the blog of author, illustrator and designer Kris Waldherr

12.26

publishing 101: how does a book get sold?

We’re off for the holidays until January 2. During this period, every day I’ll be presenting one of my popular Publishing 101 posts. I hope it will inspire all you writers and illustrators for 2009!

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Some believe there are two answers to this question:

1. You mail your manuscript/book proposal to a publisher, wait a while, and then receive a contract in the mail.

2. You mail your manuscript/book proposal to a publisher, wait a while, and then receive a rejection letter in the mail.

In other words, it’s sort of like college. Either you get the thin envelope or, if you’re really lucky, the thick one. Right?

Not so fast — it’s more complicated than that. And Harold Underdown, the creative force behind The Purple Crayon*, has resolved to demystify the acquisitions process for us.

Acquisitions, in publishing speak, is the term used when a book is purchased for publication. I’m not sure why — maybe it sounds more important that way? On a related note, an editor who buys books is called an acquisitions editor. They differ from editorial assistants, assistant editors, copy editors, managing editors and any other type of editorial whatever — but that’s grist for another post.

Harold’s article “The Acquisition Process: From Submission to Contract” clearly points out all the stages that a manuscript passes through before it is acquired. Some might consider them similar to stations of the cross, since selling a book can take so very long and be so frustrating to the author-in-waiting.

He makes this very important point:

“Trade publishers get their possible future books sent to them through the submissions process and must choose between them. For those publishers, publishing begins with acquisition and depends upon it. Acquisition for a publisher is like planting seeds for a farmer, or creating new models for a car manufacturer: without it there would be no products to sell in the future, and therefore no income. And that begins to explain why publishers are so careful about what they acquire, and take so much time over it.

“Committing to publish one book means committing to spending or otherwise investing thousands of dollars in advances, staff time, plant costs, paper/printing/binding costs, marketing expenses, and the like, with income from the book not expected for at least a year (in the case of a ready-to-publish novel) and possibly not for several (for a picture book with an illustrator who can’t start right away, for example). A publisher must be sure that an acquired book fits within their budget. It must also fit within their list: most companies plan on a certain number or novels and a certain number of picture books per season, for example.

“Choosing the “wrong” book–one that will not, in the end, succeed–means losing not only the money spent on that book, but also losing the opportunity to acquire a different book . . . A publisher attempts to find the safer bets though a careful acquisition process.”

In other words, it’s not about you. It’s about them -- the publisher, the powers-that-be, the folks who pay the printer and sell the books. As an author, it’s sometimes easy to focus only on the other side of the fence. Your book may be the most wonderful thing since sliced bread. But if it doesn’t fit into a publisher’s list, if they can’t promote it effectively to make money off it, it’s not in their interest to publish it. Period.

My experiences with the acquisition process has been that it really varies by publisher. Some houses are remarkably decisive and will make a book offer within days. I’ve had this happen to me; it was breathtakingly exciting and surprising. There’s nothing like picking up the phone to hear your agent tell you good news.

Others are incredibly slow. One well-known art publisher took well over a year to decide to publish one of my book. During this time, I was asked to revise the manuscript, submit marketing plans, have various discussions with the editor; on the editorial side, they ran the book past several publishing committees, marketing departments and even their Barnes and Noble buyer. Talk about jumping through hoops! By the time that book was acquired, I felt like a well-trained circus animal.

But even after a positive decision has been made, there are other hurdles to master. Contracts negotiations can take time, as each party — author and publisher — parry for favorable terms. It can take months for contracts to be signed, advances (if there is one) to be paid.

Again, the style of the negotiations varies by publisher. Most houses are willing to meet you halfway on most points and will address your concerns fairly. Others will refuse to budge on anything and have a “take it or leave it” stance. These are publishers where it makes little difference if you have a literary agent or consult with the Author’s Guild. They treat everyone the same, for better and worse. It can be tempting to walk away, if the terms are too unappealing or the negotations too unpleasant. Sometimes it’s worth doing so, if you think you can sell the project to a more author-friendly house.

But in any case, the end result is the same. Books are acquired and published. They go forth into the world to meet their individual fates. Life — and art — goes on.

You can read the rest of Harold’s article here.

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*The Purple Crayon is an incredibly rich resource for anyone interested in publishing — illustrators, authors and editors. Though the website primarily concerns itself with children’s books, much of the information offered is applicable to trade publishing in general. There’s also a great selection of publishing-oriented links.

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Have a question about publishing, writing or illustrating books you’d like answered on Publishing 101? Send it to kris at kriswaldherr dot com.

Filed under publishing, publishing 101 | No Comments

12.24

holiday slow down

One of the many things I love about publishing is that publishing houses traditionally shut down for the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Not a creature is stirring, not even an editorial assistant: No deals are made, no manuscripts edited, no late hours to meet deadlines. It’s one of the few times of the year that an author can safely assume it’s safe to take off without missing some last minute work request. Even literary agents, those hard toiling movers and shakers of the publishing world, close down shop.

With this in mind, who am I to buck tradition? So I’ll be taking time off from my studio and gallery to rejuvenate with family and friends. I’ll also be using this period to set my intentions for the coming year. If 2009 is anything like 2008, it promises to be a busy one!

During this period, Kris Waldherr Art and Words gallery will be closed to the public from Wednesday, December 24. It will reopen with regular gallery hours on Friday, January 2nd.

However, this blog will still be going strong. Starting on December 26th, I’ve arranged for some of my more popular Publishing 101 posts to be reposted every day. Recently, I’ve had a number of people wander into the gallery asking about how to get published — yup, that age-old question! — so it seems time for them to reach a new audience.

I hope you’ll check in daily to read them. The topics covered range from getting published, literary agents, children’s book illustration and much more, all filtered through my twenty-plus years of experience in publishing.

In closing, I leave you with this painting, which was originally published in my book SACRED ANIMALS. It’s of Inari, the Japanese rice god, who is associated with prosperity and happiness. May it inspire the same for you this holiday season!

Filed under be-mused, publishing, publishing 101, studio and gallery | One Response

12.22

Doomed Queens blog tour!

It’s interesting being in post-publication mode. You’d think I’d already be onto the next book, but no — there’s still lots to do for Doomed Queens. Sometimes I think it’s almost as much work publicizing a book as it is creating it.

Aside from being very favorably reviewed in the New Yorker, Doomed Queens has been showcased in several gift guides and podcasts, including the very popular Modern Tonic (which aims to “restor[e] your faith in modern culture”). There’s also a Doomed Queens blog tour going on, with reviews, interviews and book giveaways. So far, Doomed Queens has been featured at:

Scandalous Women
The Duchess of Devonshire’s Gossip Guide to the 18th Century
The Raucous Royals
Marie Antoinette’s Gossip Guide to the 18th Century
The Gaian Tarot Journal
Tudor History Blog
Versailles and Beyond

I hope you’ll check them out for exclusive interviews with me, guest posts, and more.

Additional blogs will be participating in the Doomed Queens blog tour in the coming weeks. Oh, and if you have a blog or website for which you’d like to feature Doomed Queens, interview me, or host a book giveaway, I invite you to e-mail me at kris at kriswaldherr dot com for more information. I’d love to get you involved. This whole process has been a lot of fun.

PS: The lovely model for the above Boudicca illustration from Doomed Queens is my dear friend Lisa Hunt, who successfully won her Black Belt this month. Congrats, Lisa!

Filed under friends and colleagues, queens, reviews + press | No Comments

12.10

Doomed Queens in the New Yorker — and beyond

DOOMED QUEENS received a rave review yesterday in the New Yorker online:

“It isn’t often that one encounters a book that invites the reëmergence of childhood fantasies, then eviscerates them in a few words. Even less common is the book that manages to make the process utterly satisfying. Such is the rush I got from Kris Waldherr’s deliciously perverse “Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends from Cleopatra to Princess Di.” By the time I had progressed from Artemisia I (drowned) and Thessalonike (possibly transformed into a mermaid) to Oghul Ghaimish (allowed to commit suicide) and Alexandra Romanov (firing squad), I had been cured of any lingering dreams of becoming a princess.

Waldherr is an artist who creates tarot cards, among other objects, and her book is lavishly illustrated and accompanied by a set of paper dolls (a final sadistic flourish, perhaps?). But “Doomed Queens” is also a concise, humorous, and keenly observed history of women and power. “What was it about being royal that made so many women so vulnerable to losing their lives?” Waldherr writes in the introduction, continuing:

It has always been obvious that the female of the species holds the keys to the kingdom—the kingdom of life, that is. Without the fruit of the womb, humanity would crash and burn. Boo-hoo, what’s a power-loving man to do? To solve this problem, mating and relating is safely confined within the institution of matrimony and becomes sanctified with religious rites. The power of female fertility is harnessed, thus creating dynastic succession. Royal women who get uppity with the system get offed.

Waldherr’s book is framed as a series of cautionary tales. What does Marie Antoinette teach us? “When you play at being a peasant, you risk being killed by one.” Urraca of Castile? “Biology can be a bitch.” The playful didacticism makes the book seem geared toward younger readers, but older ones stand to benefit as well. On her Web site, Waldherr writes that she was drawn to queens because “it’s time for women to look into the shadow side of female empowerment, so we can better claim it.” With all the inane princess stories out there, a collection that highlights the historical downside is a welcome corrective.”

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I’m sure you can imagine how pleased I am by this! Also, DOOMED QUEENS has been featured in several gift guides, including Modern Tonic, the San Antonio Express News, and the Baltimore Sun.

There’s also a DOOMED QUEENS blog tour going on, with reviews, interviews and book giveaways. So far, Doomed Queens has been featured on:

Scandalous Women
The Duchess of Devonshire’s Gossip Guide to the 18th Century
The Raucous Royals
Marie Antoinette’s Gossip Guide to the 18th Century
The Gaian Tarot Journal
Tudor History Blog

More blogs will be participating in the coming weeks. Oh, and if you have a blog for which you’d like to feature Doomed Queens, interview me regarding Doomed Queens, or host a book giveaway, please download a press kit here.

Filed under Uncategorized, queens, reviews + press | One Response

12.09

retail therapy: Raucously Royal — with a giveaway!

It’s been a loooong time since my last retail therapy post. Well, I guess I have been kind of busy, with Doomed Queens and all. But with the holidays before us, it seems time to resurrect it. Plus, with the Doomed Queens blog tour underway, a host of wonderful new websites and books have come to my attention. (More on the Doomed Queens blog tour in a future post.)

One of these books is The Raucous Royals, which is given life by the prodigiously talented Carlyn Beccia. Beccia wrote, illustrated and designed The Raucous Royals. Accordingly, the book has a remarkable integration between text, design and art — something close to my heart, as anyone who knows my work would concur. The book is designed to look like part tabloid magazine, part graphic novel, part Ye Olde Master homage. Frankly, I’m amazed to learn that this is only Beccia’s second picture book; her debut was Who Put the B in Ballyhoo?, a circus-inspired alphabet.

(Yes, technically these are picture books marketed to children. But I think they’re really for any age — beautifully illustrated books are ageless — though The Raucous Royals is definitely slanted to an older audience than Ballyhoo. Figure kids over eight.) Anne Boleyn by Carlyn Beccia from The Raucous Royals

The core of The Raucous Royals is how history is “a Distillation of Rumors.”* Beccia writes: “Once a rumor is born, it never truly dies. Before television, tabloid magazines, and the Internet, rumors about royalty were started by clever jingles, silly cartoons, small books called pamphlets, and simple word of mouth.” From there, she deconstructs over a dozen rumors from the last five hundred years, starting with Vlad the Impader and finishing with England’s unfortunate George III.

It’s a fun romp, made all the livelier by Beccia’s knowing wit and clever art. All the wives of Henry VIII are there, including Anne Boleyn and her supposed sixth finger. Elizabeth and her cousin Mary Stuart are presented in a Rashomon-like format. I especially liked Beccia’s explanations of some of the stranger health obsessions of times past, such as “The Boil Butt Beautifier.” Apparently Louis XIV was prone to nasty boils on his… well, you get the idea!

The Princes in the Tower by Carlyn Beccia from The Raucous Royals A few rumors are lightly glossed over because of the juvenile market constraint. For example, Beccia plays coy in her presentation of Catherine the Great’s supposed death-by-horse. The rumor she offers: “Catherine the great empress of Russia, died after being crushed by her horse.” Um, well, only half the story there. But how else could you explain this to a G-rated audience without tipping toward a racy R rating? It’s a tricky thing — and this is one tale from history that is just too juicy to leave out.

I think The Raucous Royals would make a delectable gift for any history fan, especially if they’re on the younger side. I know if I’d had this book as a kid, I would eaten it up like coffee ice cream, my favorite childhood treat. So highly recommended for the holidays and beyond. I can imagine many a juicy school report being fueled by it. You can purchase it here.

Oh, and for the illustrators reading along, FYI: Beccia’s illustrations were created in Corel Painter and Photoshop, using a Wacom Cintiq. She has an art blog, in which she offers up some of her techniques — a great resource for anyone wanting to know “how’d she do that? — as well as art tutorials on The Raucous Royals official site.

Here’s the giveaway part: Win a copy of The Raucous Royals! Carlyn Beccia is generously offering us an autographed copy of as a giveaway. It will be raffled off in my next author newsletter, which is going out Wednesday. To be eligible for the Raucous Royal giveaway, enter your e-mail at the top of this page by Wednesday 12pm EST.

And may the most deserving subscriber win.