Frequently Asked Questions
1. Will you take a look at my manuscript?
A. I get a good number of requests, so I charge a small fee and have set up a reasonable method for giving professional feedback about your work. Get info
2. Will I get rich and famous when my book is published?
a. Don’t count on it. I’ve been writing for the LDS audience for 30 years, but most people have never heard of me.
3. Seriously, how much can I expect to earn?
a. Publishers pay royalties on an increasing scale, according to numbers of copies sold. Some publishing contracts today allow publishers to hold onto more of the money up front to recoup more of their initial costs. Your percentage slowly increases after that according to volume. If your book sells at least 3,000 copies, you’ll make a few hundred dollars, depending on many factors. Don’t quit your day job.
4. How often do publishers send royalty checks?
a. Twice a year is common.
5. What sells more: fiction or non-fiction?
a. Non-fiction.
6. But I love to write stories. How can I sell a good novel?
a. If you figure that one out, let me know. The reality is, fiction is something of luxury. In today’s tight fiscal marketplace, people are looking for books that fill a need.
7. Yeah, but don’t people love a good story too?
a. Yes. They share their books, loan them to friends and neighbors, and go to the library. But buy them? Face it. We are a frugal people. Writing for the LDS audience needs to be a work based on love and the dedication of our talent for the good of mankind. Someone needs to offer an alternative to what’s happening in the major publishing centers of the world.
8. Do I need an agent?
a. If you are writing for the LDS audience, no. But check the website of each publisher to find out. Read their guidelines for submissions and follow them to the letter.
9. How many people are out there trying to get published? Do I have a lot of competition?
a. Publishers receive hundreds of submissions every month. Most of them will not get past the intake editor.
10. How can I get mine read?
a. Do your homework. Prepare well. See “Tips for Getting Published.”
11. What can you tell me about Kindle and Nook books?
a. The digital revolution is amazing. A clerk at a local national chain bookstore told me that ⅓ of books sales for 2010 went to their downloadable digital devices. We’ve already seen one major national book chain close its doors.
12. Will this new trend eventually do away with printed books?
a. I hope not. As convenient and travel-friendly as my Nook is, I find I still prefer many of my books to sit open on my desk so I can flip pages, earmark them, underline them, etc.
13. What about Publishing on Demand?
a. It’s an option, for sure. You can prepare your manuscript to be print-ready. When an online order comes in, the digital file is sent to a press, and the ordered number of copies is printed and sent to the buyer. There are no boxes of books waiting in storehouses.
14. What do I have to do?
a. You must do all of the book preparation yourself, including cover art, copy editing, copyright protection, and applying for an ISBN number. If you try to “get something out there” so you can claim to be a published author, and it’s poorly done, it will haunt you forever. On the other hand, if you work with a publishing house who can do the prep work, it might save a lot of the costs now associated with printing up copies of untried books. Or, hire a good copy editor so your manuscript presents well.
15. What about promoting my book?
a. Larger LDS publishers will advertise your book. In the end, word of mouth is probably your best bet. Smaller publishers expect you to have a promo plan ready to plug in. You need to be connected to various social media sites and know how to tap into the strength of the Internet to get the word out there. Set up speaking opportunities. It’s work to promote an unknown author with an unknown book, and the more you work at it, the better your book will do.
16. I just love to write poetry. Where can I get that published?
a. I know of no LDS publisher doing any anthologies of poems. They don’t sell, and there is no market. If there is an exception, it might be in writing picture books for children.
17. I felt impressed to write a book. How do I get it published?
a. There are many reasons why Latter-day Saints feel impressed to write their stories. For now, just follow your promptings. If there is a next step, the way will open when you get there. Not all books are for the general public, and your story might become part of your family legacy. Let’s not discount the importance of writing the stories of our day for reasons yet unknown.
Good luck!
Handling Rejections
Most beginning writers often feel let down . . . maybe even devastated . . . when rejections come. The trick is not to let a rejection—or an honest appraisal— discourage you from moving forward. I’m working on my 14th book. So far, only 4 have been published, and 9 rejected.
My recent rejections include:
Tomorrow’s Hope: A historical novel that takes place in the Bear Lake area in 1880. Due to pioneering hardships, two sisters become plural wives of the same man. He is called on a mission, and while he is gone, the younger sister falls in love with his brother. When the government outlaws polygamy, is she, or is she not, married? And while it takes ten years for this question to be answered, what is she to do? Will going on the underground help?
A reason for turning it down: The writing is good, but it talks about polygamy as if it were okay.
Response I never sent: Excuse me? I thought we were to represent the time period accurately, and besides, the story is about the demise of polygamy—how two men and two women in love dealt with it.
Time to write: Four years
Skyhawk Search: Takes place in present day Utah in Heber City and the High Uintas. A small plane goes down in the mountains in late fall. The pilot loses her life, but the passenger lives. He must leave behind his briefcase with assay results from various gold mines.
The pilot’s husband just wants to find the plane to bring closure and read his wife’s last words to him. But the world wants those maps, and so the race is on, so to speak.
He prays, he plans, and he goes in to find the Cessna Skyhawk. But he can’t find it. How can a plane disappear? Now his faith is tested, and as the story unfolds, he and his family learn more about the deeper meaning of faith, love, and the important things in life than they ever thought possible.
A reason given for turning it down: The writing is good, but it’s really a work of literature. We don’t publish literature.
Response I never sent: Then who will? Who will take our LDS literature to the next level?
Time to write: Two years.
The Damascene Deception: Takes place in present day Utah in the Richfield area. A simple goal to find and map out the various mines from the 1800s leads magazine writer Wade Conner into danger as he seeks the key to the lost Damascene mine. His family and friends show the positive power of a family in times of trial, and Wade learns what it means to trust the Lord.
A reason given for turning it down: The family stuff gets in the way of the mystery. Take out the family stuff. It makes it too much like a work of literature. We don’t do literature.
Response I never sent: My books are all about showing the strength of family. The mystery was just for fun.
Time to write: Five years (and three rewrites)
I’ve spent years getting rejections, and I’m still writing. Do I really write literature? I don’t know. But my books have two things that matter to me:
1.Strong family themes that showcase the kinds of journeys of faith more common to Latter-day Saints.
2. Avoidance of plots that focus on evil, breaking the commandments, criminal behavior, etc. No who-dun-its.
In the end all writers need to ask themselves if they are going to give up or move ahead and try a new project. Write for various venues and eventually you'll find a good fit. Learn from each setback, and then go forward. A rejection may be a reflection on your book, but it might also happen for other reasons. Don't let a rejection stop you! Keep trying!
Current book project? A Washington D.C. type tries to hide out in Central Utah until he can testify in court about securities fraud. This Ivy League guy can do a lot of things impressively, but can he survive in the west without help? Of course, help will come with a young lady who may not be big-city street-wise but she can sure hold her own in the high mountain desert of Utah.
Wish me luck. The story involves, of all things, their families!
