3) Cash: how you split income. The author can guarantee the writer a set fee no matter how much (or little) money the book makes. The parties can split the advance and/or royalties. Decide if there's a cap to the writer's earnings. I've seen many variations.

If it's truly a 50-50 collaboration, the copyright can be in both names. Keep in mind, both parties will need to agree on any decision, which gets tricky if the book has a long life since 2 separate sets of heirs may need to agree in the future.

2) Copyright: Regardless of the credit, who owns the material? Often the writer is a "work for hire" & the copyright is in the author's name only. This is the person making decisions about what happens to the property (foreign rights, tv/film).

1) Credit: the name(s) on the cover of the book. If it's ghost writing, only the author's name is credited. If a co-writer will get credit, decide on the order & how the names are to be separated. E.g."and" or "with." Let your publisher know the credit line.

If you're thinking of working with someone to help write your book, agree on the terms BEFORE you get a publishing deal. Can't stress this enough. Here are the main deal points, what I call the 3 Cs of Collaboration.

Hey memoir/personal narrative nonfiction writers! Editorial #pubtip: there are two extremely common first draft proposal issues I see over and over, and if you’re ahead of this note before submitting to me or any nonfiction agent, we will be so impressed.

Random #pubtip for authors: if anyone on your pub team ever sends you an email saying, "great news!!! X rights (audio, foreign) are going to be picked up!!!", pause and remember that this much enthusiasm often = "please say yes to this and don't ask questions"

Questions answered in today's Q&A Thursday:

How many ways can I trick an agent into representing me?
Where can I make connections if I don't live in NYC?
How many subscribers do I need to get a book deal?

katemckean.substack.com/p/all-your-que…

#literaryagents #writingcommunity #pubtip

Most books won’t get the scrutiny that Bolton’s is getting but here’s what you can expect if you’re writing a book about a controversial topic. #pubtip

Use them to become canny. To get the gossip. To figure out the shibboleths. This is a #pubtip thread. The end.

General #pubtip advice:

Agents have limited time to evaluate submissions. You want us spending it reading and responding, not puzzling over what we're looking at.

Double check you understand the distinctions between genres & your query makes it clear!

twitter.com/DaraKaye/statu…

Today's #pubtip is about permissions.

Come with me, authors--I'm about to save your future selves a whole lot of agita!

Writers, never rely on third-party sites for CURRENT info on agents. Check their websites. #pubtip

This is what I think when I get emails from writers that say "I have an offer from a small press. Do you want to be my agent?"

katemckean.substack.com/p/if-you-want-…

#amwriting #amquerying #writingcommunity #pubtip #literaryagents #litagents

UNSOLICITED LIT AGENT’S* #pubtip OPINION: for NF, I am looking for authors w/deep longform talent who are already visible to the audiences that would buy their books and well-networked with people who could help promote. So: (1/2)

*not Morgan’s! Hers is the excellent @modomodom

In case you’re wondering:
“Distributed in Canada” means the US publisher shipped the US edition to Canadian outlets. “Sold Canadian rights” means the US publisher made a deal with a Canadien publisher to produce and sell a Canadian edition. #pubtip

Get used to thinking of your manuscript in terms of words not pages. (Publishing contracts specify # of words.)To estimate: 1 double spaced typed page = 250 words. #pubtip

Heads up to writers - I've shifted the way I accept queries, and I'm now only accepting queries through QueryManager. Please query me by clicking on this link: QueryMe.Online/1710 #literaryagent #querytip #pubtip @JDLitAgency

A good agent will not encourage your reptile instincts to white-knuckle onto any one lead. See yesterday's tweet thread on completion bias: one of our primary value adds is to push back against our clients' irrational bird-in-handism.

Ninety-nine percent of the time--99%!--that "hey, book? I want to do a book with you!" email does NOT result in a book deal. The most typical outcome is that it devolves into a moving-goalposts situation where an offer doesn't materialize. (It does materialize sometimes! Rarely)