Laura Zats

This also applies to Lord of the Rings and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy #pubtip

I've been thinking a lot about my submission process recently, questioning WHY I do things the way that I do, and that's probably worth a thread. #querytip #pubtip

Reminder: a good agency reputation is great, but always, ALWAYS make sure you're comfortable with the way your agent works beyond social media and advertising.

#pubtip
(cc @ItGottlieb)

#pubtip: it's a good thing when an agent offers to have you chat with their existing clients before you sign with them. Make sure you speak to their published AND unpublished authors!

Second #pubtip: Agency reputations and rankings can obscure a LOT of bad. If you're seeing agents talk only about these things and you're not hearing any authors tooting their horn, something is deeply wrong. ALWAYS ASK OTHER AUTHORS.

My biggest and best #pubtip for querying authors: always, ALWAYS look at an agent's listing on Absolute Write. Someone might seem professional because there's a lot of ways to hide scams in this biz. Read the forums.

One thing NOT to do when querying is "I see you have an interest in X. While my book doesn't have that, it does have [something only tangentially related to X]"

#pubtip

<climbs onto gigantic soapbox>

<clears throat>

DO NOT INSULT THE GENRE YOU ARE TRYING TO BE PUBLISHED IN!

#pubtip

Also included:
—Podcast Wine (TM)
—Why we're bad gamblers
—#pubtip for everyone!

Also included:
—Laura's Hot Takes on wine
—An entirely not-facetious #pubtip

Are you not getting good responses on your query? Send to printrunpodcast@gmail.com and we'll critique it (anon) on-air for you! #pubtip

Are you #amquerying? Tune into Print Run's special #query episode for some mega #pubtip action! itun.es/i6hQ9Lb

And finally, most of you likely have very similar contracts. Keep lines of communication open to make it easier on everyone! #pubtip

It will also take time to get paid for final sales/get final stock numbers/etc, but they MUST provide you with this info #pubtip

Please note—while you own your text, you don't own the book cover—you and JFP will have to come to an agreement about further use #pubtip

Do you need someone by your side for this, or are at the start of the process? Maybe reselling or getting an agent is right for you! #pubtip

Are you at the end of a series? Have many waiting fans? Feel comfy with promotion? Maybe self-pub it. #pubtip

Should you try to resell the book? Get an agent? Self-pub it? There is no right answer. Just what's right for you #pubtip

If you're looking for an agent, tell us you're dealing with this—many will get to you faster if you have shit to get done #pubtip

If you have events coming up and you can swing it, see if you can buy your print books to sell at these events #pubtip