 18 years ago and immediately put a stop to any "advertising" the vanity publisher tried to sell me on. If I have completely rewritten the book, changed the title and even author name, can I attempt to query agents while I work on the sequel or do I have to give the vanity publisher my rewrite? I own all rights to the book.
You can try to query it, but you will still have to let the agent know that you are the original author and that you own the rights to the book, and tell them that it was published via a vanity press 18 years ago, so that they understand the history and also don't think that you've plagiarized it from yourself!
First, welcome back! I hope you both had a very restful and enjoyable break! I'm so glad you are back because I have been building up a running list of questions for you over the last few weeks. These are questions that I have tried researching but have found little to no information on (or conflicting information). So, I’m hoping you can help answer some of these! Thank you so much!! 1) How do you format when pasting the first five to ten pages directly into the body of an email? What is the industry standard for this? Do you insert any type of break between the query and the manuscript? Actual manuscript formatting is covered in a lot of videos and blogs, but I can’t find any info for formatting when you are instructed to paste it into the body of the email. 2) When an author has formatting visions, what is the best time to discuss that? What if an agent sees your standard formatting that you are required to submit and is stuck on that, but the actual formatting is important, not only to you as the author, but also one of the favorite features of your many beta readers? 3) Aside from the information contained in each, what are the differences in the actual formatting between a query letter, a synopsis, and the manuscript? 4) Several of the very large agencies, but also some of the smaller ones, have legal terms you must agree to when submitting. As a person who likes to read the fine print, I’ve stayed away from submitting to these agencies because the wording makes me nervous. Sections such as, “I recognize that you and your clients have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas which may be similar or identical to said material in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation... etc.,” are especially scary to me. Does this mean what I think it does? If I send them my material and they write their own version of it, I essentially gave them permission to do so? Please help me to understand the legalese.
Hi! 1. You should demarcate the query and sample in some way, but there's no specific format to use. You can do several line breaks, add some dashes (----) to separate it, make a CHAPTER 1 header that's bigger, etc. 2. You won't have to bring up formatting probably until they request more material off of your query. At that time, you can either submit your MS as a PDF (in the intended format) or if they request a Doc file, you can submit it with a warning that it should be read in a specific format for the best experience (for example, if it's a multimedia project). 3. Usually a query letter/synopsis/manuscript can all be formatted the same way, with standard formatting (12 pt font, double spaced, 1 inch margins, easy to read font like Times New Roman, etc.) 4. This should not be considered legal advice, but for your consideration: You would likely want to ask the specific agencies for clarification on any clauses that concern you, or consult with a literary lawyer if possible. My assumption is that they just mean that if another writer at their agency happens to have a similar idea to you in theme, plot, format, etc. either before or after you query the agency, it's entirely by coincidence and they don't want you to try to argue that you should be compensated for the "idea" just because you submitted to their agency at one point. But, again, please ask the agencies in question about clauses you have concerns with.
I have a question, please: With the success of Daisy Jones and The Six, is there an uptick in "interview format" style writing in historical fiction or nonfiction?
I could really use a video for self-advertising and social media. I am not active on it, and I know I should be, but where to start, how to find people, and especially how to be engaging - all of that makes me hesitant and anxious.
I also would love a video on the social media scene for writers in 2024. I’m overwhelmed, between Threads and X and TikTok and Discord and Instagram- it’s a lot!
![ทุกครั้งที่หลับตา (Lucid Dream) - AYLA's [ Official MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4i1OBAQyv58/mqdefault.jpg)
I signed with my agent in September after 8 years of querying and now we’re on sub!! This new year looks so promising! 😊
This was exactly what I needed to hear! I just signed with my agent in mid December, right before the whole industry shut down, and she's been great about communicating ideas and plans, but i was still a bit anxious about what I should be doing right now. Nice to know I can take it easy for a second :D
In the exact same boat here! Love they chose this topic!!
Thanking you both for sharing your valuable experience and insight with us all. Much appreciated. ❤
So glad you guys are back. I've missed your videos. Hope you enjoyed your time off with friends and family and I wish you all the best in the new year!
Teach us more about comps, in depth and specifically not just hypothetically. Not just that they are important but actual examples you see that bookends youtube audience can also evaluate and know. We need a round 2 of comps or more in depth look
Top quality video, James McGowan's book "Good Night, Oppy!" Is great, and the Art is Amazing. I hope someone makes art as amazing as it is for my books when I get them finished.
Thank you Ms. Jessica Faust, and Mr. James McGowan, and all at BookEnds, for the most generous, and empathetic sharing of your unique insights into the publishing industry.
This, (and many of your other videos)is a wealth of information that is so valuable to authors. 🙏🏽🙌🏼❤
Hey guys, I hope you've enjoyed your break and the slower start to follow. I'd love a video specifically to help memoir authors. I've written mine and I'm in that query process. Thanks for all the helpful videos!
Welcome back and Happy New Year! 🎉
You've both covered such a vast array of topics with superb punch/ counter-punch that is unique on TH-cam. I'd love a video that covers how your clients begin a new project, since I'm beginning a second novel this spring.
Hello! I have a few questions. First, how are you and publishers dealing with the rise in submissions of AI generated works? Is there a process you have to check for authenticity and screen them out? Second, are there any genre trends you're seeing interest in from publishers this year?
From watching this channel for four years or more, I can tell you they'll mention this first to you and everyone, "Don't chase trends. Write the book YOU want to write. Write the book you never saw on the shelves that you believe deserves to be on the shelves. Write the book you love for you and then send it out to the world to query. Chasing trends always change constantly within the year. They'll even change halfway through the year. By the time you come upon a trend, and write that book on said trend, that trend will have moved on before you started querying."....I know I paraphrased, but that's the main key points that stuck with me from a few videos ago. Go to their main channel page, type in the search of a keyword to find the video you are looking for. There are at least ten videos that half pieces or whole explanations of this subject in their videos. It will save you time. Hope I helped you a bit to get you warmed up on this subject.
Hi! As agents, so far we haven't really run into a major problem with AI generated submissions; most of our AI considerations at this time are focused on trying to get AI clauses into publisher contracts to protect our authors from having their work fed into AI tools for training purposes. This is an ever-evolving conversation, though, and as AI generation becomes more capable of producing content that reads as being written by humans, surely there will be more consideration to this possibility at the query stage. And perhaps other agents are taking precautions regarding their queries now; we have not found that necessary so far.
As for trends, we might be able to dedicate a video to talking about this, because covering so many genres will require a video! While we always say not to write to trends and to write what interests you, it's always good to keep an eye on the market and stay up to date!
You see, not all of us DO know that the industry basically closes down over Christmas!! I mean, who told us? I often find that it's easy for agents to assume we know things when we don't. Having said that, I DID spend some of the time regrouping and re-evaluating where I go from here.
Good info! It made me curious about your typical work week: What % of time is spent reading queries/requesting mss, vs. % reading fulls, vs. % editing mss before shopping them out, vs. % in contract negotiations, vs. % in putting out fires? How do you manage that complex workflow?
QUESTION: How do social media accounts influence your decisions regarding representation? (ex: number of followers, platforms, etc.)
For fiction authors, having a social media account/platform doesn't matter, though it can work in your favor if you already have a massive following. It will almost never hurt a fiction author if they don't have a platform. But NONFICTION authors need to have some kind of platform; this can be on social media, but can also come from being renowned in their field, giving lots of talks/conferences, etc.
Happy New Year! The first questions that come to mind from the many I still have are as follows. I'd thought I'd figured out boutique verses full service literary agencies but seems gray like everything else! What about the ins and outs of book tours, if possible, from an agent's perspective? How about some talk on film adaptations especially from an agency like yours that doesn't scream film like ones that deal with actors and the like? I'd appreciate knowing what I'm looking through on PM when I see agents from different agencies selling, for example, film or foreign rights. How is this happening? Do agents specialize in certain aspects? Do y'all put the book out there, and agents just sell whatever they can? Would y'all talk more on what literary scouts are scouting? Please, forgive my lack of correct terms, etc. but on steep learning curve! TY📚
Happy new year!! Happy to see you guys back!
I do have some questions:
- Do agents ever represent comparable authors? If I have a dream agent that represented one of my comp titles is that a good match or not a good match?
- How common is it for someone with an agent to not get published. Obviously an agent doesn’t guarantee publishing but what are your chances once you have representation?
Happy new year!
Yes, sometimes agents do rep comparable authors! It's up to you how hard you play up the comp-for example, if the books are EXTREMELY similar you might want to downplay their similarities while still emphasizing that you think you could be a good fit because of one or two comparable elements; if the books just have a theme or character dynamic in common (that is, a big picture item), you can emphasize the similarities as a way of showing them why they might like your book. I won't say that agents never reject a book based on the fact that they already rep similar books. Established agents are often looking for books that fill gaps on their list rather than books that are similar to what they've already sold. But you can always try to emphasize similar big picture elements to appeal to them. An agent who always loves strong characters would love to know if your book is comped to another title on their list because of its strong characters!
Unfortunately, it's really dependent on the genre and the success of the market whether books sell, and that's something even agents can't really predict. We'd like for the majority of the books we take on sub to succeed, but realistically speaking, a lot of them don't. But usually, we still believe in our authors and will keep taking other projects out on sub in hopes of finding one that sells!
Welcome back, today's topic was inspiring! Ready to start the New Year with you!
Love your helpful videos. Though my novels have been getting published and selling since 2020 I have yet to secure an agent. However, I am determined to work with you guys. I will be reaching out again soon. We shall work together my friends. Love and light!
First off welcome back!
Question: I selfpublished a title 18 years ago and immediately put a stop to any "advertising" the vanity publisher tried to sell me on.
If I have completely rewritten the book, changed the title and even author name, can I attempt to query agents while I work on the sequel or do I have to give the vanity publisher my rewrite?
I own all rights to the book.
You can try to query it, but you will still have to let the agent know that you are the original author and that you own the rights to the book, and tell them that it was published via a vanity press 18 years ago, so that they understand the history and also don't think that you've plagiarized it from yourself!
I love your channel ❤️ I would love to hear the best & worst book proposals you have gotten from authors
Glad y’all are back. I have my writing goals set for the year. Excited to see what videos you have coming out.
Glad to see you back!
Yay! Glad to see you guys back!!! Happy New Year. 🥳
How about Dos and Don'ts for authors when they are on sub with publishers
Happy New Year!
First, welcome back! I hope you both had a very restful and enjoyable break!
I'm so glad you are back because I have been building up a running list of questions for you over the last few weeks. These are questions that I have tried researching but have found little to no information on (or conflicting information). So, I’m hoping you can help answer some of these! Thank you so much!!
1) How do you format when pasting the first five to ten pages directly into the body of an email? What is the industry standard for this? Do you insert any type of break between the query and the manuscript? Actual manuscript formatting is covered in a lot of videos and blogs, but I can’t find any info for formatting when you are instructed to paste it into the body of the email.
2) When an author has formatting visions, what is the best time to discuss that? What if an agent sees your standard formatting that you are required to submit and is stuck on that, but the actual formatting is important, not only to you as the author, but also one of the favorite features of your many beta readers?
3) Aside from the information contained in each, what are the differences in the actual formatting between a query letter, a synopsis, and the manuscript?
4) Several of the very large agencies, but also some of the smaller ones, have legal terms you must agree to when submitting. As a person who likes to read the fine print, I’ve stayed away from submitting to these agencies because the wording makes me nervous. Sections such as, “I recognize that you and your clients have access to and/or may create or have created literary materials and ideas which may be similar or identical to said material in theme, idea, plot, format or other respects. I agree that I will not be entitled to any compensation... etc.,” are especially scary to me. Does this mean what I think it does? If I send them my material and they write their own version of it, I essentially gave them permission to do so? Please help me to understand the legalese.
Hi!
1. You should demarcate the query and sample in some way, but there's no specific format to use. You can do several line breaks, add some dashes (----) to separate it, make a CHAPTER 1 header that's bigger, etc.
2. You won't have to bring up formatting probably until they request more material off of your query. At that time, you can either submit your MS as a PDF (in the intended format) or if they request a Doc file, you can submit it with a warning that it should be read in a specific format for the best experience (for example, if it's a multimedia project).
3. Usually a query letter/synopsis/manuscript can all be formatted the same way, with standard formatting (12 pt font, double spaced, 1 inch margins, easy to read font like Times New Roman, etc.)
4. This should not be considered legal advice, but for your consideration: You would likely want to ask the specific agencies for clarification on any clauses that concern you, or consult with a literary lawyer if possible. My assumption is that they just mean that if another writer at their agency happens to have a similar idea to you in theme, plot, format, etc. either before or after you query the agency, it's entirely by coincidence and they don't want you to try to argue that you should be compensated for the "idea" just because you submitted to their agency at one point. But, again, please ask the agencies in question about clauses you have concerns with.
@@BookEndsLiterary Thank you so much!! You guys are my literary heroes! 🤩
James telling his boss that he doesn’t want to do any work for ten days 😂
Missed you guys!
I have a question, please: With the success of Daisy Jones and The Six, is there an uptick in "interview format" style writing in historical fiction or nonfiction?
This is all so helpful to hear - thank you so much!❤😊
They're back!
Love the videos. How about a video about what to do when you get dumped by your agent?
I could really use a video for self-advertising and social media. I am not active on it, and I know I should be, but where to start, how to find people, and especially how to be engaging - all of that makes me hesitant and anxious.
I also would love a video on the social media scene for writers in 2024. I’m overwhelmed, between Threads and X and TikTok and Discord and Instagram- it’s a lot!
What tops your TBR list for 2024?
maybe we'll do a "what we're excited for!" video :)
For James-When will you be accepting queries again?
We're not quite sure but please keep an eye out!
You are welcome! lol