Comments on Nathan Bransford, Author: Guest Blog Week: Book Sales Demystified

Thanks for the great post! But pretty please don&...

2009-07-31T13:33:50.858-07:00

Thanks for the great post!

But pretty please don't use Stephenie Meyer for an example? I know she's a bestselling author, but there are many many many more better ones out there.

I'm starting to think publishing in adult fami...

2009-07-17T20:55:18.782-07:00

I'm starting to think publishing in adult family drama is a dying genre. Everyone wants YA now adays. My one foray into youth turned out to be more likeable to adults than children, or adolescents. I see more people posting that agents picked them up faster for their YA novels than any other fiction category.

And I have five children for God's sake!

Great, GREAT post, Eric. And A LOT of pertinent in...

2009-07-17T13:38:53.500-07:00

Great, GREAT post, Eric. And A LOT of pertinent information.

It's especially interesting to me since my book is set to release in two weeks. All of this really gave me a bigger view on the process behind the scenes and also made me extremely grateful for the in-house support my book has received from its publisher.

To those who say Publishing is about who you know, I can honestly say that while it might be true in some cases, it's not ALWAYS the case. I'm a veritable nobody who found an agent via the slush pile and then went on to sell a three-book YA series. My book has received tremendous support from the publisher, and I'm continually amazed at the number of talented, passionate people involved in getting it - and others - to market. Clearly you are one of them, Eric!

Thanks for the wonderful post!

wow, super interesting post! I'd definitely re...

2009-07-17T13:04:22.829-07:00

wow, super interesting post! I'd definitely read a blog based on this side of the industry-- it's like the man behind the curtain.

I'm a debut author (my book dropped last month). Curious, though, about whether the "new for teens" would be considered co-op. Most of the debut authors I know were put in this section for a least a few weeks...I can't imagine ALL of our publishers paid for that. Perhaps the teen section runs a little differently than some of the others.

Steve—Oh, well, of course trucks. Who brought the ...

2009-07-09T22:03:08.392-07:00

Steve—Oh, well, of course trucks. Who brought the C4?

(I'm missing my favorite show right now, Burn Notice, and I'm obviously going through explosion withdrawal.)

My response: http://www.hughhowey.com/?p=406

2009-07-09T08:17:14.236-07:00

My response: http://www.hughhowey.com/?p=406

:-)

2009-07-08T14:07:41.451-07:00

:-)

You're a real hoot, Mira girl, a real hoot. Ha...

2009-07-08T13:39:26.000-07:00

You're a real hoot, Mira girl, a real hoot. Harumph! ;-)

What do you mean Laura? I just thought they'...

2009-07-08T13:25:20.664-07:00

What do you mean Laura?
I just thought they'd rather hear from you than from me.

But honestly, just teasing. Nothing to take seriously. Really. If I ever call Nathan's agency, I promise I'll identify myself as Ink or Steve Fuller instead.

Hey! I walk away from Nathan's blog for a lit...

2009-07-08T12:41:16.481-07:00

Hey!

I walk away from Nathan's blog for a little while... and somehow, I get roped into Mira's grand scheme to harass his agency. Why do I get the blame?

And, here, sniff, sniff, I thought you were my pal. :-(

Well, poop on you. And I mean that. Sincerely.

Hey Eric, great post! I had the opportunity to wo...

2009-07-08T11:25:20.283-07:00

Hey Eric, great post!
I had the opportunity to work in a small independand bookstore in my town for a few months and even had the chance to speak with a few reps from different publishers, some of which included simon and schuster, harper collins and H.B Fenn, it was a great experience and its even more interesting to read your post and I understand the whole process a lot more.

Anyways on to my question, if the publisher decides that your book is not 'good enough' for co-op or advertising, can the author contribute to the cost of the co-op to help promote themselves?

Jordan, Maybe even a truck.

2009-07-08T11:20:43.421-07:00

Jordan,

Maybe even a truck.

Sacramento Kings... Yeah, you're right, Steve...

2009-07-08T11:20:31.683-07:00

Sacramento Kings...

Yeah, you're right, Steve, that is a pretty good joke.

Cars, Steve? Come on. I have a couch that we coul...

2009-07-08T11:11:44.811-07:00

Cars, Steve? Come on.

I have a couch that we could burn, though. They are most flammable.

(DH set fire to a couch on campus in college. One of the many reasons I was under the impression that he thought himself a bad boy.)

I'll patiently wait (on pins and needles!) for my entry to post. Sigh. Until then, feel free to visit my blog at JordanMcCollum.com . I'm doing a series on deep POV this month, and we'd love more voices in the conversation!

I am absolutely positive that somehow this is all ...

2009-07-08T11:11:43.443-07:00

I am absolutely positive that somehow this is all my fault.

But why? Why is everything always about me?

Why am I always the one to break the blog? Why can't one of you break the blog once in awhile.

Anon - I like your idea of calling Curtis Brown. I'm thinking of doing that. I'll introduce myself as Laura Martone and demand the blog be posted.

Bryan, I feel like just mentioning the Sacramento...

2009-07-08T10:48:21.936-07:00

Bryan,

I feel like just mentioning the Sacramento Kings is enough of a joke on its own.

And where is Scott? I know he's flipped over a few cars in his day.

Oooh -- Bryan -- an anti-McCarthy thread -- I like...

2009-07-08T10:31:04.717-07:00

Oooh -- Bryan -- an anti-McCarthy thread -- I like it... :)

Ooh, Steve, I'm a pyro for sure! So, count me ...

2009-07-08T10:22:42.421-07:00

Ooh, Steve, I'm a pyro for sure! So, count me in!

Damn orphans getting all the attention... So wh...

2009-07-08T10:19:27.531-07:00

Damn orphans getting all the attention...

So who has the first Sacramento Kings joke? Reality television is also clearly available for mockery at this point. Cormac McCarthy... no, that's going too far. Plus the Kings provide so many opportunities all on their own...

Let's call Curtis Brown.

2009-07-08T10:15:20.950-07:00

Let's call Curtis Brown.

I'm with you, Steve!

2009-07-08T10:11:44.023-07:00

I'm with you, Steve!

I feel like setting cars on fire and flipping them...

2009-07-08T10:02:02.611-07:00

I feel like setting cars on fire and flipping them over.

Who wants to riot with me until we get more guest posts?

Has anyone else participated in the "Travel f...

2009-07-08T09:52:03.812-07:00

Has anyone else participated in the "Travel for Good" program, or something similar? It looks quite amazing.

Eric, this is an amazing post. Thank you so much f...

2009-07-08T09:05:20.579-07:00

Eric, this is an amazing post. Thank you so much for taking the time to spell it all out for us!

Well, it may just be that this Nathan's respon...

2009-07-08T09:02:51.107-07:00

Well, it may just be that this Nathan's responsiblity and he is having trouble with internet access.

But on the off chance that this blog is being supervised, and a decision was made to hold off for Nathan: I will make a personal vow, that I, at least, I, Mira, will be just as restrained as if Nathan was hovering over me with that delete button.

It's so exciting for the people who were chosen. It would be great if they didn't have to wait a week.