Category Archives: etiquette

February 03, 2016   Jane   advice, etiquette, Jane, panels  
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Panel etiquette

Over the years, I have been asked to participate on a number of panels.  Some of the experiences have been very positive—I have learned a lot and met some really terrific people.  Some of them, however, have  been…less than perfect.

In order to understand exactly how a panel should proceed, I went on Google (but, of course) and found some good advice.   When things go smoothly, everyone has a good time.  Sadly, that’s not always the case.

A while back I was asked to be a part of a panel on the state of self-publishing.  Having a lot to say on the subject (and I thought a good amount of knowledge as well), I agreed.  Everything began positively,  but then one of the participants simply hijacked the proceedings and took over the discussion.  Soon, the panel moderator lost all control.  At the time, I vowed never to repeat that experience.

Last year, I moderated a panel, chose the participants and presided over a lively session.  That experience  was a good one.  I very briefly introduced myself and then each of the participants and made sure that each of them contributed equally to the discussion.  It was, I thought, very successful and I think the audience learned a great deal—and we all enjoyed ourselves.

Over the weekend, I again participated on a publishing panel.  This time, the moderator not only took far too long to relate her own story, but then interrupted me and the others in mid-speech. Everyone in the audience noticed and even commented on this afterward.  Her behavior was offensive and disrespectful and, because of this, I was unable to fully enjoy this particular event.

Panels are meant to inform and teach.  Moderators should use their position to control each speaker and support them and to move things along, not as a bully pulpit.  I think after this last experience (combined with some of my previous ones), I will limit the panels in which I participate in the future.  We publishing folks do these things in our free time and they take us away from other important activities.   I would much rather “teach”  and learn than be diminished by someone who either deliberately or through ignorance doesn’t follow the etiquette of panel participation.

What has your experience been as a participant in panels or audience member?

July 01, 2014   sharon   collecting, digital publishing, e-books, etiquette, libraries  
9

Whether a borrower or a lender to be…

I usually take a look at Twitter while I eat lunch and today this little gem, retweeted by publishing newsletter Shelf Awareness, caught my eye:

 

My first thought was, “Josh Malina is nicer than me.”

Now, in some ways I’m happy to lend books. If I loved a book, I want my friends to read it so that they can love it too – or so that we can argue about why we thought it was so good/not so good. Here in the DGLM office we often borrow books back and forth (DVDs too – in fact I currently have Lauren’s Sports Night DVDs, featuring the aforementioned Josh Malina – but I digress.) Books, staplers, post-its, everything is fair game in the office, right? Just don’t touch my peanut butter.

But sometimes I really, really love a book in a way that’s linked to a specific physical copy of a book. And then I’m verrrrrry reluctant to lend it out. Sometimes because I’ve scribbled notes all over it. Sometimes because I got it at an author event and it has a special inscription or signature. And sometimes, nonsensically, I loved the book so much that I want to hold on to the exact physical object that I held in my hands while I read it. The book is a physical symbol of that intangible and cherished reading experience.

I know this horcrux-like attitude doesn’t fit very nicely into the digital age. But the lending of books is a beloved part of the reading experience that hasn’t transitioned quite as easily to the e-books experience. It’s getting easier and easier to do it impersonally, whether you use the Kindle Lending Library, your city library, or subscription services like Oyster. It’s not so easy, however, for passionate readers to share e-books with each other like they could do with paperbacks – shared digital books often require both readers to use the same device or service, and usually come with time limits.

This is this kind of digital growing pain that has as much potential for excitement as for inconvenience. Think of the amazing new borrowing inventions that lie just around the corner! In the meantime, I’ll be separating my books into two categories: “Go Ahead, You’re Gonna Love It” and “Do Not Touch My Precious.”

Are you a free spirit when it comes to lending your books, or do you have precious no-touch copies like me?

 If you’re an e-book reader, what are your suggestions for improving options for e-book borrowing?  

April 09, 2014   Miriam   about us, agents, authors, competition, etiquette, finding an agent, getting published, Miriam  
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Time’s winged chariot

About two weekends ago, I found myself—as I usually do on a Sunday—ensconced in my favorite chair reading manuscripts and proposals.   I was engrossed in a novel which, despite its numerous structural problems, showed a lot of promise.  As I might have mentioned on this blog once, or a hundred times, I’m not a speed reader, so if the fiction manuscript I’m reading is any good I can kiss a big chunk of my day goodbye.

After Jane and I discussed the pros and cons of this particular novel, we offered the author representation if she was willing to do some significant revising.  (We’d had the book for about a week at this point.)  The author promptly responded that she loved feedback and was not at all averse to reworking the manuscript but she had just accepted another agent’s offer.  Fair enough, of course, and yet….

It bugged me that having plowed through the review process in near record time we never had a chance.  It doubly bugged me because I could have spent a chunk of my Sunday hanging out with my husband and son, running errands, taking that nap I’ve been needing since 2005, going for a walk outside on one of the few decent weather days in what’s been an epically bad winter…you know, what normal people do on Sundays.

I love my job and I enjoy the “development” (reading, editing, brainstorming) part of it tremendously so I don’t generally feel sorry for my lack of Sundays.  But, I also don’t like to waste my time.

This is the longwinded way of responding to those of you who ask about multiple submissions and the etiquette involved therein.  Basically, I say common sense rules, folks.    You should let agents know when you query them that the manuscript is out with others.  And, if an offer comes in, you should give everyone who has your material the chance to finish their review.  If the offer of representation is just too good to hold off on, then you should immediately contact the competing agents and tell them that the project is no longer available so that they can move on to the next thing in their piles.

In these days of electronic submissions, no one will get mad because you’ve gone to multiple agents (unless you do one of those mass e-mail things where everyone is listed; then all bets are off).  But it would be doing us a kindness if you were to keep us in the loop as to the submission’s progress.

Does this sound right to you or do you guys hold the Darwinian view that it’s survival of the fittest out there and tough noogies if you aren’t fast enough?  And, is there something you wish we’d do differently during the review process (and why)?

March 04, 2014   Jane   advice, etiquette, interview, Jane  
4

The informational interview

They say the economy is improving but, in publishing, it is still very difficult to get a job, especially at the entry level.  We are fortunate enough to have very little turnover in our staff  at DGLM so most of the interviews I do are “informational” – I am asked by friends or colleagues to speak to young college graduates about our business and advise them on how best to get an entry level job.

Last week I had just such an interview and it struck me afterward just how badly prepared the person I spoke with was.  So, even though this might not seem relevant to writers, I thought I’d share those things I deem important in interviews of all kinds.

1)      Dress appropriately.  Appearance matters, no matter what people say, and so wearing inappropriate clothes or outfits should be off limits.

2)      Research the company you are going to be interviewing at.  Know the kinds of books they represent or publish and be able to discuss a couple of them if at all possible.  In the same vein, try to research the person who will be interviewing you so that you are knowledgeable about their interests and achievements.

3)      Look the person with whom you are meeting in the eye.  There is nothing more distracting to me than someone who is talking to me and looking everywhere but at me.

4)      Express interest in whatever company you are interviewing at and in the job you are searching for.

5)      Ask appropriate questions both because you really want to know the answers and to show how interested you are.

6)      Finally, and this is most important, write a thank you note, preferably in long hand and mail it right after your interview.

As I said, this blog post is probably not appropriate for writers, but frankly, as I look over the above list, I think an author interviewing a new agent or meeting with a prospective publisher should definitely observe all of these rules as well.

Whether you are searching for a job, an agent, or a publisher, first impressions are most important and following the rules I have outlined here, I think, will serve you well.

September 14, 2011   Miriam   agents, authors, etiquette, fun, Miriam  
3

Handle with care

While Jane’s off gallivanting around the Middle East riding camels and taking in ancient history on her very well-earned vacation, I’ve been holding down the fort here at DGLM.  Really, the fort runs pretty smoothly on its own, but given the general state of my piles (I turn my back on them and they procreate), I find myself a bit more overwhelmed than usual this week.

So, instead of one of my lengthy, ruminative blog posts that I know many of you look forward to like the season finale of Dancing with the Stars (right? right?), I give you this link I came across a couple of weeks ago on the Huff Post.  It’s about the care and handling of agents, once you bag one, but I think it applies to most professional interaction, which mostly boils down to “don’t be annoying.”

Certainly, not being annoying is something we at DGLM are always striving for with abysmal levels of success.  And, we really do understand and empathize with our more neurotic clients when their craziness overwhelms their common sense, but we are also absurdly grateful when writers are well behaved and pleasant to interact with.  So, take a look at the piece and let me know which of these areas you find most challenging.

July 26, 2011   John   advice, etiquette, John, rejection, submissions  
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Responding to rejection

As one whose manners could always use improvement (well, table manners at least), I’m usually hesitant to weigh in on questions of etiquette. However, I got some emails this weeks that I thought were worth discussing…

Perhaps the only benefit of the recent heat wave is that things were quiet enough for me to catch up on submissions. Typically, I respond to queries with my standard form rejection, which I think is polite and honest in that it gives the ultimate reason why we chose not to take on any author’s work—we just don’t think we can sell it. Hence, when I do get an email back, it’s usually an equally polite thank-you note or a query about a new project, which I’m always happy to look at.

However, this time around I got a few replies from authors letting me know that while they were waiting for my answer, they either signed with another agent or got themselves a publishing deal. To which I say, congratulations… but why are you telling me this now, instead of when the interest in your project actually happened? Is it just to fill me in? Or is it to chastise me for being too slow? To show that my rejection doesn’t matter, since things worked out anyway?

Regardless of your motivation, telling me your news after you get the rejection means I just wasted time considering a project that wasn’t available anymore. So, a simple request: if you’ve got a submission with me and something develops, send me an email and tell me at the time—I’d love the opportunity to compete for your affection. (That’s why you initially queried me, right?) And if the message is that you’re withdrawing your work from consideration, then at least I can give you a genuine congrats!

March 21, 2011   Jane   etiquette, Jane, opinion, relationships  
16

Pet peeves, etc.

Every few months, I try to digest the things various clients have done that I wish they hadn’t.  I know many of our readers who, of course, are writers themselves and are seeking agents and editors, are interested in learning the etiquette of our business, so I thought I would throw out several things that tend to make us agents weepy or ragey:

When you make an appointment with your agent or your editor you should show up; more than once in recent weeks people who have confirmed appointments with us have not shown up and not called to say they weren’t coming (sometimes it was because the writer overslept or simply forgot).

Asking your agent to do all kinds of extra work for you and then saying you are going to use your lawyer to negotiate that particular movie or magazine contract.

Delivering a manuscript you haven’t previously checked carefully and thoroughly.

Being late with the delivery of your manuscript (sometimes way late) and assuming that your Publisher will grant you endless extensions.

Sending rude notes to your editor rather than first speaking to me so that I can run interference.

Finding everything that your editor throws out in terms of title, cover and copy wrong and not saying one positive thing.  (It isn’t smart to alienate your editor and your publisher especially before your book is published.)

Insisting that I submit your proposal to teeny tiny publishers and then being disappointed when the advance is almost non-existent.

Having unrealistic expectations in terms of the deal you are looking for and not sharing those expectations with me at the outset (so that I can clarify what is and isn’t possible).

Listening to the opinions of all of your friends and colleagues (many of whom are at odds about strategy and everything else).

Lying to me. If there is one thing I have zero tolerance for it is not telling the truth (unless you really, really don’t like my new shoes; I don’t need to know that).  This only happens once in any business relationship I have.

Needless to say, I don’t believe everything I have to say as an agent is correct but the bottom line is that I am here to provide advice and support and become frustrated when I am not used productively.

I wonder what your pet peeves are?  I am sure you have them and would be interested to hear.

January 31, 2011   Jane   etiquette, Jane, opinion  
9

Etiquette or the lack thereof in today’s publishing world

Since the beginning of the new year, I have observed some pretty unprofessional behavior in our business and it troubles me.  With all of the back and forth about publishing being in real economic trouble, I would think that, more than ever, we would want to work together, publishers, authors and agents  to help it survive and thrive.

I have noted this lack of good publishing etiquette in both my clients (one behaved in an especially unprofessional way when his project didn’t achieve the attention and advance offer he believed it deserved) but most especially I have witnessed it on the publishing side.

Just the other week, I had sent out a proposal I have very solid hopes for to an editor who had not only requested it but who had insisted, when her assistant editor had requested it before her, that I send it to her instead. A few days later when I called to follow up she proceeded to turn the project down saying that the people who had read it (she quite obviously hadn’t) didn’t think it was the kind of book she envisioned.  I was stunned.  Here she demands that I send the material to her rather than someone else on her staff who had asked for it and then she doesn’t even read it?  What is going on?

Authors work very, very hard on their proposals. It is true that some proposals are better than others, but I personally know that each and every one of our clients puts a great deal of time and thought into what s/he sends out into the market place; the least an editor can do is read and thoughtfully consider it.

Then there are those editors who request proposals and then never, ever respond.  We call, we send e-mails and yet it is just like throwing the material in the trash bin.  This kind of thoughtless behavior seems to be increasing as well.

A couple of weeks ago, I had lunch with one of the old timers in our business:  a retired editor, who had discovered some of the best books and writers of the last 45 to 50 years.   She wondered where all of the camaraderie between publishers and authors of her day had gone.  I had to agree with her that much of it seems to have gone the way of manual typewriters.

I fear that if this kind of behavior isn’t reversed, out business really will be in trouble.  This is something that can be fixed, with attention and better communication.  It is my sincere hope that both authors and most especially editors and publishers will sit up and pay attention to a problem that is relatively easy to solve…before it is too late.

Your thoughts, of course, are always welcome.

January 20, 2011   Michael   advice, conferences, etiquette, Michael  
31

Making the most of a conference

I had the pleasure of attending SCBWI Florida’s Wizarding World of Writing conference this past weekend.  It was a good event, and I met some talented writers and great people.  But I noticed something worth pointing out: for every person who came up and talked to me, there were at least five who smiled and nodded but didn’t actually speak with me.  Now, I’m making an assumption here, but I think those smiling and nodding folks probably wanted to talk to me.  I’m assuming that because they were at the conference.  And, if you’re going to get your money’s worth, you should be talking to the faculty!  I’m sure it’s easier for writers to talk to the featured authors; they can convey their appreciation for the author’s work and have a conversation between peers, at least of sorts.  I understand why  authors might find agents and editors  scary, but have you seen my picture?  I’m not exactly intimidating.  In fact, I think I’m pretty darn friendly!  I also love to talk to new authors, and I attend conferences not just to scout new talent, but to help people improve their craft.  Without interaction, it’s difficult to do that.  This doesn’t mean that you should be pitching indiscriminately, or interrupting someone’s workout, meal, drink or conversation.  You should still be polite.  But conferences usually offer ample networking time, and if you don’t take advantage of it, someone else will!

As anyone who works with me knows, I love to assign homework.  So for you dear blog readers, I have an assignment: the next time you attend a conference, introduce yourself to at least one agent or editor.  And if you’ve had a good experience speaking with an agent at a conference, let us know in the comments!

January 05, 2010   DG&B   advice, Chasya, Chasya's Questions Corner, etiquette, queries  
0

Chasya’s Questions Corner: On Resubmitting

by Chasya

Question:

I had a manuscript on submission and got double-digit requests for fulls. All were rejections. I had material out to a dozen or so agents when I realized, after a year plus of rejections, that the novel wasn’t publishable. I withdrew my manuscript from submission from all the agents and told them I was doing a massive overhaul. All agreed to look at the new work when I was finished. Fast forward two years: I saved about 25% of the old MS, added some subplots, tweaked some characters, and heavily revised the plot. I’ll be ready to query soon. I would first like to approach the agents from whom I withdrew the original MS. I still have all the emails, but is it too late to approach them and say, “hey, remember me? I’m back! You wanna take a peek?”

Answer:

It would be one thing to resubmit the manuscript with the attitude that these agents have been waiting with bated breath for two years to read your material, but that’s clearly not what you’re doing. There’s no harm in dropping them a line to ask if they’d like to see it in it’s different/improved state. Remind them of who you are and the circumstances that led you to withdraw your material. If they’re still interested in having a look they’ll let you know.

We need your questions! Send them along to news@dystel.com.

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