The buzz is growing, and just about every author (and potential author) has heard the question from friends, relatives, or strangers: “Why don’t you self-publish?” There might be different answers and reactions to this query, but one thing is certain: there is no more “normal” in the publishing industry. Authors are turning down major deals so they can self-publish; self-published authors who got rich from e-books are taking major deals for print rights. Like the shattering—and liberating—effects of the digital revolution undergone by the music industry, publishing is next.

Self-publishing in print or e-book form isn't the only answer, and it's by no means always the right answer for every author. But it's an option worthy of consideration as opportunities for traditional publication (especially for first novels) become scarcer in a publishing climate that's increasingly risk-averse. 

Every year or so, a debut novel from an unknown writer crashes onto the publishing scene. Buoyed by word-of-mouth recommendations among friends, passionate booksellers, and good timing, these titles give hope to aspiring authors everywhere. They help us believe that great writing can break through the wall of established brands.

{addthis off}When you work with books and authors, it's easy to get caught up in wanting great things to happen for the works you've been involved with.

Angel, the first novel by Mary Kingsley falls into that category.  The Editorial Department, specifically founder Renni Browne and editor Shannon Roberts, were happy to be part of the creative process that resulted in Kingsley's novel, but part of the satisfaction that comes with being part of something of artistic value (Renni described the book as "the kind of story that takes you over completely and stays with you long after you finish the last page", for example) is making sure it reaches an audience, which can often be just as challenging as writing the book in the first place.  We live with the story, watching it evolve to the final product and finding an agent, then a publisher, who shares the vision, who, with a quick glimpse, sees what we see, can be a tough road to travel.  So, when an A-list agent (Mel Berger at William Morris Endeavor) chose to represent Mary and Angel, we couldn't have been happier.

I mentioned a plane named Betty in my first post, which is not exactly accurate. What Betty is as a vintage Grumman Widgeon, a seaplane of sorts with the rather cumbersome moniker of 'flyingboat'.   And at one point in the not too distant past, Betty was one of our editor's favorite characters in a suspense novel about a pilot who lives in Key West and uses his beloved flyingboat to help the island's local when they get into trouble. (For a fee of course, as our hero is in a bit of a financial pickle as the book starts.)

One problem here was that the plane, at least at one point, may well have actually  been more interesting and likable than its pilot. (That might sound crazy but in the hands of this capable writer and his passion for aviation, Betty really came alive on the page in a way that's hard to describe but just sort of irresistible.) The problem is that the pilot is the star of the book and projected series, and here Betty was stealing his thunder. The author got revenge by planning a planecrash in book # 2, but there was  clearly a challenge to be dealt with in book #1. What we had was a character who for all his laid-back charm (this book is set in Key West, mind you) and shadowy past wasn't quite compelling enough to come across as deserving his own series.  At least that was the perception, and I don't think it was without merit.

I often like to joke about how publishing moves in geologic time.  That may feel like the case sometimes but the reality is that the time it takes to get a completed manuscript represented, contracted for publication, and then actually released usually pales in comparison to the time it takes to get from book idea to rough draft, through whatever numbers of rewrites are needed, to a final draft that's really ready for the eyes of agents and publishers in the first place.

What's frustrating for writers is that the process is so seldom a liner one.  As editors and manuscript consultants, part of our is to streamline the creative process and help writers avoid false starts,  blind allies, and getting painted into some corner you can't get out of.  But we cannot, in our effort to do this, discourage some trial and error along the way and the value of experimenting with an approach that  may or may not ultimately work for the manuscript in question. If I've learned anything in my 15 years of helping good manuscripts become good books, it's that there's no single right way to do anything. There are  lots of valuable principles to help editors give sound advice and writers make good decisions, sure, but sometimes you just have to try something and see the result on the page and then maybe try something else.

Getting published in a literary magazine is a great way to break onto the writing scene. It builds your writer’s platform, hones your writing style, and can even be a source of revenue. Getting started is always a little intimidating, so read on for some tips to query smart.

Literary magazines are organized by tiers. Tier one includes The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and others of the same status that seem out of reach to most of us. To be published in a tier one literary magazine, you generally have to know someone, be published and fairly successful, or plain lucky—I personally have my doubts that a writer’s talent weighs in as much as we’d like to think. (As one exception, David James Poissant, one of those wonderfully talented (and lucky) youngsters fresh out of college won a Playboy fiction competition and was published in October, 2007.)

with Adriann Ranta

Rick Horgan is Vice President and executive editor of Crown, an imprint of Random House. Crown's hardcover imprint publishes some of today's best original popular fiction and nonfiction. Recent bestsellers under the Crown imprint include The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama, World War Z by Max Brooks, and Thunderstruck by Erik Larson.

with Adriann Ranta

Michael Lloyd Gray earned a MFA in English from Western Michigan University, a bachelor's from the University of Illinois, and has taught English full-time in upstate New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Texas, and recently accepted a position at Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois. His work has appeared in Arkansas Review, Flash!Point (2nd prize in their fiction contest), Potomac Review, Viet Nam Generation, Black River Syllabary, and 1812. His story "Little Man" won the 2005 Alligator Juniper Fiction Prize. Gray has written two novels: Confederate Nation and December's Children.

with Adriann Ranta

Brent Ghelfi has served as a clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals, been a partner in a Phoenix-headquartered law firm, and now owns and operates several businesses. He has traveled extensively throughout Russia, and lives in Phoenix with his wife, a former prosecutor, and their two sons. He is currently working on the sequel to Volk’s Game.

by Adriann Ranta

Few writers know what kind of payment to expect once a novel has gone under contract at a publishing house. Money is a frustratingly taboo subject and the sources for authors trying to get educated on book advances and royalties are scant. Though for many writers the whole issue of money is secondary to the satisfaction of having a book actually published (bestselling author Matt Richtel joked that he would have sold his novel for a six-pack of beer), compensation is nonetheless a topic worthy of exploration.