Behave yourself!
So much writing and publishing advice concerns finishing that first book, finding that perfect agent, landing that initial contract...but what happens then? We agents and editors are fond of chanting, "It's the writing, it's the writing," and that's true--except when not. It's important to remember that the first book is, one hopes, the first of many--and there are certain things that will discourage your publishing house from having another go. And so I present:
How to Have Your Option Dropped in 10 Easy Steps
1. Sell your first book on proposal, then turn in a rocky manuscript. Look, publishers know that any time they buy on proposal, they're taking a risk. Maybe the idea was so hot that they had to snap the book up. Maybe the author had a successful history in another genre or medium. But if the quality of the complete manuscript doesn't match that of the proposal, editorial shoulders sag a little in defeat.
2. Fail to learn from your mistakes. Hey, no manuscript is perfect. Editors like to tinker with even the perfect ones, anyway. And we understand that it takes time to adjust to an unfamiliar reader asking you for changes. But if I point out a bad habit in your writing, and work with you to eradicate it in your first ms., I'm going to be annoyed if it's back in the second one.
3. Fight your editor. OK, it's true, we always think we know best. I suppose it's conceivable that this is not the case in every circumstance...but if we ask for a change you don't want to make, you need to discuss it with us. Don't just ignore it, don't flat-out refuse without hearing why we've requested the change. And if you can, bend on some points. We don't have to win every battle, and neither do you.
4. Harass your publicist. I'm speaking of your in-house publicist, though you shouldn't be harassing your personal publicist either. (But I won't hear about that, and thus won't know to hold it against you.) If I call the publicist handling your book and get a weary sigh in response to the mention of your name, I know we have a problem. I'm not saying you can't call or e-mail with questions--but don't be a pest. Don't be unreasonable in your expectations. And no matter what, don't be rude. At the end of the day, it's the publicist I'm seeing at the coffee machine every day, and I'm frankly less likely to believe that she's an intransigent sea donkey who's deliberately sabotaging your career than I am that you're a jerk.
5. Fail to Honor Your Obligations. This really isn't one I see a lot, but just in case--if you promise to attend a signing, be there and be audience-ready. (That means friendly, prepared, professional and if you just had a knock-down-drag-out with your spouse, don't bring it into the bookstore with you.) On a smaller scale, if you promise to set up a website and get your publisher to print the URL on the cover...make sure you build it. If your editor/publicist/whomever needs to get in touch with you--be available.
6. Lie. No, of course you would never tell anything but the truth to your agent and editor, but believe it or not, there are some unscrupulous types who just might. OK, as with many lies, they're usually not told out of malice, but of guilt or awkardness, and the most frequent one? "You'll get it next week." When I ask you about a delivery date, for God's sake, tell me the truth! Because when you tell me "next week," I tell four other people in different departments the same thing, and when next week arrives and there's no manuscript on my desk, you and I both look like jerks. And what's one way to repair my reputation? By getting rid of you.
7. Stay in the ivory tower. OK, Rapunzel, we know it's nice up there. But at least be sure you're enjoying the view--that is, be aware of your market surroundings. You don't have to mortgage the house so you can buy an RV and go from town-to-town glad-handing everyone you meet, but you do need to have at least some sense of what the market's doing, and what's reasonable in terms of subject matter, promotion, even advances. The good news is that if you've gotten this far, you likely have at least two people who would love to help you on this score: your agent and your editor.
8. Be a gossip. Look, anyone who knows me will tell you that I love gossip, so I'm one to talk. And I understand that sometimes you need to vent to a loved one when you're unhappy with some element of your career; but choose that loved one carefully! The internet has been both a blessing and a curse for would-be writers--there's a ton of information out there, but ill-considered rants or misstatements can not only live on forever, but they can be forwarded in the blink of an eye...and at some point chances are good that the subject of your rant will recognize herself.
9. Compare yourself to others. For some authors (not you, o best beloveds), nothing is ever good enough. A two-book contract? Should have been three? $50,000 advance? So-and-so got six figures. Three local signings? They wanted a tour. Understand that there are many different factors that go into preparing an acquisition offer or a marketing plan--you, Author X, are not the same as Author Y, and finding your own plans lacking because someone else has more will end in tears.
10. Be a nut job. OK, this one doesn't come up very often, but on rare occasions, an author might be so difficult to work with that the company decides it's simply not worth the additional stress to do another book. You will, however, live in infamy at every publishing cocktail party as a "they couldn't pay me enough..." anecdote.
Can I promise that if you avoid all these behaviors, you'll get a second contract? Sadly, no. If the numbers don't crunch at the end of the day, sometimes there's nothing I can do. But if we're on the fence about you, it can only help if I can honestly say, "And the author's a delight to work with!"
