MISC.WRITING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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8.0 What is a vanity or subsidy publisher?

You pay a vanity publisher to turn your manuscript into a book. There is nothing wrong with this, per se--as long as you realize that *you* are responsible for all the costs of printing and binding. The vanity publisher will not market your book, store the copies, ship the copies (other than to your address) or do anything else that a royalty publisher will do after they buy your book.

(What's a royalty publisher? One who buys your book, markets it, sells lots of copies, and sends you the royalties. You do not pay them--they pay you. This is the goal for which most writers aim. Royalty publishers also place books in bookstores, get them reviewed in newspapers and magazines, send authors on book tours--things that vanity publishers never do.)

Subsidy publishers fall between these two types. A subsidy publisher asks that you pay something towards the cost of printing and/or marketing your book; i.e., you subsidize some or most of the publishing costs. Subsidy publishers sometimes will market your book and perform other services, often for an additional fee.

Note that many retail booksellers pay no attention to the order lists from subsidy publishers. Reviewers ignore the books sent them by subsidy publishers. Because of this, even a good faith attempt to market your book by a subsidy publisher may fail to earn any money.

8.1 Are vanity/subsidy publishers legitimate?

It depends. If all you want is your book printed and bound, then a vanity/subsidy publisher might suit you well (although a local printer may do the job as well or better for less money.) If your book appeals to a very narrow market and you are willing to sell it yourself then a subsidy publisher might fill the bill for you. However, small presses, regional publishing houses, and university presses often accept niche books. Self-publishing, in which you do the printing, binding, marketing, and all the other chores, also might be a viable option. Consider all the costs and the work involved carefully before deciding.

Several vanity/subsidy publishers masquerade as royalty publishers. They solicit manuscripts and accept a writer's work just like the royalty publishers but their contracts require you to pay. Stay away from these companies; charging to publish a book is not illegal but duping people into paying for publication is wrong.

A listing of duplicitous companies in this FAQ undoubtedly would bring me lawsuits. As a general rule of thumb, if the publisher fails to mention its fees up front then run from them as fast as possible. Reputable publishers, like reputable agents, do not charge hidden fees.

9.0 Do I need an agent?

Markets that only accept submissions through agents: o Mainstream fiction (not SF, romance, or mystery) o Screenplays and teleplays (studios won't read unsolicited submissions for fear of copyright lawsuits.)

Most other markets still read their own slushpiles, so you can cut out the middleman by submitting your fiction directly. If you're concerned about your ability to negotiate, you can always get an agent after you've made the sale through the slushpile.

Markets agents aren't normally interested in: o Short fiction (not enough money in it)

Things agents generally won't do:

• Rewrite/edit your work (they don't have time)
• Handle several genres (e.g. romances and screenplays and cookbooks)
• Serve as a crying towel

9.1 How do I get an agent?

The easiest method:
Sell your book to a publisher. Then write letters to agents, asking them if they'd like to earn their 15%.

Somewhat harder:
Send the book over-the-transom to agents who are looking for new clients.

A colossal waste of money:
Pay somebody an up-front reading fee. There have been a very few exceptions, but 99.9 per cent of all decent agents don't charge up-front reading fees; they make their money by *selling* your book, not by reading it.

[The times, they are a-changing. As the function of slushpile weeding is shifting from publisher to agent, many agents see reading fees as the only way to recoup their costs. It is still true that you should try to find an agent who doesn't charge a fee first, and that you should check the credentials of fee-demanding agents very carefully -- make sure that their major source of funds is selling writers, not reading manuscripts.]

9.2 What do agents charge?

Agents should not charge authors up-front fees for copying, telephone calls, et cetera; this money should come out of the agent's percentage of the gross. The standard agent's fee for fiction seems to have risen to 15 per cent. Agents' fees for screenplays are reported to have remained at 10 per cent.

10.0 What professional groups are useful for writers?

That depends on the writer's goals, needs, and desires. Some obtain much benefit and support from writers' organizations; others prefer to go it alone. The organizations listed below were suggested or recommended by the denizens of misc.writing.

10.1 Australia

Street Address: 181 Lawson St Redfern Sydney, New South Wales Australia

Postal Address: PO Box 788 Stawberry Hills, New South Wales Australia 2012

Australia's national arts body; covers grants, cultural exchange, advisory role to Federal Government, promotion of Australian Arts and Artists overseas and general promotion of the arts.

These are community centres that provide advice and services to writers. The type of services varies from state to state though most include a newsletter, courses in writing, advice with writing and some advocacy services on behalf of writers to State and Federal governments.

Has a list of independent booksellers, bookshops and major book chains in Australia.

The Web site includes a list of publishers in Australia.

10.2 Canada

Since 1921, the CAA has been Canada's national writing association, providing support to beginning and established writers alike.

National Office: 24 Ryerson Avenue Toronto, Ontario M5T 2P3 Phone: (416)703-8982 Fax: (416)703-0826 Email: twuc@the-wire.com

Pacific Office: 3102 Main Street, 3rd Floor Vancouver, B.C. V4A 3C7 Phone/Fax: (604) 874-1611 WWW: http://www.writersunion.ca/

Founded in 1973, The Writers' Union of Canada is a national organization of professional writers of books for the general public.

The Periodical Writers Association of Canada is a non-profit organization founded in 1976. The PWAC mandate is to protect and promote the craft and livelihood of independent periodical writers.

The League of Canadian Poets, founded in 1966, is a non-profit association of professional publishing and performing poets in Canada. Its purpose is to enhance the status of poets and nurture a professional poetic community.

CANSCAIP members are professionals in the field of children's culture in three areas: writing, illustrating or performing. The aim of the Society is to promote the growth of children's literature in Canada and encourage the development of new writers, illustrators, and performers.

The Writers Guild is an organization of freelance writers working in film, television and radio production in Canada. The WGC negotiates, administers and enforces collective agreements that set out minimum rates, terms and conditions of work in the Guild's jurisdiction.

The CWC is the national association for professional practitioners of the crime writing genre in Canada. It provides a forum for the views of its members and promotes the publishing and sale of works created, edited, and published by its members.

PUC is the national, non-profit association of professional playwrights. It represents approximately 335 members, distributes more than 1,500 Canadian plays, and publishes 6-7 trade paperbacks annually.

SF Canada aims to provide a structure for socializing and maintaining links among members throughout Canada, from coast to coast to coast, in both official languages, and to promote the publishing and sale of works created, edited, and published by its members.

National Office:

Established in 1979, the EAC is a national body of both English- and French-language editors, with more than 800 members from coast to coast and 5 regional offices. EAC's members work in many forms of print (books, magazines, newsletters, corporate communications, and government reports, to name just a few) as well as various other media.