Sunday, February 08, 2009

Questions not to ask...

I attended a lovely community brunch this morning, where the author of The Devil Wears Prada was the guest speaker. Once they finished with the community business, the event launched into her speach, which was actually done in a Q&A format.
After listening to a few questions, and feeling my blood pressure rise (Mom confirmed when she told me later, "You started to get red."), I came up with a short, but important, list of questions not to ask a visiting author.
  • Never ask the author what you should send out to an editor or agent, in terms of a proposal. First off, she's in a different position than you. Second, every agent and house is different. Every publishing house, and almost every agent, gladly lists their submission preferences on their website. If there is no website, write to them. Their assistant will let you know their process.
  • If you write Childrens books, don't expect a Romance author (or Chick Lit/Mystery/Thriller/Historical author for that matter) to know your market. That's your job. Almost every genre has some kind of group that will help you learn the ins and outs of your market. Romance Writers of America is a fabulous example. Find them. Join them. Learn.
  • If you're going to ask how they got published, please understand that each case is different. Not everyone can pick up an agent AND an editor with only 100 pages of their very first manuscript completed.
  • Don't ask where they get their ideas. Every author I know hates this question. Even the unpublished writers I know hate this question. There is no grand universal answer to it. We don't go to the store and buy them. We don't have them mailed to our houses on a regular basis. Our ideas come from everyone and everything in our life. You may be the inspiration for our next nosy neighbor. I'm just saying...

So there you have it. My little bit of advice to help you better enjoy your next experience with a published author.

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posted by Erin @ 6:36 PM

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