Rant warning.
I’m going to say something, and if you’re an aspiring writer, you’re going to ignore me. I know this. I know this because you’ve heard it before, and you didn’t listen then. I know this because I have heard it a ton of times myself, and I spent most of those not listening. But I’m going to say it anyway, in the hopes that though you won’t listen, it might sink in a little bit, so that it will only take another hundred or so times of someone else saying it that it finally creates enough momentum in your eardrums so that it’s not ignored.
STOP FOCUSING ON STATISTICS.
Stop asking agents or editors what percentage of books they request from a query letter, or what percentage of requested manuscripts they make an offer for, or how many new authors they sign on in a given period of time. There is flood and drought. I only know of a few instances where someone has a “quota.” And their quota is never as high as the possibilities.
Stop asking what your chances are of getting published. This isn’t a lottery. They aren’t picking your book out of a hat. If you have a really good book, your chances are good. If you don’t have a good book, your chances are wretched. (stolen from Theresa Nielsen Hayden, but all the more true considering the source)
Stop looking for a secret handshake. There is no secret handshake. There are many doors. Don’t try to figure out the best way to write a book or sell a book. There is no best way. There’s only the best way for you. Stop studying. Start writing.
Stop thinking that if you chase a trend, you have “a better chance” to get published. You’ve got it backwards. It’s not about the trend. It’s about the book. If you have a great book, and it happens to be trendy, you have a better chance of it getting published than if you have a great book, but it’s not trendy. If you don’t have a great book, it almost definitely doesn’t matter whether it’s trendy or not.
Stop asking an author how many books they wrote before they sold, how many rejections they got before they got an offer, how many contests they won before someone requested something, how many years they worked at it before something happened. They are not you. Their writing is not your writing. The time that they first sold is not the time that you first sold. Even if it was a few months ago.
Stop asking how much a writer typically makes on this contract, that contract, the other contract. Stop asking which subgenre makes the most. Some writers make a lot. Some writers make a little. Most writers can’t figure out why. There is no standard. There is no typical. Some people’s first contracts are worth a hundred times some other people’s first contracts. For books of the same length. In the same genre. If people actually knew a foolproof way to make more money, this wouldn’t be the case. Your question is akin to asking how much a business typically makes. A child’s lemonade stand is not Microsoft.
Seriously. Just stop. You are trying to introduce controls on something that doesn’t have a control. Knowing how many queries receive rejections from a given agent is not going to tell you a single thing about the likelihood of your query receiving a rejection, unless the answer is “all of them, because I’m not taking on new clients.” And even then, not so much.
I understand the pain. Honestly, I do. I’m a very analytical person, and I like studying up on statistics as much as the next person. And I, too, find it frustrating that I can’t give you statistics. But I don’t think they mean anything. A few years ago, someone wrote an article in the RWA that was a statistcal study of Golden Heart finalists, and what happened to them after they finalled: how long it took for them to sell, whether they sold that manuscript, whether they got an agent, etc. Let me tell you, the answers were all over the map. And in the end, they didn’t mean anything. When you ask an agent what percentage of clients she takes, you not only have to ask her that, but yo have to ask based on the quality of your manuscript, the genre you are writing in, and how recently a particular editor called her to say she was looking for something just like you wrote.
Do you see how useless it is? Because this isn’t about numbers. It’s about words. And you just can’t quantify that.
So stop trying. Write. Write the best book you can, and you’ll see that the statistics don’t apply to you at all.
February 28th, 2006 at 8:20 am
It’s not even funny how on the ball this blog entry is… I’d know because I just sold (EEEEKKK!!!) and throughout the whole process I kept asking myself those same questions. It’s tough to ignore the trends and to worry about them (everyone’s all over YA… I refuse to do YA) but really, by the time you finish your manuscript, the trend would have left you in the dust. If you can tweek your original idea to make it more trendy and “high concept”, do it (my novel didn’t start out as a multicultural… it just morphed into that after several rewrites and when I saw that was the aspect people responded to most). So WRITE THAT BOOK and ignore the rest. And make sure that you know it’s the best book YOU could have written, don’t compare yourself to anyone out there, published or not.
February 28th, 2006 at 8:28 am
I totally agree, except for one point. Looking at how how many books they write before selling. Why? Simply encouragement. Knowing that a successful author’s first 13 books didn’t sell, is motivating for the person who just had their first book rejected. So, that’s a good thing, in that it shows that persistence can pay off if the work improves. But, finding meaning in statistics, there isn’t any. Your analogy of the lottery is dead on. It’s just all about the writing. If yours is good, and timely, your odds of selling are also good.
February 28th, 2006 at 9:21 am
Nadine!!!!! Details, girl!
Pam, I agree about the encouragment, but after I posted how many books I wrote before selling in my FAQ post a month or so back, it turned into this huge discussion elsewhere about how they might as well give up since they’d written way more than four books and for way more than three years, and people were only buying books by blonde cover model Yale grads and blah blah blech. So you may be asking for encouragement, but there are a LOT of people out there asking for comparison, and it’s worthless.
(these people casting aspersions weren’t even writng in the same genre, nor had they started in the same decade!)
February 28th, 2006 at 9:57 am
Thank you, Diana! As always a spot-on and entertaining post.
February 28th, 2006 at 10:00 am
Thanks for this post. Seriously. I think I’ll print it out and put it up where I can stare at it.
I agree with Pam, though, I get encouragement from the number of books someone wrote before they sold. Also, when I get asked for a partial, it’s encouraging to know that so few queries even get that far. So statistics are sort of a double-edged sword.
I think the problem is that writing is such a solitary occupation, we’re all sitting alone in front of our computers saying, “Is everyone else finding it this hard? Am I the only one?” and we’re looking for a little validation, you know?
As for trends - bah. I wrote about that in my own blog, it’s ridiculously easy to drive yourself insane over trends!!
February 28th, 2006 at 10:28 am
I think it depends what the asker is looking for…if it’s me or Abby, we’re looking for information that will encourage us. I suspect the others are looking for an excuse or reason to give up. Just depends if you are a glass half-full or half-empty kind of person. When it comes to statistics, you make them mean just about anything, even when they mean nothing at all. (says the girl who used to sell advertising, and would often point out that her radio station was number one…even if it was in an obscure time slot.
Numbers can be manipulated in many different ways, depending on what you are looking for.
But, overall, I agree that one person’s experience has little bearing on someone else’s, totally unrelated.
February 28th, 2006 at 10:36 am
Interesting post, Diana. And also interesting how different everyone’s points of view. I agree completely that the only way to actually get agents and editors to notice your writing it to write a great book.
But, I’ve asked these same questions…or most of them. I don’t think I’ve ever asked someone how much they made. But, it was the glimmer of hope I was looking for. I was hoping to see some of tose numbers come down in my favor. Hoping to hear a compelling story–one that maybe mirrored mine–so I’d feel encourgaed to keep writing. Always about the hope, ya know, because I’m a dreamer.
But, it’s so important, as you said, to not get caught up in the numbers. To see them or hear them, then focus on the writing. Good post.
February 28th, 2006 at 10:38 am
Well, then I guess it’s a dang good thing I suck at numbers because that’s kept me from over-analyzing the stats. As if I needed something else to obsess about as to why I’m still teetering on the edge of being published. LOL! But ALL good points, Diana!
Christina
February 28th, 2006 at 10:48 am
Diana, have I told you how much I love you lately??? Fantastic post! And while the accountant in me would love to put some statistics to this crazy biz, there’s those other accounting principals of “relevance” and “reliability” that make it completely useless.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:07 am
Well, pAm, and renee, I think the key word in “stop focusing on statistics” is “focusing.” It’s the focusing that’s the problem.
You can ask, but don’t think about it too hard, since it’s really beside the point.
Listen to the accountant. Relevance and reliability. What she said.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:28 am
Well the bottom line is: WRITE or you won’t get published at all.
The rest is fluff.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:29 am
I’m not focusing hard on it by any means. I just think it’s fun, and interesting. And most people whether they admit it or not, are curious about what other writer’s experiences are. I’m encouraged by those who stick with it, and find success.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Let me put it this way. You can study a baseball player’s RBI andbatting average until the cows come home, but it’s not going to teach you how to hit them out of the park.
That’s what I’m saying. Curiosity isn’t the problem. Caring is. When someone says, “before i start this writing thing, can you tell me how long it’s goign to take me to make this much per year?” I start to laugh.
February 28th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Actually, I think every writer MUST know this stuff. Because the very vast majority come into this business with no clue what they’re up against. I don’t know how many individuals are really “focusing” on it–it’s just that a lot are examining the realities.
Also, it’s valid to find out how many submissions a particular agent gets, and how many he/she signs from that batch, because a large part of our success hinges on how much competition there is. If there are only three authors writing in a particular subgenre, your chance of success is higher. If one agent has 75 clients and is taking on one a year, and another has 40 and is taking on several a year, where are your chances better?
The batting average analogy isn’t apt because that’s a batter who has already succeeded in making the big leagues. A better comparison is analyzing how many players in high school and college are trying to get a spot on a major league team.
February 28th, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Well, I did warn you all that no one was going to listen to me.
Your chances aren’t better, Natalie. You can get a rejection from a brand new agent desperate for clients because she doesn’t like your books and an offer from one who has shut her door to unsolicited queries but she fell in love with your book. Studying up on “chances” is pointless.
And my baseball analogy most certainly is apt. Studying a successful player’s batting average isn’t going to help you bat. Period.
February 28th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
I like this post, Diana! I’ve never understood the need to know the stats info. I’m one of those stubborn sorts who figures it doesn’t apply to me anyway.
I DO love to know things about other writers though, like how many manuscripts are under the bed, how many rejections they got, etc, because it gives me hope and encouragement. Knowing you sold in three years or whatever doesn’t mean to me that I’m behind the power curve. I know why I haven’t sold yet. It has nothing to do with anyone else and everything to do with me and what I’ve done/not done.
I don’t think knowing this info is bad, necessarily, but focusing on it can’t be productive, IMO.
February 28th, 2006 at 1:36 pm
And most people whether they admit it or not, are curious about what other writer’s experiences are.
i don’t agree with this at all, despite the “whether they admit it or not.” i know plenty of people who all they do is be curious about other people’s writing style, habbits, what’s worked, etc. it’s more than a curiousity. it’s an obsession. an information obsession that prevents them from shutting the heck up and writing their own stories. i think what the point diana is trying to make here is that you have to WRITE the book. stop with all the ancillary things that distract you and take your eye away from the word processing document: blogs, industry news, message boards, news articles, writer forums, agent pages, everything and all of it. it’s great to be informed, but at some point — if you really want to be a writer — you’ve got to put your money where your fingers are. a comparison i can think of is playing the piano. you can listen to bach and beethoven, you can get that video tape of how to play in just two weeks. you can spend thousands of dollars on a piano and cover the bench in crush velvet and put candelabras on it like that guy from the 70s in the sequin suits, but until you sit down and put your fingers on the ivory keys and actually bungle your way through something you’ll never be a piano player. you’ll just be a fan of piano. same applies to writing.
February 28th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Wow, everyone has an opinion on this one.
I completely and totally (yes, I know that’s redundant) agree with Diana on this one. Because she’s right. Every single book is different from every single other book, and knowing how quickly (or for how much, or to whom) another book sold isn’t going to tell you squat about how your own book will do. Know the market, if you think it will help. But knowing someone else’s statistics won’t help you.
Now, having said that, I’ll also admit to being one of those obsessed-with-the-numbers kind of people. I can’t help it. And it didn’t stop after the sale. Now I study sales figures by genre, first print run sizes, and percentage of my publisher’s authors who earn out their advances.
It’s an unhealthy habit. Maybe I’ll give up statistics for Lent.
February 28th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Great post, Diana. It calls to mind an athlete in a race who keeps glancing at what others in the pack are doing–typically, that racer stumbles and falls or misses a win.
I agree that statistics are largely meaningless; even as agents, it takes years to be able to truly “read” how a submission is doing out of the gate (unless it’s just absurdly obvious.) If it takes agents years to hone their ability to interpret buying signs, smoke signals and other publishing totems, then authors should realize their own efforts are likely going to frustrate them.
While I recognize this post was more about the practice of comparing “sideways” to other authors, I think the above example still holds true because it’s ultimately about inexperienced authors trying to “call” the race based on some kind of voodoo.
Great wisdom here! Every person charts their own path, so why compare to others when that comparison may be largely meaningless?
Deidre
February 28th, 2006 at 4:49 pm
>>Well, I did warn you all that no one was going to listen to me.
I realize the post refers primarily to individuals who focus on stats so much their writing output is stymied, but just because someone has a different viewpoint doesn’t mean they didn’t ‘listen to you’. No-one here, including Natalie, is suggesting one should put aside actual writing for analyzing stats and market realities–just that being aware of them isn’t an automatic trip to Obsessionville. It’s not always about comparison. Sometimes it’s just about knowledge.
And yeah, one does have a better chance with an agent (or editor) who’s actively seeking clients than one with a full list or who doesn’t welcome anything unsolicited. It’s no guarantee and no reason NOT to query agents who seem unapproachable, but the odds themselves are pure logic.
Ellie M.
February 28th, 2006 at 5:20 pm
The odds themselves cannot be pure logic, because whether or not one gets an offer from ANY agent is all a matter of taste. As I said earlier. This isn’t about odds or logic. You aren’t playing with a deck of cards. Or if you are, every single card in the deck has a different value.
My point in this post has always been that asking these questions, like questions about “how many novels that you request do you buy” is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS pointless. Always. And this is why:
1) the editor says “Oh, maybe one percent.”
2) the author tracks the blogs to hear who else got a rejection.
3) The author hears about 99 rejections.
4) the author is certain she sold.
I saw it happen just the other day when Agent Kristen Nelson blogged about her request rate. All over the blog and my email loops, people were talking about the percentage they fell into and how they should feel “lucky” about that percentage, and blah blah blah. Luck had nothing to do with it. She wasn’t picking names out of a hat to request.
And not a week goes by on Miss Snark’s blog that someone doesn’t ask the same question.
And a few weeks ago, on my blog, when I tried to make an innocent statement about my own path to publication, it turned into an enormous examination where the example of me was supposed to somehow serve as proof that no one else taking part in that discussion would get published, becuase of my stats versus their stats.
A erotica writer friend of mine was recently answering questions at a romance writing website, and EVERY SINGLE QUESTION was about percentages. What percentage of pages should be about sex? What percentage of body words should be dirty? What percentage of different sexual acts should be in the book? And no matter how many times she said, “whatever works for the book” and “I don’t think you should think of it like that” and “it’s not about the page count, it’s about the punch,” sure enough, the very next question was asking about statistics again. As if that was what mattered, and not the story.
Yes, I believe in knowledge. Yes, I believe in watching trends and trying to capitalize on your strengths. yes, I believe in getting as much info as you can so that you can go into this business with your eyes wide open.
This isn’t about curiosity. As I said in my orignal post, I’m not above curiosity. I’m massively curious. MASSIVELY. the people who are repeatedly and regularly asking about percentages and chances and whatnot are no longer curious. they are focusing on the statistics.
They’re the ones who say that they aren’t going to submit to such and such agent, because she posted on her blog that she only requests one out of 150 queries. They’re the ones who decide to write crap vampire novels, then complain when they don’t sell them because they thought they’d have a “better chance” to sell, because it was so trendy. They’re the ones who spend years, YEARS, writing bad category romance novels and getting rejected and still writing bad category romance novels, because “all the big ones started in category.”
Ask the question, get the answer, then ask yourself, are you any closer to achieving your goal because you have that answer?
What I meant when I said “no one will listen” is that “no one will believe me.” If you disagree with me, then obviously you don’t believe me. Right? Which is fine. And is what I said would happen. After all, I barely believe me. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
February 28th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Faboulous rant, Diana. No one rants the way you do. Yay you!
It’s way too easy to get caught up in all the side issues when what we really should be doing is writing. This applies just as much to published writers as it does to unpublished ones. Obsessing about awards and reviews and our (largely meaningless) Amazon numbers all gets in the way of the one thing we should be doing: writing the very best books we can.
Speaking of which . . .
February 28th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Wow…I just miss out on everything when I’m slaving away at work. LOL! Great post, great rant and all very good, sound advice, D. If you can get through to one person, help out one newbie or jolt one fence sitter off, then you’ve done your work.
I guess I’m an odd body ’cause I’ve never gotten into the statistics or what a certain writer’s doing or not doing or how many manuscripts they’ve got. I just figure when they sell it’s because they wrote something editors and agents couldn’t walk away from.
For example, your book. And since there are people who might think you magically waved a want and voila…auction quality book…well, let me tell you, I’ve read pretty much everything Diana’s written. And while her writing has been excellent, creative, entertaining, crisp and professional…it wasn’t until she wrote Society Girl that I had that lump in my throat and that 100% sense that *this* was the book.
So, keep writing your good books. As Diana says…just write!
Good luck everyone!
Marley = )
February 28th, 2006 at 7:49 pm
Every time I read your blog, I feel like sending you a thank you card. It’s exactly what I need.
February 28th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
OMG. Diana, I just started reading your blog about two weeks ago when I discovered the amazing entertainment value of blogs in general… does every topic get this much attention??
Parting thoughts… I agree that you should be informed as to what’s hot and what’s not, and who can blame people for wanting to stay on top of the industry? But, and I think this what what Diana meant, how many of us started out with dreams about how much money we could make and when we’d be able to quit our day jobs, and we wanted to know how long we’d have to toil at this quasi-masochistic, sucker-for-punishment hobby before we ‘made it’ [insert whatever that means to you here]. That was, of course, before the writing bug overtook us and we discovered that when we managed to park our rear ends in front of our computers, we really did enjoy writing. Not just the idea of writing, but the actual art, for its own sake. It’s a nuance, I think, reading up on stats as a means of living vicariously through other writers and genuine curiosity. It’s too easy to get caught up with everything surrounding writing (blogs, RWR, loops, etc) and to put the lofty ‘I wanna be a writer’ dream ahead of the actual work itself.
And Thanks Diana!!! I’ll be posting details on the chicklit loop tomorrow when the deal is sealed (just got the call yesterday… we’re waiting for a counter-offer that’s due any minute now). It’s actually from TOR, same house that’s publishing Shannon’s Venus Envy (another blog that distracts me from writing…).