The second day of the conference was easily my least favorite day of the three, which was a little disappointing because at the start of this day, I felt like the sessions I had picked (based on the titles and descriptions) were really going to be sessions I really got something out of.
Don’t get me wrong—a couple of the sessions were fantastic.
Unfortunately, there were also a few that didn’t help as much as I was hoping they would. In part because the descriptions of these sessions were a little misleading. That’s not to say that I didn’t learn anything, but I didn’t learn as much as I had hoped.
Let’s jump in, shall we?
Session 1: Defying Category: How to Sell, Edit, and Market a Genre-Bending Novel
I really wanted to attend this session to see if I could figure out where Veritas fits in the market, and how to pitch it better to agents (who can then pitch it to editors). Since the story contains several sub-genres (mystery, suspense, humor, a hint of science fiction, small town setting, etc.), it’s been hard for me to really classify it—or find good comparison titles—without giving too much of the story away, but while still enticing people to read it.
This panel was one of my favorites of the day because there was a writer, an agent, and two editors—in other words, someone from the entire publishing cycle.
The panelists discussed that when it comes determining a genre for your book, less is more—almost like catfishing the reader. Surprise! There was also an element of magic in this! But sometimes, it’s just as important to be upfront if the novel bends genres.
If you want to see your book in stores, it has to be shelved somewhere. So it’s important to know what the overall genre of the book is, that way there is less of a chance of it getting miscategorized.
In the current market, there has been an evolution of genre labels, which in some cases makes it easier to know how to classify your book, and in some ways can make it harder. Several years back when books like The Hunger Games and Divergent were popular, dystopian novels were common. Lately the big trend has been romantasy—which is a combination of romance and fantasy.
But because genre is always an evolving conversation, it’s good to be familiar with what is out there, and how those genre labels are shifting.
Another big thing the panelists discussed was how there is an understanding between writers and readers when it comes to genre. If I were to pick up a mystery novel, I would go into it with certain expectations. For example, I expect that the story is going to be relatively fast paced, and the mystery is going to be solved at the end of the story. If the main character spends the whole book trying to solve this mystery, and the book ended without it being solved, I would be confused. Especially if there wasn’t a sequel.
So, you also don’t want to misrepresent your book and leave your readers feeling betrayed or confused.
I actually could probably write half a dozen blog posts on this session and the idea of genre, but it was really helpful when thinking about the genre of Veritas. I’ve been trying to do too much to perfectly capture all of the sub genres, and it’s okay for it to just be “contemporary young adult fiction” and to let the reader discover the sub-genres for themselves.
Session 2: What Bookshelf Do I Belong On?: The Challenges of Literary Categorization
While I got so much out of the last session, this second session was one that I ended up leaving a little early. I thought it would piggyback nicely off the first session, but it did not. This panel was mostly writers, and it was much more focused on memoirs and nonfiction, neither of which I write.
They also reiterated the idea that genre is something that helps readers know what they’re getting themselves into when they pick up a book. If they are wanting something a little faster paced, there are genres that fit that (mystery, romance). If they want to really sink into the writing and the language, they may gravitate toward more literary fiction.
If your pacing doesn’t fit what is expected of the genre, you’re going to run into issues.
Session 3: Be Shameless: Everything You Need to Know to Nail Promotion
This was another session that I was hoping would be a little more practical than it was. I was hoping for more specific tips on how to promote your work, once you have something to market. It seemed as if the panelists were still figuring it out themselves, and shared a few of their own strategies, but nothing felt as practical as I wanted it to be.
They also seemed to indicate that if you have a publishing house, they should be doing more promotion than you. Your social media following doesn’t always translate into sales.
One panelist also said, “It doesn’t matter how many social media follower you have if your book sucks. So you need to focus on the writing and the art.”
They also advised to play to your strengths. If you’re not very good at being in front of a camera, TikTok probably isn’t for you. The panelists also stressed that if you are going to be on social media, you need to be authentic because people can tell if you’re being fake.
But perhaps one of the biggest tools they discussed was to be shameless in asking friends and family to share pre-order links, or links to go buy your book. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from the people who love you and want you to succeed.
Session 4: The Author/Agent Relationship: Navigating the Rapidly Evolving Industry Together
Like I mentioned in my previous recap, the sessions with literary agents on the panel were some of my favorite sessions. I enjoyed hearing more about literary agents and what it is they do—most likely because that’s the publishing stage I’m in.
The agents on this panel mentioned that a lot of their job is reassuring authors. They said that a lot of times, authors are terrified that they are going to say or do the wrong thing, and it’ll cause their agent to drop them as a client. (And assured us that was not the case.)
There is a level of respect and trust—like any co-worker situation—that has to be present in order for the author/agent relationship to work. Not only does the author have to trust that the agent is doing everything in their power to sell the author’s book, the agent has to trust that the author is going to turn things in on time, and most importantly, keep writing!
They also talked about the money side of things, which was encouraging to hear. Agents don’t make money until the writer makes money. They work off commission, with 15% being the current standard rate.
Not to mention, that it’s the agent’s job to know all the ins and outs of negotiating the contracts with the publishing houses. They are going to be the expert on things, so you don’t have to be. You want to have some say in your cover? You don’t necessarily want to sign over your movie rights just yet? The agent will make sure that your contract looks good, and is responsible for relaying that information to you.
An audience member asked a question that I thought was really insightful. They asked how “done” your manuscript should be before you start querying agents. The panelists said that their job is to “get your manuscript to a microwaveable form.” Editors want manuscripts that are about 90% ready to go. Agents are looking for closer to 75-80%.
Another really good piece of advice one agent said, specifically in answer to the question above, was to “be really honest with yourself” about where you are. Are you in a place to let commerce in? Since you’ll be embarking on a different stage of the journey, is it too soon for you to be removed enough from your work to let it go?
I think back to where I was with Veritas half a dozen drafts ago. I was terrified to let people read it. What if they hated it? If they hated it, did that mean I was a bad writer? What if I queried a literary agent and they laughed me out of the publishing industry? But I’ve watched the story grow and evolve and become better and better versions of itself with each new draft. Now, I’m at a point where I’d probably just send it to you if you asked.
So I feel more ready for that commerce stage than I did several years ago. I’m ready to let it go into the hands of readers.
Session 5: Play Nice: How to Get Along in the Publishing House
To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this session, but I thought maybe it would help to learn if there were specific things I needed to navigate to “play nice” in the publishing world. But really, it seems to be the same as any other working relationship.
Essentially this whole session boiled down to the fact that you are working with people. You need to treat others with kindness and respect, and they’ll give you the same in return.
The advice they repeated over and over was: “Don’t be a dick.”
Honestly, that’s decent life advice—not just in publishing.
Britnie Jenkins 