{"id":340,"date":"2020-11-20T11:32:13","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T11:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/?p=340"},"modified":"2023-03-03T15:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T15:45:23","slug":"5-tips-for-authors-meeting-publishers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/5-tips-for-authors-meeting-publishers\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Professional Tips For Authors Meeting Publishers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s not all that often that would-be authors get to meet publishers to pitch their work, but it happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mostly, literary agents<\/a> will take charge of sending your work out to publishers. Assuming there\u2019s interest in your work, publishers will come back with offers and then, when you do meet publishers face-to-face, they are pitching to you much more than you to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that\u2019s not the only way it can happen. Recently, a client of ours was in New York for three meetings with major New York based publishers. He had a UK deal from a wonderful London-based publisher and one in Germany. In the US, though, publishers<\/a> wanted to meet him before committing to an offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They wanted that meeting not because of any real reservations they had about the manuscript. If they hadn\u2019t liked the material, they wouldn\u2019t have asked for the meeting. They just wanted to see the author himself. See if he could present himself well to the media. See if his vision for the book was the same as theirs. See also if they liked<\/em> him<\/a>. After all, your working relationship with a publisher will certainly last a year and perhaps considerably more, so you might as well like the person you\u2019re to be working with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if something like this happens to you, at any point in the process, it\u2019s good to be prepared. To that end, some rules!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Be Nice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first commandment of publishing<\/a>. The book deal you’re involved in is unlikely to involve vast sums of money, for you or your agent or your publisher – so be nice. That can make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2) Be Professional<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Know the things you ought to know, and have that information ready to hand. What’s the word count of your manuscript? If it isn’t yet complete, when do you plan to deliver it? Who are other major authors in your genre? Or some comp-titles, whether soon to be released or recently burning up the bestseller lists?
Let them know who you<\/em> are, too. Be prepared to talk about your social media following, that piece you wrote for that blog, or anything else that can help them get to know the author behind the pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3) Look Sharp<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to popular belief, publishers aren’t just chasing books by the young and the beautiful. But that doesn’t mean you can’t comb your hair, dress decently, take that little extra smidge of care – show them that the meeting matters to you, not that it was something for which you barely deigned to roll out of bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4) Ask Questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s fine to ask questions of your potential publisher. When would they schedule release? What format would they release it in? And at what price? When does the e-book come out, and at what price? How would they think about marketing it? What kind of cover design do they have in mind? (They won\u2019t have a cover design planned, but they\u2019ll may be able to tell you \u2013 or ideally show you \u2013 the approximate kind of cover they\u2019ll be considering.) What success have they had with similar books in this area? It\u2019s fine to ask about numbers. How many hardbacks, how many paperbacks, how many ebooks? You learn a lot from these questions, and you make it clear that you are a professional and will work professionally with your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5) Listen to Your Literary Agent<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your agent will already know these publishers<\/a> and quite likely the exact people sitting round the table from you. If your agent steers you in or away from a particular direction, then take that guidance. That\u2019s true anyway, but it\u2019s extra true if you\u2019re in a geographical market not your own: a US author pitching to a London publisher, a UK author pitching to a New York publisher. In the first instance, you will almost certainly have a UK literary agent sitting beside you, a US agent next to you in the second case. Those people are there to help you. Accept their help with gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

And remember, you can go into those meetings with good heart. You\u2019ve been invited because someone loves your manuscript and just needs a little help to make it all the way to a formal offer. You haven\u2019t quite closed the deal yet, but you\u2019re inches away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now go and close it. Good luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not all that often that would-be authors get to meet publishers to pitch their work, but it happens. Mostly, literary agents will take charge of sending your work out to publishers. Assuming there\u2019s interest in your work, publishers will come back with offers and then, when you do meet publishers face-to-face, they are pitching<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":479422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[27486],"class_list":["post-340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-publishing-industry","tag-get-published"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nJericho Writers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Got an offer of a book deal? Or getting close? Here's what you need to know before you go out and meet publishers. 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