Insights from Publishing Industry Professionals

Dina Sherman, Head of School and Library Marketing
Disney Publishing Worldwide

There’s an army of smart, experienced, hard-working people playing highly influential roles behind the scenes in the world publishing today with much to offer in terms of insights into the industry for writers of all stripes. To that end, the Writer’s Success Academy posed three questions to the fabulous Dina Sherman, Head of School and Library Marketing at Disney Publishing Worldwide. Below are our questions, Dina’s answer and then an occasional bit of commentary.

WSA: What does a major publisher look for in an acquisition meeting? Any "behind the scenes" info you feel comfortable sharing?

Dina: First and foremost, of course, we’re looking for a good book!  We also have to think about who the audience is, if we think we can market it, get publicity, where bookstores will place it, etc., but if a book isn’t good, then we know we can’t do anything with it. We do pay attention to trends, but since books we acquire usually won’t come out for a couple of years, we can’t assume something that’s hot will stay hot.    

Commentary: The fact that Dina points out how it must be a “good book!” is something worth particular attention because all writers who pass their work along for consideration think they are submitting “a good book” and yet, to see some of the proposals that run through across the desks of some of the top agents, publishing houses and so on, one would think that some of these aspiring literary greats hadn’t even passed a basic 8th grade English class. Between basic grammar issues and plot holes the size of Texas football stadiums, an author would do well to make sure that they’ve proofed their work (and had “other” readers weigh in) before attempting to play in the big leagues. Beyond that, chasing trends is a tricky game with many more losers than winners. Let the writer beware.

WSA: What one or two things can a writer do to better help themselves?

Dina: Read. Read. Read. Good writers are also good readers.  It’s fine to take a break now and then if you feel other authors’ voices get in the way of your own, but it’s important to see what’s out there.  And the more good (or bad) writing you read, the more you can shape your own.  But that might just be the librarian in me talking.

Commentary: Nicholas Sparks has said he reads about 120 books a year. Stephen King speaks about reading all the time. Authors across the centuries have always been big readers because the inescapable truth is that writers read, there’s no way around it. Interestingly however, is the fact that so many publishing industry professionals read voluminously as well. Dina doesn’t just read non-stop for work; she also reads for pleasure. These are the waters in which we all swim.

WSA: What one thing do you wish more published writers knew?

Dina: Think I might plead the 5th on this one! It could get me into trouble! (Joking.)

There’s no magic bullet. We all want to publish (or write) the next HARRY POTTER, WIMPY KID or TWILIGHT.  We want movies, balloons in the Thanksgiving Day parade, merchandise, etc.  But if there was a secret formula to make every book that big we’d all be doing it all the time. What makes a book a pop culture phenomenon is hard to figure out as it is for music, movies, shoes, and so on.  Why did every kid in my middle school want to carry the SAME Jordache pocketbook, when it was too small to be useful and really wasn’t that cute? I have no idea. But I hope someone at Jordache got a promotion for that!

 So don’t write a book because you think it’ll be the “next big thing”. Write the book you want to write. We’ll do our best to get it out there in front of as many people as possible, and hope that it gets found by all the right readers.  But even if your book isn’t the next HARRY, even if your characters never end up in a New York Times crossword puzzle or as an answer on Jeopardy, it doesn’t mean you didn’t create something amazing.

Commentary: William Goldman once famously commented that “nobody knows anything” and he was right. As Dina points out, if anyone actually knew how to create a multi-platform, multi-media, multi-billion dollar phenomenon, everyone would already be doing it. Stay true to yourself, write the book that you yourself want to read and make it kick butt. The universe, like it or not, takes care of the rest.

* * *

There’s an army of smart, experienced, hard-working people playing highly influential roles behind the scenes in the world publishing today with much to offer in terms of insights into the industry for writers of all stripes. To that end, the Writer’s Success Academy posed three questions to the Allie Singer, the Associate Managing Editor at DK Publishing. Below are our questions, Dina’s answer and then an occasional bit of commentary.

Allie Singer, Associate Managing Editor
DK Publishing

WSA: What does a major publisher look for in an acquisition meeting? Any "behind the scenes" info you feel comfortable sharing?

Allie: DK is pretty different from other publishers; we don't hold acquisition meetings. Instead, 99% of the ideas for our books are generated in-house. We then hire freelance writers and photographers/illustrators to help bring the books to life. However, having worked for companies that do acquire, I can say that what publishers look for in their acquisitions is truly just a great, well crafted, and well-presented idea. They look for ideas that are forward thinking—ideas that could spark future trends, rather than ideas that are on-trend currently; since the publishing process can take a year or two, current trends are likely to fade before the book is actually released. Also, and I'm sure this is no secret, publishers do look for authors who are passionate about their projects, and who are willing to collaborate with a publishing team to make their book the best it can be. Collaborative authors are well loved in the industry!

Commentary: Allie’s advice about being collaborative is well worth highlighting because there is a false supposition that writing and publishing a book is the by-product of one single person’s effort. Even if you self-publish soup-to-nuts, the likeliehood that you’ll be collaborating with an artist for cover designs, a freelance copyeditor or what not, the reality of book publishing is that a finished work is often the product of many people’s efforts. And if you are going to publish with a traditional publishing house, there are literally scores of people who will weigh in on their own areas of specialty with one, singular goal in mind: to help produce the best work that can be crafted. Recognizing the role that being a “good collaborator” can play in your ultimate success as a writer is well-worth paying attention to. (i.e. Divas who thrive are the exception, not the rule.)

WSA: What one or two things can a writer do to better help themselves?

Allie: My favorite recommendation is to be as open and communicative as you can with your editor; if you're having trouble on a certain element, or fear you'll miss a deadline due to personal issues / writer's block / anything at all, speak up! Good editors are there to help, and they want your book to succeed just as much—if not even more—than you do. I also suggest that writers figure out which genre / category their book fits into, and read other works in that genre as much as possible; it always helps to know your market.

Commentary: Editors are allies, not the enemy. As mentioned above, their goal is to help produce the best book that can be produced because they understand that this is the smartest path to take in order to maximize the chances of breakout success. Being open with your editor about “issues” is challenging because it means a writer has to be willing to be vulnerable. To explain how you are having challenges, not “seeing” a certain way out of a jam, are behind schedule as a dealine looms, or what not is frightful because many writers assume this means the editor is going to judge them negatively, look down upon their ability to be a professional, or worst of all, cancel the contract and toss them out on their can! In fact, the opposite is true. Writers who are not open about their struggles as they are having them often end up causing more grief as a result of hiding their challenges. It seems counter-intuitive to tell your editor (i.e. your boss), “I am struggling with a certain part of the job you have hired me to do,” but all good editors know that their job is is to HELP YOU through the maze. Writing a book is a tough, long, fraught-with-challenges process. Publishers know this. Best advice, repeat after us: “Editors are allies.” The good ones always are.

WSA: What one thing do you wish more published writers knew?

Allie: Hmm, that's a tricky one! Let's see... I wish more published writers knew how much non-editing editors do: They sit through finance meetings, operations meetings, reprint meetings, sales and marketing meetings, social media meetings, meetings, meetings, meetings all the time—most actual editing is done on personal time! Writers I have worked with are unhappy if a phone call or an e-mail isn't returned right away; I wish published writers understood that an editor not responding right away can be the sign of a busy, well-rounded, and deeply involved editor, not an uninterested or dispassionate one. Wishful thinking, I suppose!

Commentary: Allie nails it on the head when she points out that most of the actual book editing that editors do is done on their own personal time. Visit any big house and you will see the entire staff roving from meeting to meeting to meeting. The work of being an editor requires so many skills sets these days that the title of this job is practically a misnomer! Ironic that the number one thing an editor appears to have been hired to do – and the number one reason they went into the job of being a book editor – is the one thing that almost always seems to take a backseat to “meetings”. Of course, these meetings definitely have value… but then again, some of them probably could be shortened or eliminated entirely as well. Such is our modern-day world, right? Big take-away: Be patient with your editor for they are often over-scheduled